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