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

[moparwacko]

Good thing your right arm is ok, unless you're a lefty.

Well, he is in California.

 

[moparedtn]

I have cheated death so many times I'm constantly surprised to still be alive. lol.

Ditto. Gotten up from actually being dead three times already, you know....
forget the 6 cancer survivals (so far).
It ain't luck, least not in my case - for whatever reason I cannot fathom, I'm
being kept alive (might just be an experiment He's having fun with?).
It's a blessing anyways, one I'm grateful for.

 

[68BabyBlue]

please send me some pics.

I'm going to post them on the Old Fart Issues...thread rather than hijack this one.

 

[davek]

I had x rays done at my primary care facility today.
See the depiction below.

View attachment 1485412

This isn't actually me.

View attachment 1485413
The orange arrow points to a black mark representing the break. It did not go through completely so it will heal faster than if it were a complete fracture.
They still said 6-8 weeks but I'll have return visits to maintain progress.
The Doc confirmed my "common sense" ideas.
Pain should be the limit in terms of how much movement I do with the arm.
Wear a sling if I'll be around others who may bump into me.
Calcium supplements with Vitamin D to maintain absorption. Magnesium too.
I feel pretty good overall. I'm still feeling blessed for what could have been far worse.

I hope its only 6 weeks for you,my friend is still nursing his ankle for over 5 months ago.

 

[Skytrooper]

Wow, sorry to hear of you accident and subsequent injuries. I hope you recover quickly!

 

[Kern Dog]

I'm stubborn and I get bored easily sitting on the couch.
Today was the first day that I went out and did some work. I mowed the backyard... a task that usually takes 50 minutes to an hour. I was too proud to keep track of my time today. I had to take a break part way through. I just didn't have the gusto.
I've eaten less since the injury. Less food, far more water, hardly any soda and of course, only prescribed medication.
I wonder if the reduced calories meant that what was consumed is being used for healing, leaving not much else for work or endurance.
I was 5 lbs down by Friday.
I get antsy sitting so I get up to do things, then get tired too quickly. This is to be expected but is still annoying. I'm used to having plenty of energy to do whatever I want.
The radiology Doc called with good news. NO shoulder surgery needed for the break. I expected that but confirmation is good too. He said to keep the arm limber and moving with slow rotations within the limits. Activity is suggested as long as there is no pain. He did say his superior suggested wearing the harness for six weeks.
Forget that. I'm not wearing it while resting, eating or doing light work. I don't see the point. Pain is the limiting guide and since I won't be stressing myself, I'll be fine.
Again, "common sense" measures here.

 

[beanhead]

The radiology Doc called with good news. NO shoulder surgery needed for the break.

That is good news. Surgery is fine when absolutely necessary, but it's a big drain on the body. My wife's had a couple (shoulder and knee, playing catcher through D1 college softball didn't help) and the recoveries have always been a lot of work and time.
I say any time you can avoid them going into your body is a good thing!
Get well soon ya booger!

 

[Hey-O]

About between 1,300 and 1,800 calories a day is about 2 pounds a week in weight loss. Thinking about 2500 a day to maintain your weight.
My thyroid took a dump on me a few years ago. I went from 192 to 235. Last fall I got it straightened out and today I'm 196, almost there.
If you lose it by not eating, it comes back pretty quickly when you start eating right again. You'll be fine.

 

[Richard Cranium]

The radiology Doc called with good news. NO shoulder surgery needed for the break. I expected that but confirmation is good too. He said to keep the arm limber and moving with slow rotations within the limits. Activity is suggested as long as there is no pain.

That is good news! So you’ve been given the green light to resume “taking care of business” with your other hand again.

 

[Brandy]

"Activity is suggested as long as there is no pain."........Just don't squeeze too hard....

 

[Hey-O]

That is good news! So you’ve been given the green light to resume “taking care of business” with your other hand again.

 

[not so famous bob]

the older we g

Forgive me for appearing self serving with this thread. It is not my intention to troll for words of encouragement or well wishes.
Last Saturday I fell from my roof at my home. I'm recovering and doing well but this accident is taking a bit more out of me than it would have 20 years ago.

A little background:
Over the past year, I've been busy trying to reverse some neglect on this place before listing it for sale. I replaced the redwood deck with lumber prices at an all time high. I buttoned up the final details on the shop to get a "final" inspection and now am fixing stuff on the house itself to get top dollar for the place.
I retired from construction last year since the work available shifted away from my true passion. I've always preferred residential work but the Union priced themselves out of the game. There was no way to compete with South of the border workers that willingly worked for 1/3 what I made. I figured that in retirement, I might resume some limited roles in home building again once we move out of state.
I'm still in good shape to work so I went about my normal ways and started making some changes at home. Late in the afternoon Saturday, I fell from the roof where the gutter was maybe 12 feet from the soil.

View attachment 1483993

Many of the rafter tails were rotting on the ends. The gutter was rusted in some areas. This project includes shortening the rafter tails, adding 2 x 8 fascia and new rain gutters. I've never cut or installed gutters before so I used some of the old stuff as testing patterns to get a feel for how they need to be cut at corners and seams.

View attachment 1483998

View attachment 1483999

I'm learning as I go and it seems to be coming out right. I had to get creative hanging the gutters alone.

View attachment 1484001
View attachment 1484002

This is a concrete tile roof so I'm able to reuse all the tiles that I need. I'm just pulling them up and stacking them out of the way, then measuring and cutting the tails to the number I'm after.

Late Saturday afternoon, I was at the point where the overhang was furthest from the ground due to the home and lot being on a bit of a slope.
Forgive the following because I'm having to piece it together but....At some point I was on the ground in a plume of dust not knowing that I fell at least 12 feet foot to soil. Add almost 6 feet to that to account for the distance to the top of my head. It is frustrating to NOT be able to remember slipping, falling, landing or any of it.
In a bit of a blur, I apparently called out to Mary who was inside the house. I must have yelled loud enough to get her attention.

Wood was piled on a sawhorse while some of it was knocked off and had blood imprints.
My tool belt was on top of the lumber stack but tools were missing from the pockets and found nearby.
The results.....Mild concussion, broken Scapula, bruised legs, waist, thighs, right upper arm.
What is a Scapula?

View attachment 1484006
Yeah....the shoulder blade.


The ambulance came and carried me away. I was in the hospital two nights and part of Monday.
Back at home, I'm still unable to positively conclude what happened with 100% certainty.
In my 36+ years of construction, I've never hurt myself like this. Yeah, I've fallen before but always popped right back up and resumed working even if I was scratched up. This time the situation maddens me because I can't remember details.

the older we get, the less we bounce well...

 

[moparedtn]

About between 1,300 and 1,800 calories a day is about 2 pounds a week in weight loss. Thinking about 2500 a day to maintain your weight.
My thyroid took a dump on me a few years ago. I went from 192 to 235. Last fall I got it straightened out and today I'm 196, almost there.
If you lose it by not eating, it comes back pretty quickly when you start eating right again. You'll be fine.

So you've still got it, right? That's great they got it figured out, congrats!
Trust me, whole different story once they take it out...

 

[Hey-O]

So you've still got it, right? That's great they got it figured out, congrats!
Trust me, whole different story once they take it out...

I've had friends that have had that done. They kill it and my understanding is they have to stay away from others, I think it was 4 days or so. I don't remember if it was some sort of radiation treatment. One of them is 80 and had it done 30 years ago.

 

[moparedtn]

I've had friends that have had that done. They kill it and my understanding is they have to stay away from others, I think it was 4 days or so. I don't remember if it was some sort of radiation treatment. One of them is 80 and had it done 30 years ago.

In my case, it was straight up surgery 6 years ago. Went exceptionally well, as surgeries go...
I was up 36 hours straight afterwards, but that's more a result of the effects of multiple anesthesias
in my life than anything else.
Afterwards, you get pills that supposedly mimick the function of the thyroid - but they don't do everything
it did, of course. They've spent the last 6 years playing around with my meds, but bottom line is it hasn't
been right yet - and it won't be.
It is what it is.

 

[Hey-O]

In my case, it was straight up surgery 6 years ago. Went exceptionally well, as surgeries go...
I was up 36 hours straight afterwards, but that's more a result of the effects of multiple anesthesias
in my life than anything else.
Afterwards, you get pills that supposedly mimick the function of the thyroid - but they don't do everything
it did, of course. They've spent the last 6 years playing around with my meds, but bottom line is it hasn't
been right yet - and it won't be.
It is what it is.

Your right about the pills, I still have my thyroid and the pills help, but not like new. I would think yours is a lot more complicated. For what it's worth, without the pill, neither one of us would be here. Better living through chemistry!! LOL.

 

[ckessel]

I thought the surgeon was full of crap when they did my neurosurgery last July. He said it would be 6-8 weeks of couch camping before I could do anything. For once they were right. Anytime I got energetic the internal skull swelling would put the brakes on my activities. I spent many hours out on the deck swing with an icepack on around the base of the skull, especially around where they used a holesaw behind my left ear for access to the brain stem. Good thing I have Tom Clancy's books to read. Frustrating as hell. But the spasm is almost non existent.

 

[Kern Dog]

That sucks, Carl. Sometimes they are right in their guess of recovery time.
For me, I see that they have a prepackaged formula for how the average person heals. Pain tolerance varies a LOT too.
Tomorrow makes two weeks since the fall. I've recovered 80% since then. Well, 80% meaning that I'm coherent, the scabs and bruises are almost gone, the mobility in my left arm is improving to the point of being close to normal but my energy dropped off a bit. Healing seems to tax your energy a lot. My appetite dropped off during this recovery so maybe I'm not eating enough. I'm anxious to get busy again but I have to limit what I lift with my left arm for another 3 weeks to a month. In the down time, I'm free to do what I really like to do....car stuff.
I installed the LED hood turn signal indicators in the Charger yesterday. I do want to change out the brake booster to a factory spec dual diaphragm unit too.

 

[Fran Blacker]

See your putting boosters for sale.Good way to keep busy, Organize parts clean parts light duty things.

 

[Builderguy]

When I was in the "recovery" phase (and the world wasn't spinning) I went through all my tools. Cleaned them, sorted them, re-arranged them, and tossed (gave away) an *** load of duplicates to the duplicates. Better arranged all the tool chests so their contents made sense to me. The air tools finally got the maintenance they sorely lacked. The shop got cleaned so it looked pretty dang good. Figured I would do "car" stuff that didn't require a whole lot of muscle and it was something that should have been done but I never found the time.

Great to hear that you are on the mend!