A Perfect 10

There is a lot in the news regarding health care this week and this edition is following the news, so here we are, even the Peculiar Princess has a perspective to report.

Health care in this country is reportedly the most expensive and least effective of developed industrialized nations.  I've had a number of opportunities to test where I really stand and I can tell you, I prefer to remain standing!  Recovering from falls with broken bones has been the most trying experiences for me.  Broken bones produce instant visceral responses along with immediate failure of use.  The memory of my broken arm twice in 2012 is still quite vivid.  The first time, I was unloading a goat in a crowd of folks and being the grandma, I was making sure all the kids were in a safe place.  The goat saw a slim opportunity to jump.  In all fairness to her, she planned to jump over me, but I'm taller than she figured.  She didn't clear my shoulder, but hit with enough impact to knock me down.  It was just a freak accident.

At the moment I hit the ground, the signs of a break became evident.  First nausea hits like a snap, then even lying flat dizziness ensues, and of course, the injured appendage doesn't function properly, if at all . . .  Then the cold sweat began.  By the time I did gather myself up and got to the gate, I couldn't raise my right arm.  The goat needed to be milked and she was wild.  So, my buddy-in-law held her while I milked one handed.  Then it was time to milk the regular herd.  My grandchildren did that, while I sat and cradled my arm.  My buddy-in-law went in the house and got a bag of frozen peas or corn.  I keep two bags of store bought veggies for such an occasion.  When I put the ice on it, I fell apart.  That's the other thing about a broken bone, once the physical shock wears off, there is the emotional shock.

I didn't need an Xray.  I didn't need to see what G-d can see, the injury was evident and obvious.  My daughter gave a little attempt to pressure me into mainstream treatment.  She'd be the last person on earth I'd have take me to a hospital, but what came to mind was the fact, the details of the injury were not important, it simply needed time to heal.  Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made.  A hardness was developing in the soft tissue under the skin, like an internal cast.  I wrapped it well to hold it and protect it, and mixed up a bit of pain killer . . . natural of course.  In the event of a broken bone, a glass of wine is simply not enough!

I was amazed at the number of comments I received attesting to the need for surgical alignment for broken bones in folks past 40.  Some day if they take Xrays through my autopsy, they may scratch their heads, but in the mean time . . . I never missed a morning or evening closing chickens, and still wrapped with my wonderful critter wrap from the farm store, in three days I was back to milking.  I did keep my arm wrapped for a few weeks and there have been a couple of comments that it didn't heal exactly right after the second break, but all things considered.  I can lift my pressure cooker and milk my goats.  I do everything I did before I broke it.  At this age, even if my arm had been surgically aligned pefectly, this body still would not be a Perfect 10!