h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I consider myself very lucky to have thick bones. In the first week of September I had an accident and badly bruised my leg. It is almost healed now, almost 3 months on, still pinky and lumpy, but I've been massaging it and it seems to be finally dispersing. People who have seen it in the duration have remarked that it's a miracle I didn't break my leg. I've never broken a bone (touch wood) and I know I'm only here today because I have a thick skull (stop giggling at the back). I was just telling Gordon this morning that when I was a child I used to jump from one to the other of the huge concrete-cubed "tank deterrents" on Cleethorpes beach, along with all the other kids. One day I missed the target and fell backwards - cracked my head - and opened my eyes feeling as light as a feather - I thought I had died and could fly. Only when a lady stranger appeared above me (I was laid on the sand) and asked me if I was alright did I realise I was still alive.

We're all happy that you are alive and kicking, so to speak.

I once fell through the bars of a climbing frame while running across it, catching my chin on the way down. That stung. Still got all my own teeth!

It was my habit in my junior days to swing as high as I could on the swings and then at the apex leap off and see how far I could get.

Only bone I've ever broken (maybe - and it's kind of hard to tell, which makes me think not..) was the third toe on my right foot, when I tried inserting an unshod foot through a brick wall instead of having the necessary clearing distance. Toe buckled. Hurt. swelled up, turned black, and then went back to normal.

Since they don't splint toes, I've no idea if I broke it then or not.

Worst I came away with when I went through the floor and into the kitchen during renovation work was one (all over) very large bruise.

I've concluded I don't break: I bounce.

Hi there Galaxy Babe! And Bel and Clive. Yeah it's nice having strong bones. I only broke a bone once in my life, and that was during a fight when I was sixteen. We had fairly violent schools back then, and it was a regular occurrence in my school that you would suddenly see almost the entire school in motion during break, as yells of 'fight, fight' resound and all would run to wherever this fight was taking place to spectate. They were one-on-one matches usually over matters of honor, usually brief but occasionally quite violent. But fair fighting was expected since all were performing in front of an audience. Anyways I was in one such a match but not actually in school but during a school camp over the holidays, over a rivalry issue where I and another guy both were in a team and I was the official leader and this guy wasn't giving me the respect. So there was a challenge and we slugged it out. Only a couple of hits each, I got a decent one against the jaw and in turn gave him a couple as well, one of which broke the fifth metacarpal on my left hand (the bone the end of which forms the knuckle of the pinky). Well then all of us were called for some kind of duty so the fight had to break up, but I had to go through the rest of the camp - which was filled with physical activities - with the broken hand, because if I went to the doctors I'd have to admit I fighted and would have been in very deep trouble. When I cam home again, only then did I go to the doctor with the hand, and by then the bone had already mended, but not straight! So to this day I have a crooked metacarpal in my left hand.

I jumped from bed to bed and ended up headfirst in the radiator when I was about 4 or 5 years old. Nothing broken but blood all over the place. My father locked my head between his knees while our neighbour, who was a shaved my scalp and stitched me up. It's probably a good thing I still have a full head of hair lest I scare the children away

Years later I broke everything possible in my left ankle - except bones. Ligaments were torn apart and had to be sewn together and I was in plaster for eight of the hottest summer weeks in years! For years after that I had to wear parachute boots from the army surplus shop

Glad you didn't break and are on the mend, AGB

thin skinned:

Cut open my thumb this afternoon slicing onions.

I'm glad you have thick bones, GB. I hope your leg gets better soon.

I slipped on the ice a year ago and fell down my front steps. It took my legs about 9 months to recover, although I didn't break any bones. They're fine now.

GB, I have had a couple of nasty falls over the last couple of years, involving my knees both times. The last time at the same moment PHM passed away. I just remember thinking as I went down 'I mustn't hurt myself, I am needed'! Both times it took months for the bruises to disappear.

If the bruising is still bad have you tried Arnica cream? I found it wonderful for getting the bruising out. It was recommended by a friend whose face was seriously dented after she fell on her patio slabs.

I think(hope) I have big strong bones too, falling is not to be recommended at my age

Hope you are soon mended.

Websailor

It seems I'm the only one who's never broken anything. My eldest son, who is usually very clumsy, broke his leg not long before his wedding, but he recovered fortunately in time. Neither of the other two ever broke anything. I always let them climb and jump without getting the screaming abdabs like some mothers seem to. That way they gained confidence and have become good judges of distance and their own strength. As for me - I just avoid sport or any other physical activity. Judging by other people's experiences, it's by far the healthiest option.

The dentist who removed my wisdom teeth told me I had the jawbone of an ass, and bone so dense it would be at home in a textbook or a carnival sideshow. This has undoubtedly saved my spleen on more than one occasion, and makes for a remarkably hard head.

Ooops - also I saw your red-legged photo. Get better soon!

I wish I had somewhat thicker bones. Or more robust ones, at any rate. I once ended up on crutches after a terrible telephone-answering accident, and again after trying to save a few bottles of riesling from a sudden storm. I ended up upside-down in a rosebush that time. Thicker bones wouldn't have stopped the embarrassment, but they might have reduced the duration.

My father is 88 and is starting to lose control of his body. He keeps on falling, and cracking his head against walls. But despite needing to be sewed up, he hasn't broken any bones as old people often do.

Glad it wasn't anything worse, accidents are easily done.
I had a fall this year that would have been worth £250 on You've Been Framed.
The wind took my plastic recycling bag so I chased after it. Leapt to
trap it with my leading foot but the wind stopped and I landed on it
with the other foot.
Feet went straight up in the air and I landed on my back. Shock went up my spine
and I felt each vertebrae clack against the next.
So there I am flat out on my back in agony and this young man comes by.
"Taken a fall?" he says,
"Yes" I manage to reply.
"Nasty" he says and carries on walking.
Good Samaritan in reverse.

We've got good bones in my family too, can't think of any immediate relations who've ever broken anything. But perhaps none of us do anything too daring!

Bruising & wrenches often seem to take longer to mend though. A couple of my colleagues have each spent months getting over a twisted ankle.

I've found that it gets worse as you get older. Tumbles that I thought nothing
of when I was younger are more of a big deal these days. I don't bounce
back so quickly from them.

I never broke a bone and never thought twice about jumping out of trees as a kid.

<BB<

Silviculture Parkour! Think of the videos you could have made.

5 months on from my accident and a small update: leg still isn't healed so I went to see my GP (another new one) last week. He ordered an x-ray "to see what's going on" and seemed surprised that an x-ray wasn't taken at the time I went to A&E considering the (then) state of my leg (which he guessed, looking at it now 5 months on it's still ).

Had the x-ray yesterday, results in a week.

Must dash, I have a fasting blood test (so no brekkie or for me this morning) and I have to go collect Mum for her routine blood test, which I scheduled right after mine (ain't I a )

Then the Tesco run then carvery lunch but I may have to squeeze in a at Tescos

Feel better GB