pameladean | From the Queen of England to the hounds of hell

I think the subject line is about all I really have to say about events in the world.

On my little square inch of ivory, I now have three half-finished LJ entries languishing while I scrabble around saying OW. This is because on Friday evening at Minicon I tripped over my sweetie Eric while we were rounding a corner together, talking animatedly (neither of us can now recall what we were talking about) and rushing to meet David, Lydy, and Ctein for dinner before Opening Ceremonies. I fell flat on my chest, knocking the wind out of myself. I am proud to say that even while I was making Unnnnngggggg noises getting air back in, I thought, "So THAT'S what that feels like!" Several members of the hotel staff were very concerned, as were my dinner partners. It might have been smarter to try icing the injury right away, but I was, amazingly, still very hungry and didn't want to miss Opening Ceremonies. In any case, I felt I was reasonably accurate in my assessment that the problem was not on the surface.

Half the people at Minicon seem to have bruised or cracked a rib at some point in their lives. The general advice was to ice the area, take anti-inflammatories, and not do anything to aggravate the pain. When I saw the doctor a week later, at an appointment previously made for a blood-pressure check, he said pretty much the same thing, confirming everyone's assertions that the medical profession really couldn't do much about the situation. I can't take ibuprofen because it makes my hands swell up ("Weird," commented my doctor), but acetaminophen worked all right for pain control, along with lavish applications of Ben-Gay. He gave me a prescription for Flexeril, which I filled, but I haven't taken any. The patient information sheet alarmed me too much. I have become blase about the possible side effects of antihypertensives, but not about random other drugs, apparently.

I managed my reading and my two panels at Minicon, although I was really not all there for the Sunday afternoon one. I can still, two weeks later, only sleep in one position; at Minicon, I had to build fortresses out of most of the available pillows before I could lie down at all; and since the hotel pillows were soft, these fortresses would gradually subside and need to be flung about and rebuilt several times every night. This kind of activity cuts into one's sleeping time. Fortunately, David, Lydy, Eric and I had split out into two rooms rather than piling into one, so I could have a bed to myself. I am much obliged to Eric for helping me put on my shoes, and for hanging around while I discovered whether it was possible to take a shower. Being in a hotel with high beds, a shallow tub, and a grab bar was probably a good thing for the first few days after this ridiculous event.

At this point, I can cough, breathe, and laugh without any difficulty. Sneezing is still very painful. At Minicon, I had to develop a special high-pitched yelp from the top of my chest so that I could laugh. I perfected it under emergency conditions at

mrissa's reading.

This is the first spring in five years that I haven't had some kind of book deadline, but I can't garden until things heal up. However, I look forward to being able to sleep in a normal position someday. My cat is puzzled, but persists in sleeping as close to me as he can get, pillow fortresses or no pillow fortresses.

Pamela

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

michaeldthomas.livejournal.com

Ow. I'm so sorry.

From:

pameladean

Thanks. It's really much better now. I think, weirdly, that I was lucky to have the emotional high of a convention to sustain me during the first few awful days.

P.

From:

kate_nepveu

You are . . . not the _last_ person I ever expected to be quoting "Seven Nation Army," but certainly not high on my list, either.

And ugh about the injury. Two weeks out you probably have your pillow fortress perfected, or I'd suggest asking any formerly-pregnant people in your vicinity if they had any body pillows left over from their pregnancies. Hope you feel better soon.

From:

pameladean

With regard to the song, your basic reaction is pretty accurate. However, I am fortunate to have three partners who actively seek out new music and introduce me to it. I've liked the song since I first heard it, but what really got me interested was Raphael's finding a video of the Oak Ridge Boys doing a cover version. It's easier to discern the lyrics in their version.

I was thinking about body pillows during Minicon, yes. I think the need has passed, but if things take a weird turn I'll certainly remember that people who were once pregnant are likely to have a spare one. It wouldn't have occurred to me. Thanks.

P.

From the Queen of England to the hounds of hell

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