Humpty Dumpty and My MS

I’ve met Humpty Dumpty, and he is me. I made that discovery the other night when I had a bad fall. It wasn’t off a wall; it was just off a chair, but it felt like I’d tumbled off Humpty’s high ledge.

It shouldn’t have happened. I’ve lived with MS for nearly 40 years and I’ve had my share of trips, stumbles, and falls. I’ve even written a column about how to reduce the chances of getting hurt from a fall. So how does a guy fall off of a chair, unless it’s a bar stool?

TJ the cat. (Photo by Ed Tobias)

I’ll tell you how. The catalyst was a cat named TJ. I was tired. I sat on the side of the chair while getting ready for bed. My butt was half off of the seat because TJ had plopped himself on the floor in front of me, right where I’d usually put my feet. I was trying to straddle TJ while also trying to pull my left leg out of my pants. I leaned a little to my left and, uh-oh, I fell. The chair followed me down and landed on top of me. My head, leading the way to the floor, hit the closest object: the edge of the bedroom dresser.

There’s an Italian phrase that a girlfriend of mine used to describe me several decades ago: testa dura. It means “hard head.” Fortunately, she was right. Though the hit stunned me and my scalp was cut, it wasn’t a knockout blow. It didn’t take all the king’s horses and all the king’s men to put me back together again. Direct pressure on the wound for about an hour with an ice pack did the job. TJ, of course, was unhurt and ready to return for another round.

Why do I share this embarrassing story? I guess I’m telling you all this to make the point that those of us with heavy legs and dragging feet can’t ever lower our guard, not even when we think we’re safely seated. I’m going to reread the column I wrote about falling, and I suggest that you read it, too. Because you never know … especially if you own a cat.

By the way, TJ is still around, but he’s now down to only eight lives.

You’re invited to visit my personal blog at www.themswire.com.

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