Higgy
Bronze Member
- #1
Thread Owner
It's Been a Long Fall... In More Ways Than One!
Hi everyone! Its been a while since I posted, and for that I can only blame myself. I haven't detected since the first week of October because I've had my right arm in a cast since the second week in October.
I've spent all summer buying up classic Japanese motorcycles - old 1970's Honda's, Yamaha's, Suzuki's, and Kawasaki's, with the intent of working on them this winter and flipping them in the Spring. I've got a whole shed of them now: 14 bikes! All I had to do is get my JD tractor restoration completed and out of my shop to make room for some bike rebuilds.
The last thing I had to do was to repaint the rear axle housings and install them on the transaxle, install the rear end and drive it out. So there I was, standing at my sandblast cabinet, impatiently waiting for my old and tired compressor to catch its breath. Anxious to get the big green beast out of my shop and back into service, I shut everything down and hopped into my truck and drove an hour to Lowes to buy a big honkin' 80-gallon compressor. Hey, after all I could justify it for all the bike rebuilds, right?
Anyway, I had a great drive. The people at Lowes were great (for once), loaded my behemoth compressor onto the back of my truck with a forklift, and waved goodbye as I drove off with it ratchet-strapped-down good and tight. I stopped by taco bell for a burrito and headed home.
Now this compressor weighs in around 240lbs. It was bolted to a pallet. When I got home, I padded a dolly with some foam pipe insulation so I wouldn't scratch up my purdy new compressor, and strapped the compressor tightly. I tested the weight of it, and determined that I was superman, and that I still had enough juice in this 57 year-old body to get the compressor down off my pickup bed using my motorcycle ramp. Yeah right.![:-\](https://www.treasurenet.com/smilies/undecided.gif "Undecided :-\")
Halfway down the ramp, I stumbled and put both hands out to break my fall on the pavement. My right wrist broke - shattered, and I made a serious sprain to my left wrist. I also smacked my face real good on the left side.
I looked at my right wrist, and it was shaped kind of like an accordion. The left wrist was throbbing and so was my face - bleeding a little, but not badly. I called my wife at the hospital where she works, and told her what happened. She said she'd send an ambulance, and I said - like a ******* - I'll drive myself in.
So I did. By then the pain was so bad that I was almost passing out. I was panting and sweating. Upon arriving at the ER, my wife and her coworkers were ready for me, and took me right in for xray.
They all had huge eyeballs looking at the xray, and then ordered a cat scan. Then they called in the orthopedic surgeon. Apparently I broke it real good - so good that the surgeon had me on the operating table for five hours. One titanium plate and 12 screws later, its all back together. Apparently the tip of the ulna had smashed real bad, like it opened right up like a flower, destroying the socket. The surgeon took his time and really did it right - like it was a source of pride for him - and I'm glad he did.
Unbelievable pain the first week or so. Thank God for Oxycodone. I only took that stuff for a week though. I was fearful of getting addicted to it. I've heard so many horror stories about it, not to mention how it binds you up solid so you have to take laxatives and stool softeners to "keep the mail moving."
Anyway, so did I mention I'm right-handed? Its hard for me to wipe my butt left-handed, let alone swing a detector. And I miss it.
One thing is for sure; I have a whole new understanding and empathy for people who have lost a limb or only have the use of one arm.
So I've been in this cast for over 6 weeks I guess, and I get a new cast today, which I will have to wear another 5 weeks. *sigh*
Anyway! Thanks for reading. I dropped in to tell you guys I'm still alive and kickin' and will be swinging a detector some time in February when we hit St. Augustine for a little vacation!
P.S. Typing all of this with one hand really sucks!
Hi everyone! Its been a while since I posted, and for that I can only blame myself. I haven't detected since the first week of October because I've had my right arm in a cast since the second week in October.
I've spent all summer buying up classic Japanese motorcycles - old 1970's Honda's, Yamaha's, Suzuki's, and Kawasaki's, with the intent of working on them this winter and flipping them in the Spring. I've got a whole shed of them now: 14 bikes! All I had to do is get my JD tractor restoration completed and out of my shop to make room for some bike rebuilds.
The last thing I had to do was to repaint the rear axle housings and install them on the transaxle, install the rear end and drive it out. So there I was, standing at my sandblast cabinet, impatiently waiting for my old and tired compressor to catch its breath. Anxious to get the big green beast out of my shop and back into service, I shut everything down and hopped into my truck and drove an hour to Lowes to buy a big honkin' 80-gallon compressor. Hey, after all I could justify it for all the bike rebuilds, right?
Anyway, I had a great drive. The people at Lowes were great (for once), loaded my behemoth compressor onto the back of my truck with a forklift, and waved goodbye as I drove off with it ratchet-strapped-down good and tight. I stopped by taco bell for a burrito and headed home.
Now this compressor weighs in around 240lbs. It was bolted to a pallet. When I got home, I padded a dolly with some foam pipe insulation so I wouldn't scratch up my purdy new compressor, and strapped the compressor tightly. I tested the weight of it, and determined that I was superman, and that I still had enough juice in this 57 year-old body to get the compressor down off my pickup bed using my motorcycle ramp. Yeah right.
Halfway down the ramp, I stumbled and put both hands out to break my fall on the pavement. My right wrist broke - shattered, and I made a serious sprain to my left wrist. I also smacked my face real good on the left side.
I looked at my right wrist, and it was shaped kind of like an accordion. The left wrist was throbbing and so was my face - bleeding a little, but not badly. I called my wife at the hospital where she works, and told her what happened. She said she'd send an ambulance, and I said - like a ******* - I'll drive myself in.
So I did. By then the pain was so bad that I was almost passing out. I was panting and sweating. Upon arriving at the ER, my wife and her coworkers were ready for me, and took me right in for xray.
They all had huge eyeballs looking at the xray, and then ordered a cat scan. Then they called in the orthopedic surgeon. Apparently I broke it real good - so good that the surgeon had me on the operating table for five hours. One titanium plate and 12 screws later, its all back together. Apparently the tip of the ulna had smashed real bad, like it opened right up like a flower, destroying the socket. The surgeon took his time and really did it right - like it was a source of pride for him - and I'm glad he did.
Unbelievable pain the first week or so. Thank God for Oxycodone. I only took that stuff for a week though. I was fearful of getting addicted to it. I've heard so many horror stories about it, not to mention how it binds you up solid so you have to take laxatives and stool softeners to "keep the mail moving."
Anyway, so did I mention I'm right-handed? Its hard for me to wipe my butt left-handed, let alone swing a detector. And I miss it.
One thing is for sure; I have a whole new understanding and empathy for people who have lost a limb or only have the use of one arm.
So I've been in this cast for over 6 weeks I guess, and I get a new cast today, which I will have to wear another 5 weeks. *sigh*
Anyway! Thanks for reading. I dropped in to tell you guys I'm still alive and kickin' and will be swinging a detector some time in February when we hit St. Augustine for a little vacation!
P.S. Typing all of this with one hand really sucks!
