It's Happened... My First "Old Man" Injury.

As I write this, it is just a few minutes before noon and I feel so extraordinarily out of it. I did make it to the hospital last night and the doctor says it is not a fracture - but he advised me to see an orthopedist. Apparently it is a bad sprain and it appears I might have damaged something called the bursa in my left foot. I brought up the swelling issue I had recently and he seemed to think that was also a bursa issue.

If nothing else, he did check my blood sugar for me and I am not having problems with that it appears.

The fogginess I feel is from the narcotic pain medication that they administered last night. This actually irks me in a way. I didn't complain about pain, act like I was in any severe pain, nor did I ask for pain medication. Yet the doctor ordered it and it was administered without me even being aware ( I did have an IV but did not know it had any narcotics involved ). This irks me because a few years back I showed up at the ER with the worst migraine I have ever had and not only would they not give me any pain medication - they seemed to act like they thought me a druggie or something. It was kind of humiliating ( After a long period of time, and a shift change, one doctor did administer a medication called Tramadol that I think is non-narcotic. But it did make the headache better - which is all I wanted anyway. The fact that it took 6 -7 hours of BS to finally happen angers me still. )

Anyway - I woke, about half an hour ago, totally confused and disoriented. I do not remember coming home last night - at all. Nor do I have the first clue of how I made it into bed. I woke, fully dressed - sans shoes and socks - with half a plate of food on my nightstand. I have no clue. I am positive nobody coddled or nursed me, so I can only assume I was wandering around, cooking, in that condition.

As for the ankle? It doesn't hurt at the moment and the swelling seems to be less than it was last night. The bruising has localized to one area, the outside of my foot, around the ankle bone itself. I am limping, but not nearly as bad as I was 15 hours ago.

reply to post by Hefficide


Did you drive home, under the influence of narcotics?

reply to post by kaylaluv


My sister had driven me to the hospital so I assume she brought me home. But I know my family and the whole "Let me come in and help you get settled" thing? Not likely!

I am positive that she pulled into the driveway, said "Love ya" and I was left to my own devices from there. She has a really demanding job so I can't call to ask her until after 4:00 EST.

Originally posted by Hefficide
reply to post by kaylaluv

 

My sister had driven me to the hospital so I assume she brought me home. But I know my family and the whole "Let me come in and help you get settled" thing? Not likely!

I am positive that she pulled into the driveway, said "Love ya" and I was left to my own devices from there. She has a really demanding job so I can't call to ask her until after 4:00 EST.

Well if she drove you there, then I'm sure she drove you home. I would hope that the doctor would not be irresponsible enough to give you narcotic pain meds without making sure you didn't drive yourself.

Stay off the foot, though. Do you have a neighbor/friend who could bring you a meal or two? You do live in the South, don't you? We Southerners are usually pretty good about that sort of thing.

reply to post by Hefficide


That was not an old man moment. It can happen to anyone at any age. You will know the old man moment when you go to the restroom and come out hiding a wet spot on your trousers. Shaking 3 times no longer works. That is the defining moment.

Almost forgot your drugging. I got a piece of rust in my eye a few months back. I went to an eye doctor to get it removed. He tried and tried to get me to take a drug prescription, I refused it. He then tried and tried to get me to let him put liquid coc aine in my eye for pain relief. I refused. I just don't understand why they beg to get you to take drugs when you don't want them. What do they get out of it?

Better start on that whiskey someone suggested, before the heavy pain meds completely wear off...

Although, if you just embrace the pain, you'll find out what else might hurt from the jarring of the fall.

A few months ago, my Shihtzu ran into me and knocked me off my feet. I landed on my shoulder (it's fine), and somehow hurt my wrist.

The little dog, amazingly, didn't get hurt.

reply to post by Hefficide




Welcome to the fraternity.

Now repeat after me;

"Get off my lawn."

"Darned kids today."

"Back in the day. . . "

and finally. . . .

"Today is going great! I had a healthy bowel!"

Hey Heff, I was doing my daughters hair one night, and was of course partaking in a few to drink, I had my foot under my leg, got up, took one step, the second step, my foot folded under me, had a half a glass of wine in my hand, when my foot folded, I fell onto our other couch, Didn't spill a drop( kinda proud of that fact!!!)

Needless to say, the whole side of my foot was black and purple for a week or so, and my ankle was twice the size it should be. So, see I will not ridicule you, cuz it happens to everyone.

Wait until you fall like a tree, faster than your reflexes can move, so there is no catching yourself, or bending the knees, just finding your nose plowing, in my case, the ground outside . Took about half-way through the plowing for my mind to process I had fallen. Luckily I only injured my pride.

reply to post by jimmiec

What do they get out of it?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Heff - Sorry to hear it, but at 48, I can tell ya it's just starting. Like I tell my kids: I may be goin' downhill, but it's gonna be a hell of a ride.

Originally posted by snowspirit
Better start on that whiskey someone suggested, before the heavy pain meds completely wear off...

Although, if you just embrace the pain, you'll find out what else might hurt from the jarring of the fall.

A few months ago, my Shihtzu ran into me and knocked me off my feet. I landed on my shoulder (it's fine), and somehow hurt my wrist.

The little dog, amazingly, didn't get hurt.

I once tripped over my golden retriever while on a walk. I fell pretty hard, but I think my pride was hurt most of all.

reply to post by kaylaluv


Yeah, I have a Lab as well, and he knocked me off my feet once too, when he ran to the door after my neighbour honked in the back driveway. I was in the way.
Him, I landed on. Broke the fall well, nice soft landing.

We should all have strategically placed video cameras for these things as we get older.
I'd bet we could catch some real funny stuff.

Year before last, I broke several ribs snow sledding with the kids. It was a big reality check for me, apparently 40 is too old to be jumping snow ramps on steep hills anymore, but it will be sorely missed. There's a s certain dignity in getting older, but when you realize that you aren't 20 anymore, that really is a defining moment in adulthood.

I think it is kharma for me. When I was a kid, I used to laugh and the commercial " I've fallen and I can not get up".
Well now, When I fall, I can NOT get up , without help. Hell, when I sit on the floor I cant get up,lol It got me back in spades.

Is it too late to amend my OP and, through a bit of revisionist history claim that a dog tripped me???

If it's not too late... I'm going to need pictures of a dog. I haven't had one since my ex claimed our beagle, when we broke up.

reply to post by Hefficide


Get a big dog. It's less traumatic if you land on them, and the landing is much softer

I was so worried when my Shihtzu ran into me - he's only 10 lbs to my 125 lbs.

I could land on top of my Lab over and over and not hurt him.

The real dog is better than a picture.
They're soft

reply to post by beezzer


You left out

" Honey, while you're at the store could you pick me up some..."

*Depends

*Bengay

*Viagra

Originally posted by Hefficide

Is it too late to amend my OP and, through a bit of revisionist history claim that a dog tripped me???

If it's not too late... I'm going to need pictures of a dog. I haven't had one since my ex claimed our beagle, when we broke up.

Here's a pic for ya. Big ole' sweet goofy dog. Easy to trip over.

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by beezzer

 

You left out

" Honey, while you're at the store could you pick me up some..."

*Depends

*Bengay

*Viagra

Never, ever, ever, confuse Viagra and Bengay.

Ever!

Originally posted by applecore
LOL LOL LOL, I do enjoy your writings!

but….. I have similar sentiments to NRE, old age seems to be only an excuse.
further I think, you did not “hurt myself walking… ”

I would say you hurt yourself way way earlier by causing symptoms showing up in your left leg which you ignored for quite some time. then the lack of exercise, the lack of care, no time taken out to go inside and be deeply harmonious and wholesome…… etc etc , no?

and todays accident is only the tip of an iceberg. and for goodness sake’s go get it checked out sooner than later. I don’t trust much in doctors, but they do can fix bones to a certain extend.

have you looked into the message spoken specifically from your ‘left leg’?

then again, who am I to say all these things, my 'left knee' is also in havoc.

"Old Man" injuries happen. That's the point of all this. Sooner or later, each one of us will reach an age where either because of lack of exercise or nutrition or something else, we break something. Not everyone is superman and does everything perfect. As we age, the threshold for avoiding injury becomes more distant until we one day miss the mark and suffer something terrible.

Everyone eventually has to face their own mortality. Even the best. Keep note that nobody technically dies of old age. They die from something specific: heart attack, cancer, pheumonia, congestive heart failure, etc. Looked at from the narrow perspective, you might say they smoked too much or they consumed too many fatty foods or didn't get enough exercise. But the thing is, we reach a point as we age where the bar is set so high that we fail to reach it.

You know a lot of people have jobs where htey work with computers. They can easily become overweight and have other problems. And there're people who work on the ocean as fisherman and it's a veyr dangerous job. Similarly, people who work in the outdoors get much more sun exposure and this can lead to more wrinkles and possible skin cancer if they're light skin color. So sometimes an occupation can put someone in harms way and it's hard to blame them for getting hurt.

None of this says much about random injuries. You know, even if we were all 20 or 25 years old forever, we would still die evne from trivial things in about 200 to 300 years. For example, while the body works extremely well in normal conditions, doing what it's designed to do, it can still fail in rare circumstances. Give anybody enough time and they'll find a way to break something.

I'm saying have some humility. This is not a perfect world we live in.