Last Sunday:
So, I’m getting ready for another wall’s worth of siding above the garage roof.
I’m going up the ladder almost on the roof and the foot slips out on the ladder.
Throw myself forward, can’t make it.
I land on my feet in the concrete driveway from about 9 feet and immediately collapse with lower back pain. Drag myself to the grass for my head.
Lay there for a minute, can I feel everything? Everything move? Not bad, no tingling, legs and toes all work.
My wife’s over at Wal Mart so I think “should I get up and go to the couch?” “No, that pain in the back was really something. I think I’ll just wait here for her to come back. A nice backboard and a ride down to the X-ray machine would be smart”.
She drives up, get’s out of the car behind me (I can’t see her) and doesn’t say anything for a minute. Finally “Honey, are you all right?” “No.” “What happened?” “I tell her about the ladder foot slipping” “What do you want me to do?” “Please call the ambulance, I want an x-ray.”
The ready squad from the fire department shows up, check’s me out, and carries me in to Metroplex hospital in Killeen, TX on the backboard as I requested.
You all can probably tell by now that this isn’t the first time I’ve been hurt, just got hurt worse this time…
The paramedics did pretty well about filling in the checklist from our discussions rather than doing the step 1, 2, 3.. thing. Didn’t hit my head, no unconsciousness, not shocky, not acting scared.
Got my X-ray: the L1 vertebra looks cracked. So first thing I hear is “kind of like cracking a rib, just have to take some pain meds and wait for it to heal”.
The doctor decides to send me on to orthopedics which end’s up sending me on to the “big hospital”, Scott & White in Temple, TX.
They start another full work-up, take some more x-rays, CT scan, blood, ….
Everything is consistent with the original diagnosis: broken L1.
Monday:
The spine guy comes in the next day and we talk about it. End up, let’s do a body brace and see what happens. Can always cut later if it’s needed.
So I get measured for this fancy turtle shell and the company overnight’s it in.
Tuesday:
I get the brace on and tight so the guy says let’s get up. Up for about 1/4 second and knew something wasn’t ready yet. They rate pain on a scale from 1-10. I told ’em that was an 11.
Wednesday:
Physical Therapy comes in twice; same result both times. I’m thinking that something else got messed up when I landed.
Thursday:
Turns out the specialist already knew. The symptoms were consistent with the broken bone impinging on the nerve bundle.
I got an MRI that clearly showed that I had shattered the L1 by explosive compression.
So, it’s off to the operating table I go on Friday morning.
Friday:
I slept through a good deal of Friday, the 5-6 hour surgery took 8 hours. My wife tells me that the doctor stopped by on the way out (before I got out of postop) saying that it was a good surgery, good prognosis, and that I will set off the metal detectors at the airport for the rest of my life.
Saturday:
Physical Therapy comes wandering in about 9, put’s me in the brace, and get’s me up.
No Pain! Hallelujah! The morphine drip probably had something to do with the no pain part but “what the heck”.
Everything else has been recovery, lot’s of antibiotics against infection, pain management first with the good drugs moving downscale now to pills I can take at home. It looks like I’ll be on NorCo (spelling?) which is some variant in the Viakadin family.
I’m glad in this case that I’m a DIY; 3 months with nothing physical and 6 months to get off light duty.
It stills cuts significantly into my day job. I’m fortunate to have plenty of support from both the company and primary customer of the work I do.
Another day, the ladder never would have stuttered, and I wish it hadn’t that day.
Be extra careful and thanks for listening.
Marc
Replies
Ouch is right Marc! So sorry to hear about it, all best wishes for a speedy uneventful recovery...
PaulB
http://www.finecontracting.com
Edited 3/26/2007 6:36 pm ET by PaulBinCT
Good call not trying to "walk it off". But there is a different sensation from "wow, that hurt!" as compared to "I've really done some damage this time..."
Amateurs talk strategy, Generals talk logistics.
Sorry about your fall. Hope your recovery goes well. Some day OSHA will require all ladders be equipped with hand rails, a minimum tread width of 11 inches, and max riser height of 7 1/2". They will look like those stair platforms at the airport, and weigh about as much.
Best of luck.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
Marc,
I am glad to hear that you are ok ( a relative term right know, I know). Your story is a good reminder of why we all need to be careful, look out for one another, and carry proper insurance.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Sorry to hear about your fall.
Happy that your are going to recover, have family near you and freinds and employers who care.
Hope all goes well with your recovery and PT.
Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood
Good verbal skills even with the pain meds!
does it hurt when you laugh?
;)
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
You betcha!
And sneezing!
And coughing!I waited on writing this one till I stopped snoring in the middle of the conversation...I assume you have been "damaged" enough to know the answer up front. Marc
yesbreaathe deep and slow and be well
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Wow, sorry to hear you got hurt; wishing you a speedy recovery! Glad to see you didn't try to "tough it out" and cause further damage! I cringe when I read some of the stories here where someone cuts their arm off with a saw and wraps it with a dirty sock and duct tape and keeps on working!
When I was a kid a neighbor girl was playing with other kids at a house under construction and decided to jump off the second floor deck. Broke her back and the other kids helped her walk home! Anyway her parents did take her to the hospital and apparently got her fixed up.
Glad you are going to be ok. Further evidence that every DIY (I'm one) should scrap the extenion ladder in favor of a boom lift.
Marc,
Here's to a speedy and thorough recovery!
Thanks for the cautionary tale.
Rich Beckman
This signature line intentionally left blank.
Sorry to hear about your fall.
Heres to a speedy recovery.
Did a stupid one today myself, never thought I could get hurt 30" off the ground. Didn't get hurt like you, but will be slow going for a couple of days for me.
glad to hear your company is supportive.
Take care, breathe deep and slow.
jeremyThe bad news is you've done exactly the right things to be exactly where you are today.
"IdahoDon 1/31/07"
<never thought I could get hurt 30" off the ground. >
Hey, I got in the JLC safety issue last year with "Just a Four-Foot Fall"
Being up in the air's just more dangerous than we confidently think.
Forrest
Guess I missed it, what did you do?
Guessing your ok now, but I am interested.
jeremyThe bad news is you've done exactly the right things to be exactly where you are today.
"IdahoDon 1/31/07"
I jumped back off a stepladder four steps up as it was slipping off a (low) porch - figured I'd not get tangled up as we fell together.
Instead, I kind of landed horizontal on th e porch with my left arm under me and got a "colles fracture"; both the lower bones at the wrist end - a lot!
Had a neat titanium fixator screwed thru it for a while. Gore pix here somewhere.
Wrong shoes, and not checking my ladder got me into that one.
To the OP - sorry for your accident - I was much happier banging up an extremity than an important core structure!
Forrest
Same thing I thought Forrest: "Why couldn't I have a nice simple leg fracture?"
But then I realize that I could have easily blown out a joint that would never come all the way back so I won't say I'm lucky but full recovery works...
I was surprised how fast the bones healed - only 39 days to get the fixator off. Nerve damage took months to repair, as well as getting strength back.
Forrest
"Being up in the air's just more dangerous than we confidently think."
More people are killed in the broad job category "construction" then any other.
The #1 cause of deaths, falls.
To the O.P. , glad to hear you're recovering.
As someone who broke their back at 17 (L4) I feel for you.
You can recover completely. I've been a carpenter for 27 years. pete
Thanks.
I'm not a kid (51) but am not worried about my recovery.
I've been fortunate to have good health throughout my life.
I am worried about my son-in-law who has been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease at 29.
Have to get him into something his back will let him do and he can put up with.
Glad to hear you're doing alright...relatively speaking. Don't try to jump back into it too quickly, no matter how much you want to. I think that's a lesson we all learn the hard way, at least once.Good luck.
Great Story Marc, thanks.
I am sorry for your injury but you seem very upbeat about it, which is great. I had a very severe injury as a young man and it was a life changing event, which as I look back has been a good thing. The motivation and inspiration an injury provided for me to take care of myself for a lifetime has been invaluable, not to mention the character building from overcoming any obstacle.
You will not only be OK, you will be better, just remember to be patient with therapy, and be happy with putting in your time each day, and with your efforts not results. it will frequently be two steps forward and one step back, which is what builds character.
you don't know what your limits are until you exceed them. i have a pretty good idea of where mine are, welcome to the club.
Sorry to hear about the bad trip.
Thanks for posting. Another eye opener for ladder usage. Never liked the dam@ things!
Hope you make it through PT ok.
Glad to hear you're recovering.
Just think how much time you'll have to spend on BT now.
(-:
and to think i've been whining about a sore back i got playing with the kids a couple weeks ago, and how it's impinging on my jogging
time to catch up on some good books at least :)
Wow. Hope you heal fast with no problems ever again. Was just thinking it was good your wife came home soon & found you. Thinking also maybe I might want to get someone to check on me since I almost always work alone at my house & to keep my cell phone on me just in case. Hope you are feeling better quite soon