Ladders

[Caliban]

I've always been afraid of heights, but because of hundreds of hours up laddersI suppose I've become accustomed to ladders.
I've even started using them instead of balancing a chair precariously on a desk.
Last Friday night I went into the shed to do something but decided to set up my stereo becausethat would be quieter than using the tools. All went well, I found all the bits, sorted them out and hooked up the speakers. I even ran the speaker wires through the roor purlins so there'd be no trip hazards. Beautiful! Went to turn the amplifier around the correct way and found that there wasn't enough cable. So up the ladder one last time, grab some more cable, beauteeful! down the ladderone step two, bang bloody crash. Where's the ladder gone/ this will hurt......bang.
Snap goes the ankle.
Fair dinkum. Foot is turned ninety degrees to normal, bone is trying to poke out through my skin. Pins needles pain.
Scream out for wife.
And again.
she nearly dies, calls the ambulance. They come and say we'll have to cut those boots off. Favourite blundstones.bullsheet!
Kempsey hospital get a radiographer in, does the xrays.
"you've done a good job old son" says he.
So back into the ambulance and off to Port Macquarie hospital, more xrays stabilise it and organise surgery for Saturday morning.
Home now. Several pins, screws, plates later. No work for 6 to 8 weeks crutches for 3 months. Pain frustration anger.
Just thought you'd like to know.
Will have to change the signature from "answers to lucky" though.:rolleyes:

[Wongo]

Sorry to hear that Jim. I know exactly what its like.:(

[silentC]

Welcome to the Iron Foot club, Jim. Did my right heel about 10 years ago. The good news is that it will never come back 100% and you'll probably get arthritis in it! Ankles are the worst joint to break because there are three main bones all coming together in the one spot and alignment is critical for it to all work properly. Mine is not too bad considering. Hope your ortho was good!!

When I was in getting the new hardware installed, there was a guy in the bed across from me with exactly the same injury as me. He got his falling off a ladder!! Apparently it's a very common injury.

Enjoy the rest. It's a fecking pain in the butt being on crutches. Plastic bag over the foot in the shower, itchy spots you can't reach. You have my sympathy....

[jmk89]

Ouch!!
That sounds almost as bat as the time I put an axe into my foot (don't ask.... but driving a manual car tot he hospital to have it looked at was exquisite pain...)

All the best for a speedy recovery.
Jeremy

[Rocker]

Jim,

So sorry to hear of your injury. I broke mine about 35 years ago jumping down a low cliff in Iran. I was fortunate that mine was not nearly as badly broken as yours; but (just to encourage you) I was finally able to walk without a limp 18 months later:)

Rocker

[scooter]

Gday Jim, feel for you mate, sounds painful :(

Guess you'll be haunting the forum a lot then, mate!

What do you do for a crust, how are you going to go financially being off work for a while?


Stay positive, mate, cheers................Sean

[TommyC]

Chin up, chance to catch up on a bit of reading.....:(

I broke both my legs and ankles in a fall down a cliff about 20 years ago. The ankles are what give me curry from time to time nowadays, but i work around it. Break up time on the feet, have a rubber mat down in front of your bench when you are spending long days in the shed, get into the cushion sole blunnies if you havent already.

Do the physio that they give you, too. All helps. Best of luck recovering.

[bitingmidge]

Sorry to hear Jim, but I have some good news!

I found your Yo-yo! The one you that was supposed to be the prize for the furthest travelled to the arvo at our place last year, but I somehow couldn't find on the day.

Send me your address by PM and I'll shoot it down to you, I reckon you'll have heaps of time to play with it!

Cheers,

P
:D :D :D

[Ashore]

Damm thats gotta hurt
Good though that they got the operation done so quickly.
Don't forget to get a bit of paper from the doctor for the metal detectors at airports , otherwise you may have to have a strip search :p
Rgds

[Wongo]

I found your Yo-yo!

It will be just “yo” if he does it sitting down.:D

Wongo (who runs with 1 less ligament in his right knee:( )

[ozwinner]

Ouch!!
Know the pain.
I broke my foot many years ago, went to the local Hostipul, Hmmm we'll put 4" sticky Elastoplaster on that, didnt shave the leg first did they.....:eek:

4 weeks later I was in tears pulling the freekin stuff off in the shower, I was wimpering like a mongrel dog.

Woof.

Al :p

[Sturdee]

Sorry to read about your misfortune Jim.

Must say that you went to a lot of trouble to get away from those kids that you teach. :D :D


Peter.

[Auld Bassoon]

Tough luck Jim; you have my sympathies.

I hope it heals up properly and to full function.

I can understand the pain and frustration as about ten years ago I broke my left acetabulum (the socket into which the femur locates) after having glissaded across some wet quarry tiles in the kitchen and went base over apex. Buggered up some nerves too, which resulted in complete paralysis of my left leg for a few days. Lots of fretting there, let me say...

All ok now I'm glad to say.

[jmk89]

Reading this thread and seeing how many of the "stalwarts" (as well as some newbies) have busticated their lower limbs makes me wonder - do you have to be a klutz to be a woodworker (or does it just help)?

[Auld Bassoon]

Pre-condition mate! :) :)

[Wood Butcher]

I was wimpering like a mongrel dog.

Woof.

Al :p

I would pay good money to see that:eek::D. (Bet grunt would too:p.)

[Wood Butcher]

Jim, deepest sympathy.

Least now you have an excuse to sit in front of the PC and check out the forums more:p

[RufflyRustic]

Geez Jim - what a shocker!! I'm glad to hear you are back home now.

Thinking of you...

cheers
Wendy

[ozwinner]

I would pay good money to see that:eek::D. (Bet grunt would too:p.)

I had to get the missus to yank stips of sticky stuff off, :eek: 1" at a time.

Maybe I should have let it wear off.

Hope you feel better now Jim, after reading other ppl misery?

Al :p

[ozwinner]

Jim, deepest sympathy.



What??
Did Jim die?

Al :confused: :p

[Wood Butcher]

What??
Did Jim die?

Al :confused: :p

Well, no shed time..... may as well be dead:p:p:p

[AlexS]

Sorry to hear that Jim, hope it all comes good soon.

[Zed]

you silly man, sit down and listen to the music for a while mate.

[E. maculata]

Crikey Jim:eek: that's what fear and phobias are for it's your sub-concious' way of saying "don't go up there, we've evolved, we do not need to be up there" ;) and here you go an intelligent educated modern Bloke ignoring primal fear, primal wins every time:o I hate that:o
Did yours reverberate with a harsh "CRACK" as you landed?
They do heal(heel even:) ), and a good pair of high lace-ups are a blokes best bet for helping 'em.

Bruce C.
I hate gravity, is it really necessary?

[Studley 2436]

Get well soon. Hoping for a full recovery and back in the shed soon enough.

Studley

[martrix]

yeeouch!
Ladders are freakin' dangerous bits of gear.
You are luck you only broke your ankle, as it is quite possible to do worse like spinal damage, or worse land on your head like a pogo stick:p

My old man did his ankle a ripper, after falling off the ladder while painting high rafters. Feet of the ladder were sitting on a cloth drop sheet:rolleyes: and the top of the ladder was resting against a 200m wide rafter....feet of the ladder slipped with the drop sheet, rest is history:eek:

DVD player and Tv are now a nice acrylic sandstone colour:D

have a look at the his new fabricated ankle....voila!

[rbjozzia]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. You would have cried heaps if they were Redwing boots!

[Caliban]

Sorry to read about your misfortune Jim.

Must say that you went to a lot of trouble to get away from those kids that you teach. :D :D


Peter.
Not at all Pete.
A man's shed has to have a decent sound system utilizing all the speakers thatb have gone out of fashion in the 'ouse. In my case four big cases with 12" drivers and assorted tweaters and mid ranges. And four 6" stereo leftovers. All of these in heavy wooden boxes none of your plastic shyte in my shed.:D So far due to minor inconvenient parting of company with ladder I have only connected two of the big ones. Never did get to hear them yet although the kids tell me they sound great. (never there to help but always there to sample)
Any of the kids who I teach can come and listen to my choice of music in my shed it's not like I'm trying to hide from them at all.:rolleyes:

[Rocker]

Hmm, music in the shed? I am flat out concentrating enough not to make mistakes, even without any distractions like music. And I am usually wearing ear-muffs anyway. Three-quarters of my woodworking time is spent in burning electrons or measuring and marking; the other quarter is spent trying to remember what I was going to do next, or wondering where the hell the tool I need is. All these things require my undivided attention. If I had music to listen to, I would never get anything done at all.

Rocker

[Andy Mac]

Hi Jim,
Sorry to hear of your misfortune. And all for a good cause too, having speakers set up properly. I have spent a bit of time doing the same, in both my home workshop and the one at work. Now if only the students would leave the thing tuned to the right station!:mad:
Looks like months out of the shed for you...plenty of time for reading wooowrk books and mags, DVD's and of course the Forum!:D
Take it easy and chin up!

Cheers,

[bitingmidge]

All these things require my undivided attention. If I had music to listen to, I would never get anything done at all.

I think I've just had an epiphany.

P
:cool: :cool: :cool:

[silentC]

Yes but that assumes that listening to music is not getting anything done. It is an end unto itself. In fact, I like to do a bit of haphazard woodworking to fill in time whilst listening to music.

[bitingmidge]

I like to do a bit of haphazard woodworking to fill in time whilst listening to music.

And still the answers come.... my sharpening is rather haphazard, and always under the same circumstances!

P
:D

[silentC]

I like to introduce an element of randomness to everything I do. A bit like Pro Hart firing a shotgun loaded with paint at a bit of canvas. Why should sharpening be any different? Next time you're sharpening a chisel, try looking the other way at crucial times, like when you are setting your jig angle. Never a dull moment. ;)

[Caliban]

I like to introduce an element of randomness to everything I do. A bit like Pro Hart firing a shotgun loaded with paint at a bit of canvas. Why should sharpening be any different? Next time you're sharpening a chisel, try looking the other way at crucial times, like when you are setting your jig angle. Never a dull moment. ;)
And still the pun master I see Darren.
Does this randomness apply to toilet paper folding and reusing as well?

[silentC]

Actually that's a double entendre, Jim ;)

Since I'm an afirmed scruncher, I wouldn't know about that :D

[echnidna]

Sorry to hear about your accident Jim, Pain is the pits.

But don't listen to these weakies on here, why stay outa your shed?

Think Positively
Its not a setback,
Its an opportunity

Theres lots of things you can make or do sitting down.

e.g. buy a set of carving chisels.

Spend a coupla days online researching wood carving.

Then sit down in your shed and teach yourself carving.

By the time you get back to work you could have another skill.

By focussing on something else the pain won't be as noticeable.

With all that said, I'm glad its not my opportunity:rolleyes:

[bitingmidge]

... and while you're on your back, why not give the car a grease and oil change?

Cheers,

P
:D :D :D

[ozwinner]

Then sit down in your shed and teach yourself carving.



Here is one I got recently, I was after goat carving, but 'spose itll do.

Al :p

[echnidna]

Here is one I got recently, I was after goat carving, but 'spose itll do.

Al :p

That looks an interesting book Al, what did it cost?:cool:

Oh Midge,
the car idea aint practical,
how do you get sump oil outa plaster cast?:eek:

[Caliban]

Here is one I got recently, I was after goat carving, but 'spose itll do.

Al :p
I'm in enough pain without the flogging she'd give me for looking at a book with a cover like that.
I might carve a handle for the adze that has appeared out of the mess I call a shed. Any plans, suggestions shapes etc?
Probably shouldn't ask you Al it might end up looking like the twig of Orgasmo and I seem to have attracted the curse associated with that already.:D

[ozwinner]

That looks an interesting book Al, what did it cost?:cool:



I think I paid about $30 for it, i got it off epay.

Al :)

[Exador]

Just saw this. Bad luck! They can be cantankerous buggers, ladders, deserving of respect. I hope your ankle comes good quickly, it must be a real dampener on all sorts of activities.

[TEEJAY]

Argh Jim,

Thanks for your reply on the stapler issue. I have been away on holidays for a while and when I saw your signature and teddybear I had to track down your disaster - mate no good at all. :eek:

I tell you what though if you are still interested in some no risk woodwork whilst sitting down I highly recommend scrollsawing - just a thought;) .

[Driver]

Jim, mate!

I missed your original post on this and I've only just now tracked down the reason for your bandaged avatar.

That is bloody bad luck. Sounds very painful and is, no doubt, very inconvenient.

Get well soon, son! And while you're sitting there with your elevated lower limb, let your imagination wander and develop the plot lines in the RITFOTU. Anchors aweigh!

Pip-pip!

Col

[CameronPotter]

Yeah, actually, I saw that you had changed avatars and were talking about broken bones, but I didn't know what happened. It took the finger-jointer disaster to get me to finally track it down though.

I feel sorry for you, nasty break by the sounds of things. Mind you, I know someone (what is more he was an experienced painter who was on ladders every day of his life) who once forgot to attach the safety loop. He fell off the ladder. It was only a short fall, but he fell badly and broke his back. As they say, there is always someone worse off than you. :(

Still, an kind of injury absolutely sucks - especially one where the bone starts wanting to come out and breathe come fresh air. :(