Wrist Casts as Bookends?

Wednesday, day three of retirement, while playing tennis, I dove for a ball at the net, returned the drop shot, scored the point, and promptly fell with a big thud. Off to the ER to find out I had multiple broken bones and an impacted fracture in my left wrist.

The following day, day four of retirement, I met with the Orthopedist, and I’m scheduled for surgery February 16, to have a plate and some screws put in. My first official hardware, and hopefully, the last.

I recently read an article in a newspaper stating that most ER visits these days are seniors who injure themselves playing pickleball. When I read that, I heaved a sigh of relief. Although I’ve tried it a few times, I’ll play it safe and stick with tennis. Guess that was a sigh too soon.

This is not a great start to retirement. But I’m no stranger to injuries or casts. You might remember that about a year and a half ago Mugsy tripped me on a dark street, I had hairline fractures in my right wrist and I was in a cast for six weeks,.

When asked at the various hospitals I’ve been to (St. Mary’s & Dayton General), who my primary care physician is, my response is, “the ER, because I don’t get sick, I just get injured.” The downfall of being an active senior? Maybe. And I almost feel guilty that this is my last month on my company’s group insurance prior to starting Medicare. Nothing like going out with a bang.

Poor Daniel has a new job, and now he’s back to cooking dinners and washing the dishes as well. The doctor said it will probably be about six weeks for a full recovery. I’m wondering if this is karma buying new tennis shirts I should have resisted. I guess it will be a while before I can wear them.

The doctor put me in the same type of temporary cast as he did last injury, now on my left hand instead of the right. It’s both adjustable and waterproof, so I can shower with it. The ability to shower was greatly appreciated, since my cast picked up a crab smell at the Lions Club crab feed we attended on Wednesday. Poor Daniel got stuck cracking the crab for me after taking pity on me trying to use my teeth.

Now, I have matching casts, first the right, now the left. When I stop using this one, I can turn them into bookends. Maybe that will remind me to read more and live vicariously through other people’s adventures. Although it may not be as much fun or as fulfilling, it’s definitely less dangerous!

I am getting ready for a trip to Los Angeles to attend a former client’s retirement party. It’s doubtful that I can manage to heave my luggage into the overhead bins and considering my consistently bad luck with checking luggage, I would like to try keeping it with me on the flight. For the first time, I will have to humble myself to ask for assistance. Or, maybe since I’ll still be wearing the cast and sling, I will look just pitiful enough for someone to offer their help.

This time I’ll pack a book, not my tennis racquet, and say “thank you” to anyone who helps me hoist my luggage into the overhead bin.