Fall down go boom
I fell at work today.
We are having January-like weather at the moment, and it was snowing when I left for work. As the day went on, temperatures dropped, so any trampled-on snow iced over.
I help BBC with certain projects. Sometimes he'll bring them to me, sometimes I'll go to him in the other building. He'd brought a few things to me while I was in the middle of something, I checked them out, and I needed to bring them back. This was after 2 PM, when YC was on her break. I'd had to call him about something and said I'd be back there when YC returned, so it was probably about 2:40 PM when I walked back there. I went back without a coat or gloves, figuring it would be a quick trip.
There's a ramp from the door down to the parking lot. It's at a decent angle. It's known for icing over come wintertime...but technically it's still fall for another month. You don't expect snow and you don't expect ice when the average high temperature is 50F. I had items in each of my hands as I started down the ramp...and the next thing I know, I am sitting in the snow. I slipped. There may have been swearing.
I don't actually recall much about the fall. The manager would later ask if it was quick or one of those slow-motion ones. I know what he's talking about; it must have been quick, because I can't really replay it in my mind. That's pretty weird for me, actually. I do know that I landed on my right side, so I'm fully expecting a large bruise on my ham hock, but since I was holding stuff I didn't reach out my hands to steady me and I pretty much fell on my butt, basically. That's probably for the best. But I did do something to my right arm/hand; I'm just not entirely sure what.
Getting up was an ordeal. The metal railing right next to me had several inches of snow, and my hands were bare, so I'm having to grab the bars with no protection from the elements, so to speak, and it's cold and unpleasant...and the next thing I know, I've slipped again. Thank goodness the projects were in containers and unharmed, since they went down with me both times. It took a minute, but I managed to right myself, get back inside, and request that someone shovel/salt the ramp. My boss and his cousin were back in the office area and my boss was out pretty quickly, but complaining that my one coworker was supposed to have shoveled. He did. You could clearly see the path he'd made first thing in the morning. But that was about six hours earlier and it had kept snowing in the meantime, plus it got colder. That coworker had also then gone out to meet with clients and hadn't been around in a few hours. Meanwhile, my boss had been to lunch and back and gone up the ramp and surely had seen that it was not in an ideal condition, but thanks for leaving it for the rest of us to traverse.
By the time I got back to the other building, I was a bit shaken. I had snow all over my backside and I felt like I'd wet my pants. BBC and the good doctor (talking to BBC before his shift began) asked if I was okay, and it was then that I realized I was bleeding. Somehow I'd gotten a small cut on my hand. The manager, unaware that anything had happened, was in the Fortress of Solitude (AKA the bathroom), so I'd had to use a utility sink to wet a paper towel and clean off my hand. I guess I must've whacked something with my middle finger, because there are a couple tiny cuts at my top knuckle and I broke that nail. Great. Even better, I needed dexterous fingers to help BBC with this project, and the tips of my right fingers were numb. I think it was more frostbite than a true injury, although my fingers were oddly hot. That's likely some sort of bodily reaction to the cold snow I kept having to touch.
At least when I returned to the front building, the ramp was cleared off and I had no trouble going up it. I pretty much got out of there quickly. I always use the facilities before I leave so I figured that was a good time to check myself out. The lighting in the bathroom at work is bad, so it was hard for me to tell if my leg had a bruise; I'll want to check in the morning when I shower. (I should probably mention all our work bathrooms are singles.) Aside from the snow soaking into my long underwear, everything seemed okay. I did take a nap earlier tonight, and I did grab a soft ice pack to rest my hand on while I did so. It's actually an eye mask for migraines but I figured it would be more comfortable than a regular ice pack. I do feel a bit jacked up so I'll likely sleep with my bed in a propped-up position. My right arm was a bit sore when I was resting earlier and I put a few pillows under it to help. I think ibuprofen may be my friend.
I am SO GLAD I did not have rehearsal tonight, though. With my fingertips being numb, I'm not sure I could've played. I don't think anything's broken but my right-hand fingers seem a touch swollen. I'm also wearing a crafter's brace on my wrist just for extra support and I think it's helping. We'll see how I feel in the morning. Worse comes to worse, if I think I need a cooldown? I can just step outside as it's only supposed to be 20F tomorrow! Yay! Sigh.
We are having January-like weather at the moment, and it was snowing when I left for work. As the day went on, temperatures dropped, so any trampled-on snow iced over.
I help BBC with certain projects. Sometimes he'll bring them to me, sometimes I'll go to him in the other building. He'd brought a few things to me while I was in the middle of something, I checked them out, and I needed to bring them back. This was after 2 PM, when YC was on her break. I'd had to call him about something and said I'd be back there when YC returned, so it was probably about 2:40 PM when I walked back there. I went back without a coat or gloves, figuring it would be a quick trip.
There's a ramp from the door down to the parking lot. It's at a decent angle. It's known for icing over come wintertime...but technically it's still fall for another month. You don't expect snow and you don't expect ice when the average high temperature is 50F. I had items in each of my hands as I started down the ramp...and the next thing I know, I am sitting in the snow. I slipped. There may have been swearing.
I don't actually recall much about the fall. The manager would later ask if it was quick or one of those slow-motion ones. I know what he's talking about; it must have been quick, because I can't really replay it in my mind. That's pretty weird for me, actually. I do know that I landed on my right side, so I'm fully expecting a large bruise on my ham hock, but since I was holding stuff I didn't reach out my hands to steady me and I pretty much fell on my butt, basically. That's probably for the best. But I did do something to my right arm/hand; I'm just not entirely sure what.
Getting up was an ordeal. The metal railing right next to me had several inches of snow, and my hands were bare, so I'm having to grab the bars with no protection from the elements, so to speak, and it's cold and unpleasant...and the next thing I know, I've slipped again. Thank goodness the projects were in containers and unharmed, since they went down with me both times. It took a minute, but I managed to right myself, get back inside, and request that someone shovel/salt the ramp. My boss and his cousin were back in the office area and my boss was out pretty quickly, but complaining that my one coworker was supposed to have shoveled. He did. You could clearly see the path he'd made first thing in the morning. But that was about six hours earlier and it had kept snowing in the meantime, plus it got colder. That coworker had also then gone out to meet with clients and hadn't been around in a few hours. Meanwhile, my boss had been to lunch and back and gone up the ramp and surely had seen that it was not in an ideal condition, but thanks for leaving it for the rest of us to traverse.
By the time I got back to the other building, I was a bit shaken. I had snow all over my backside and I felt like I'd wet my pants. BBC and the good doctor (talking to BBC before his shift began) asked if I was okay, and it was then that I realized I was bleeding. Somehow I'd gotten a small cut on my hand. The manager, unaware that anything had happened, was in the Fortress of Solitude (AKA the bathroom), so I'd had to use a utility sink to wet a paper towel and clean off my hand. I guess I must've whacked something with my middle finger, because there are a couple tiny cuts at my top knuckle and I broke that nail. Great. Even better, I needed dexterous fingers to help BBC with this project, and the tips of my right fingers were numb. I think it was more frostbite than a true injury, although my fingers were oddly hot. That's likely some sort of bodily reaction to the cold snow I kept having to touch.
At least when I returned to the front building, the ramp was cleared off and I had no trouble going up it. I pretty much got out of there quickly. I always use the facilities before I leave so I figured that was a good time to check myself out. The lighting in the bathroom at work is bad, so it was hard for me to tell if my leg had a bruise; I'll want to check in the morning when I shower. (I should probably mention all our work bathrooms are singles.) Aside from the snow soaking into my long underwear, everything seemed okay. I did take a nap earlier tonight, and I did grab a soft ice pack to rest my hand on while I did so. It's actually an eye mask for migraines but I figured it would be more comfortable than a regular ice pack. I do feel a bit jacked up so I'll likely sleep with my bed in a propped-up position. My right arm was a bit sore when I was resting earlier and I put a few pillows under it to help. I think ibuprofen may be my friend.
I am SO GLAD I did not have rehearsal tonight, though. With my fingertips being numb, I'm not sure I could've played. I don't think anything's broken but my right-hand fingers seem a touch swollen. I'm also wearing a crafter's brace on my wrist just for extra support and I think it's helping. We'll see how I feel in the morning. Worse comes to worse, if I think I need a cooldown? I can just step outside as it's only supposed to be 20F tomorrow! Yay! Sigh.