You should see the other guy - Warning - graphic photo

The "other guy" is a large pot-hole.

I retired last September. I had some health issues. That, plus the commute, were just wearing me out. I needed to slow down, recharge my batteries, and get healthy.

Since September, I have dealt with Osteomylytis (bone infections) that led to amputation of first one toe on my right foot and then 4 months later, another toe. I ruptured a tendon in my left foot (PTT or something) and now wear a brace. In that space of time, I had pneumonia twice. Then the doctors found an antibiotic-resistent infection. I took Rocephine antibiotic shots for a week in early February. Hey, how's that retirement working for you, Linda?

Just as the infection was cured, I hurt my back in late February. No idea how that happened. It was a compression fracture of the T10 vertebrae. Two months of pain, pain meds and muscle relaxers followed. I was in a mopey and dopey haze for weeks. Then on April 15th, I had a Vertebroplasty, back surgery. It worked like gang-busters, though my stamina is slow to return. A week ago, I finally thought that I could see light at the end of the tunnel.

I went down to my daughter-in-laws parents house for the annual neighborhood yard sale. It was mobbed. Lots of people walking up and down the street and the large landscaped island. There were even food vendors. There was an air of a festival. I decided to walk up the street a half block while I waited for my husband to retreive the car and catch up to me.

I stepped into a pothole, tripped and fell. Even before the pain hit, I prayed that I had not hurt my back again. I was on my back and folks were crowding around me. Everybody was so kind. One lady wanted to call 9-1-1 but I told her that my husband was just stuck in the traffic on the street. Then I noticed the blood on my white pants. Oh crap, that will never come out. Did I mention that I take blood thinners? I pulled up the pants and my knee was split wide open to the meat. One woman moaned and looked away. Another woman brought a couple of dish towels to cover the wound. I just wanted to get up before my husband got there and saw me laying in the street. The lady with the dish towel wrapped it around my knee and I used my beautiful summer cotton scarf as a torniquet to stop the blood.

Road rash. My elbow is in there somewhere. No photos of the knee. It was just too icky for photos.


9 stitches outside, 3 inside. Bruised arm, ribs and hands. But no breaks. Kneecap intact. What a break. tsk. Will this slow me down from getting on an airplane in 8 days and going to MQS ? Uh, no. They have doctors in Kansas City that can remove those stitches.


P.S. In other good news, the summer cotton scarf came out clean from the washer and dryer. The white pants? My knee tore but my pants didn't. Too funny. Well, they are waiting for second go round in the washer. Gain and the Tide booster stain remover blob did not get all the blood out.