Extreme Gardening

Two weeks ago I was pulling all the dead and dying branches off our tomato plants when I encountered a stubborn branch. Of course, as soon as I put my weight into it, it gave way. Normally the momentum wouldn’t have been an issue, but that day my feet got tangled, and I went backwards off our lower terrace.

It was a three food drop, so no big deal. It didn’t even go all slow motion in my head. Next thing I knew, I was laying on my back on the hard soil of our backyard.

My first thought was, “Well, I’m alive.” Then I began an assessment – Can I move my extremities? I wiggled both feet. That was good. Then my hands. Oh, not so good. My left wrist screamed at that. Very well then, I thought, and continued with my checklist. Fortunately, I didn’t find anything else.

I took some ibuprofen and iced my arm. The kittens were enthralled by the coldness of ice packs, but I was able to keep them from ‘helping.’

Once the meds kicked in and I found a comfy position for my wrist, the pain went from 8 on the pain scale to a manageable 4. I looked at my wrist – no swelling, no bruising. That means no break, right?

The pain was less every day. Range of motion was coming back. All way good, even though I was frustrated by the slow progress.

Me being me, I learned early the first week that I was allergic to my brace, so I stopped wearing it. I later found out that unless a brace specifically says it is latex free, it isn’t. How is that legal?

Anyway, this past week my wrist started to swell, even when I did a workaround for the evil latex.

So to the doctor I went. His poking and prodding showed that the injury was on a different part of my wrist than where it was swelling. He was sure it was sprain and not a break, but I had x-rays anyway.

Now I’m in a latex-free ace bandage wrap for the next two weeks. Hopefully keeping it from overly bending, especially when I sleep, will let it heal. Fingers crossed!