Returning from vacation is always difficult, even for the best of us. Lounging around makes one very lazy very fast. It’s easy to get accustomed to that lifestyle. This makes being on call your first weekend back especially difficult. Everything you did on a daily basis before, suddenly becomes stressful. I suppose that having your phone ring while operating on a Sunday morning, and having the Anaesthetist take messages from Trauma, will make anyone wish they had stayed on vacation.

During this “Baptism of Fire” weekend, I noticed that on each of the three days, I received a patient who had injured themselves after a fall while ice skating at the new Ice Rink at one of the Goodwood Casinos. Friday, a child with a fractured wrist. Saturday, a child with a severe ankle fracture that required surgery. Sunday, a teenager with another wrist fracture which required surgery……. Food for thought if you ask me.

During the same weekend, I visited our newest Shopping Mall on the West Coast, apparently the largest in the Western Cape. I noticed that they had a trampoline park. Bad news I thought, surely this is going to result in many injuries. Guess what? I received a child on Sunday who bounced off the trampoline and fractured his big toe!

So. What is the moral of this story one may ask?

STAY AWAY from activities like these, or take part at your own risk. Like my mother said to me as a child: “Learn from others’ mistakes. Don’t wait to make your own before learning the lesson.”

Stay safe this Festive Season everybody. Take care of those around you. Appreciate the time you have with your loved ones. Spare a thought for those who are unable to be with their families over this period while they are at work, keeping us, the public, safe. Have a blessed Christmas, and a prosperous New Year.