I Turned 44 And I’m Falling Apart – Pass The Aspirin

Ok, maybe not the DAY I turned 44, but it seems this year I’m “feeling” my age more. Especially within the last week or so.

Me, Meet Me

Ever have a stretch of time like this….

I’ve been feeling good. My whole family has gone through some awful stomach bug – one by one – and luckily I was able to avoid it. I was washing dishes feeling good about the prospects of a fun weekend.

Now, our house is a bit of a wonder when it comes to plumbing – the biggest issue is our kitchen sink doesn’t have hot water unless you trickle the hot water in one of the bathrooms. Yeah, I know – I should get it fixed, but for now – just go with it – ok? Thanks.

Our master bath is trickling away while I do the dishes in the kitchen sink after breakfast. I like doing dishes. Something therapeutic about it. What chores do you like?

Annywayyyy, our son uses our master bath and then, being ‘helpful’, turns the hot water on full blast so I have plenty to use in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the stopper in the sink got pushed down and by the time I finish the last juice glass, I hear a waterfall.

I walk into the bedroom and see the bathroom sink overflowing – water everywhere!

Now, it’s morning, so I’m in my socks…

Socks + Speed + Tile Floor + 2″ of Water =

OUCH! I cartoon-style flipped and fell on my back.

Somewhere, in the fall, I kicked something with my left foot. Maybe the vanity? It’s all a blur.

Pain was instant. I hopped right back up and then realized my left foot was in some serious pain. Forget the elbow or back that bonked the ground – what’s up with the foot?

Then I see my “ring” toe is pointed in quite a different direction than the others, and is quickly swelling to look like a helium balloon. Yeah, I broke my toe. At LEAST one.

What can you do about a broken toe? Nothing really. That’s right – nothing. The Mayo Clinic says this:

Medications
You can usually manage pain from a broken toe with over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), naproxen sodium (Aleve) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others). Your doctor may prescribe stronger painkillers if the pain from your fracture is more severe.

Buddy taping
If you have a simple fracture in any of your smaller toes, your doctor may tape the injured toe to its neighboring toe. The uninjured toe acts like a splint. Always put some gauze or felt in between toes before taping them together to prevent skin irritation.

Wearing a stiff-bottomed shoe
Your doctor might prescribe a post-surgical shoe that has a stiff bottom and a soft top that closes with strips of fabric fastener. This can prevent your toe from flexing and provide more room to accommodate the swelling.

So, that’s what I’m doing. Aspirin – elevating when I can – some good solid hiking boots. Of course, we’re Dads – we can’t STOP and just sit there with our foot up. We have to keep going – so, for the time being, I’ve got a really cool gangsta limp going on.

HOWEVER – it doesn’t stop there!

I taught a branding seminar a week ago to a class of about 30 folks. I haven’t taught in a while, so projecting my voice for three hours took a bit of a toll and made my voice a bit raspy the next day.

Raspy Level – Beginner

THEN, I got a bit of a head cold. Post nasal drip – all the fun. Add that on my throat – to the dryness from the class. The voice got more raspy.

Raspy Level – Mid-Form

AND THEN, I was lucky enough to drive across Connecticut on Friday night to be there for a surprise 21st birthday celebration for my niece. The restaurant was packed and to be heard, you had to shout your conversations across the table.

By the time I woke up on Sunday – I was the king of the raspy voice.

Raspy Level – 1000%

Here it is Thursday – and my voice still isn’t fully back. I can talk OK in my lower register, but if I get excited or need to yell – yeah, nothing there. I sound like a squeaky Kristen Chenoweth.

I know these aren’t ‘end of the world’ problems – but they are some pretty decent annoyances. I can’t keep up with my family on our nightly walks. When I get out of bed to take care of my baby, I fear kicking anything on the way with my bare foot. I’m having a hard time lasting through client phone calls at work before my voice trails off to be some kind of demented psycho character and I haven’t been able to record a podcast or video for this site in a while.

It’s annoying.

Thanks for reading through my whining. I try my best to often write about fun stuff, but sometimes you have to take the good. Take the bad. You take them both and there you have…

Cheers!
Keith