Monday, March 9, 2009

Collar Bone Update

Well it is two weeks since I was knocked off my bicycle and as I am supposed to be resting to allow my broken collar bone to heal there is not a lot to report except for an update on my shoulder.  

The good news is I am now able to put on my socks using two hands - so I have reverted to wearing socks every day.  I know it sounds pathetic really, but each day is measured by the improvements.  I also managed to help my wife with the weekly shopping at the local supermarket.  We went on a Friday morning hoping that it would not be too busy.  I wore my sling both to rest my shoulder and to act as a warning flag.  I wonder whether I should have covered the sling in fluorescent yellow - not that it helped when I was cycling on my bicycle.  At the start it was not too bad pushing the trolley one handed - however it seems that Friday morning is also pensioner shopping day along with a bunch of Tesco shoppers. (They pick up the shopping for Internet shoppers). I discovered that you've got to keep out of the way of the pensioners - they take no prisoners and view a younger person with a sling with contempt. You can almost hear them thinking payback time for you laddy. Hum the Bones Doctor didn't mention paranoia as one of the symptoms did he?

Actually I have a theory that our society is becoming more self-centred.  People focus on their own needs and do not consider the other person.  You can see this on the roads - fewer drivers seem to bother indicating, drivers also resent losing time on the roads because of congestion. I still see lots of drivers using the phone when driving.  In fact I have been shouted at by car drivers when cycling telling me (rudely) to get on the cycle path and out of their way.  I am not sure how they square this - perhaps they pay road tax (er but so do I and probably more than most - even though I don't drive too often) Perhaps they believe that the faster vehicles should have priority - hum perhaps that means I should get precedence in my soft-top sports car.  Of course it is all nonsense - but believe me many drivers genuinely feel that they should have priority over bicycles. 

You also see similar behaviour on the trains - there is much more reluctance to give up a seat to someone in need - especially on the commuter trains from Cambridge to London.  In fact when I was commuting one day a week into London there was a couple who though nothing of pushing through to the doors as the train came into the station to claim their "rightful seats".

So given the lapse in consideration that is now shown for others it is hardly surprising that a Pensioner who, as they were growing up had to show others respect to others now having arrived at an age when they could expect a little respect, feel cheated and unwilling to allow some poor sod with a busted shoulder to pass by without.  Yes I did get one or two hits - mind you I gave them a wide berth after that!

Still back to the shoulder - last week the swelling has reduced and I can prod the area - but I was worried that it felt as if there was too much bone on the joint for it to get back into shape.  Also it has ached more (that bit of extra bone perhaps) - not enough to get me back onto the painkillers but enough that sitting and or lying in my bed has been uncomfortable.  It now seems as if the "extra bone" fits slightly better - the discomfort is somewhat less.  I am also getting pains at the end of the shoulder something my daughter's friend (horse-riding accident/broken collarbone at the beginning of January) did warn me about. So perhaps despite my age things are following a reasonable healing pattern.

So far I have not really hand the chance to try out my new camera it is just a bit too heavy to lift up to my eye and I can't face the idea of wearing it slung around my neck at the moment. Perhaps next week!




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