You asked for it, so here goes.
i discovered a rather large lump in my lower abominal wall back in the winter. i did some research and decided i had a hernia. I hung in ther until spring, thinking i would have t be plowing for several storms thru the winter. After the previous winter having been the toughest ever for my sno biz, we ended up with practically nothing thru the past "winter that never happened."
i finally went to the MD when i figured no snow was going to happen and almost time to get back to the lawn work. the doctor checked me over and decided that i had been correct in my assessment; I did, indeed have a hernia. He suggested, as i had expected, surgery.
I asked how long i would be laid up. I had never researched anything about hernias beyond the determination that i had one. "You will go home the same day and within about three days, you can go back to your normal activities." I have been told this before and find i must ask for clarification on the statement.
I keep telling people i am only 39, but since i have been 39 for a good deal longer than i wasn't, i sometimes run into a certain amout of misjudgement about what my nrmal activities might be. "Doc, i think you should have an idea of what you are telling me. Just because you see al of this white stuff on my chin and top of my head doesn't mean i don't totally believe i am only 39." With that said, i went on to explain a little of what my early spring time "normal activities" might consist of. My first projects would be to spend a week pruning fruit trees and cleaning up yards from winter debris. For the next couple of weeks after cleanup, i would be seeding and feeding lawns and shrubs. I would be lifting bags of fertilizer and grass seed every day for about two weeks. each bag would be a weight of atleast 50#'s
"Well, i think you had better decide you won't be doing any of that for at least a month."
I promised to take it easy, but we decided to hold off on the surgery until past the seeding part of my schedule. I did hire a friend to help me for a couple of weeks right after the surgery, but i did keep working. i just avoided doing any of the heavy work.
About the last day I had help, i was mowing (I have a big rider so i don't have to walk, but that goes quite fast) around under a low branching Japanese Maple tree. All of a sudden, a hornet found my hand and did what angry hornets seem to take joy in doing. As my hand started burning, i kicked in the afterburner on my mower and headed for open lawn. I got about twenty feet away and slowed down. All of a sudden, two more of the angry critters were boring into the back of my hand. A scary situation in the past for me. there was a time when i was VERY alergic to bee stings and was in danger of serious problems any time i did get stung. i could have been killed. About thirty years ago, it was discovered that live bee venom could be used to immunize idiots like me who constantly worked around projects with possible bee attacks. i was immunized, supposedly for life, but it is still a scary thing when i run into multiple angry bees. This time, my hand swelled up and swelling extended to my wrist, but no other symptoms showed up. i kept working every day and about a week later, i had to go back to the doctor for post op checkup.
I had been waiting for a half hour, or so, beyond my appontment time, but somebody had come in to tell me the doc was running late with an emergency operation. Eventually, he showed up and had a young lad with him. He told me she was a student (didn't ask what she was a student of) and wanted to know it it was ok with me that she observe as he inspected. "OK by me."
he asked me some questions about how i was doing, and about pain, etc. I told him everything was fine until i had run into a hornets nest. The hornets had taken offense and had drilled my hand several times. "Here at the Hospital?" he asked.
"Oh yea, right here in the lobby. i will have my lawyer contact you within a couple of days." I suppose he was relly shaking, i did not see. my eyes were elsewhere. I finally relented and told him it had happened while I was mowing a few days before.
"I thought your were going to take it easy."
"I was. If i had been running the mower at my usual speed, those bees would never have caught up with me."
The doctor looked at the student, shaking his head, he said, "He's only a little crazy."
Take care of yourself
Tinker
