I Fell on an Icy Stair This Morning; A Miracle

[Cisco99]

My wife has been freaked out that I would slip on ice and break bones and end up in a nursing home.

I told her, "I can take care of myself."

I bought a bought a pair of Yaktrax last week.

A pain to put on, but I was surprised how well they worked.

Even on glassy, shiny ice, I could not MAKE myself slide or slip.

Then, Monday, moving our cars to plows could get through, one of the Yaktrax -- a single Yaktrak -- slipped off my shoe without me detecting.

I searched everywhere. No Yaktrack. Dayumn.

But this morning at 6, freeling confident, I went down.

Here's the miracle part.

I, who am stiff and slow from the disease, reached behind in a single second, placed my hand on the step, cupping both the top of the step and up-part, stabilized, and lowered my body easefully onto the concrete steps.

No damage, that I can tell so far. No broken spine or shoulder. No ER. No nursing home.

I ordered a new pair from Amazon Wednesday. Should arrive tomorrow. Then I will have three.

Thank you Jesus! Or whoever...

[depotdoug]

No ER no XRAY no hits no runs no errors.

Great recovery Cisco!

[Kaliber in reply to depotdoug]

Lol

[Cisco99]

Life is such a strange combination of good luck and shitty luck. I like the good luck fine.

[pcfred]

You must realize besides the ice, the body has a sick sense of humor when you get older, You can be in the house just walking around and all of a sudden fall down for no apparent reason. Hell you can just be standing in one spot and the body decides it needs a laugh and you find yourself falling on the floor.

Other times it's a mysterious pain, a pain here a pain there, where did that come from? What is it? Then it goes away, mysteriously.

[Cisco99 in reply to pcfred]

I'm having such a pain right now. I was thinking it was the cancer.

[Hidden]

You’re welcome to come to the Deep South and give up your yaktracks

[Kaliber]

Omg ... I hear that brother ... I had about the same thing happen this morning too.

I’m sitting out in the jacuzzi pavilion soaking my trashed bones and another small flight of wintering snow geese lands in the yard for their morning snack ( I already fed some earlier , musta brought their buddies ) . They spot me in the tub and come waddling over jumping up on the steps, tables knocking everything off on the ground and on the edge of the tub ... their claws scratching the gel coat.

I drag my poor disease infested and wasted body out of the tub to get them off ( pushing them off is a bad idea , they don’t have senses of humor ) the tub area ...grab my sack of culled peanut feed and head to the back corner of the yard where I feed everything .

Right off the patio I stepped into a pile of those red oily flowers that rain down off eucalyptus trees this time of the year and slip and fall towards a rush of fresh pointy sharp sago palm leaves right there. Fortunately I was able to grab the stalks of two of the larger banana palms and catch myself before getting impaled in the dangerous sago palm. I fed the sapsuckers before a fowl incident took place and made it back to the jacuzzi. I did wrench my diseased vertebrae a little but the tub is soothing that. Man ... it can be dangerous what nature can dish out ... us guys immobilized with PCa and / or adt have to take extra care to watch out for ourselves.

Lucky both of us are ok , eh ...

Peace brother 💪💪💪✌️✌️✌️

Note: artistic liberty may have taken place here and fowl names have been changed to protect the innocent. Specifics ,tho, are accurate. 64f in the back yard , right now at about 11:15 a.m.

[Cisco99 in reply to Kaliber]

You poor lamb!

[Kaliber in reply to Cisco99]

Yayahahahaya .... the only place I want to see ice is in my drink with the umbrella in it yayahahahaya.

To be fair I did drive up yesterday to see the snow in Kings Canyon national park. It’s only a hour drive from here. There was lots of 5’ deep snow banks but so many people / tourists up there it was Mind boggling. Lines everywhere and zero parking. We just turned around and came back.

Snow and ice is kewl if you like it. Lots of people do. Cool man cool. 👍👍👍👍👍

[Cisco99 in reply to Kaliber]

I stayed there a week in 1969. We had a remote cabin next to novelist Allen Drury. Giant redwoods. A tiny amount of snow. We had 57 inches of snow last year where I live now. It's a problem but if I left here I would leave my whole life behind.

[Kaliber in reply to Cisco99]

That place is a world treasure .... sadly that’s the same reason it attracts so many visitors.

Your life is invested where you live now ... that’s a good thing. It’s your home. This place is no eden tho ... we have long stretches in the summer of 108f or more. Fortunately the cool Pacifc coast and high Sierras are quite nearby to cool us off. Few places are more expensive to live in the USA as California. The coastal areas of the state are eden , that’s why there is a population crush there of almost 27 million people yayahahahaya. Talk’in about expensive ... yikes.

Peace brother ✌️✌️

[tom67inMA]

I've slipped and fell a few times since diagnosis, one time breaking the fall by bashing my elbow on a rock. Glad to learn my bones aren't going to shatter like glass. Still nervous about bathtubs, I cracked a rib cleaning out a hair clog before diagnosis.

[Cisco99 in reply to tom67inMA]

That is good to know. I don't FEEL like glass. But they tell me I am fragile.

[tom67inMA in reply to Cisco99]

Hmmm, I asked if I should be careful and they told me to go by how I feel. Some people have indeed proven to be fragile. It's tough to figure out what we can get away with.

I'm still hesitant to play ultimate frisbee. In my 40s I pulled both hamstrings in separate attempts to make diving catches. One was a spectacular catch, the best in my life, but I could barely walk afterwards. Even without cancer, the body ages while the mind still wants to run around like a kid.

[westof]

Hmm... Hey Brother, a few posts ago (and there are many) you mentioned that you could barely reach under your desk(on hands and knees) to retrieve a dropped Zytiga tab.

And now, you are risking your health and well being; to venture out in icy conditions?

I'm 71 (still supple and work part time, to keep me alive)!

That being said, I worry more about broken bones (due to an icy misstep), than I do about my current condition.

Best

[Cisco99 in reply to westof]

I had to walk the dog. I do dislike the cold winter.

[westof in reply to Cisco99]

Hey, I was only kidding!

My mother in law is in assisted living and I walk her pooch twice a day!

Best

[Jbooml]

Two years ago I was a dead man walking....I broke my diseased hip and recovered without medical attention...twice. My legs started to numb and I finally couldn’t raise them without arm lifts. I had an epiphany when cycling...if you can believe it...I fell sidelong pinning my left elbow against my ribs...I was on my way to my daily swim and after picking myself up off the dirt..looking around to make sure no one saw this embarrassing tumble..I sallied forth to numb my injuries in the 9C pond I swim in throughout the summer months. My ribs complained but submitted to the ‘therapy’.

We’re tougher than we can ever imagine and it’s in crisis we find out just how much so. After that injury I began to improve...I started not only swimming in the pond but also engaged in aquacises of my own creation...long held yoga like postures buoyed by the chilly waters. My crisis subsided and I would have carried on merrily except for the fact that a change in residence required a physical. Out of interest mostly I asked for a PSA test and the rest is history...I was away when the results arrived and didn’t find out about them for a month during which I built a deck, reinstalled multiple doors windows roof gutters etc etc etc for my elder brother. The results didn’t worry me..after what I’d been through I knew if I could survive years on shear will alone the white coats would have no problem caging my ‘residently evil’ stowaways.

So far so good.

Sorry to those who’ve already heard this tale of personal conquest...

[Cisco99 in reply to Jbooml]

It's a wonderful and inspiring story - thanks

[herb1]

Cisco, Yes, yaktrax are great--when on shoes. Rather than fighting 'installing' them every time, I just selected a pair of shoes and put them on. Now I just have to tie shoelaces.

For fun: I too took a header- 5 days after I had carotid artery surgery. As I told my docs--"my nose stopped my fall". It really did, but my neck was safe.

[Cisco99 in reply to herb1]

It's hard for me to put the Yaktraks on and off. So your idea of permanentizing one pair of shoes for Yaktrax is a good one.

Even then, you don't need 'em every day.

[ctflatlander]

Great news you didn't break anything. I'm 76 and have osteopenia from the ADT's and made a terrible decision to take my grand kids over the boarder in Quebec to go ice skating. Well I took a bad fall and couldn't believe I didn't break anything. Hit my head, have sore wrist, elbow. My skating days are over and I don't need broken bones with all the other issues. Had fun though with my last skate. Stay safe and I have good luck with Yak Trax. Bob

[Cisco99 in reply to ctflatlander]

OMG -- agreed about the terrible part

[erjlg3]

I ordered mine right after I read your post the other night. They should arrive today. I hope they're great

Thank you Cisco. I can't afford to fall when it's bad out.

🌻Jackie

[MateoBeach]

Nice post. Tragedy averted. May want to consider the Nanospikes from Kahtoola. Much better than previous traction products.

kahtoola.com/product/nanosp...

They have them at REI and on Amazon (of course).

[Fitzbruce1]

No snow here in Orlando so in 10 days I leave with my 2 sons n 4 other friends for 5 days of snowmobiling in Grandlake Colorado. 5 of my fellow travelers are in their 30’s and one is a 46 year old. I am 69. Should be a cold n snowy blast!

[Cisco99 in reply to Fitzbruce1]

Good for you, man!

[dmt1121]

Be safe!