Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Victim of inclement weather

At the beginning of this week, we had unusually icy weather. So unusual has been this weather event that just about everything was closed down from Sunday through Wednesday. This includes my employer.

I appreciated not having to drive on iced-over roads, but staying at home has its own particular dangers. Since my house is both uninsulated and unheated (it also has a tiny bathroom that seems once used to be the pantry, so we're talking Old House), most of the past few days have been spent in one room, with one space heater and my electric blanket. And of course, I spent lots and lots and lots of time with my laptop, surfing to every link of any interest whatsoever. Since I live alone, there was very little to distract me from this dangerous activity.

Thus my ice-related injury is that I have generated a cycle of subluxing in my wrist. And this is on my dominant hand, so avoiding stress on it is not likely.

But that wasn't the end of it. Friday, I was back to teaching. After my classes were over, I got in the car. I started it up. I backed out. I put my foot on the brake. And dislocated my knee.

On the bright side, it was still cold enough that ambient air temperature all on its own kept the tissues from swelling. And, the other bright side, that particular knee has dislocated so often that at this point it reduces itself as soon as I take pressure off it.

On the not bright side, it's my right knee that will now need to be gingered for the next month or so, and my left wrist that is in a sublux cycle. So I guess I'll be using my cane like Dr. House. I hope that doesn't put my right shoulder out of commission.

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