Well, it’s been a month since my VW Golf’s clutch went to the floor and returned no more. The experience left me shaken, hobbling, without a working car and unsure what was going to happen next. Well, here’s Part 2 of the story.
First, there’s my post-dragged condition. Immediately following the incident, I was a dirty mess and not in the good, sexy way. There was dirt and salt along the entire right side of my clothing and, of course, my hip was caked in it where friction had yanked my jeans and panties down. I even had about two tablespoons of ice-deterring gravel and salt in my right shoe which contributed to my limping. In the urgent care facility, they tried to cover the floor to catch as much of it as possible, but there was still a winter sand and salt cleanup of the room after I left, I’m sure.
After examining me, ordering x-rays of my right hip and left knee (both negative) and doing the preliminary cleanup on said areas, I was sent home with antibiotic ointment and the works to do a few dressing changes once I really got to get clean. I was still working on my huge event-induced adrenalin rush even as my best friend picked me up and took me home. I told the nurse who did the initial evaluation that my pain level was 5 out of 10. To be honest, I wasn’t really feeling pain at that point, which is normal under the effect of adrenalin. Once it started to wear off, though, that number turned out to be quite accurate, although it briefly had a moment of being a 7-8 pain level as the shower water hit my injured hip for the first time – yeowch.
Self-examination of the areas post-shower revealed that there was an angry red area on my hip slightly larger than a football which had lost its entire protective layer of skin. There was also evidence of embedded dirt even though I had managed to scrub most of it off. The left knee, which had been wedged up next to the door, was clean, but managed to have a few cuts and some bruising where door edge met knee joint. There was also some numbness to that area, which was mildly concerning but not enough to warrant having it rechecked. Ointment, bandages, then rest.
Let the world know now that I am a side-sleeper. It wouldn’t be a problem except that I tend to sleep on my right side. For the first week, it was impossible to turn onto my right hip without being reminded of that 5 out of 10 pain level. I learned to sleep more on the left side, with only experimental turns onto the right until I found the discomfort had decreased enough to return to the preferred side down. However, there was another hazard. I have cats. I have cats who have no issue with walking on me like I’m part of the bedding. I have one cat in particular that likes to pop up and perch on – yes, indeed – my hip. After several episodes of my screeching, followed by expletives deleted, this particular 8 pounds of feline flesh and fur figured out not to do that until I said it was okay.
The knee stubbornly remained numb on the outside even as the cuts at the center of the numb area healed. However, I was able to bend and straighten the knee without pain or difficulty, so I focused attention on my problem child of a hip on the opposite side.
Cut to present day, when all but one of the bandages are off. The wound debridements I had to do were less than fun, but necessary. The area on the hip has gone from ugly red and tender to pink and pretty much normal. There is one last 4x6 adhesive bandage that covers the area at the hip-thigh crease, but it’s not there to just cover the last of the deeper cuts. It’s there to remind me to keep my hands off. They’re at the itchy phase and driving me crazy! If you ever wanted to run a coat-hanger under a plaster cast, you know what I’m talking about. As far as the knee, the only evidence that anything happened are the two thin healed lines where the cuts were.
For those who wonder about the car, it’s still sitting at the garage while I wait for the replacement title for it to come from NYSDMV. The last time I saw it was shortly after that huge storm that dumped about two feet of snow. They very nicely shoveled out my car and I cleaned out all my possessions. The money still isn’t there to repair it and I know the car has other problems that will need to be addressed, at least one of them shortly after the clutch and/or transmission repair. I love my 1998 VW Golf, but at 15 years old and having one too many mechanical issues, it’s time to let it go.
For the moment, I share rides and even get to occasionally borrow a car to drive. But, more importantly, I’m walking. Losing regular use of a car is something of a blessing in disguise. Public transportation is more than a mile and a half from my home and taxis are expensive. Although the hill I live on makes the return home a challenge, I like walking right now. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed being inconvenienced by needing to walk to where I needed to go. There are times when a car is necessary, of course, and others when it’s simply preferred. Eventually, I’ll have to buy another car. But for now, I’m almost completely healed and enjoying my recovery phase.
But, stay tuned. I suspect there will be a Part 3, with a happy ending to this story, if you’re up to reading about it. It may be down the road a bit, though, no pun intended.
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