Actually, it was’t last night, it was a week ago tonight. I just didn’t say anything about it because I wanted to heal up first, and make sure I didn’t break anything important. I’ve been pretty much in pain all week, I almost went to the medic, but I’ve been feeling progressively better every day, and today I’m just a little sore.

At 2:30 in the morning, I fell out of bed. Just rolled out, like a fence post falling off a pickup tailgate. I hope this isn’t part of a pattern, but I fell out of bed a couple of weeks before that, too; the first time in my life its happened to me. But the first fall was no big deal. This time I hit the ground just right, or should I say, just wrong. I landed right on my left breast, my entire upper body weight concentrated on my left nipple, and it was a solid hit, not a roll or a glancing blow, but a solid tit slap, instant deceleration, an inelastic collision and tissue deformation and it hurt like hell.

I felt like I had been tackled by a defensive lineman, but in spite of the jolt, I got up, crawled back into bed, and went right back to sleep. But the following morning, I was in pain when I work up.

My breast was bruised, black, blue and yellow, and I was not capable of full motion or extension on my entire upper left side. Taking a deep breath hurt, and a cough felt like a dagger to my left sternum–from the inside out! I could drive a car, but getting in and out of bed or even a chair required careful planning and bracing for a jabbing chest pain. You don’t realize how all your muscles are involved in even the most routine motions, as you extend your arm for balance or support. Everything is connected.

The pain subsided gradually, so I reckoned I had no permanent damage, no cracked rib or torn muscle. But even though the direct pain subsided, my entire left side got sore and stiff and it felt progressively worse until yesterday, when I felt I turned a corner. Today I’m almost back to normal, but still have to watch how I move and stretch. If not careful I can still get a sharp reminder, and a deep hard cough still hurts. A sneeze would probably disable me. I’ve been unable to ride my bike, or swim, so I’ve gotten no exercise all week either.

“I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” used to be funny. Not any more. We’re all just a few inches and a split second from helplessness. Its a pretty sobering thought.