Hitting Brick Wall

2/11/2009

Dear friends and family and my casual reader,

Good morning. This post is about a stumble that let this writer hit the corner of a brick wall. I had finished work one day last week and left the office and heading toward my favorite gas station to fill my car.

Everything ran Ok, filled the car, then headed into the station to pay. I was looking ahead and not 'down' and missed one of those short steps, (maybe 6"), and stumbled, losing my balance. It was so fast, the only thing I could do, was put my hands foward to brace for the fall.

Good news, I never hit the ground. My left hand and shoulder hit the door frame and edge of the brick wall, taking a chunk out of the left palm. Then on I went and hit the counter where John (owner) was talking on the phone. After the rattling of everything subsided, they got a towel to ebb the flow out the hole in my palm.

John was great, ask how I was and helped me pay for my purchase, offered to check my car's oil, transmission fluid, and even checked the air pressure. He again ask how I was, and I told him I lived nearby and luckily did not break anything and would dress this at home.

I drove home right handed. I got in the house, rinsed the wound, and put on antibiotic cream and a double bandage. This seemed to be the only damage until that night and the next morning. The left arm and shoulder and chest muscles now ache like a tooth ache. I called my neuro doctor and got an appointment early the next week.

Good news, I did not break anything. Bad news, 6 weeks for the hurting to go away. Dr. Swillie (my neuro/pain doc) said I pulled and/or strained all the muscles in my shoulder and chest and at 71, "Jeff, it takes time". The example he used and my I quote "If drive 70 or 80 miles an hour in your car, would a 71 Chevy make it to Atlanta. Something would start falling off in Pell City, about 20 miles." Ouch!

I am now on pain patches, pain Rx, plus Tylenol. It has been just a week since this happen and typing is about the most strenous thing I can do, except "right handed"!
Be careful my friends, bad stuff happens.

But I like what he said about his grandmother. He was a kid and worked a day picking strawberries with his 80 year old grandmother. He was so sore, then he ask her, "Granny does your back not hurt after working bent over all day?". She smiled, looked at him, "Yes, but nobody wants to hear about it". Fantastic!

Jeff the Knutt in the Ham