Forty-eight hours after “the incident,” I decided to rally and head in to work. (Yes, I worked from home Monday. Thank goodness.)

Because every activity—showering, flossing, getting dressed, taking shots—involves an exorbitant amount of time, I have to budget for the PK delay.

Once I made it in to work, I decided to make an appointment with Moffitt’s Acute Care Clinic. It’s a free on-site clinic for employees to access primary care.

Check out this article on the clinic.

You can’t beat a free clinic at work!

The nurse who triaged me asked when I last had a tetanus shot. 

Crickets. I had no idea.

She immediately administered one and said it’s good for the next 10 years. Whew.

Once the doc came in to examine me, I was beginning to wonder if he would laugh. “Rub some dirt in it, wimpy girl, and call me in the morning.”

I felt like my elbow was in serious enough condition Sunday to possibly warrant a trip to the hospital. But who knew what a pro would think?

It took me a minute to attempt removing the gauze dressing from my elbow. The gauze sticks to the open wound, practically growing into the skin.

Yes, it was as painful to remove the gauze as it sounds. The doc got a basin of water to wet the gauze to aid in its removal.

OW!!

As soon as he looked at my elbow, I knew it was bad news.

“OH!” he said as his eyebrows lifted. “You really did a number on your elbow. That’s a second-degree burn you’ve got there.”

What??

“Is it infected?” If amputation entered the discussion, I was going to poop my pants.

Fortunately the doc said I was doing a good job of keeping the wound clean, but he wanted to bring the big guns out.

He gave me some silver sulfadiazine, which is used to prevent and treat infections of second- and third-degree burns. He suggested keeping the tube in the fridge because the chilled ointment may feel better on my skin (or lack thereof).

He also let me in on gauze secret: Apply gauze treated with petroleum jelly directly to the wound, and then wrap with regular gauze. No more sticking to the open wound.

I have a follow-up appointment next week to make sure my arm doesn’t fall off.

Is this free clinic great or what?

My elbow is still in a lot of pain all the time. The doc suggested taking the max dose of Aleve. He also said I would be in a lot of pain for at least the next week or two.

I guess marathon training will have to wait. Grrr.

---

Today’s faux pas (French for “false step”) happened about a quarter mile from the end of my 10-mile run.

Bayshore was busy with the usual Sunday morning throng of walkers, runners, bikers, skateboarders and more.

Then there was the leftover visual pandemonium of the Children’s Gasparilla Parade yesterday, from hot dog stands to Port-o-Pottys.

A Waste Management vehicle was gathering trash from the side of the road. Crews were erecting even more bleachers along the water.

Then there was me. Running along the sidewalk. Almost finished with my run and still feeling good.

I turned to check out the Sunday morning sights when I failed to negotiate the crack. It came out of nowhere. I had no chance.

I could feel myself losing my balance. I tried to regain my composure.

TIM-BER!

Picture me on a Slip ‘n Slide in your back yard.

Now imagine the same slide along the Bayshore concrete sidewalk.

Good times.

Fortunately my left elbow took the brunt of the fall along with my right hand. My left hand and hip are looking hot, too.

After I fell, I slapped the ground in frustration, securely lodging rocks and dirt particles into the raw skin of my palm.

I hopped up and immediately inspected my elbow, which was gushing blood.

“Are you OK, lady?” One of the garbage guys was checking on me. He witnessed the whole thing.

“Yeah.” I kept running—on the other side of the road. I was almost home.

I was on the verge of tears as I realized I was leaving a trail of blood along the way.

Once I got home, I almost passed out, likely from a combo of being dehydrated AND losing blood.

I debated heading to the Emergency Room after inspecting what looked to be my ulna in the middle of the bloody elbow mess.

But after reaching an on-call nurse, she said it would be a waste of time and money. Surgeons can’t stitch up abrasions.

Instead, she recommended cleaning up the wounds, applying Neosporin and wrapping in a wet/dry mix of gauze. She also recommended icing to stop the blood flow. Ibuprofen is my friend.

Check out my Sunday fun. WARNING: These photos do NOT pass the breakfast test.

Here’s my hand (which is not bleeding anymore at this point):

Making a fist, gripping the pitcher of water, driving ... it all hurts.

Here’s the real winner, the left elbow:

---

Ah, chafing.

You know you’re in the thick of marathon training when you’ve got the battle wounds to prove it.

I ran a refreshing 35-minute tempo run last week and felt good despite the wind.

There was a storm rolling in that evening, and I braved the winds coming off the water along Bayshore.

By the time I made it home for a quick shower, I felt the burn.

I definitely did not wear the proper running shorts. They were made of cotton.

Oops.

At least I wasn’t out on a 20-miler. That would require some Bodyglide!

---

Tonight, That’s What She Said debuted in Tampa Bay Club Sport’s Monday night coed intermediate league. Not by choice.

We signed up for rec, but we mysteriously got bumped up once the schedules were posted.

According to the flag football coordinator: “Your team went 7-0 and outscored your opponents 227-43. If you guys play the way you did last season you should be fine!”

Point taken.

We played the veteran Thirty Something team, which posted the first points of the game. Keep in mind that most of us couldn’t feel our fingers or toes during the entire first half. It dipped below 40 out on the field. We lost our only cheerleader to the brutal cold.

But we matched their guy touchdown (six points) with a girl touchdown of our own (nine points). Although we didn’t score in the second half, our clock management was key.

TWSS took a 16-14 win in our season-opener!

At the end of the game, Amy noticed the blood. On my face. That’s right.

If anyone can end up with a bloody head, it would be me.

I pulled this guy’s flag during the game, and it whipped around his waist and pegged me solidly in the head. Right between the eyes.

It was until after the game that I realized how much it hurt. That’s when I was informed about the blood.

Instead of hitting Bar Louie for the post-game festivities, I limped it back to the car and home for some food and a hot shower.

I figured I was limping because I had run 13 miles yesterday—marathon training—and my right knee was still tender.

Oh no. It wasn’t until I made it home and peeled off my pants that I realized I had busted my knee. More blood!

Can’t wait for next week. GO GREEN!!

---

It has been almost two weeks since the infamous (self-inflicted) rib injury.

Remember, the doc said it would take one to two weeks to heal before I could do any exercising that involves my chest.

Well, I didn’t think he included breathing, coughing, sneezing, blowing my nose ... but dang it if most of those still emit a twinge of pain.

This past week, I resorted to walking on a treadmill incline at the gym.

Walking for an hour just doesn’t do it for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great nonimpact aerobic exercise.

But when you’re used to playing flag football, chucking Frisbees at ultimate and training for marathons, this walking-only bit is cramping my style.

I’m going stir-crazy.

Today I decided to attempt treadmill yogging at the gym. I ran ridiculously slow, but I did it.

Then I attempted a feeble leg workout, trying to use as few upper body muscles as possible. It didn’t go as well as I had hoped.

I’m not taking Aleve, but I better get back to icing with my Peas.

Although I spent almost two hours at the gym today, I doubt that I put a dent into the “calories in” this weekend, courtesy of my mom (see below).

Better luck tomorrow.

---

I’m taking Thanksgiving week off to spend time with the fam, including my bro who’s down from Hotlanta.

I love coming home and I dread coming home.

Case in point (here is what I had to eat yesterday):

Breakfast:
Banana
Handful of homemade candied nuts (mmm!)
Korean chicken wings left over from dinner the night before (Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.)

Snack:
Pineapple

Lunch:
Five Guys grilled cheese and fries
(This was clearly my idea and not my brother’s. He had a small burger.)

Snack:
Panera hazelnut coffee with soy and Splenda

Dinner:
(Appetizer) Tempura-fried jumbo shrimp, potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, apples and bananas
Mom’s lasagna
More candied nuts

As you can see, you take your life into your own hands when you go home to my household for the holidays. I think my mom deep fried my sheets before making my bed, too.

My mom hands down is the best cook in town. She owned a deli for several years, as well as a steakhouse and sports bar for more than 12 years. She could hold her own on Iron Chef any day.

But man, I definitely need to be in marathon training mode to survive a week with all those goodies!

Guess I better start on Boston.

---

Saturday was Day 5 of doing nothing since developing costochondritis at our flag football tournament.

My ribs are improving every day. I actually wasn’t forced to do the tuck-and-roll to get out of bed this morning.

So the doc said I’m not allowed to do anything for at least a week.

I am going stir crazy!

I decided to head outside and get some fresh air during a leisurely walk along Bayshore.

Because the weather is finally nice for November, it felt great to be outside.

But I guess I left the “leisurely” part at home.

It killed me to see so many runners pounding the pavement when I knew I couldn’t.

But during my walk, I lapped:

*Seven walkers
*Two dogs
*A woman with a baby stroller
*A man pushing his wife in a wheelchair

That’s right. I passed the wheelchair.

Hey, a girl with a rib injury has to stay competitive somehow.

I also had time to notice the stingray swimming in the bay.

I counted at least four Gators. (Way to win over South Carolina this weekend!)

And a cute guy smiled at me, too!

---

The doc sent me to have some X-rays taken this morning to make sure no ribs are cracked or broken from my football games Monday night.

I still haven’t gotten the results, so I assume everything is OK.

In the meantime, I’ve developed an intimate relationship with Aleve and Peas.

The doc said to ice as much as I can stand. I can’t.

I jokingly asked if a bag of peas would work. He said if I wanted, but he suggested investing in one of the newer cold packs they sell at local drug stores.

So I checked out CVS. And voila!

I found Peas!

I bought the medium cold pack that “conforms when cold” and “stays colder longer.”

It is so cool! Literally! And too cute.

The Peas therapy packs contain blue and white gel-filled peas that mold to your body. Use the pack over and over again.

Believe me when I say I hate icing, but I actually did it twice at work because the Peas cold pack was actually fun to use!

Peas come in various sizes and styles:

*Large
*Lower back (with a strap that goes around your waist)
*Neck or shoulder
*Knee
*Wrist
*Youth joints
*Little duck (for the kiddies!)
*Little fish
*Little starfish

I recommend using Peas while drinking hot chocolate and wearing a winter coat!

---

Say what?

Apparently that’s what people like me get after bringing it to win a flag football tourney.

It hurts to:

*Laugh
*Cough
*Sneeze
*Breathe deeply
*Wash my hair
*Put on my seat belt
*Roll out of bed
*Stretch
*Sing
*Get out of the car
*Rock climb
*Sky dive
*Surf Facebook

The doc diagnosed me with costochondritis, or a rib injury.

It traces back to the semi-final match-up with Rarely Caught Sober on Monday night.

RCS captain Nicole manned up on me for the game. She was lined up across from me as I focused on my route.

As soon as G yelled hike, I took off, concentrating on him the whole time. That’s when I crashed into Nicole, smashing into her shoulder with a direct blow to my chest.

The pain was excruciating Monday night after we won, but I still made it to Bar Louie to celebrate. I woke up the next morning in even more pain. That’s when I knew I was in trouble.

The doc says I probably bruised my ribs and tore them away from the cartilage that attaches them to the breastbone.

Ouch!

I go for an X-ray tomorrow, and the doc recommended taking pain pills for a few days (even though I hate taking drugs). The magic words: You’ll probably heal faster. Unfortunately he recommended icing, too.

Even worse, the doc instructed me to cease and desist with all activity for a week. When he saw the look on my face, he said it might even take two weeks.

No activity for at least seven days??

Boo. I guess that’s the price I have to pay for being a champ.

---

On Monday night, history was made.

Team That’s What She Said put the exclamation point on a perfect flag football season!

That’s right. We are the new fall 2009 Monday Coed Rec League Flag Football champions!

The league is with Tampa Bay Club Sport. It’s guaranteed to be a good time.

We played Rarely Caught Sober—our favorite team—in the semi-finals and won 45-0.

Then we watched the other semi-final game between No. 2 Uncensored and No. 3 TD’s N Beer.

We naturally thought we’d be playing Uncensored in the finals, but with less than two minutes left in the game, the score was 0-0.

It was a battle of the defenses. First team to score wins, literally.

And it was TD’s N Beer that made it happen, 6-0.

In the championship game, our offense and defense were stellar in another shutout—34-0.

G controlled the game well at QB. “Speedy” Jarrod rocked the rushing. Jimmy racked up three interceptions.

That’s What She Said went all the way!

We’ve come a long way since season No. 1, when we won ONE game!

Great job this season!

---

Advertisement

Write a letter to the editor | Subscribe and get two weeks free | Place an Ad Online