I've been scarce around here lately. Here is what happened.

[Don selleck]

Glad your okay be safe, we don't bounce like we used too. I fell off a roof 10 years ago, said the hell with that, tomorrow I'll be on the roof of my new shop, go figure the show must go on.

 

[Kern Dog]

For me, I hate the thought of paying for someone to do what I should be able to do.
I had to pay a guy to replace a garage door spring today. WE noticed the broken spring after returning from the hospital. Mary's Challenger was stuck in the garage until the man replaced the spring that helps counterbalance the door.
I know that a time will come where I'll have to defer to professionals for most everything but I'm just not one to sit inside while others do what I should be able to do.
I never cut and spliced rain gutter before but I figured it out. I've installed simple electrical wiring and outlets by asking questions and watching others.
As a car guy, I have developed a habit of fixing stuff myself with the assistance of books and advice from skilled people. That trend has crossed over into many other aspects of my life.
I know that many of you are the same way. Whether we are motivated by pride or the high cost of repairs, fixing it ourselves is my preferred way.
Yeah, there are times when there is no choice but to call a pro. If you're too busy with work or if the job requires expensive tools you'd never use twice, paying a pro makes sense.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Greg, I hate to say it but it might be time to call a professional .....

Actually, this might be the best advice. So many of us on here are hands on guys, but as we age, out minds tell us that we can still do young man things. Because we are not as limber as we once were, our bodies tell us different, but the brain won't listen.

As a kid, I can recall scaling 6' chain link fences and jumping off the top with ease, but today I don't want to jump off the tailgate of my F150.

You're very fortunate that this wasn't worse. I once installed an elevator for a carpenter who fell off a roof and was paralyzed. Get well soon ..... and take it easy. Listen to your body.

 

[moparwacko]

Walk it off already you slacker!!

Haven't you seen those TV commercials about seniors falling from ladders trying to clean gutters?

Seriously, sorry for your mishap and hope you have a quick recovery.
It's funny how we as workers get comfortable with everyday hazards. There are certain tasks others look at and say no way, yet we do them without thought of injury because we've become comfortable with the risk. There is a change in thought process away from work although. Some of the safest Lineman I know got injured at home doing simple tasks. I don't like roofs. I will climb a 150' tower, but my 7/12 roof on my 2 story home intimidates me. It's not the height, it's the unfamiliar aspect.

Rest, and get well KD

 

[Brandy]

Greg, i'm so sorry to read that you suffered a fall from on high. I hope that your recovery is quick and complete. As for the memory loss, well, Kiwi is right, the brain is adept at blanking out trauma. As an example of that, when I wrecked my '08 Harley Heritage I woke up in the hospital 4 1/2 hours later with zero memory of the event. The last memory I have is passing a picturesque farm about a 1/2 mile BEFORE the accident location. The only reason I know about what actually happened is that the guy driving his car behind me was also a biker who happened to not be riding that day. HE described the event to me in detail. To say that I bonked my head is an understatement, there was a 4" x 5" dent and scuff in my helmet on the right side above my temple. All I have is a dreamlike sequence that seems like a dream more than a memory. Even that is incomplete.

As for roof work, i also do not go up on roofs anymore. For me it's due to a combo of age, 65, and balance issues from TBI. My wife is 66 and is one stepping the stairs already.

Be well.

 

[Speedbird]

I'm not afraid of heights .
As long as I'm secure under footing I'm fine.
Worked up in the air for years.
But told my wife there is one side roof on my house that i am not getting on anymore to maintain it.
Too old and if I fell and got hurt we would be up the creek.
Lived long enough to have heard about many old men that fell off just ladders.
My older sister fell down stairs and has memory no of it.

It not the fall .
It's the sudden stop.
At least it was ground and not concrete.

 

[Kern Dog]

Greg, i'm so sorry to read that you suffered a fall from on high. I hope that your recovery is quick and complete. As for the memory loss, well, Kiwi is right, the brain is adept at blanking out trauma.

Yeah...Isn't that strange? It is as if the my mind purposely erased the incident and what immediately preceded it.
That really screws with my way of thinking.
I am the type that hates to have unanswered questions.

 

[68gtxman]

@Kern Dog Get well soon my friend!

 

[Demonic]

Glad you're ok Greg. It's hard to accept that we have to slow down as we age. You and I are of the same mind - I like to DIY everything, don't want to pay someone. Many on this forum likewise I am sure. The important thing going forward is to have a positive outlook. Don't spend your healing time being PO'd while a migrant cuts you rafter tails crooked. Have a beer with your concussion and be happy you're ok.

 

[71dodgechargerrt]

Sorry to hear about your mishap Greg. Wish you well soon.

 

[Speedbird]

There's a great scene in the original Little House.
Victor French, (The "reformed reprobate ") has one of the small girl children on the roof with him while working.
Someone sees it and yells that the child may fall off.
"Not much chance of that. Her dress is nailed to the roof"

 

[eldubb440]

I come from a line of iron workers, on both sides........ my father's youngest brother fell from one of the bridges that span the Delaware river; and my Dad only missed one day of work. I suppose it takes a lot of mental toughness to get up there in the first place; not everyone is wired like that. I was offered a union iron working gig when I turned 18; I said F that, I like to keep my feet on the ground.

all you stubborn old timers need to pay attention and stay safe

 

[copper67sat]

KD, Sorry to hear about your fall. A concussion and broken scapula are not exactly minor injuries. Glad to hear that it wasn't worse and hope your recover quickly. We don't bounce as well as we used to.

Concussions can be a scary thing. My wife had a bad one from a head-on car accident many years ago that led to partial amnesia. It affected her short term memory from just before the accident up to the present moment in time so she would keep asking the same questions over and over like she was stuck in a loop. The amnesia subsided, but she still has no recollection of the accident or events that happened immediately after whereas I remember it all clearly. Similarly, I had a bad ATV crash, a 3-wheeler no less, in my careless youth that led to a double compound fracture of my lower leg. No concussion that I know of, but my mind blanked out the moment of impact even though I remember everything just prior to and immediately after the crash. It's the mind's way of protecting you from the trauma.


I spent many of my college breaks working for a friends roofing company to make some cash to pay my way through school and have always been sure-footed so working on ladders or roofs never bothered me. Like you and many others here, I'm Mr. Fix-It at home, but the concrete barrel tile roof on our current house is another story. It's a steeper pitch than most I've been on before, the S-shaped barrel tiles are hard to walk on since they're not flat, any built up dirt makes them slippery when wet and the tiles don't feel stable - like the one I'm stepping on could break at any moment and send me skidding off the roof. I have been up on it for a few simple repairs and inspections, but didn't feel as comfortable as I'm used to so more recently we've been paying someone else to clean it every couple of years or make repairs when needed since I figure that the cost of the hospital/Dr. bills if I fall off will be more than paying someone else.

 

[Kern Dog]

Iron workers are a RARE breed. I cannot imagine what it was like for them before safety harnesses and other protections. The Hi-Rise buildings built during the Depression could not have been built within budget with safety rules in place like we have today.
I read a book about that very thing. The author claimed that we Americans have surrendered our dominance in building high rises due to safety concerns and high labor costs. I can certainly understand that.

 

[demonram]

Glad to hear you’re on the mend and it wasn’t worse. The concussion is definitely why you don’t remember (I’ve had 6). The last one four years ago was the worst. I had a severe whiplash and concussion. I don’t remember anything about it, except about the last 10 minutes in the ER. I was awake the whole time, and never did an X-ray of my head or neck, just my chest, according to my wife. Severe vertigo set in for a month. Went to Mayo, (that was a joke too). I still have vertigo issues in certain positions and my neck will always have a small discomfort, from all my past injuries adding up. Just take it easy and don’t push too fast. Take care and heal up.

 

[Ronnman]

Greg,
Glad your on the mend. Hope you get back to feeling your old self, just take you time.
Ron

 

[eldubb440]

my grandfather on my mother's side...... some time in the 20's.....It just occurred to me that was a hundred years ago!.... he's the one in the middle

Ben Franklin Bridge between Camden and Philly

 

[kiwigtx]

When the weather warms up in a few months here, I need to try and do some leak repairs on my parents house. I tried that once before.....the concrete tiles are painted and the paint has oxidised, making them slippery. The pitch is reasonably steep, so I started sliding down as I was crawling up. Too hard to stand up without breaking tiles....being a heavy guy it's not hard to break tiles.

I'll have this incident of Greg's in my mind as I set up to do the job.

 

[Don Frelier]

I have a shed roof over part of the kitchen, back hall and powder room.
It's extended and has a weird tie in to a walk in basement entrance (old house).
A year and half ago in the fall I grabbed the big leaf blower, set the ladder against the lower portion and went up there and blew off the leaves.
Getting down as soon as I put my second foot on the ladder I could feel it slipping downward.
I grabbed frantially at the roof edge (tore the skin off my finger tips).
It wasn't even that far of a fall maybe 6'.
Landed on my feet but the weight of that blower just crushed my lower back.
I could hardly breathe.

I have a brick patio out there and it was cold overnight.
Somehow I managed to get the blower off and I slip my shirt up and just laid flat on my back on the patio for at least a half hour.
My wife had her headphones on and my younger son had gone some where.
He came back and found me.
With help I got up and in the house.

Laid on the floor for about 2 hours with my legs shaking.

Amazingly enough I never went to the doctor but my back hurt for over 100 days.

 

[eldubb440]

all you stubborn old timers need to pay attention and stay safe