an accident

I'm out the door by 7am. It's Monday (December 19), my long-walk day.

With me is only my AirPods and iphone.

I'm listening to a crime podcast on Casefile, only a block or two from my apartment. And I walk right into this big pole in the middle of the sidewalk.

I fall to the ground, face down. The fall isn't what hurts me, and I don't lose consciousness. I put my hand over my face, and know I'm bleeding. I'm lying prone on the very cold sidewalk when some lovely woman sees me.

In a calm voice she says, "I'm going to call an ambulance. You are bleeding a lot. And I will stay with you til the ambulance comes." A saint, really. Meanwhile, poor Suri keeps asking over and over, "Do you need help?" I love my Apple Watch.

The ambulance comes. I am required to remove my hands from my face. I'm scared as I have no idea where the blood is coming from. The ambulance people tell me it's my nose, and I'm relieved.

But still, I don't look good.

The ER experience at Weill Cornell is awful. Since I'm not dying, I am mostly ignored. I have a CAT scan on my face and a CAT scan on my brain (required, I guess, after a fall). My brain is fine, my face, not so much. Two crushed bones in my nose. Abrasions all over. Deep cuts on my lip and nose. 

My good friend Shari  drops everything to come over. I know I'll be in the ER for a long time, and I at least need my glasses so I can use my phone. Judicially, though, as I don't have a backup charger.

I get stitches on the outside of my nose, and stitches on the inside and outside of my lip. I'm sent home around 5:30.

It could have been much worse. 

My son sends me flowers, which helps immensely.

The pain is minimal; the discomfort is great.

But within a week, I'm healing well. It's my mouth that bothers me the most. Eating and drinking is challenging. The stitches in my mouth are about an inch long and really annoying. Plus I have major scabbing under my top lip.

Tomorrow I am having what's called, a "closed nasal reduction surgery." It's only 15 minutes or so, though it's done in a hospital under general anesthesia. My doctor, Adam Jacoby, is well-credentialed and nice. I hope he's exceptionally competent too. My nose right now is not straight, and hopefully (no guarantee) this surgery will make it straight.

Otherwise, all is good.