# OMS and a f’d up knee



## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Had a main line for a new to me property management. Got the master keys from the lock box. Turned out to be a deceiving main line. The one basement room, the maintenance room with the clean out had a dead bolt, none of the keys matched. The window was unlocked so I decided to enter from there. My right boot caught the sill while jumping down in. Knee popped and hurts like hell. I had an injury with that knee while in a school at Pensacola, so medically I’m covered, but what of my business? I do have an insurance policy that covers injury financially. But I can’t let my customers down!

I can walk, use my left leg to pull my 300 up the stairs, but still working my right leg is very painful. Rest is the best thing, but at what cost?


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Sorry to hear that. Take the time off that you need, getting it worked up will only worsen and will take forever to heal. I've had a very bad knee sprain and it took 3-4 years before the pain went away. I had a deluxe neoprene knee support and wore it all the time. I had a 1700$ fiberglass brace made but I couldn't use it, it kept slipping down because I'm built like a fridge.

If you have insurance you are gravy. I don't have any and I can't afford it. Every move I make now I don't take any risks cause I know I'll be in big trouble if I get injured.

For the customers, do you prefer to get your health back sooner or tough it out so your injury takes years to get better? You might regret it to serve the customers because it will get worse and worse. 

You can always call your regulars when you are ready. Your health comes first.


What about hiring an apprentice, he does the work and you be the boss to take the calls? That way you still make money and you keep your customers.


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

Go to the drugstore and buy a $15 knee brace. Don't be a pu$$y and get back to work. :thumbsup:

Just kidding, a little. Sorry to hear about your knee.


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## Gargalaxy (Aug 14, 2013)

Sorry to hear that brother, take a break and rest a bit. Customers....they'll understand if not, too bad for them a new ones will call you. 
In January, I'd to take a whole month for bicep and major pectoral popped (well not really lost, I'm still good pointing) very painful and even worse the therapy  
Take whatever time you can, you don't wanna make it worse. Good luck!


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Supposed to finish new water lines in an apartment tomorrow for a neighbor tomorrow. Simple job, should be quick. Probably do that then Dr.

Already let my Master know. Jackhammer job Monday. Might cancel that.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Rest and recuperation is what your body needs. 

We are like athletes; if we are injured severely, we are on the sidelines and out of the game. 

If we play injured, it could be a career-ending injury. Just imagine if you fall again and re-injure that knee? Take it easy brother and baby that injury. Hire an apprentice if you want to keep making the rounds.


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## fixitright (Jan 5, 2012)

I'm fortunate to have another contractor who is my friend to take up the slack.

Make some friends, there's more than enough work out there for all.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

I’m actually thinking of going to urgent care first tomorrow. Just got home from my fil’s 70th birthday dinner. I can get around just fine as long as I don’t bend and put weight on my right knee, bending hurts, but not bad, add weight... like a knife.

I’m busy enough to keep me busy after my day working for my Master. Actually been teetering on quitting him and going full time, but I don’t want to leave him hanging plus when I’m slow I still have income.

Took 4 ibuprofen before dinner and now enjoying a pint of homebrew from my new kegerator. Irish stout from a LME kit. 6 gallon batch, not bad, but I’d like it a tad thicker.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

fixitright said:


> I'm fortunate to have another contractor who is my friend to take up the slack.
> 
> Make some friends, there's more than enough work out there for all.


I have a buddy who’s a drain cleaner, left him all my big accounts while I was on vacation. Pissed off two of my biggest customers by just not showing up. 

Tons of work for sure! Between trees and stupid people cleaning is recession proof.


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

You probably have a torn "ACL" I had sort of the same thing happen
to me back in 91, worked the next day supervising a sewer line job till 2;pm before I went to see a doctor,! the only way they can tell is if you get a MRI,will not show on a xray,
I know because I have gone thru this 3 times,

And taking that kind of Ibuprofen will give you Bleeding Ulcers big time !
I know because that has also happed to me 3 times you go along taking it and everthing is ok then about 6 or 7 Months down the road you start passing out on the job from Blood loss, again I know because this happened to me 3 times, also lucky I was not driving and their were people at hand to get me 
to a doctors office right away twice in the V.A. where I spent a week recovering


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

The Ibuprofen not only eats a hole in your stomach but delutes your blood and stops it from Coagulating, or Clotting to stop the bleeding


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Dr apt at 2:00 today. I’m a side sleeper and last night was rough.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

MACPLUMB777 said:


> You probably have a torn "ACL" I had sort of the same thing happen
> to me back in 91, worked the next day supervising a sewer line job till 2;pm before I went to see a doctor,! the only way they can tell is if you get a MRI,will not show on a xray,
> I know because I have gone thru this 3 times,
> 
> ...


Strained acl.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Just looked it up, hopefully it heals fast for you.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Conversation with my Master, day time job. Not happy about wearing tennis shoes and not waterproof steel toe boots. Decisions might be in order.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

And for the record, they’re the best work boots I’ve ever owned. Chipawa logging boots made in the US, not “combat” boots.


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

OpenSights said:


> Conversation with my Master, day time job. Not happy about wearing tennis shoes and not waterproof steel toe boots. Decisions might be in order.


If by combat boots he means safety toe footwear I would leave right now. I actually don't wear safety toe boots myself but if someone thinks they can dictate my right to safety then I'm out. Like I said I don't even wear safety boots but if someone thinks they can deny me the right to safety if I so choose then there is so much wrong with them that I know it's going to be better for me to cut the ties to such a person. Now if you care about me or just your company and dictate that the policy is to have safety first then I'm fine with it.

Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

The Dane said:


> If by combat boots he means safety toe footwear I would leave right now. I actually don't wear safety toe boots myself but if someone thinks they can dictate my right to safety then I'm out. Like I said I don't even wear safety boots but if someone thinks they can deny me the right to safety if I so choose then there is so much wrong with them that I know it's going to be better for me to cut the ties to such a person. Now if you care about me or just your company and dictate that the policy is to have safety first then I'm fine with it.
> 
> Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk


Kinda complicated relationship. We benefit from each other’s business. He gets all my plumbing calls, I get all his drain calls. We talked today, mostly because of schedule. This will be something we need to talk about. I’m the young dumb 40 y/o trying to think of safety, finally, he’s the ‘68 year old who falls off the back of a box truck and lights himself on fire! I swear he’s worse than a millennial!


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Doing better. Can turn my leg without too much pain. Can’t keep a jar head down for long! I have a guy I trained working in my place tomorrow for today’s work. Master is on crawlspace duty Tuesday and I hand sht to him. 

For once in my own business I really, really, REALLY hope my phone doesn’t ring!


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

Lucky for me when my ACL went out I had a partner and 3 plumbers working 
for me to carry the load in the early 90's but because I did walk around
for 3 or 4 mos waiting for surgery, later in 2003 my knee caused me
problems because the cartilage wore out in my left knee leaving me with
bone on bone when I was working for the big R, so I lost my job
it took me from May 2004 till Sept 2006 to get my left knee total replacement,
and then told that I could not work as a plumber anymore, 
because you know how much you have to get on your knees while plumbing !


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

Sorry Guys I know that this is a Plumbing forum, but I just want to show how 
one little Injury can cause lasting effects, 

Because of years of taking anti-inflammatory medicines causing bleeding 
Ulcers I learned to eat even if I was not hungary at the time, 

so over the years of taking anti-inflammatory drugs and eating without 
working I have ended up where I am now at 380 lbs, and planning on
Gastric Bypass in Sept to lose weight, while I am starting up a Sales 
business as a Independent Distributor for Electric Eel Mfg,


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## Gargalaxy (Aug 14, 2013)

@OpenSights if you gonna take those Ibuprofen like your doctor said, better listen to @MACPLUMB777. I'm second him, when I was injured my sister sent me Omeprazole to take it with the ibuprofen (she's a doctor). Ulcers is last thing you want. Don't ask me how I know.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Gargalaxy said:


> @OpenSights if you gonna take those Ibuprofen like your doctor said, better listen to @MACPLUMB777. I'm second him, when I was injured my sister sent me Omeprazole to take it with the ibuprofen (she's a doctor). Ulcers is last thing you want. Don't ask me how I know.


Other than antibiotics on the very rare occasion do I ever truly follow a doctors orders when it comes meds. Tonight is much better, only 400mg first thing, then 200 at noon, 200 at night.

My mom lives in the land of fruits and nuts, which is the perfect home for her. I don’t have much faith in modern medicine, and use it at a minimum.


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

Gargalaxy said:


> @OpenSights if you gonna take those Ibuprofen like your doctor said, better listen to @MACPLUMB 777. I'm second him, when I was injured my sister sent me Omeprazole to take it with the ibuprofen (she's a doctor). Ulcers is last thing you want. Don't ask me how I know.


Omeprazole Is what I have been on since the early 90's to prevent ulcers
last week I learned that a persented cough for last 10 years that no 
Doctors could explain till I saw a ENT Doctor last tuesday and told me
that I have GERD ! which is the check valve that stops your stomach
contents from coming out your mouth with GERD when I lay down the stomach
acid comes up into my throat which causes the cough, so I doubled up on my
Omeprazole dosage which has helped somewhat 

So Tues, the ENT Doctor, then Weds, the Stomach Doctor


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## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

OpenSights said:


> Other than antibiotics on the very rare occasion do I ever truly follow a doctors orders when it comes meds. Tonight is much better, only 400mg first thing, then 200 at noon, 200 at night.
> 
> My mom lives in the land of fruits and nuts, which is the perfect home for her. I don’t have much faith in modern medicine, and use it at a minimum.


Jerry has some good general advice about NSAIDS especially if you are self medicating with over the counter products, but keep in mind that most physicians actually do know a little bit more about medicine than most plumbers. We laugh at homeowners with no training who hack things up because they won't call or listen to professional plumbers. It's the same exact principle. There are some good and some bad physicians, just like plumbers. You can choose to be suspicious of that which you don't understand, but just remember how well that turns out for many homeowners. Some homeowners do skate by with whatever fix they finagle, despite their training or knowledge, some are very sorry for their choice. Same can be said about patients.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

MACPLUMB777 said:


> Omeprazole Is what I have been on since the early 90's to prevent ulcers
> last week I learned that a persented cough for last 10 years that no
> Doctors could explain till I saw a ENT Doctor last tuesday and told me
> that I have GERD ! which is the check valve that stops your stomach
> ...


 My touch screen isn’t working so I’m doing this by voice so I’m sure there’s going to be some typos. Back in 2000 I got a hiatal hernia and ended up having the leper scopic surgery also are commonly known as the wrap where they take your esophagus and put below your Elia LES and take the top of your stomach and wrap your esophagus making it look like a hotdog in a bun. About the only thing that I seem to help was to constantly eat to keep the acid at bay. I went from about 185 pounds to 235 which is not a good thing in the Marine Corps. Having that surgery is definitely a life-changing thing in many ways. You have to learn how to eat drink and swallow all over again even things like mashed potatoes go down they stop at that spot and you have to sit there and wait for it to finally answer your stomach.


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## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

I've had my full share of serious health issues too. Makes you appreciate what is really important in life.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

goeswiththeflow said:


> I've had my full share of serious health issues too. Makes you appreciate what is really important in life.


Not to mention the moment you say to yourself “I guess that cranky old fart was telling the truth!”


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