:: and this i know ::

I mentioned in a previous post that I had pulled a tendon when unpacking after a move. There is much more involved in the story.

After being surrounded by many boxes for a few weeks I finally decided to use my time off from work to unpack everything. Does this mean that I did it over a regular weekend? Of course not! I decided that I would put it off for the extended weekend – the Fourth of July to be exact. There are certain things I remember about that day. The most important being two rules that I will follow for the rest of my life:

1. Always have a phone within reach when doing anything remotely strenuous.
2. NEVER do anything strenuous when by yourself on the 4th of July.

You see, by the time I talked myself into tackling the boxes that I had been maneuvering around it was dark. While some areas are not zoned for fireworks, we were in a “safe & sane” city, which roughly translates to illegal fireworks allowed. By the time I started I had to put my TV on louder than normal due to the excessive noise outside. Everything was fine, boxes were being unpacked and discarded. Then came the one reach.

Instead of getting up to reach for a box I overestimated my flexibility. I knew immediately that something was wrong. Was it the fact that I had difficulty moving my leg? Was it my suddenly dropping the box I was attempting to grab? No. It was the seating pain that made me scream and start crying immediately.

I recently scared my cousin’s son by screaming at a football game. He had been complaining, saying that people were yelling too loud for him, which made me laugh. I asked him if he wanted to hear me. When he said sure, I screamed. His hands flew to his ears and the people a row in front of us (a row separated by a slight walkway for the sections) turned around. This was without my screaming in that manner in years.

On the 4th I was well “trained,” and had been going to shows on a regular basis. That night NO ONE could hear me as I screamed for help. There were people in the house with me, but it was so loud that they could not hear me. I would attempt to yell for help any chance I got, however when one loud firework would end at one house, another would begin.

I attempted to reach for my phone that was in its base. Unfortunately I was only successful in making myself cry even more because I could not move out of the position I was in on the floor.

After an hour of screaming I gave up as it was no use. I was in the middle of attempting to work through the pain of my position when I finally heard someone close to the room I was in and began to scream again, hoping I would be loud enough to be heard. No luck.

I was in that room, attempting to inch toward to phone for over 3 hours. I would yell when I could, but had no luck. It was not until someone decided to see why they had not heard from me (!) that it was discovered that I was injured. It took 2 people to pull me into a standing position, however I needed to be put on the bed as I could not stand alone.

The weekend was spent trying to recover on my own with no luck. It was not until the trip to the doctor the following Monday (thanks extended holiday weekends) that it was discovered that I had not pulled a muscle, but a tendon.

That was over a decade ago. Every few years it acts up again, not to the point of not being able to move, but I basically limp around when I walk. There are moments I am in severe pain, and within a second I am fine as if nothing were wrong. Unfortunately, as it happens so infrequently I can never remember how long it takes to “recover,” nor what worked the previous time to help.

The thing that bothers me the most? The fact that although it is suggested I rest, how can I? I need to walk, not want, but need. I wonder if this will happen more frequently the older I get. As of now, it only seems to happen when I am severe weather changes from hot to cold.

Until then if you see me limping around town, you know why.

In: confessions of a deep fried youth | | #