I No Longer Corner The Market On Miserableness

This has been a strange week. I went into work on Monday, was miserable and ended up staying out of work on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were vacation days since I have already used up all of my sick days for 2005. I am sooo tired of being sick. If it wasn't the same thing hanging on maybe I wouldn't be so put out. It just doesn't make me very happy to have to use those precious vacation days coughing and sneezing and feeling generally miserable. Then, just so that I would not corner the market on miserableness, my dear husband decided to out-miserable me.

He was considering the fact that he might catch the bug that I have been fighting since the year one. Since he had to be in Gainesville on Wednesday, he decided to go up to Dunnellon early on Tuesday night thereby avoiding further exposure to my current bug, and at the same time, fit in some fishing on the Rainbow River that evening and the next day after working. He would then return to Clearwater on Thursday. This was a good plan because Gainesville is much closer to Dunnellon than it is to Clearwater. Or it should have been a good plan.

The weather around her has been one thing lately...WET. We have had a lot of rain. Florida is damp anyway, but when you add rainy weather for several days non-stop, things like slimy mold and mildew start to grow in the most inconvenient places. Thursday he stepped outside the door of the house he was staying in... it belongs to a friend... and rediscovered why you have to be extra careful on smooth cement or tile after rainy days in Florida. He knew it was there. He had seen it. He had made a mental note that he had to get the pressure cleaner up there to clean off that area. He stepped on the cement and went flying anyway. Both feet went up in the air and his whole 6' 5" frame came slamming down on the slimy cement.

After laying there stunned for a moment or two (probably more), he carefully got up. He was sure he had broken something. His head was reasonably intact, but he was a little bit dizzy. His right arm was scraped up and his neck and back hurt. What hurt the worst though, was his shoulder. He knew he had to be checked out. The closest hospital was 25 minutes away, so of course he got on his cell phone and called Clearwater to set up an appointment with his doctor to be checked out from head to toe. Clearwater, you must know, is 2 hours+ away from Dunnellon. He got his things together that he could, called me on the phone and informed me of what had happened and his plan to drive to Clearwater to see the Doctor.

I think I am a fairly reasonable person. I offered to get him. My youngest daughter was home for Spring Break and the two of us would go up to get him and drive his car back home. But no, Mr Macho was fine to drive for 2+ hours in traffic. Mr Macho just had to make sure he didn't move his body in certain ways. I asked him what he would do if he had to make a sudden move to avoid something in traffic. Mr Macho was sure that would be no problem. He would just hold his broken shoulder in position for 2+ hours and be just fine. I would like to point out that we are still at the height of our tourist season and Spring Breakers are all over the place. Most of the tourists are over 75 and can't see. Most of the Spring Breakers are probably half-looped. Mr Macho, however, could handle them all.

We talked on our cell phones several times as he was driving south. The first time, I got the report that his elbow was going numb. I offered to come get him again. The second time, he was really starting to feel the pain. I offered to come get him again. The third time he was really starting to stiffen up and his lower back was bothering him a bit more. I offered to come get him again.

He did make it home. He went to the doctor and had X-rays taken. The doctor gave him some strong pain medication and decided there were no broken bones. Mr Macho is convinced that there is something really out of place and will probably have an MRI next week. In the meantime he is miserable. He can't fish, kayak, or play golf. That is the ultimate punishment for him. He can however take his pain pills. He tried to do without them at first... as only a Mr Macho would... but then could not take the pain. He is happier with his pain pills... but I can tell you that no amount of pain pills cures the pain of not being able to do his favorite things. He is also a man that cannot sit still for anything. The closest thing to sitting still he gets is sitting in a boat or kayak and fishing. He has to be doing something at all times. If he is not doing something active it is because he is asleep.

Mr Macho is in a miserable state. He is currently trying to find simple things to do with his fishing gear to keep his mind off being inactive. He is planning his next excursion and not focusing on the fact that it might be awhile. If he thinks about that too much, he figures it must be time for another pill and a nap. I suspect he will figure out a way to be back driving again soon... even if he shouldn't be.

Why are so many men like that? Why are so many men just the opposite? Don't they know that there is a middle ground? I know that it will not change. I just keep my opinions to myself, try to be helpful to him, and then let him do what he wants. He will do what he wants, anyway.

He is definitely in pain. He is definitely miserable. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most intense, he is at level 6 for physical pain (pills help), and he is at level 11 for the mental pain associated with being inactive and knowing that it will be awhile before he will be able to do his favorite things.

Spring will come again.