Tuesday, April 2, 2013

"Nonnie, you broke your rule."

I am an accident going somewhere to happen.  I’ve had four concussions in life.  Makes you wonder how I ever survived to 61.
Have you ever hit the toe of your shoe in just the right way and it sends you flying forward?  I have and more than once.  This time I was in the garage talking with Stan, my youngest brother.  As I started to leave, I managed one of the nasty toe stops that causes you to go forward. 
I was wearing a specifically designed pair of shoes that day, with an upturned toe that somehow was supposed to promote toning.  I was hoping to lose weight by walking and the shoes aiding in my efforts.
As I tripped forward, I thought I could catch myself on the support post in the garage.  Unfortunately, I was not able to stop myself.
I regained conscious finding myself lying, face down on the garage floor.  I tried my best to sit up but was unable to do so without help.
My knee, throbbing like someone had hit it with a sledgehammer, made the effort near impossible.  My forehead must have been a real sight.  I split the skin on the left side from hairline to eyebrow.  Of course, no accident I am involved with would be complete without a concussion. 
Stan aided me in sitting upright.  Then he grabbed tissues off the shelf in the garage where we keep supplies.  He knew I needed ice for my head.  He did not want to leave me, so he got into the garage freezer and put a popsicles on my forehead.  Then he insisted I go to urgent care.  I asked him to just help me upstairs, and let me take a nap.  I hate going anywhere that involves medical attention.
He insisted that I go to urgent care but I continued to insist that I go upstairs and rest.  His final comment, “Either get in the truck, or I will call 911”. 
No way was I going by way of ambulance.  He had to help me to my feet.  That sledgehammer felt like it was still banging my knee, making it difficult to get me up into his truck.
As he drove me to the urgent care facility, he noticed my husband, Michael, pulling into a parking lot.  He followed him into the lot and explained what happened.  Now Michael is following us to the facility.
Did you know that they super glue wounds?  The glue effectively closed the wound, didn’t stop the headache, but at least I was not bleeding all over the place.
My knee was x-rayed, damage to soft tissue only.  That was a blessing.
To this day, I do not know what I hit.  As in my toboggan story, I closed my eyes.  Stan refuses to think back on the event.  Guess I will never know what I hit.  Apparently, it was something solid, possibly the concrete floor.  Your guess is as good as mine is in this case.
Among my young nieces and nephews, I have a rule.  It is a simple rule, “No more boo-boos.”  I guess Nonnie (as my great niece and nephew refer to me) does not follow the rule.  As Grace would say, “Nonnie, you broke your rule.” 
 
 
This is not a good look for anyone.