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

[JDmac72chrgr]

Don't mess around with the brain: dad slipped on ice in 2000, brain trauma and spinal injury while getting out of the tractor trailer @ delivery. Never the same mental sharpness after.
Greg, at our age, so close to retiring, slow it down, we aren't 30 year olds as our bodies remind us: glad you're mending well!! Slow & steady
I got hurt 2 1/2 weeks ago, steel door trapped leg against 18" (?) ft concrete door threshold (roof access door), "suck it up & walk it off" attitude. 90% healed except 1 area of left lower leg not healing as fast, blood clot now a concern. Who would think of possible blood clots from a fall & slam of the leg from a steel door? Not me, thats for sure.

 

[1KoolBee]

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.

Holy crap Kern Dog! Sorry that happened to you, glad you are on the mend. Could have been way worse. A fiend of mine here lost a leg doing the same thing because doctors couldn’t patch it back together. Hope you get well soon!

 

[Kern Dog]

I am humbled to admit that I have led a fairly blessed existence. My experiences with major pain are limited and I have almost no experience dealing with broken bones.
Yesterday was 2 weeks since I fell and within those two weeks, it seemed like I was recovering quite well. I am, but the past couple of days I have felt really tired and sluggish.
I don't know if this is part of the process, dealing with reduced energy and fatigue.
My healing process feels like my timing curve in the Charger:

Rapid initial healing followed by a slower period of minimal daily improvement.

Is this pretty common?

 

[ckessel]

Does Mary have "the powers of the force"? Maybe she pushed you off the roof.

 

[Brandy]

I am humbled to admit that I have led a fairly blessed existence. My experiences with major pain are limited and I have almost no experience dealing with broken bones.
Yesterday was 2 weeks since I fell and within those two weeks, it seemed like I was recovering quite well. I am, but the past couple of days I have felt really tired and sluggish.
I don't know if this is part of the process, dealing with reduced energy and fatigue.
My healing process feels like my timing curve in the Charger:

View attachment 1488531
Rapid initial healing followed by a slower period of minimal daily improvement.

Is this pretty common?

You have Covid 19...

 

[maxwedgechar]

@Kern Dog Sometimes we do things because we still can! I am very happy you are doing well and losing the weight. First 2 years with my wife she had me up doing Christmas lights. After that I told her no more! I fell off my ladder in my warehouse 6 feet up. I cracked my scapula and 2 ribs. The surgeon said “Don’t do anything stupid for 6 weeks”! I went back and I was good. I did not hit my head on anything. I think I really did bounce!

35 Years ago my brother was doing demolition for a friend. I was there watching after work. He was on an old platform about 20 feet up using a torch. He grabbed the handrail, it gave way and I watched him fall. He picked himself up, sat there and asked where his glasses were! He didn’t go to the hospital because he didn’t have healthcare. Fast forward 25 years and he has a scan. The doctor calls him up and asks “When did you break your back”?! Then he has another scan. “When did you crack your skull”?!

@eldubb440 Was your father’s younger brother working on the Turnpike Bridge in Bristol? If he was the one that survived the fall, my father was running the boat that picked him up! He worked both Delaware Memorial bridges, the Turnpike bridge and the Commodore Barry.

 

[Kern Dog]

Thanks, Max.
I'm still improving. The doc said to stop taking Tylenol since blood tests show that my liver is taking a hit from all of it.
It is a difficult spot to be in though...Ibuprofen is hard on the kidneys so I have to be careful with that too. I have no pain until I move the arm out of the comfort zone. Good thing the range of motion has improved a lot. I find that just like when I've had my common back strain episodes, once I start to heal, I'm antsy to get up and get busy doing things. There are a lot of things here that need attention.
Situations like this make my mind wander. One thought is about how tragic it must be for paralyzed people to want so bad to get up and go somewhere, do something but they are stuck. My own tiny experience like this makes me so damn thankful that the fall wasn't worse.

 

[Pops1967GTX]

Kern, Hopefully you'll be back to you're old-younger self soon..

 

[YY1]

Please don't interpret this as bragging but....
I am still full capable of working on a roof. My balance is great and my ability to recover from slips is usually great.
The wiped memory is likely from the concussion. I have never had any issue with passing out randomly so my confidence of returning to finish this project is 100%. I'm trying to convince myself that some rare occurrence led to the fall and that the concussion wiped my memory of what led to it all.
The ladders that I have are stable and in excellent condition. They do not flex and slip like an old worn out ladder does. I've been known to shrug off some safety practices but not in this case.

Detective D wrote:

"Maybe I am looking at something wrong, but isn't that the power line in the one picture? You sure you didn't bump it while working? That would explain why you can't remember anything. Just a thought."

That is an excellent observation and I have thought of it but.....
This section that is straight in this picture:

View attachment 1484064


Is now bent down and pointing at the ground at the open end. I think that I might have fallen on top of it and bent it as I fell.

Working around this section did make me a bit nervous:

View attachment 1484065

Knowing as little about electrical systems as I do, I was careful to touch nothing. One wire is unsheathed, two are insulated.
The aluminum extension ladder to the right is only resting there, I do extend it for roof work. The 10" step ladder is a couple weeks old and in excellent condition. I also am using an 8" step ladder that is also in great condition.
I'm shortening the eaves and boxing the soffits like I did elsewhere on the house a few years ago.

Here's the thing I was trying to explain-

We don't feel any different.

...but our body reacts differently.

I don't feel any different than I did 5 years ago, but my body was telling me I needed to move slower and make more sure of stability and balance more thoroughly.

I'm also "quite capable" of doing what I need to do. I just realize I need to do it a little slower and pay even more attention than I used to.

Kind of like - measure twice, cut once.

Better to learn this lesson now.

 

[Kern Dog]

X rays today showed an additional break that either wasn't seen before or somehow happened in the last 3 weeks. Todays x rays were more detailed though so what was there before may simply have been missed.
This sucks. I was feeling confident that since the pain was fading and my range of motion was improving that I was right on target for a quick recovery.
I have to rearrange some timelines. I can paint and do light duty stuff but if I take it too far, the Dr said it will require surgery that is not a simple process which of course means an even longer recovery.
No thanks.
I hate the idea of laying around waiting to heal. I was letting the pain be my guide as far as where the limits are. The Dr even agreed. That was what I was doing....light duty with some activity. I was spooked today though. I don't like the idea of surgery unless it is absolutely necessary. Avoiding further damage is my responsibility, I just have to muster through the healing process.

 

[dadsbee]

Spend some bucks and hire a painter. Get'r done, listed and take Mary to her new home!

 

[Fran Blacker]

X rays today showed an additional break that either wasn't seen before or somehow happened in the last 3 weeks. Todays x rays were more detailed though so what was there before may simply have been missed.
This sucks. I was feeling confident that since the pain was fading and my range of motion was improving that I was right on target for a quick recovery.
I have to rearrange some timelines. I can paint and do light duty stuff but if I take it too far, the Dr said it will require surgery that is not a simple process which of course means an even longer recovery.
No thanks.
I hate the idea of laying around waiting to heal. I was letting the pain be my guide as far as where the limits are. The Dr even agreed. That was what I was doing....light duty with some activity. I was spooked today though. I don't like the idea of surgery unless it is absolutely necessary. Avoiding further damage is my responsibility, I just have to muster through the healing process.

That's really tough for an active guy like you, Greg. Please don't start checking spelling and grammer.

 

[davek]

Yep that would be hard for me to do,slow down, if I was not in pain. But I would not want surgery so Take it one day at a time and just remind yourself about the surgery. That would make me think twice from doing something stupid. Hope you heal soon Greg. Will be praying for you.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Spend some bucks and hire a painter. Get'r done, listed and take Mary to her new home!

I’d put Mary on a pedestal so she can paint the high spots.

 

[Kern Dog]

I'm lucky my best friend employs "immigrants"

View attachment 1484021

Funny thing that I just noticed.......

That blue step ladder being used that way would get people fired from a regular jobsite out here on the LEFT coast! Safety zealots run amok here with their tape measures to verify everything. ANY roof access ladder has to be some extension ladder extending 36" above the roof surface, secured with a strap or rope at the top and the bottom to prevent movement.
I shrug my shoulders at many of their stupid over-reaching demands....all are thought up by office dwelling eggheads that never worked a single day on the job to know how stupid and difficult their ideas are to deal with.
For the record, I've used ladders like the blue one that don't extend all the way to the working surface and I have never fallen from one set up this way. 36 years as a Carpenter and I've only fallen a few times. Everyone does. We worked in all conditions...110 degree heat, 25 degrees and cold, rain and strong winds...no snow though, not where I live anyway. We were often working under conditions that were not optimal but the bills were coming and the car wasn't finished....

 

[Kern Dog]

I’d put Mary on a pedestal so she can paint the high spots.

Ha...she is still working and as before, is making far more than I did even when I was at my peak earning era. I'm not messing with the system we have here.

 

[moparedtn]

Avoiding further damage is my responsibility, I just have to muster through the healing process.

"Ain't no hill for a stepper...."

 

[Kern Dog]

Don't mess around with the brain: dad slipped on ice in 2000, brain trauma and spinal injury while getting out of the tractor trailer @ delivery. Never the same mental sharpness after.

I had a phone appointment with my Primary care Doctor this week.
Right after the fall (and concussion) I had slightly blurred vision, some memory loss, I'd mispronounce words and say things that I just said moments before. I've since recovered to the point where I think that I am back to normal in those situations but.....
Oddly, I've been more emotional.

Things that would usually bother me a regular amount have me holding back tears. It feels strange to have to fight stressors that I can usually just shake off. Last week, we had to say goodbye to one of our dogs...

Barney was a once very healthy guy but he developed a spinal issue that eventually led to his back legs failing. We had to let him go and it hit me hard.
I always dread those days we have to deal with but this one affected me like the first one we let go in 2009.
The negotiations for buying a house and selling this one had my stomach in knots from anxiety.
I'm not made of stone but I used to handle this stuff much better.
Another weird issue....I used to LOVE the taste of Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Coke...regular soda. Now, it tastes really sweet as if the sugar content had doubled.
I told the Doc...she was as puzzled as I am but thought that maybe the concussion caused it.
The upside? The steep cutback of soda intake will surely result in weight loss and an overall improvement in my health.
I'm half embarrassed to admit some of this on an open forum but it is the truth.
I do feel like some of the emotional nerves have faded a bit. It isn't as if I cry when those Sara McLaughlin abandoned dog TV ads come on....

I know that some men get more sensitive as they get older but I don't feel old yet!

 

[roadrunnerh]

Hang in there Kern Dog! Your response to having to put down Barney certainly sounds normal to me. This is the first time you sustained this type of injury from a fall with this result, right? It's new.
I work as a MH therapist - Allow yourself to experience all of "this" the way YOU are experiencing "this", without self judging. It will really help lower your anxiety.

Neurological symptoms post concussion, can diminish and you return to "normal", but it takes some time. Make sure you report all of this to whoever you saw for follow up. One day at a time!
Hope you continue to improve!

 

[f569]

Sorry for your loss KD, my condolences. Sounds like you have a lot going on right now and might be feeling pretty beat up but keep on truckin' and you'll pull through. You seem to be the survivor type.