Key West or Four Stairs...

Greetings! I was hoping to join in on the blog talking about my trip to Key West, but instead I had a little encounter with four stairs...

I was suppose to be going to the Florida Keys for 7 days with a couple friends from Ann Arbor yesterday, but instead last Wednesday, while out in the field working, I took a slip and fall on four stairs. Yup, OUCH! All I remember about the fall was smacking the middle of my back on one of the stairs and thinking that something very, very, very was wrong. Luckily I was able to get up, but while getting to a standing position I noticed my left pinky was facing the wrong way, and of course, that made the stress factor go up several notches, but I could not feel the pain in my finger. Well I got up to my car, called 9-1-1, but go no service. Ugh... Now what, well I had to drive myself to the hospital, which of course I did quickly, actually hoping that I would get pulled over. Half way to the hospital I had to hide my pinky because I could no longer look at it. Well I did make it to the emergency room in Gladwin and they took good care of me. After resetting my finger and several x-rays they determined that I dislocated my pinky (no fracture amazingly enough) and had a compression fracture in the middle of my spine (vertebrate T9).

Another worker came and took me back to Bay City and then that night my wonderful Mommy came up to take care of me for a couple of nights (not allowing me to have any fun - no lifting, no bending, no nothing).

Since then I have been to a couple of doctors. My own family doctor, who saw me for the last time, lectured Mom and I about my cholosterol while I was sitting in there with a messed up back and finger. Luckily he sent me to an orthopedic surgeon who was wonderful. The surgeon told me that most likely the finger will not require surgery, but should stay immobilized for two weeks. As far as the back in concerned, he said he was not a back specialist, but the x-rays should that any compression fracture was pretty small. He told me not to return to work for two weeks and to return for a check up in two weeks. I do have a back brace I am wearing for support and the belief at this time is that it will be 6-10 weeks before my back is healed, but I may see a specialist for another opinion.

Overall I feel very fortunate, because when I fell I thought it would be much, much worse. I am getting around decently and the pain isn't too bad. And oh, by the way, I have rescheduled the trip to the KEYS for September.