We were planning on going to Church today. That didn't happen. We had found an Independent Baptist Church in the area quite a while ago and were looking forward to visiting. However, sleep didn't go well and although I slept on the dinette bed to make sure there wouldn't be any inadvertent unpleasantries during the night, Kim still didn't sleep well. I actually slept OK because the dogs were with mommy on the bed...I think. Usually, when Merlin jumps on the bed and flops down to snuggle, it's cute. With a bruised or cracked rib, it's probably not as entertaining so I made sure I wasn't the reason he did that.
Kim was about the same this morning. She found a way to get out of bed without too much pain and was able to get up and take care of business. I made coffee and took the boys outside. Sort of a normal routine except for the fact that it's probably all that will happen. :)
She made her way to the sofa and we watched a few episodes of SG1 on the computer but the lack of sleep caught up with her and she's currently napping. Merlin is right beside mommy and Twister is also napping on his sofa. It's all very cute minus the reason Kim is napping.
We're probably going to be slow down mode for a few days while she heals and gets back up to speed. We'll try that relaxing thing again and see how it goes. Possibly more later...but I doubt it. :)
(Kim's perspective)
Zzzzzzzzzzz
(Kim's Actual Perspective)
It's important to always wear proper head gear...
I landed REALLY hard. While catapulting through the air, the only thing I thought about was Jeremy Lusk, the motocross rider that was killed last year after he biffed a landing at the X-Games. Weird the things that pop into your head.
Anyway, when I landed, I knew I had messed up my ribs somehow. At that point, that was the only thing that hurt. The other stuff would begin to hurt later after the adrenalin wore off. I fared pretty well considering. My chest hit my riser bar, I hit the ground with my head, neck, right shoulder and side. I didn't know this at the time, but have since been able to figure it out based on the soreness of my neck and right shoulder. The damage to my helmet just confirmed the right-sided impact.
I sat up, took very shallow breaths and assessed the rest of me. According to Jack-O, when asked how I was, I replied "It hurts". :) Duh. Bill asked if anything was broken. I said "maybe my ribs". I've never broken anything other than some toes here and there so I don't know what broken or cracked ribs feel like, but I'm basing it on the fact that it hurts to breathe, cough, hiccup, sneeze, move, etc. :) I'm still hoping it's just a bad bruise from the impact - it will make the recovery time much shorter and we can get back to our normal trip activity level. Currently, it will be some time before I'm back on the bike.
I consider myself very lucky...a broken leg or arm would have really messed the rest of the trip up. I wouldn't even be able to use our bathroom if I had a broken leg (the bathroom's too small) and showering in a camper trailer is challenging enough - throw in a cast and I'd be screwed. Obviously, landing on my head and neck could have resulted in far worse injuries, so like I said, I'm grateful for some bruised/cracked ribs. I'll likely never know if I broke them or not since my new crappy insurance deductible is $2,500. I refuse to pay for x-rays and a ER visit just to confirm an injury that can't be set or repaired anyway. I would be happier with some more powerful drugs, but 3,000 milligrams of Ibuprofen a day makes it tolerable. Saves me a lot of money too. MUST STAY ON BUDGET! :)
Like Bill mentioned, I didn't notice the minor injuries at the time. They're really not that big of a deal anyway...until you realize that the "boo-boos" are from impact and not direct surface abrasion. This wouldn't normally be anything worth whining about - unless you now require your forearms and elbows to push your torso into a seated position... :( Insert whine. :)
Ow...
I generally take several days to bruise...I look forward to seeing what colors will appear.
This is what a cracked rib looks like.... ;P HA HA HA HA.
I'm not a good patient and I don't like being trapped in a tin can. I needed to get out for a bit, so we called the U's and I suggested a trip to REI to get a new helmet...clearly, I needed one.
Josh, the friendly REI sales guy, helped to fit my beloved, uninjured head (I LOVE MY BRAIN!!) and suggested some rides around the area after I healed up some.
Here's my fancy new helmet...
Dumb thing was $85 bucks which pretty much blew the budget for the day, but since my brain is invaluable (at least to me), it doesn't much matter how much a helmet costs. This is the second time I've had to replace a mountain bike helmet after a crash. If this is what happens mountain biking, imagine what happens in a motorcycle crash.
RANT
People who don't wear MC helmets are complete and total imbeciles. I don't care how educated they are, how "free" they want to feel, or whatever line of crap they give for being an imbecile, they're still imbeciles. "Oh, you found the cure for cancer but you don't wear a motorcycle helmet? You're an imbecile." "You head up a multi-billion dollar corporation and don't wear a motorcycle helmet? You're an imbecile."
I hope you get my point. And just for the record, I consider a helmet to be a full face helmet - not a half helmet, not a 3/4 helmet, a FULL FACE helmet. If you wear anything but a full face helmet while riding a motorcycle, then you're an idiot. An idiot is even more stupid than an imbecile. Why would someone who wears a partial helmet be more stupid than someone who doesn't wear a helmet at all? Because the wearer of the partial helmet is DISILLUSIONED. Somehow, they think that protecting their brain, but having their face ripped off is somehow better than just having their entire melon splattered on the road. That just makes them really stupid and therefore, an idiot.
END RANT Deep breath...ow...okay...shallow breath...
We made our purchases and headed to a Mexican joint in Liberty Lake. Very tasty. The plan was to head back to the trailer to let the Boys out and then head back to Jack and Trish's to hang out for a little while. FAIL. My stomach flipped from the Mexican food, the dogs had gotten into the trash while we were gone and consumed an entire chicken carcass, and I was miserably sore from the REI/Dinner adventure. Pathetic I know, but too bad...it hurts.
Bill called Jack and informed him we would be staying in for the rest of the night. I eagerly took some Tylenol PM and then promptly (and oh so gingerly) went to bed. A very exciting day considering all I wanted to do was sleep. Sleep = no conscious awareness of pain. Ahhh....no pain is gooooood. :)
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