random thoughts – Day 2,163 (Tuesday) – memories and chicken

Today was less exciting (term used loosely) than on this date one year ago. One year ago today, it was the Monday President’s Day holiday, and my sister and I spent the day at an appointment with a surgeon.

The Thursday before, while shoveling the  water collecting on my front walk, I stepped back onto water-covered ice and landed on my arse and slammed my hand/wrist. I got dizzy, felt nauseated, and elbow crawled/dragged myself into the house like I was competing in some sort of warrior competition. Once I had gathered my wits, I messaged my boss that I would be logged off for the day and parked myself on the couch.

The wrist was uncomfortable, but it didn’t really hurt. I wrapped it in an Ace Bandage found in the bathroom cabinet and debated trying to get in to see my doctor or just going to urgent care. Either destination would have required me driving, which seemed ill-advised. I did the ice and elevation thing and took it easy.

The next morning when the wrist wasn’t miraculously regenerated and repaired like I had imagined it would be, I called the doctor and scored a same-day office visit followed by x-rays. A friend served as my chauffer. We went out for lunch while awaiting a call-back with the next medical instructions.

Dave's Hot Chicken - Top Loaded Fries.

For the entire weekend, I thought my wrist was badly bruised and dislocated, mostly because it was discolored, at an odd angle, and a little swollen, but it didn’t really hurt. My sister took me to the Monday appointment in Chelmsford, but first, we had lunch at Dave’s Hot Chicken. Her daughters make the trip from Fitchburg for the stuff so we decided to see what they were willing to travel so far for. It turns out the Top Loaded Fries are mighty good. 

I seriously thought the surgeon was going to take my hand, yank it, and I’d be on my way with a straightened and bruised wrist. Instead, I was told it needed surgery (scheduled for two days later), and I was sent to the building next door for “a splint” which turned out to be a heavy-ish cast to above my elbow and left me with my arm hanging out of my shirt. At home, I cut the sleeve off a thermal shirt for sleeping in.

Anyway. There was surgery and no driving for a bunch of weeks which meant I missed practices with both dance groups because I had no way to get to them, which hurt more than the wrist ever did. There were some movement issues and it got aggravated during the move over the summer. There was a silver-ish lining, though – when I had the very painful neck/shoulder issue all this past fall, I completely forgot about my wrist.

Tonight, at dance group, the wrist was doing rolls and floreos and all was good. In terms of mechanics, it felt like the whole being broken thing never happened. The still-red-but-fading scar over the location of the titanium plate is the only publicly visible evidence that something went down. I am aware that the left wrist is a bit larger than the right one now, which offends my appreciation for symmetry and my watch no longer fits and needs a link added back into the band, but I’m pretty sure I will get over that someday. 

And now that I've been thinking about that day of a year ago, I really, really want some Dave's Hot Chicken Top Loaded Fries.