Thursday, December 4, 2008

Back to Fitness...Again

Yeah, so it’s been awhile.

Last we left off, my shoes had just arrived and I was destined for fitness glory. I stopped writing due to an excess of 50-60 hour workweeks. Fun times.

The real fun didn’t begin until October 6 while playing in a 6-foot-and-under intramural basketball league. Funny thing about health insurance, I don’t remember needing it before I didn’t have it. As soon as I go off my parent’s health insurance, bam — ruptured eardrum, head-splitting sinus infection, softball to the face and … dislocated thumb.

I felt quicker on the basketball court than ever before. My weight was down to 157 and the quality of my workouts was noticeably better than when I began my fitness quest in June. Then a guy undercuts my legs while I take off for the basket and, as gravity takes its course, I manage to place my hand where another player is placing his foot. My fingers were on the floor; my elbow was bent and palm elevated a few inches above my fingers when a 175-pound mass came crashing down. I felt the pop and instantly knew something wasn’t where it should be.

First came an expletive. Then, because I’m a fool who believes in happy endings, I glanced at my hand with hopes that the piercing pain wasn’t really that bad. Turned out the joint that connects the thumb to the hand was indented with my digit fixed in a different direction. I instantly surmised that this situation was, A) not good and, B) going to cost me a lot of money.

My epiphany was followed by a flurry of expletives, most of which centered on loud, uncensored F-bombs. The physical pain was pretty bad, but not the worst I’ve ever felt. What really jolted me was my lack of health insurance. How much was this going to cost? To be honest, I was pretty damn scared. My bank account and budget wasn’t prepared for an unexpected visit to the emergency room. Ugh!

Fast-forward to the ER where I sat in an empty lobby for 15-20 minutes before the receptionist called my name (she could have simply said, “Hey you, injured guy. Yes, you, the only one standing in the lobby,” but I guess names are a formality). After the highly unnecessary wait, she sat me down and asked probing questions like, “What’s your name/How do you spell that/What did you injure/When did it happen?” Then came the nurse who politely asked, “So what’s the problem here? You did what to your thumb? Is it still out of place?” YES! “Oh, well let’s bring you back right now then.” Gee, thanks…

Next came a 10-15 minute wait on a hospital bed before a doctor finally meandered over. He came to the conclusion that my thumb wasn’t where it should be. Then came the Novocain (of which I debated not taking due to its cost). The pain went away, but my thumb was still dislocated. Next came a series of X-rays and, finally, after the doctor discovered that there were no fractures or other irregularities that would prevent my thumb’s reunion with its hand, the deed was done. All that in just under one hour — it’s a good thing I wasn’t in a hurry to have my thumb popped back in place.

A few weeks later, I discovered the price of my ER trip: just under $4,000. Wow! I predicted somewhere near $2,500. Six X-rays, Novocain, a splint and 2 minutes of a doctor’s time for just $4,000 — something’s not right. Luckily I qualified for some form of county medical benefit and that dollar amount has been reduced to about $1,400. Still, that’s not exactly pocket change that I have stashed away for just such an occasion. I guess those new tires will have to wait.

Even more than the financial burden, the emotional stress has been overwhelming. Those who know me understand that sports are my life. I work in a college athletic department, my hobbies include watching sports, playing sports and reading about sports and I really couldn’t imagine a world without sports. Before the injury, an average week included basketball, beach volleyball, racquetball, weightlifting, jogging, golfing and cycling. I was slated to play rec-league basketball and dodgeball. My social stratification is largely based on sports. Sad, maybe, but it’s how I function.

Chock this one up to life experience. At least that’s what my mom told me. I guess complementing my 50-hour workweeks with a second job won’t be too bad. More life experience for me, hurray! Good times.

So, here I am, two months later, back to ground zero. I started my workouts up again this week and plan to update the blog every couple weeks. The only thing harder than getting started is getting started again…here goes Round 2.