We're back from Oshkosh and the WPA homeschooling conference. I'm going to need a few days to recover. While running around trying to hide the 20 plus Letterboxes early Saturday morning, I took a nasty fall on concrete stairs. Thankfully, we were heading up not down. I fell in such a way that my knees hit directly into the part of the stair that sticks out. My right knee took the worse of it. The pain at first was so intense I couldn't breathe. I wasn't sure if I'd pass out or throw up. What helped me conquer the pain was the fact we still had 19 boxes to plant in less than 30 minutes. I had no time for emergency rooms. I did my best "cowboy up" and tried to walk it off Frankenstein style.
During the workshop I could feel something running down my leg. It was cold that morning so I had thankfully thrown on jeans. Denim is really pretty good at soaking up blood.
After the workshop, I headed to the ladies' room and discovered I couldn't bend my knee at all. Peeling off my jeans I could see my knee was the size of a grapefruit and I had a red stream down my leg from a stair shaped gash going straight across my patella.
Rather than miss a discussion on the Socrates method of book discussion, I send DH back to the hotel for ice. He meets me back in time to attend the commencement ceremony- the highlight of the conference for me. I love hearing the graduating homeschoolers and their parents speak of their experience. It takes my mind off of the throbbing.
We head to Taco Bell for lunch and I'm pretty pumped from the success of my Letterboxing workshop, the commencement and the fact my knee is now frozen.
We spend the afternoon attending two more workshops- Continuing Unschooling & The Thomas Jefferson Education model. By the time I make it to the WPA membership meeting, I'm coming down from the rush of the conference excitement and I'm noticing more that something is seriously wrong with my knee.
Getting into the car to head home I had to bend my leg. Instantly I felt a burning, tearing, OMG, something is really wrong kind of pain. DH wants to take me to the ER. I'm too embarrassed. At this point I decide to take Advil and just not bend my leg.
Once home I crash big time with a bag of frozen peas and more Advil. I sleep a big sleep and in the morning, thankfully I can bend my leg with only regular pain and soreness, not the scary burning, gushing feeling. The swelling is going down and I figure as long as I can now move it more, nothing must be broken.
I know you probably want to see a blog photo of my knee, but I'm just too embarrassed. I can still hear DH laughing at me before he realized I was really hurt. He says he can still see my fall as if in slow motion. I should search You Tube today. Even though DH didn't catch me, I'd bet a security camera somewhere did.
I fall all the time. I fell while pregnant with both of my boys. While 7 months pregnant with DS12 I was walking down an incline in heals. I landed on my purse rather than my belly and decided it was time to give up fashionable footwear. The second time I slipped on ice and decided to try the splits rather than land on my 9 month baby bulge.
On the 4th of July I always fall after the parade. Our old town has very uneven sidewalks.
One reason I fall so much is my feet are two different sizes. I think this is why I prefer to go barefoot so often. Another problem I have is vertigo. Its been the grace of God I haven't broken anything.
My plan is to continue icing it, taking Advil and gently try to bend and use the knee into recovery. It seems like its doing better each day.
9 comments:
OW!!! Hugs! Honestly, I probably would have initially laughed at you when you fell too. I have a bad habit of laughing when other people fall. Although, through some great friends, I've learned to laugh at myself when I fall too (which is often and I believe my feet are pretty much the same size and I don't suffer from vertigo so the only excuse I can offer is that I am clumsy). :-) Hope you feel better soon!
Oh, awful! I hope it is continuing to get better. I fell once going down our stairs.. missed a step or something, and twisted my ankle so bad. It was the worst pain I've ever felt, including childbirth! I probably should have gone to a dr. too, but didn't, so I don't know what injury I ended up with. I just know it took at least 6 months for it to feel normal again. Hopefully your knee will feel normal MUCH faster than that! (P.S. I just posted high school memories... very fun.)
I'm a laugher when people fall too......I even laugh at myself. My mom fell after a Xmas parade one year and I was laughing hysterically and telling my mom she shouldn't have been drinking. (she doesn't drink)Other people were coming over to check her out and I know they thought I was crazy. LOL I still chuckle when I think about it. Mom's just not that graceful and has been known to fall on more than one occasion herself. LOL My sister's daughter used to fall ALL of the time. I realized it HAD to be because her feet weren't large enough to balance her well. She's only a size 8 I think and she's around 5'8 in height now. I'm nearly 5'8 and I wear a size 10. Although I had some falls, I think my feet kept me well balanced for the most part. LOL
At any rate, I'm sorry you hurt yourself so badly. :( I hope it heals quickly. :)
hope you knee feels better soon, if not a dr visit might be advisable. Get everyone to pamper you in the meantime.
you go have that looked at missy.. Jackie (deb and I know her) took a horrible hit and had been in a "cast" since surgery I think since Dec./ January.. and STILL has issues but is on the mend with PT.
Wow you are a trooper. You must have really wanted to be at that conference. Hope your knee gets feeling better soon.
omg, that had to have hurt but so glad that it's getting better.. Just stay off your leg until its completely healed
I would defiantely get that check out Immediately!!! No matter how embarrased you are. Those feelings of burning is probably tendon pain from it being torn or injured in some way. My husbad fell and didn't have it looked at and now he suffers more because it can't be repaired at this time. So please go see a doc and take care. I fall too so I know how you feel.
Glad you had a great time at the conference
Oooh, that sounds SO painful!
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