Eastern Utah
EMAIL ME AT: mgypsy97 at aol dot com

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Truck Campers can be hazardous to your health!

I had an accident today and will probably suffer from the effects of it for a while. I was trying to insert a full propane tank into the camper. It's a small tank and I can handle it fairly well, except that the bay is up a little higher than on a 5ver, plus the tank lies horizontally in the bay. So I stood on a small 4-legged stool and tried to hoist it up level with the bay so I could get in and situated. I might add that it's a very tight fit as well. (I originally posted that the tank is in the bay in a vertical position. Maybe the bump on my head got me confused, but it lies horizontally.)

I must have leaned back slightly and the stool tipped, I hit the ground on my tailbone still holding the propane tank which must have been what cut my lip, and then my head hit the ground really hard. I just lay still for several minutes wondering if I had broken something. Finally I was able to move both legs, then into a sitting position for a minute, and then stood up. I have been hurting ever since, but it's not likely that I broke a bone or got a concussion.

I'm going to look online to find the hours for the Urgent Care facility in Salome, and depending on how I feel in the morning I might drive the 30 miles and hope they can x-ray me. At least I would like a prescription for the pain, although I can't take Vicodin or Tylenol, which seems to be the prescription of choice. I'll live, but I might start back for Sacramento sooner than I had thought.

The truck is ready for the camper to be mounted, but if I need to go to get a medical check then it can wait.

On a much happier note, one of the campers in an nearby site came over to say that a roadrunner he feeds now and then had gotten into a structure where he stores water barrels, and which is enclosed in a heavy black netting. Of course I had to go see it because I've never seen a roadrunner in person, and I got some pictures of it. Tim said the bird had let him get some good photographs, including one that was close enough to show its eyelashes!




After I had taken the photos Tim lifted the netting on one side and I held it open on the other, and the bird flew right out. (The blue in the picture is the water barrels.)

20 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear that you got hurt. Try to be more careful. Little accadents can put a big dent (no pun indended) in your RVing plans. Try to walk as much as you can so that you don't stiffen up.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh Gypsy...I am so sorry to hear about your accident and hope that your pain is manageable until you can get to a doctor. It probably would be a good idea to get an x-ray to make sure everything is OK. On the brighter side you have some nice photos of the roadrunner and glad you were able to see one. We saw one in January when we were in NM. Take Care of yourself and hopefully we will be able to get some rest tonight. Hugs - Sandy

    ReplyDelete
  3. OMG Gypsy, hope you recover quickly. What a fluke accident!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hope you're feeling much better by tomorrow! How cool to be that close to a roadrunner!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gypsy,
    Sorry to hear about your fall. If you hit your head hard, then you should have it checked out. Be sure to tell them. Serious issues can come from that. I know from past experience with my mom.
    You take care and be careful..
    Arlene

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ugh! You should have probably gone in today to the doc instead of tomorrow. Where is the pain coming from?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear Gypsy...I really hope you will be ok. Isn't that an awful feeling after an incident/fall....and you are laying there while taking "inventory of what your body is feeling"! Been there--done that! Then slowly get up...still checking what your body is telling you. Please be careful and don't be afraid to ask for help. Keep us posted ok? Look forward to pictures of your new rig.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Gypsy - so sorry to hear about your fall. Please go get everything checked out. You are really going to be stiff and sore tomorrow and the next day. Let us know what the doctor says.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sorry to hear about your accident. I hope you feel better in the morning. Don't take chances with your health.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Well Gypsy, it might be a little difficult to do at the moment with the current damage to your lip but the old English saying, 'keep a stiff upper lip' comes to mine. Your atitude is good, your injuries are hopefully minor, & your truck camper learning curve is beginning to straighten out...well, sort of.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I hope you are OK! I have walked into the king pin on my 5 th wheel hard enough to knock my down!
    Roadrunner, my name sake! They are all over this park. They are fun to watch. One in Q built her nest on top of a 5 ft wheel that had a storage pod on top. They went to town to buy hamburger to feed her. You did know they were meat eaters. They will eat a rattlesnake it they can catch it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Gypsy, I'm sorry to hear about your fall. I too have fallen and hit my head and my doctor was not happy that I didn't go in right away and sent me in for an immediate MRI. Fortunately I was okay, but it is important to get checked out. *** Interesting Roadrunner. (my grandson's favorite bird) Take care and I'll see you when you're back in Sac.

    ReplyDelete
  13. That was a nasty fall. I do hope you feel up to driving to see the Doctor.

    Roadrunners look so cute. I think we saw one on our travels and I was surprised it was much smaller than I expected.

    Will be thinking of you as you recover.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ouch! Your tumble was worse than mine the other day, by far. You'll recover, but it will be a reminder about how to do the propane job! There are a few roadrunners that visit our park. Last year, one would come across out lot several times a week, but we haven't seem him (her?) for a while. Hope you can continue your travels in this area, and that you aren't suffering any nasties from the spill. Incidentally, it helps the ego to call that a tumble or a spill rather than a fall. A fall is something old people do, and you and we aren't old yet!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hope you're feeling better today and everything checks out OK. Split lips seem to be all the rage - you and the President! Hang in there and take care!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Gypsy, I hope this finds you feeling better. Back on Nov. 10, you requested that I post some pictures of me wearing my new clothes. Well, I just did that today for you, although I don't want looking at my ugliness to make you feel worse than you already do.

    ReplyDelete
  17. So sorry to hear you got hurt...I hope nothing is broken or cracked..except, of course, for those things that are supposed to be cracked LOL Just a little giggle to help speed the healing process. Feel better soon.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Ouch! Hope you are feeling better by now. Having the right type of equipment to stand on is very important. I fell off a folding ladder almost exactly two years ago, when it buckled (partly my fault). It took me quite a while to fully recover. The ladder did not-it went into the dumpster. I now only use a three level step ladder. I think this is much safer. Since I landed on gravel and cement, I could have really broken something or even died. Taking short cuts just does not pay.

    I suggest a solid short locking ladder only.

    I did not go to see a doctor, I think that was also a mistake. I would suggest that you see one just to be sure.

    Be careful out there!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Gypsy,

    My goodness, I hope you are ok. We must be careful at our age.

    Love the pictures of the road runner. They are such interesting birds.

    Take care of yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Sorry for your accident. Hopefully everything is ok. You should check with someone on that propane tank. I am not sure what you have but most tanks should not be on their side as it could damage the safety valve inside. They should always be kept upright but maybe you have a different kind. Good luck.

    ReplyDelete