Thursday, May 22, 2014

And From Good.....To Horrible....

 On Monday I showed up for work a couple of hours early, then spent a portion of my 'free' time walking through a nearby residential neighborhood.  When I realized I was short on time and just a little confused about how to get back to my car I used my phone to get directions, then picked up my pace to a slow jog.  I'm not exactly sure what happened next; all I know is that I lost my balance and found myself laying face down on the sidewalk!  My left hand and side took the brunt of the impact.  Because I was in a hurry I hadn't put my phone back in my pocket; it flew out of my right hand and landed a couple of feet away.

I got up quickly and looked around to make sure no one had seen me, then did a quick inventory for any damage.  I had a small road-rash scrape on my left arm above my elbow, my shoulder was sore, and I had a large red spot on the heel of my left hand.  My phone came out much worse--the screen looked like a 100-piece jigsaw puzzle, with jagged lines running from one side to the other.  I didn't have time to mourn its passing; I put it in my pocket where it should have been and concentrated on getting back.

Once safely in the car I used a packaged hand wipe to clean up my arm and a small cut on my ring finger I hadn't realized was there.  My left wrist was feeling achy, but I ignored it and drove back to the mall where I ate my lunch in the car.  Now there was a big knot on my wrist just under my thumb.

When I got out of the car and grabbed my work clothes I had trouble using my left hand. (Did I tell you it's my dominant one?)  By the time I finished changing my clothes in the mall bathroom I knew something was seriously wrong.  I stopped by the Customer Service desk long enough to let my boss know what had happened and tell him I needed to have things checked out.  I used the desk computer to find the closest urgent care center on my insurance plan and said I'd be back as soon as possible.

It's not supposed to be swollen!
I spent almost three hours at the urgent care, where they took x-rays and determined nothing was broken. Checking in was tough; I couldn't write so one of the nurses filled out the forms for me, but when it was time to sign them I could barely get my fingers around the pen.  I left with a splint for my sprained wrist, a cold pack, and a prescription for pain killers.

I'd kept Boss and Hubby Tony updated on my progress.  Even though by this point my left hand was swollen from the base of my fingers to the wrist joint it didn't hurt as long as I didn't move it.  I decided to go back to the mall and finish up my shift (by this point there was only two hours left).  I felt sorry for Boss, who'd come in on his day off expecting to be there for only a short time.  Instead, I'd left him in the lurch.  Besides, if I'd gone home at that point in the day I would have been caught up in rush hour traffic on the highway which probably wouldn't have been a good idea.

I arrived at work, and Boss left after thanking me profusely. After I finished the shift I was hungry and bought a dinner I could eat with one hand from the food court.  On the way home I stopped by the pharmacy and filled my prescription.  Even though it was only seven o'clock when I pulled into the garage, I declared the day over.   I changed into my pajamas, took a pain pill, and zoned out on the couch.

This all happened three days ago. I'm pleased to report that each day my wrist has felt better.  Yesterday I could write without anything hurting and this morning I used both hands to wash my hair.  I may have overdone it at work today, though, so I'm looking forward to some 'do nothing' time over the weekend.

Five years ago today: Captains Courageous

16 comments:

  1. It's quite apparent your tiny wrist can barely hold all that swelling. Have a great take it easy weekend.

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  2. Oh Kathy! I'm glad it wasn't broken but dang! Hope you are feeling back to norms SOON!

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    1. That makes two of us who are glad it wasn't broken!

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  3. Ouch! Poor you! Glad it's better now!

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  4. No more walks through strange neighborhoods? Take care!!

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    1. I think the moral of the story is that next time I'll pay better attention to my surroundings!

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  5. Oh no... I'm so sorry. Falls are the absolute worst. I've always read about this and thought it wouldn't happen to me. Of course it has... more than once. Thank goodness nothing was broken although sprains sometimes take just as long to heal. Please take it easy for a while longer.

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    1. Even though the sore wrist is QUITE annoying, I'm thankful I'm not wearing a cast.

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  6. Ouch. And here you thought you'd just kill those two or so hours with a healthy jaunt around the neighbourhood. So glad every day there is improvement! Did you have to replace the phone? If so, hope that goes smoothly

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    1. Phone is usable, but the cracks are an annoying reminder of the whole event.

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  7. So sorry to hear of your accident and injuries. Hope you heal quickly and are back to your normal self by next week. It's no fun to be incapacitated. Trips and falls are just so dangerous, glad to know this one wasn't any worse. Also glad your boss was so understanding.

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    1. I just read on a medical website that wrist sprains can take 2-4 WEEKS to heal! I hope I'm way ahead of that statistic

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    2. Tendons and ligaments don't have the blood supply that muscle has, so it takes them longer to heal. Apply heat to the area will help.

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    3. Heat! Why hadn't I remembered that? I have a nice field-corn heating pad that will drape nicely over my wrist.

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