DOWN!! At work last night..what should have been a quiet Tuesday night, especially with me working the patio..in October!..last week I had TWO tables all night… exploded in some random busyness. This was, of course, due to the fact that we were on a basic “short” staff..because the owner was having a big party at the catering facility..so sure, Murphy’s law, let’s make everyone want to come to dinner.

So after weeks of being over prepared and doping extra work, and stocking, just to have to break it all down, unused, I decided to be lazy last night. And had a decently full station all night long. Ah, if I had only restocked then at the perfect moment I would not have had a dozen pint glasses on my arm, and a apron full of silverwear rollups. I would not have been rushing to drop a check, fill the stock hutch, get to the two new tables, and then run inside to bus tables, run drinks, and fill water for the crazy number of tables inside. And maybe then, I would not have felt the sickly feeling as my right foot lost it’s footing and felt the slide of the stairs on the underside as my leg shot out from under me.

I went down..hard. The glasses went up..and then rained down on me..shattering on the flagstone below. My left hip took the full impact of my body, crashing down on the second riser of the stairs. My right underside of my arm scraped along the top stairs. And I know I made a loud noise as the stairs impacted on my back. Flat out on my back I layed..fhalf on the steps still, half on the bluestone, as the broken glass was all around me, afraid to move, already crying, and yeah, a full patio of people watching..some I might add looking impatient for me to take their orders..ha!.

The intended check was for a table to three ladies that were finishing up. My angels, last night, rushed to my aid….it must have been a sight as I went down right in front of them..they had full view. Over at the Omega insitiute learning reflexology, they were escaping from the brown rice, and were, indeed, a blessing…calling for help, assisting me up, removing the broken glass, holding me, hushing and conforting me, like I was a child with a bad boo boo. As broken as I was…their assistance..invaluable..I felt safe and cared for.

More glass was cleaned up, as I fought the pain, helping voices instructing me to take big belly breaths, relax into the pain..my mind flashed to childbirth, as I kicked in labor techinques. My manager showed up with ice, bellowed to another manager to deal with my tables as I was out of commission. On my knees now, still supported, physically and mentally, by the ladies, I was afraid to move..knowing the shooting pain that would be as I tried to alter my back muslces..feeling the pressure, the swelling. Finially, I got to a standing position and the icepack proved to be nice opposing pressure when I leaned against the useless stair railing. I am very amazed that I was not cut at all from all the broken glass.

Phone fetched, home called, cries to Rye that I have fallen, can’t drive, and need to be taken to see the ER..come get me. Instructions given to fetch the advil to battle the pain and inflamation. Shaken still, I make it to a chair…while being admonished that I MUST get it checked out. I joke that at least I don’t have a spleen so I could not have hurt that..yeah, already busted up that..by a fall down the stairs..ironic. If I hadn’t lost that already, I might have been in great danger last night as the stairs hooked me RIGHT THERE AGAIN! Ah, but still my kidney lurks…I fear internal bleeding still..the spleen episode was defianlty not fun and I almost died by brushing off that fall..so yeah, a trip to the ER is necessary for my piece of mind. But NNOOOOO, I will NOT go to the hospital across the street..the one that sent me home to die with the busted spleen. Must go back across the river to the hospital that saved me at spleen time, and was where I have my babies.

Rye arrives, my care is handed over to him. He gathers my things and I get in the car. A ride where every turn and bump in the road causes spasms and pain, I am happy now that he put in the new shocks. Of course, it is the night that the ER is crazy. And we wait.
And wait.
I read a Nickoleon magazine from two years ago, a Seventeen Magazine that makes me curse style and the stupidity of boy crazy girls..Finially off to a room, I am curtained across from a gentleman in an orange prison jumpsuit with a bum knee. He talks alot..mostly to himself..because his guard doesn’t answer. This annoys a very tired Rye..who I think is just not please that we must sit in this area, me in a hospital gown, by a man that requires a guard. ( flashes of ER anyone?..the show that is!).
Friendly male nurse talks, but no one looks at me. He is just finishing up paperwork. The guards change and Rye knows this one ( he knows like a million people in this town)..so now we are friendly with the corrections officer, and Mr. Orange, and the nurse..still no doctor.
Finally at 12:30, ( four hours after the fall)I announce that we shll leave by one and Rye better make sure that they know I am heer, waiting, in this far corner of the ER. He returns with the doctor who sems very unimpreesed with my boo boo. Rules aout a broken hip..I could have told him that. Says I’ll “know” if something worse happened..like what..I’ll pee blood?..doesn’t even TOUCH the trauma site..just feels my spine…offers me “good pain meds” but all the Vicodines make me sick to my stomach so says..Motrin. Yeah, I know..all ready eating them like candy before the fall for my back pain.
Cold, because I left my jacket in my car at the resturant, we leave. Enough, I want to go home. I was not waiting for a script of motrin when I can get advil down the street OTC and take anough to make it perscription strength. I walk out wearing the blanket.
I love hospital white cotton blankets.

My back still hurts..alot. If I move very very slowly..I can get around. Got the kids walked to school..two blocks..very slowly..only Tristan was like 3 minutes late. I am not working tonight nor tomorrow…so much for $$. Probably will have to go see the chiropractor to get things popped back into place. I want my heating pad. I am eating advil. And I am NOT cleaning the house.

All and all, I was afraid that I broke the damn back when I fell. The impact was huge. The pain immense. Now it is just “tight” feeling all the time, with intermitten spasms, and sharp shooting pain when I move in yet undetermined ways..like reaching for the phone, or turning my head, getting up or down, sitting, stairs.

One more walk down to the school to get Tristan. Then I am done for the day. Yeah, I accomplished so much today. I walked!