How NOT to fix something

First a quick course on hydraulics. They work off pressure. A pump creates pressure. In a properly working system that pressure stays inside the system, even after the pump quits pumping.

While trying to test the pressure of the hydraulics on my dads tractor, I forgot the above paragraph and shortly after turning the tractor off, removed a plate through which hydraulic fluid runs. I got a face-full of hydraulic fluid. My eyes shut before the fluid got to my face, and my glasses kept it away from my eyes. What wasn't covered was my nose and mouth. I had a mouthful and plenty up my nose.
I was working out in the driveway, and now temporarily blinded tried to make my way to the house. I yelled for Joe'l a couple of times but the house is so tight that she couldn't hear me. (Plus the A/C is going, and she was in the back of the house)
I made it pretty far with my eyes closed and didn't trip over anything. I kept yelling for Joe'l and she did hear me and came to my rescue.
I got in the house and got my face under the tub faucet. I had her call the poison center, they told her to have me get in the shower and flush my eyes for 30 minutes. So I got in the shower and flushed my eyes and nose for 45 minutes, then Joe'l called them back and they said as long as I could see things should be ok.
I called Dr. Harmon my eye doctor and he agreed that as long as things were ok now I should be fine. Hydraulic fluid is fairly inert he said.
I flushed my nose out with salt-water for a little while then got back in the shower to get the fluid out of my hair and off my neck.

Lesson learned.