Saturday, January 31, 2009

Ouchies, and boy do I feel stoopid

Well, it went like this:
I went out to my car to leave work. My right foot lost footing on the ice, and my left foot wasn't helping at all. My right leg hyper-extended - a lot. I fell. I yelled. I cried. I dug my cell phone out of my coat pocket and called the circ desk. Amazingly, Kelly understood when I asked to send security out to save me (I was a little hysterical by then). William . . . and Patty . . . and Gary came out, and they called 911 (exciting, huh?) By the time the squad came, Mary Beth's hubby was there, and they had all gathered up my library stuff (exercise DVDs, ironically) and put them in my car, etc. They had to lift me up (the paramedics and William and Gary - I have no idea who actually did the hoisting) and put me in a chair-like stretcher thing (whoever invented those stretcher improvements was genius) I went to Riverside. X-rays and Cat scan later, and I was diagnosed. There is a small vertical fracture in my tibia, and a bone chip behind my patella. They gave me crutches, pain med prescription and a big velcro immobilizer and sent me home. Don't even ask about the physical comedy of me dragging myself into the house and to the bathroom!

Mike and Si are being fabulous. Seriously fabulous. They're keeping their cell phones with them so I can call for help, even in the middle of the night. My boss, also is wonderful, telling me over and over not to worrk about work. I will call the orthopedic surgeon Monday morning to make an appointment in the coming week. He'll determine if I just need time, or if I'll need some kind of surgery.

So - be careful on the ice!

I'll be off work for a while, and, thanks to DH's great decision to get a cable plan that includes WiFi, I'm able to come to you straight from my recliner! Even more helpful, because, apparently, narcotics make me even more talkative (until I get too sleepy). :-) Lucky readers!

15 comments:

Cheryl said...

OMG! Cathy, I am so sorry that you fell and hurt yourself! Something similar happened to Michael Miller at 54 at work. Glad to hear you are ok though and loved seeing your knitting below. Hopefully on the upside, you'll have some more knitting time coming up as you recover ;) xx

Kelly Syferd said...

Oh no! I hope you won't need surgery.
My mom did the same thing, years and years ago. Walked off of our back porch, and totally slipped. Broke her ankle.
I wish you a speedy recovery!

Netter said...

How terrible!
I'm sure they'll miss you at work, but I'm glad you'll be able to stay connected with your wifi, that should help during your recovery. I'll say a little prayer your way that surgery won't be needed.
Your post seems surprisingly upbeat considering the subject - is that another side effect of the narcotics? ;)
Hope you are feeling better soon!

Cat Herself said...

Yes, I think the narcotics help me stay positive. Well, I'm either chipper or weeping - LOL. They really do mess with my bbrain, but that's how they work.

Anonymous said...

Hey... on the plus side - if you'd f#@*'d up your wrist falling on the ice (like I did last week) you wouldn't be able to knit! Feel better soon - enjoy the narcoticss!

kkbookmom said...

So sorry to hear this, but glad you are okay. Nice to know you are surrounded by so many helpful and concerned friends and family. And definitely do not worry about work while you are off!

Unknown said...

Oh no! Hope you are not in too much pain. The ice has been so treacherous this past week. Hope you get lots of knitting done during your time off.

Slang said...

Wow...sorry to hear about your spill. Get well soon and enjoy the painkillers.

knittingbrow said...

crap.
Sounds like not much fun.

I can help with things as well as bringing knitting supplies and chocolate as needed.

Jim Brochowski said...

Holy Smokes - and Yeach!

I told you this winter thing was bad. ;-)

I'm glad you're upbeat and staying positive.

I'm sending thoughts and prayers and good mojo your way.

If we can do anything please let us know.

Glad for the wi-fi so we can keep hearing from you.

Does that make me sound like a totally selfish friend? I hope not.

(((hugs))))

Cat Herself said...

You guys are all so great - thanks! These narcotics are wild - I go between giddy and weepy and chatty - poor Mike!

At this point I am just glad to have a really excellent recliner, a laptop, and wifi. Mike and Si are both out of the house at the moment, and I am actually watching FIGURE SKATING (as opposed to the near-constant parade of military history and cooking shows - lol)

I'm doing pretty good as long as I don't have to move.

Just keep the chat and comments coming - it helps me know I"m not alone!

Julie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Julie said...

I am so sorry to hear about your poor broken body! Ice sucks. There's just no way to pussy-foot around the fact that winter-time blows and should quickly be replaced by spring.

On the up side, you got to go to Patty's retirement party!

Take care of yourself and don't push. Let us know if you need anything, even if it's just "Must have CHOCOLATE!"

Enjoy the narcotics while you have them! And don't be afraid to ask the docs for more if you need them. Yes, you may be chatty and weepy, but you aren't "in pain-y".

Here is to quick healing!

Cat Herself said...

You're right about the narcs, Julie. I was going to see if I could go w/o tonight, but then I felt some aching and thought "heck, why suffer bravely just to avoid some itching?" Comforting to know I won't get addicted, though. DH called this stuff "hillbilly crack".

DeborahD said...

Whooo, yeah. Those painkillers are something. I was on Percocet and Daradrin for both of my knee operations. And I had two codeine panic episodes. I kept asking my DH who in their right mind would want to score this stuff? I, also,was stuck watching tv and learned more than I ever wanted to know about the Mongol invaders. Oh, and the election of the pope. I wouldn't have survived without my laptop, and that was pre-twitter! Take care, and I hope you heal fast. We promise we won't do anything too exciting without you.