never want to need a backboard & neckbrace again
So, I was kinda letting this bloggy thing melt away, but I figure I owe my friends a recounting of the events of last Sunday.
It had been frickin cold in Pgh for more than a week. Down near 0F. We'd had quite a bit of snow, but it was way too cold to even think about going out to play in it. I like my fingers and toes, and I was not keen to lose one to frostbite.
But last Sunday it warmed up to above 20F. We had more than 4 inches of snow on the ground, and it was time to go sledding. We blew up our inner tube sled and drove towards the park in our new neighborhood. The lovely hill in our old neighborhood was clear across town, so we just drove around the park looking for where the kids were sledding. We found a nice clear hill that didn't look too steep, and crawled out of the car. C & I plopped onto the sled, got a nice push from J and off we went.
Into a metal telephone pole at the bottom of the hill.
See, about half way down the hill, when the inner tube sled turned completely around so that we were going down backwards, I realized that we were completely without any steering mechanism. So I got slammed across the back with a telephone pole. C got thrown completely free and hopped up ready for another ride.
I got to lay in the snow for 10-15 minutes while the eagle scout witness called an ambulance, and got a blanket from his car so I didn't freeze. And of course the EMT's wanted to take spinal precautions. Let me tell you, a backboard is damned uncomfortable, particularly when you're a person-sickle.
So I'm lucky that I took the entire impact on my right side between my butt & shoulder blade. The bruise didn't touch the spine. I didn't hit my head at all. So no concussion & no spinal injury. After the x-rays, the doctors were amazed that I didn't even crack a rib.
Two days later, I had to go into the univ. health clinic to get a different narcotic that wouldn't make me sick to my stomach. They looked at the bruise and went OMG Kidney damage!? But I didn't even have any of that.
God was really looking out for me, I only had bruised muscles and bruised ribs.
But do you have any idea how much you need the muscles in your back just to shower and get dressed? I couldn't reach my feet to put on my own pants or shoes for 4 days. I finish the heavy drugs tonight, and tomorrow I will once again be able to operate heavy machinery.
It had been frickin cold in Pgh for more than a week. Down near 0F. We'd had quite a bit of snow, but it was way too cold to even think about going out to play in it. I like my fingers and toes, and I was not keen to lose one to frostbite.
But last Sunday it warmed up to above 20F. We had more than 4 inches of snow on the ground, and it was time to go sledding. We blew up our inner tube sled and drove towards the park in our new neighborhood. The lovely hill in our old neighborhood was clear across town, so we just drove around the park looking for where the kids were sledding. We found a nice clear hill that didn't look too steep, and crawled out of the car. C & I plopped onto the sled, got a nice push from J and off we went.
Into a metal telephone pole at the bottom of the hill.
See, about half way down the hill, when the inner tube sled turned completely around so that we were going down backwards, I realized that we were completely without any steering mechanism. So I got slammed across the back with a telephone pole. C got thrown completely free and hopped up ready for another ride.
I got to lay in the snow for 10-15 minutes while the eagle scout witness called an ambulance, and got a blanket from his car so I didn't freeze. And of course the EMT's wanted to take spinal precautions. Let me tell you, a backboard is damned uncomfortable, particularly when you're a person-sickle.
So I'm lucky that I took the entire impact on my right side between my butt & shoulder blade. The bruise didn't touch the spine. I didn't hit my head at all. So no concussion & no spinal injury. After the x-rays, the doctors were amazed that I didn't even crack a rib.
Two days later, I had to go into the univ. health clinic to get a different narcotic that wouldn't make me sick to my stomach. They looked at the bruise and went OMG Kidney damage!? But I didn't even have any of that.
God was really looking out for me, I only had bruised muscles and bruised ribs.
But do you have any idea how much you need the muscles in your back just to shower and get dressed? I couldn't reach my feet to put on my own pants or shoes for 4 days. I finish the heavy drugs tonight, and tomorrow I will once again be able to operate heavy machinery.