At least I learned the origin of the expression "Scared the crap out
of him"".
I went like this ... I was having a leasurely morning and at
about 11 went down to the kitchen and filled the jug to boil water for a
cup of coffee. Meantime, Elvis, Maggie's 10 kg cat said he wanted some
food, so I put some canned cat-food in his bowl, and then decided to
check if the mail had arrived. That meant going ourside the house. Walk
down the kitchen, do a 120 degree turn to the right, and head toward the
ranch-sliders past the dining table.
I 'had'noted that Elvis was not
impressed by the food I gave him, but gave that no further thought.
I
walked off the kitchen vinyl floor onto the carpet ( all laid on one of
those horrible concrete slabs), and went to walk past the dining table.
I was walking briskly, so I had a fair amount of forward momentum.
I
had taken my weight on my extended right leg, and was bringing my left
leg through to go past it, when in a flash its forward motion was
stopped by an unexplained weight. I tried automatically to bring my
right leg forward, but it too was halted right there by the same weight.
I fell forward, and it flashed through my mind that my face was going
smash into the back of one of the dining chairs. I automatically did a
badly remembered judo forward breakfall, taking my weight on my forearms
- and also on my left knee which lost a chunk of bark.. Seemingly
instantaneously, I also began what seemed to be a faint. I know faints
very well.
It was that damned cat; he had wanted some attention from
me, and despite my walking fast, had run around and lain right in front
of both my feet - and being focussed on the doors ahead, I didn't even
see him.
I managed to get myself upstairs to the bedroom and onto the
bed. Maggie was then on the balcony of our bedroom, reading, and
dificult to rouse.
Eventually she came through and helped me by
putting my legs and feet higher so that blood could flow to my heart and
head. She informed me that I had gone into shock. First time for me to
my knowledge, and it can happen in a flash.
She was a practice nurse
for her first husband, and had attended many car accidents and other
such incidents locally and on the Trans-Canada highway when they lived
in Geraldton and Winnipeg, so she knew about shock.
Then I had an
urgent need to use the throne - and made it OK despite nearly passing
out on the way.
Then she informed me that people in shock usually shit
themselves - and she would know I guess.
So "scared the crap out of me
!!"
You can learn something even on a bad day!
She checked my blood
pressure which was 90/80, which apparently is not good.
24 hours
later, I'm well on the road to recovery. The torn soft tissue
on my
left shoulder will heal, as will the gark on my left knee.
I need to
get myself fitter and stronger.
That damned cat tried the same manouvre
later the same day as I was walking to the dry-wood storage for the
fire; ran around in front of me as I was walking across the lawn,
brushing my right foot as he did so.
Brian
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