I'll start at the beginning.I lost track of time today.I ran out of the house, to go pick up the kids from school.Reached into my pocket and no keys.No keys,no access to my house or out buildings.A window about 6 feet off the ground was open,but my latter is locked up in the building.SOOOOOOO,I grabbed 2- 10 gallon ice chests and stacked them up.I climbed on top.Standing there,I realize I need some thing to pry the screen out of it's channel.I went to step down and that's the last thing I remember.That was at 2:30pm.When I came to,my legs were numb like I had been setting on a hard surface to long.I couldn't move without serious pain in the center right of my back.Felt like I was being shocked when I moved.I grabbed my cell phone out of my pocket.It was 2:47!!!!I had been knocked out for 10 to 15 minutes!!!!Called my girl friend and told her what happen.I told her I couldn't move.She imediately left work and was picking up the kids on her way.Schools close at 3:30 here.It would be after 4pm before anyone would be there.It's 1hour 10 minutes from her work to home.School is on the way about a mile from my house.I called my mother at work, and she was in the middle of taking and developing X-rays, of all things.She told me to get down there soon as I could.I don't have insurance being self employed.Everyone gets home at 4:10.My kids run over crying,the girl friend is asking me questions,I'm trying to calm the kids down.Can't get up so the kids think I'm dying.She helped me move my legs and get some felling back in them.She helped me roll over on my side to check for bones protruding thru my back.I had an knot in the center.She helped me up and it felt like I was being stabbed until I was all the way up.It's hard to breathe when I bend or sit.We rushed to the doc my mother works for.Took X-rays.Doc  shows me that i have a compressed disc right where the knot is.I also have swelling around my spinal cord.That explained the numbness.The initial shock and following pain,I'm told is what knocked me out.Me being out so long is because my body was dealing with pain and trying to control it.Good news, I will recover fully but need some physical therapy.It will help me regain all the feeling in my legs and low back.I will be going thru 15 minutes of traction per day to help correct the compression in my back.All this will happen at the Doc's office my mother works for.So I get a discount and I can barter to help lower my bill.Bad news.I can't ride for 2 weeks at least,so I may miss the Deals Gap meet.I start physical therapy 2morrow.If everything goes well the doc will give me the green light to ride.My bike is in the reassembly stage so I wouldn't be able to ride for another 2 weeks anyway.

So why did I share this long story with you?Something that may have seemed quick and safe(stacked ice chests) could injure you for life and possibly kill you.I have pulled muscles in my back before and thought that was bad.I've blown both knees out,my left ankle,broke fingers,toes and my nose 4 times.When the doc told me, that I came extremly close to being paralyzed, and spending the rest of my life in a wheel chair,it really hit home.If I had not been knocked out,I would have jumped up and walked it off,and I would have done permanet damage to my spinal cord.So please slow down and think before doing something stupid like I did when i was in a rush.You life depends on it and your family depends on you.it was crushing to see my kids knelt down beside me crying.I felt like I was fore seeing my funeral.Quite a sobering moment.Walking 2 houses over to my cousin's house would have yeilded me a latter and my some what good health.

well, sorry to hear bout your mishap but glad things will look up for you. tis strange how frail our bodies can be at times eh? your story is a good reminder though to all of us to be extra careful this spring when starting yard work and projects around the house. safety and such isn't just a work mindset or a bike mindset, you've got to constantly be aware. 

indeed man, pain sucks, lol dealin with it myself. BUT if you must do something like that again, im assuming chests were parallel to the house?, put them perpendicular err 90 degrees,or go to a salave lot, and buy 15-20 cinder blocks, stack tehm beside the outbuilding, and stack up when neededor hide a key to outbuilding ( where ladder is) say underneath a flower pot ( problem solved), or place key in wallet ( in your pocket)

Wow man, that's terrible! Glad to hear you're not too banged up. Get better soon.

Glad you're relatively ok!  Heal up quick.  Still hope to see you at the gap, but your health definitely comes first!  Be safe man!   

Quote from: jserio on May 08, 2008, 08:49:58 PM
well, sorry to hear bout your mishap but glad things will look up for you. tis strange how frail our bodies can be at times eh? your story is a good reminder though to all of us to be extra careful this spring when starting yard work and projects around the house. safety and such isn't just a work mindset or a bike mindset, you've got to constantly be aware. 

I 2nd that.

Quote from: yamahonkawazuki on May 08, 2008, 08:59:22 PM
indeed man, pain sucks, lol dealin with it myself. BUT if you must do something like that again, im assuming chests were parallel to the house?, put them perpendicular err 90 degrees,or go to a salave lot, and buy 15-20 cinder blocks, stack tehm beside the outbuilding, and stack up when neededor hide a key to outbuilding ( where ladder is) say underneath a flower pot ( problem solved), or place key in wallet ( in your pocket)

Yea.I was facing the house. 

I recently changed my locks after a robber tried to pry my door open.Jenning's 32 stopped that.I haven't had a chance to have spare keys cut.The cinder blocks.AHHHHH.I have 25 of them on the other side of my property,behind my enclosed car port.If I wasn't hurting I'd slap myself.I could have laid a set of temporary steps.In my defense,I was worried about my kids and the cinder blocks aren't out in plain view.I feel like a bigger ass now.HAHA 

What don't kill me,teaches me a dang good lesson.

what im saying is if youre in that situation again, those blocks will be a godsend. use em, then put em back where you got em from

Yeow, get better. That's all I can say.
Cool.
Buddha.

get well !!

Wow ben, That sucks... Hope you get better quick!

 

Ben,
Rest up and heal up!  You not only learned a valuable lesson but we did, too!  I hope you're on the GS soon.

BTW, I got the turn signals on my bike and they all work just like you said -- thanks!  I'm taking off on a four-day trip tomorrow on the GS.  The improved visibility of my signals should be safer.

Get better, man!

Thanks for the get wells.Feeling lots better after starting physical therapy.

Quote from: trumpetguy on May 09, 2008, 07:45:45 AM
Ben,
Rest up and heal up!  You not only learned a valuable lesson but we did, too!  I hope you're on the GS soon.

BTW, I got the turn signals on my bike and they all work just like you said -- thanks!  I'm taking off on a four-day trip tomorrow on the GS.  The improved visibility of my signals should be safer.

Get better, man!

Cool.I was worried that the bulbs would get broken during shipping.Glad you're happy with the signals.Have a safe ride.

man, that was a scare. i'm glad you're ok man. forget the bike, riding, all that stuff. just hug the kids, girl, and get well soon. a little lesson for you, allot of pain, but you get to wake up in the morning

Feel better dude 

Yikes! Get well soon.

I have to second the part about dont just jump up when you do things like this, i know its counter intuitive you think what an ass youve made of yourself adrenaline is flowing and you jump up and possible do more damage than you need to. Also get checked out for stuff because you only have one body - if you break it your fooked.

I learned from experience, when i fell of my back i slipped 2 discs in my back, broke my collarbone and most likely pelvis and never went to hospital, felt so stupid for the way i had come off (streight line hit clump of mud in road and lowsided sliding over raised steel grate cover) adrenaline and all made me get right up, called the parents and got the bike back home and had a warm bath to sooth the aches, next morning could hardly walk at all and knew i had done something to back as was in severe pain however the shoulder and pelvis had no idea due to back pain meaning i was pretty imobile anywhos. I stuck it out took pain killers and never went to hospital and things healed over time. However a year later still was getting pain in the same place in my back and decided to pay to see a chiropracter, she pointed out broken collerbone, and suspected broken pelvis as i dont walk evenly both sides anymore, also she identified that two discs in the lower back were still not right, However she did lots of work and adjustments and ive been fine since. Altho the pelvis was only suspected broken the collerbone definatly is and when she pointed it out to me in the mirror its totally different to the other side haha.

Anywhos lesson learned and i will be going to hospital next time! Never turn down been checked out by EMT after an accident.

Wow1 take it easy and feel better, PT can work wonders, make sure you do all of it. yer right, we don't always think about people who need us. And the cinder blocks? Don't leave them anywhere obvious, if you already had someone wanting to break in, don't help them! I had someone break in from climbing a tree to my roof and in  a second story window, pretty creepy, the landlord cut the trees all down because of it and that made me sad, but it was a house from hell anyway.

The cool part is that you have medical people willing to help you, and you got a chance to see how important you are to people who love you. The swelling is nature's way of trying to immobilize and protect your spine. It will subside when its job is done. You might have a little concussion too, that would keep you from remembering anything.

Listen to the drs. and take care!

Dude,

Get better soon. 

I learned a couple of lessons just reading your post. 

A)Safety first.  Gear up before going on a ride, no matter how short.  Our bodies really are fragile.

B)Don't take family for granted.  I've got 2 kids also and wouldn't want them to be looking down at me crying for doing something foolish.

I'll take your experience and add it to the wisdom pile.  Experience is too painful.

Speedy recovery!!

Glad you survived!  Glad you're feeling better.  Hope for a speedy recovery for you.

Wellwishes.

Thanks for all the condolences.It's been 3 and half days.1 day of physical therapy,2 days of rest, and I feel like I could get back to the hard work finishing up the bike.I have been working on the small parts that I can do setting in a padded chair without bending.I have physical therapy everyday this week.I think I'll come out OK following the doc's orders.