Ups and Downs

The weather has finally taken a turn for the better. The rain has stopped and the sun is shining with puffy clouds this morning. Luckily, we had no damage. The Low Country (Charleston area) and the Midlands suffered major problems—flooding, washed out roads, property destruction, dams breaking, etc. I hope things get back to normal soon for people those areas. We in the Upstate did have flooding, downed trees, and loss of life, but in our little corner, we did okay. Of course, there is still the danger of toppling trees because of the saturated ground.

Last night I had a little accident—I fell. I was carrying the cat down to put her in the garage for the night, and I thought was at the bottom of the steps. I wasn’t. I fell. I have abrasions, bruises, and cat scratches. I think I sprained every muscle in my body from the neck down. The worst is my toe. It is bruised and there is a little swelling. I didn’t realize how bad it hurt until I accidentally hit the riser walking up the steps a little while ago. It brought tears.  I haven’t called the doctor because I don’t think there is much they can do even if the toe is broken. I don’t think they put tiny little casts or Ace bandages on injured pedal digits. It hurts and walking is a bit uncomfortable, but I suspect the best thing to do is just to tough it out.

Mr. Fixit came down while I was still sprawled on the steps, moaning and groaning loudly, toe throbbing, muscles aching, and blood saturating the sleeve of my shirt from the cat scratches. He said, “Are you okay?” Being the tactful person I am even while in pain, I said, “No, I’m not okay. I just fell down the steps.” I explained how it happened while  waiting for the pain to subside so I could get up. His response: “So you didn’t fall from the top.” I got up found the cat and put her in the garage.

I’ve noticed that when I go to the doctor for checkups, someone always asks me if I have fallen lately. Is this a question that is asked only of old  people? If I say yes, what happens?They cancel my Medicare or the rates go up on the supplemental? Do they send me to a specialist to see why I fell? Next time I go, I guess I’ll find out.