Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Post crash update and karma questions

So here's the funny thing: I can walk just fine (maybe ski?), but I can't put on my sock without ridiculous pain (maybe help buckling in the boots?). We're slated to ski Saturday (Homewood), Sunday (Alpine Meadows), and Monday (Squaw), so I have three days to get this fixed.

I'm attacking the situation from both directions:

Homeopathic: I've got the cream and these funny little tablets you dissolve under your tongue. This stuff contains arnica and lots of other stuff that's supposed to be good for treating (according to their list on the box) muscular pain (yep), inflammation (yep), sports injuries (don't know that commuting is considered a sport), and bruising (absolutely).



The good old traditional Vitamin I. I'm taking probably completely unreasonable amounts of this, but it does help. Or maybe that's the other stuff working. Who cares?? I want RESULTS. Right now.


In the meantime, it has not gone unnoticed that this all seems an eerie coincidence with a fall my mother-in-law took at our house on Sunday before dinner. She shuffles rather than walks and tripped on the runner in our front hallway. One minute she was walking into the kitchen, the next she was flat on her back in the hall (people her age tend not to break their falls with a leg or arm but rather go down like a ton of bricks). Getting her back on her feet was an ordeal. She didn't break anything either, but her KNEE is swollen and bruised. And whereas I felt badly about the rug (should have secured it better to the floor) and want to help keep her healthy as long as possible, the next day I was grousing that if she's not going to pick up her feet, she should at least watch where she's going. But of course she's walking around in sort of a fog through no fault of her own, making this an extremely uncharitable thought on my part. I have also been known to be frustrated with her going on constantly about this pain, that pain, focusing endlessly on her health. But of course when you're in pain, it's really hard to think about anything else, especially when there's not a whole lot going on in your life aside from managing that pain.

SO, my question is . . . is this a karmic injury, designed to bring to my attention that I should be more patient with and understanding of my MIL? I'm calling uncle on this one.

6 comments:

Alatcal said...

Have you tried SalonPas for your MIL? My parents have been using it as long as I can remember. It's Japanese, and works wonders for muscle pain. I think they sell these in pharmacies or even Costco now!
www.salonpas.us/salonpas.php

Cindy said...

No--I'll have to look into that. Thanks for the recommendation!

sabi said...

my dear friend, whether it is or isn't retribution for uncharitable thoughts on behalf of those who pain us, isn't it nice to know that you can eliminate such disgruntled notions from your "cosmology" before you have any deep regrets. i always appreciate the universe intervening on my behalf, beckoning me to strive towards "self bettering" really, i'm not being facetious, or referencing the "LIST" of self-improving items, truly, i mean that we all strive to be the perfect example of ourselves and in our busy and complicated lives, that's essentially a very important thing that often gets thrown overboard. hope you heal quickly. take vit. I with food, and be careful, you can get allergic reactions. rx dosage is 600mg. every 6 hrs.

Adelaide said...

Personally, I think it's karmic. And I don't mean that in a bad way, like you should feel guilty or feel bad...I think it's wise of you to see it because now you are feeling compassion for your mil. good luck to you and your recovery, I hope you get to go skiing...

Belle said...

Oh my gosh! I just found out about your crash. Be careful! I'm glad you're ok, but jees, I bet you ARE sore. Take it easy so you can get back on your feet for the next ski trip. Good luck! And yeah, karma is a b****. It always finds me and bites me in the a**. Not that I'm saying you should feel guilty, I'm just saying...

MsMVNJ said...

Oh wow, I hope you're on the mend. As for your MIL, I've often wondered if things are a karmic tit for tat, but really, most of the time, it's just stuff that happens. If your MIL's pain is muscular, Tiger Balm liniment is wonderful. If it's actually ligaments (swollen knee sometimes is), if she's open to it, acupuncture is a miracle.

Take care and feel better!