This hasn’t been a particularly good week. Last Friday morning while jogging in Mt. Airy, something caught my eye and in the moment’s distraction, my shoe caught something on the sidewalk. Seconds later I found myself sprawled across someones yard in a lot of pain. I lay there a few moments, not ready to deal with the consequences of the fall but immediately aware that I faced at least temporary changes to my summer plans.
When I finally separated myself from the grass and concrete and had a chance to move body parts, I discovered that my head missed the impact, my fingers, wrist and elbow worked but my shoulder must have taken a direct hit on the curb surrounding the lawn. Oh ouch!
Slowly I stumbled the last half mile back to the apartment, arm held close to my side. A shower and getting ready for work was painful and I had to take frequent breaks to lie down till the pain relented. Two hours later I finally arrived at work and struggled to complete my morning duties. I briefly entertained the thought of staying overnight in Mt. Airy but I didn’t want to risk spending the weekend, especially after John surfaced the topic of a possible fracture or a torn rotator cuff. Just before noon, I slipped out of the office and headed home.
The 3.5 -4.0 hour drive to Knoxville stretched out over 5 hours. My left arm wasn’t movable so I had to stop to eat, drink and call John to let him know I was okay. We had already cancelled our planned dinner with Will and Kim so once home, John drove me immediately to the critical care clinic where a couple of unpleasant x-rays helped determine that I suffered from an impacted fracture near the shoulder. An appointment with an orthopedic doctor on Monday confirmed the diagnosis and provided the welcome news that surgery would not be required.
Everything has been an effort this week. I had previously scheduled vacation at the end of the week and have used the time to read, sleep, make pesto and visit with family….a different use of the time that John and I had planned to backpack to Gregory’s Bald and do some other day hiking. My to do list continues to grow, but I have five more weeks till the healing is complete. The pain regresses a little each day and I continue with my arm exercises to keep the joints flexible. Hurry up August and freedom from this constraint.
