I am officially off the line and out on Workman's Comp. Did something to my right knee but don't know what. It was a little sore around noon time and even more sore when we got back in quarters. Then around 2:30 PM I was climbing down from the top of one of our engines and felt something pop in my knee. Not a painful pop, more like cracking a knuckle. Oh boy, now my knee won't bear any weight and trying induces pain of 5-6/10. It was interesting getting back on the ground to say the least. I took a couple of Advil and tried to stick it out until end of shift. The station phone rang and I almost fell getting up to get it. At 5 PM I couldn't stand anymore and decided to head to the ER. I drove myself there because I have NEVER been in the ambulance as a patient and I needed to keep that record intact. I got to the ER and spotted a parking place near the door. As I came around the island, some bitch was lining up to park in it. Shit! I had to park in the lot down the hill and hobble back up. I got up to the ER, got inside and checked in. I didn't have to wait long to go through triage and get put in a room. A nurse came in, then an ER doc. It was one of the docs I have dealt with several times over the years by phone for a presumption on an untimely death. Then came the X-ray team with the portable X-Ray machine. A physician's assistant came in to tell me that other than a little arthritis that isn't the cause of this problem, the X-Rays are clear. They fitted me for a straight leg brace and crutches. In the packet of discharge papers is the name, address, and phone number of an orthopedist for further exam and probably an MRI. Ice, elevation, and rest for now.
Yeah right! Are you kidding me? My weekends are jam packed with shit to do.
If you're over forty, then your warranty ran out and it was just a matter of time. Good luck old man.
ReplyDeleteIf that's the case, my warranty was up 20+ years ago.
DeleteTake care, rest up, ice that knee!
ReplyDelete@ Drake's Place: "... rest up..."
DeleteYeah, that's gonna be the hard part. No hiking. No kayaking. No fishing. No motorcycling, etc. etc. etc.
I still remember many many years ago my old man saying it's hell to get old. He wasn't lying, but I still refuse to grow up.
ReplyDelete@Bear Claw Chris Lapp: If only I was doing something exciting and adrenaline pumping, but I was not. I was climbing down the fold down steps on the side of one of our fire engines. Step by step, straight down. No jumping or twisting.
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