When Don Robinson heard the rustle of a snake in the grass beside him he bolted – right into a barbed wire fence that shredded his left ear.
The grey nomad was left with blood gushing from the remains of his ear and drove himself a short distance back to his campsite at Rocky Dam, south of Sarina.
Wife Jill then took over the driving to Sarina Hospital where staff spent more than two hours repairing the wound after a conversation with a plastic surgeon in Brisbane.
Medical Superintendent Dr Thian Barnard said it took two doctors and three nurses to stitch Don’s ear back together.
“We sent some pictures of the injury to Mackay and the recommendation was that he travel to Brisbane for plastic surgery, but Don wasn’t keen to leave Sarina,” Dr Barnard said.
Thanks to a team effort Don now has his ear back and although it still looks like he’s been through the wars, it will continue to improve as swelling subsides.
“They’ve done a good job – they didn’t have much to work with,” Don said.
Don, 69, was on his morning walk looking for a new fishing spot along the river when he heard something in the grass.
“I was walking along the track and heard a rustle in the grass on the left and I thought gees it might be a snake. So I back peddled a bit and could still hear it coming towards me. I started running and there was a barbed wire fence.
“I knew I was hurt … when I hit the wire I felt it cutting into me. I had a clean hankie on me so I put it on the ear and raced back to the car and the wife,” he said.
“It was awkward changing gears trying to hold on to my ear with the hankie but I got there. My wife doesn’t like blood – it was just pouring out. She nearly went out to it when she saw the damage,” he said.
Don said he was given the option of surgery in Brisbane but preferred to have his ear stitched back together in Sarina.
“I was awake the whole time. At first when Thian saw it he said we can’t do this at all, but then he talked Brisbane and be on my own, I said ‘if you think you can do it, do it.’
“It was a smart decision and I went home later the same day. I just had to come in every day for 12 days to have the dressing changed.”
Dr Barnard said it was one of the most challenging wound repairs he had done in 15 years.
“Especially as Alex had to use almost all his fingers to compress on all the bleeders, which forced me to change my repair location constantly in order to avoid giving him a needle prick injury.”
Don is also very grateful to the nurses who have cared for him, particularly one who held his hand through the ear repair.
“I was gritting my teeth and awake for all of it … she’s lucky to still have her hand,” he said. “I’m just so happy they did it. When I first saw the photo it didn’t even look like an ear, it looked like a
bit of meat, so to have made it come back looking like an ear is pretty good.”
Don has been spoiling staff with boxes of chocolates and offers his thanks to everyone for their care, and mentions the admin team for their big smiles.
Don and Jill have been heading north to escape the Victorian winter for about 15 years and have now headed south to slowly make their way home to Sunbury
