Birthday Bummer

Thanks to everyone who left me kind wishes and sent emails. It definitely wasn’t one of my more memorable birthdays – at least not in a good way. The day started out okay, I got to sleep late and then sat around relaxing and drinking coffee. But then, since we desperately needed to, we went grocery shopping. It took much longer than expected but we needed a ton of stuff. When we got home, Mel started to unload the groceries and I went to get the dogs so they could pee.

I was standing in the front yard with Thilde watching Mel unload the bags from the trunk of the car. Thilde must have spied the kids next door and started to run towards them, jerking the leash out of my hand. I started running after her, calling her name. The kids realized she was running toward them and started calling her to them. Just before she ran through the bushes I caught her. At the same time, I felt (and I swear, heard) something in my calf tear. In agony, I dropped to the ground, feeling as if my calf muscle was no more.

That pretty much killed our evening plans for going to a fancy seafood restaurant in Canada. Instead, Mel propped me up in bed with an ice pack, a couple of Solpadeine and a Dark n’ Stormy (dark rum and spicy ginger beer) cocktail. By the time she put the groceries away and cooked dinner – yes, a lobster tail from the freezer – I was feeling okay about not really being able to walk. That was my big birthday celebration!

Since then I’ve been hobbling around, elevating my leg as much as possible and taking ibuprofen. I don’t think I actually tore anything, it’s just a really bad pull. It still hurts but I’m getting better slowly. Stairs are a bitch. Now is when I have to be careful too, I sometimes forget the injury and inadvertently move in some way that sharply reminds me. I am such a klutz sometimes.