Back in the early 90's I was hunting by my self for Ibex in the Portrillo mountain ranges in New Mexico west of El Paso. Pre cellphone, pre GPS.
I slipped on some rocks and fell into a patch of prickly pear. My primary point of impact was my left elbow. I had deep cactus spines for my left elbow up to my shoulder and down the left side to my hip. Spines in my arm were so deep I was bleeding. I could barely bend my arm. My backpack protected a lot of my back but was loaded with spines.
I was able to pull a lot of spines on my arm out with my Leatherman. I hiked back to the truck. I had to cut the strap on the left side of the pack to get it off. I took my outer shirt off and that pulled a lot of spines out. I moved the seat in the truck as far back as I could. I sat as far forward in the seat as I could and drove home. That way my back wasn't pushing on spines against the seat back.
When I got home my wife was livid. She pulled a lot of spines out of my back and arms. The big one hurt the worse coming out but were easy to pull. The little ones were harder to find. When she got all the ones she could get, she called ER and ask for advice about what to do about the little ones They told her to paint the area with rubber cement and let it dry well, then peel the rubber cement off, repeat. She got a lot of them that way. For a while some of those that broke off below the skin would fester up and I would pull them out. Ever once in awhile for a couple of years I would get a lump on my arm that eventually would expose a spine.
I don't know which hurt worse, falling in the cactus, pulling the spines or the tongue lashing my late wife gave me. She was pissed at me for being out there alone.
I slipped on some rocks and fell into a patch of prickly pear. My primary point of impact was my left elbow. I had deep cactus spines for my left elbow up to my shoulder and down the left side to my hip. Spines in my arm were so deep I was bleeding. I could barely bend my arm. My backpack protected a lot of my back but was loaded with spines.
I was able to pull a lot of spines on my arm out with my Leatherman. I hiked back to the truck. I had to cut the strap on the left side of the pack to get it off. I took my outer shirt off and that pulled a lot of spines out. I moved the seat in the truck as far back as I could. I sat as far forward in the seat as I could and drove home. That way my back wasn't pushing on spines against the seat back.
When I got home my wife was livid. She pulled a lot of spines out of my back and arms. The big one hurt the worse coming out but were easy to pull. The little ones were harder to find. When she got all the ones she could get, she called ER and ask for advice about what to do about the little ones They told her to paint the area with rubber cement and let it dry well, then peel the rubber cement off, repeat. She got a lot of them that way. For a while some of those that broke off below the skin would fester up and I would pull them out. Ever once in awhile for a couple of years I would get a lump on my arm that eventually would expose a spine.
I don't know which hurt worse, falling in the cactus, pulling the spines or the tongue lashing my late wife gave me. She was pissed at me for being out there alone.
