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Eating crosswalk.

I have quite possibly fractured my right radius (which is strange, since it was the ulna that hurt). Stepped off the bus on the way into work, waited for the light, stepped blithely into the crosswalk, caught my toe on a sandbag the city had left by the stormdrain, and went down hard. The immediate pain faded rather quickly, which is good; I haven’t been in that much pain in years. But now it just feels—weird. One doctor seen, x-rays shot, the orthopædic doctor this PM, thank God for health insurance, and since I work for a litigation support firm, one of my fellow project managers nipped out on the double with a camera to snap photos of the offending bag. (Many thanks; they all rallied with alacrity when I stumbled into the office, grey of face, cradling my arm; my only regret is that I misplaced the bag of frozen peas and carrots and broccoli somewhere in the Portland Clinic, but until then, it served admirably to keep the swelling down.)

But fuck the arm. The important thing was, I’d been carrying my iBook, and even as I was lifting my face off the pavement I was sick with worry—the bag had bounced. So the first thing I did (as my co-workers were rallying round, scaring up phone numbers, calling the clinic for me, digging up various bags of frozen vegetables) was yank open the padded case, pull out the computer (wincing not at the considerable pain but at the sight of the CD drive, popped open), and fire it up.

It was fine.

Anyway. Blogging and suchlike will be light the next few days, I think. (Most of this typed left-handed, which, well. Not recommended for the dextrous.) Further bulletins yadda yadda. —Oh, for those with my medical history at hand, keeping score: it’s the right elbow, which means if I’ve broken it, it’s a first. (The left elbow I’ve broken twice, and it’s better if I tell that story in person, since it involves gestures. The right has only ever been severely contused a couple of times.)

Severe contusion; tiny, minor fracture; wear a sling, work the elbow now and again to prevent stiffness, don’t lift anything heavy, and see the doctor again in about 10 days.

Oh, and typing is not contraindicated.

—Filed 2180 days ago to ; .

  1. Ouch! Very sorry to hear this. Hoping very much that you haven't actually broken it.

    Best wishes

    Charles
    — Charles    Mar 29, 12:41 PM    #
  2. I also hope the problems are minimal and that you make a lot of money off the photos. However, I gotta say that I love personal injury stories--I've broken my arms four times, which is apparently enough to earn the title, "An Accident Waiting to Happen."

    What I don't like are broken gear stories. A few weeks ago I was testing Lake Michigan's ice--sorta drunkenly--and when my friend pulled me out I realized my Palm Zire 71, with all its mp3's, had organized its last.

    Bones heal and chicks dig scars, but nobody loves a broken laptop.
    — Adam Robinson    Mar 29, 07:49 PM    #
  3. That you checked on the health of your laptop first is a sign of true dedication. Or mental illness. But I share the sickness, so gawd speed to recovery. It's a good excuse to swig whiskey. Y'know, for the pain.
    — Kevin Moore    Mar 29, 08:12 PM    #
  4. Yikes. Hope it gets better fastest.
    *makes mental note to be less blithe when stepping off sidewalks*
    — language hat    Mar 31, 05:25 AM    #
  5. Odds and Ends
    Well, first and foremost, today marks the one year anniversary of Girlamatic. You know, the website where Dicebox currently...

    — Jennworks    Mar 31, 11:52 AM    #
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