Current mood: cranky
Category: Life
Currently listening :
Reunion [2-CD SET]
By Black Sabbath
Release date: By 20 October, 1998
(My apologies to the Banana Splits for the title.)
Well, I have just gone back to work after an injury. An injury that was serious enough that, for several minutes, all I could think about was the PAIN.
I fell off the tailgate of a pickup, landed on my left foot, with my leg straight. OOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOO-
OOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOO-OOOCH!
Anyone who doesn't believe that was a mistake to the nth degree has never been in choir or band, or in any sort of athletics. A knee should always be akimbo when landing on it, whether from a riser, or a leap, or for any other reason. Otherwise - OOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOO-
OOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOO-OOOCH!
Imagine a person weighing 240 pounds or so landing on one leg from 3 1/2 feet or so, with the knee of that leg being hyperextended - and backwards at that. The strain to all your tissues , particularly the ACL (a rather thick ligament behind the knee giving extra support and strength to the knee joint) is ENORMOUS.
And that's what I damaged - my left ACL. At least that's what the osteopath I consulted believes. I still have to get an MRI done on that knee, but I have had 2 sets of x-rays done to it, and there has been no indication of a break in any of the bones in or adjacent to my left knee. And after probing, poking, prodding and generally discomfiting that joint and its accompanying ankle, my doctor believes I damaged my ACL. The doc told me that the advice I was given at the emergency room could be thrown out - namely, to wear a knee immobilizer and don't put any weight on it. He wanted me to continue using at least one crutch, and to actually walk on it, somewhat normally - not too much weight on it, and flat footed, not pointy-toed, and crutch. Imagine my relief - emotional and physical relief! At least to my LEFT arm - using one crutch still puts strain on the opposite arm from the injury. He also gave me a knee brace with support brackets and hinges - a better proposition than using a total immobilizer.
In all seriousness, it could have been much worse - I could have had to have the entire joint replaced. *hears a voice from the 70s* "We can rebuild him. We have the technology..." I may yet have surgery, if I tore the ligament, or other surrounding tissues. That would make an operation on both knees - the right one was when I was 9. I was standing up to a bully while in the remains of a construction site's brick pile, when he pushed me down. I fell on a broken brick and cut my knee wide open. Much more noble, but still as dumb.
Since the most recent clumsiness happened (Thursday last to be exact) I pretty well bounced back and forth between playing on my computer (YouTube, here, playing Diablo...) and watching old reruns on cable TV. Eventually, I got bored enough to return to work, after seeing the doctor yesterday. Not to mention my nephew stayed with me with nothing specific to do - never mind the PlayStation 2, XBox, PSP and DS game systems, or the computer or the movies or books he has. Being an ADD child with an IQ at LEAST as high as my own - I was last tested at 22 with a 153 - and having something of a difficult time controlling his impulses and VOICE VOLUME, he began to wear on my nerves almost as much as my OWN tedium. So I felt it was time for me to return to work.
Missing 3 days left me a stack of paperwork to catch up on. Also not seeing my e-mail added to that stack. Since we had few deliveries to log or count, I had ample opportunity to catch up on that stack. Now I have to file it... :- Yay.
I did discover that several of our vendors missed me - apparently my sense of humor is shared by many others in our industry. One in particular said she'd heard about my "swan dive" off the truck. I responded, "If it WAS a swan dive, it was a very SICK swan." She just laughed. Another I e-mailed to check on a particular order, and he said he was glad I was feeling better. I said, "I am, but I thought only dumb joc-I mean, only athletes got this kind of injury." Not that I meant to imply, nor honestly believe, that ALL athletes are "dumb jocks", mind you. I have respect for someone with the patience and wherewithal to develop themselves with the kind of dedication they exhibit. Merely was I referring - tongue-in-cheek - to the broad stereotype of college football scholars in Basket Weaving and Intro to Fingerpainting classes. He said he was glad I still had my sense of humor.
My sister and mother worked hard this past weekend in our backyard garden - actually haven is more accurate. See my newer pics (I'll upload them very soon) to see what I mean. It drove me BATTY (well, battiER) to sit and just WATCH. :-P But they did a great job! My sister then had the nerve (and wit) to say, "Well, dammit, if you didn't want to work out here this weekend, you just had to say so!" If she was only one foot closer, I would have hit her with my crutch. Mostly because I hadn't already thought of that one.
Anyway, now to bed. Goodnight, and rock on, y'all!
Durham
