May 03rd, 2021

Oops!  In an apparent effort to end last week dramatically, I slipped and fell this past Friday.  And because I was clearly going for some kind of special award, I did it in such a way that was downright graceful. Unusual for me.

Thinking back it must have looked like a fancy ice skating move gone a little awry.  Here's what happened.

It was getting toward dinner time and I was doing my usual race around the kitchen trick starting to prep. Part of setting up for dinner on that particular day involved emptying the dishwasher.  The dishwasher had only just finished which meant that there was a little bit of water still on some of the dishes.  Anything even remotely concave, say the underside of some coffee mugs or pot lids, needs to be briefly wiped down before being put away.  I say briefly because I am impatient.  Those things probably actually require a more thorough toweling since putting them away improperly wiped sometimes leaves a few drips of water on the floor.

I don't concern myself much with a few water drips.  I won't hurt anything.  We have tile floors.  In fact we have old tile floors which were beaten into submission long ago.  It's one of the things I really love about tile.  It's rugged, it's durable and, as it turns out, also slippery. Turns out I'm not a fan of that particular tile quality.

At any rate, the original plan was to wipe up any errant drips as soon as I was finished with the task.  Clean it all up in one fell swoop, which turned out to be a prediction rather than a plan.

The last dish that I put away was at the farthest end of the kitchen from the towels.  So as soon as it was safely tucked into it's proper place in the cabinet, I turned and walked, quickly as is my usual way, to get the towel to wipe up the drippy floor.   About 3/4 of the way, my left foot hit an especially wet spot and instead of completing a step in a normal fashion, my foot slid forward.  The slide forward was so unexpected and extreme  - it wasn't just forward it was really really really forward as if I were going to do the splits - that the rest of my body just went straight down. Excellent posture I must say.  And I landed, full body weight, on my right knee.  Really, as I picture it in my mind it looks a look like a figure skating move except with contact. 

As soon as all motion stopped, I tried to stand back up but nope.  That wasn't happening.  So I rolled over and sat up, back against the utility room door.  While I was examining my knee for possible damage, Tim came flying into the kitchen. 

I was unaware that I made any noise but clearly I had said ouch or ow or something, really loud. Which makes sense because it hurt.  It really really really hurt.  Very ouchie indeed.   

I explained what happened and Dr. Tim was ON IT!  First things first, he told me to stay put and then he did what he always does and grabbed the nearest ice pack then  gingerly applied it to my knee.  As he crouched nearby to make sure I stayed put, I told him that initially it hurt soI fe much that it made me feel kind of pukey.  Have you ever done that?  Injured yourself in with such force that it make you feel a little nauseous?  It's kind of a gross feeling.  Well as soon as I confessed to the pukey feeling, Tim brought me another, much larger, ice pack and was instructed to hold it up against my chest.  I did so.

After a few more minutes of just sitting there hugging an ice pack,  the feeling passed and I was ready to try to get up.  Tim gently helped me to my feet and guided me to the family room sofa so I could sit with my leg up.  He brought in yet another ice pack that covered much of my entire leg. He was being thorough.  It should be obvious to everyone by now that Tim strongly believes in the power of the ice pack.

It's almost like.....let's see what is it like?  Did you see the movie, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"?  In that film, the bride's father used Windex for everything, including minor injuries.  It's sort of like that.  Except that in Tim's case, he is almost always right.  The ice pack therapies he so strongly believes in actually work.

I continued to alternate ice packs with my leg up throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening. We were curious to see what my knee would be like the next day.  And well, the ice pack magic did the trick.  Other than a little stiffness and tenderness, it was absolutely fine.   I walked cautiously for a few days, but I did walk.  And today, there is only a small knot that nobody but me would ever notice, which is obviously the point of impact.  No Big Deal At All.

So there you have it.  When in doubt, slap an ice pack on it.  It's is truly amazing.

I feel as if this is the point where I should say, taadaa, and so I shall,

"TaaDaa!"