But I Wanted to be Bionic!

My surgery was today. When the staff was prepping me, they asked when my last dose of pain medication was. "Friday," I responded. The nurse and anesthesiologist looked at me in bewilderment. "But what are you doing about the pain," they asked. "Ignoring it," I responded. "Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

I met my surgeon at his Crystal Clinic office yesterday. Dr. Kase impressed both me and my brother. He's young, personable and has a background in sports medicine. I saw him just before being wheeled into the operating room and he seemed very reassuring. He called me earlier this evening to check on my progress. Nice man.

Just before they put me under anesthesia, I casually asked if they had any extra bionics laying around. Apparently not.

So, I have a plate in the large bone in my right wrist and a pin in the small bone. The plate is permanent, the pin comes out in a few weeks. I left the hospital with another prescription for Percocet that I won't take. All painkillers have side effects. I'll pass. If this experience has taught me anything, it's that I have a pretty high tolerance for pain.

Here's what else I know:
1. This injury will not stop me from being as upbeat and positive as I can be.
2. This injury won't stop me from continuing the fitness journey I started back in April.
3. Other than today, I won't miss any work because of this injury.

I am scheduled to leave for Ireland on Friday. I'm still up for it. Hell, my black eyes and flat nose will help me fit right in on the streets of Dublin!

Speaking of black eyes, here is what they look like now:

Air Bags Rule/Suck!

Friday, June 10 started like any other day: work, lunch, meetings. I needed to leave work at 4:00 to pick up a rental car for my planned trip to Chicago for my friends’ wedding. I have known Doug and Larry for years and was thrilled to be invited to their nuptials.

I left work and started down Route 8, a 6-lane expressway, like I have thousands of times, safely surrounded by my beloved green Plymouth Acura. I was driving in the far right lane in moderate traffic when suddenly the SUV two cars ahead of my slammed on its brakes, causing the SUV in front of me to brake and swerve wildly. Instinct kicked in. I moved to the right, thinking the berm would provide safe haven and slammed into one of the two vehicles parked there. The SUV braked because he thought he saw friends on the side of the road.
My airbag deployed with a shotgun-like blast. When it deflated, I was left bleeding from a broken nose and unable to use my right hand because my wrist was obviously broken. In shock, I called my brother, calmly told him about the accident and what hospital I would have the ambulance take me to, called the car rental agency to tell them to cancel my car, put a post about the accident on Facebook, and waited for police and fire department to arrive. I had to keep wiping blood off my phone.

The ride to Akron City Hospital was uneventful, except for the paramedic calling me tough for not complaining about the pain in my wrist. The broken nose eventually stopped bleeding and no one at the hospital so much as examined it. X-rays confirmed that I broke both bones in my right wrist, a special kind of fracture that can only be repaired surgically. So, my arm was immobilized and I was given a prescription for Percocet, along with an appointment to see a surgeon on Monday.

Oh, and I got cited for the accident – Assured Clear Distance, a moving violation. So I have a court date on Thursday.

My brother, God love him, came to the hospital immediately. He made record time from Atwater to Akron. He drove me to the pharmacy to drop off my Rx, then to the tow lot to retrieve some of my possessions and then home. He is driving me to the surgeon’s office Monday in Wadsworth.

I took one of the Percocets and had no real reduction in pain. Screw that. My buddy Jeremy not only took me to fetch the rest of my gear out of the Acclaim (which didn’t look too damaged, all things considered) but he also loaned me his truck to drive until I get a rental sorted out. He’s an ace!
Now, I’m just waiting for my best friend, Joe, to come over so I can regale him with this tale.

In case you're curious, this is what getting smacked in the face by an air bag looks like the next day:

It's Official! I am a Systems Analyst

Industrial sales are really down this year. As a result, the sales department has been under stress to generate more sales, akin to squeezing blood from a stone if your territory happens to depend on oil & gas and agriculture. The constant travel and stress finally took their toll on me and I decided to look elsewhere. It was a shame, because I like the company I work for and have good friends there.

As of today, I start a new position as Systems Analyst. I am, in essence, our IT Department. I will be in charge of the SAP implementation for The U.S. branch of our company and will need to learn the network and hardware stuff I lack.

I can't wait for a new challenge!