Beginning October 4th, 2012; In Brazil --
I departed Seattle 20 days ago. What has kept me from keeping my BLOG up-to-date in all this time? I will tell you -- but not show you -- in this sad tale today.
I arrived with Uncle Bob in Ribeirao Preto on the 5th, after an overnight flight from Chicago to Sao Paulo, then on another flight, to Ribeirao Preto. It was late in the day (four hours later, Brazil time!) and, after greeting Adelaide, we went straight to bed.
A couple days later, we took the Intercity bus down to Sao Carlos to check out the tennis club/school. While there, Uncle Bob and I decided to "escort" a couple 10-11 year-olds into the adjoining jungle. Deep into the jungle is a lively stream following a channel about 8 or ten feet wide and about 4 or 5 feet deep. And occasional log or twisted tree trunk affords one a reasonably easy way to cross to the other side. [Don't ask me why it always seems "necessary" to cross! It just is!]
Several years ago, on a similar "safari" with some teenage and sub-teenage girls from the tennis school, Grumpy had demonstrated the quick and proper way to cross a stream in the jungle: Grab a vine and swing across! At that time, Grumpy weighed 15 or 20 pounds more than he does today, but had no problem negotiating the stream two or three times by the "vine transit".
This time, however, the vine that Grumpy chose had a kink in it that weakened its tensile strength! Grumpy tested the vine, confirming its secure grasp onto a tall tree 100 feet or so above the ground. The far bank of the stream was a good 15 feet away, as Grumpy leaped forward to propel himself across this chasm. As my body, with legs outstretched in front of me for the anticipated landing on the other side, approached the nadir of my swing (maximum stress now being applied to the vine), the vine broke -- at the kink -- and Grumpy plopped 6-8 feet down onto his rump, into the stream! The impact of my tailbone on the firm surface of the stream bottom was apparently sufficient to fracture my #1 lumbar vertebrae. But worse than that were the muscle spasms that occurred whenever the nerves that signal a fracture were triggered! To ease the spams and inflammation (for some time I thought it was only a sprained back), I started with Aspirin every 3-4 hours (two 325mg that I had brought along; later with 600mg Ibuprofen).
On the 9th (a day or two after this incident) we left to go fishing in the northern part of Mato Grasso state. This was a primary reason for this trip to Brazil, and I wasn't about to let a little pain [well, it was more than just "a little"!] get in the way. More on the fishing trip in another Post.
We returned from the fishing trip on the 16th; Grumpy was now taking either a 600mg Ibuprofen or a 500mg Aspirin each 3 to 4 hours to deaden the pain. On the 18th Uncle Bob wanted to go to Sao Carlos; I told him I would rather go see a Doctor about my back -- I was now suspecting something more serious than a back sprain.
Uncle Bob made an appointment for that very morning to get an Xray and diagnosis in Sao Carlos. The Xray [of which I have the film] showed what the Radiologist said was a "Fratura Antiga?" [that's Portuguese for "Antique Fracture, maybe"]. I was greatly encouraged by this diagnosis in that, since I could recall no time in my life previously when I had injured my back, I interpreted this as indication that I had a fracture which was in the process of healing! And so I have continued a regimen in which I refrain from any kind of actions or contortions that may damage the healing break.
Grumpy has determined to examine the vines more critically next time!
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