That's some scary stuff. Health is something that is so easy to take for granted, and it's also something that can be taken away forever in the blink of an eye. I'm glad you've at least found some relief - I know you were really in a bad way for a long time.

When I fell last weekend, for a few moments I was worried that I'd done some real damage to my hip. I'm fortunate that a bad bruise seems to be the only real injury, but the same fall in another 10-20 years could be a totally different story for me.

This is probably the 4th incident in my life in which I could have gotten seriously hurt. Two of those involved ladders during summer construction jobs in college, one of which occurred on an extension ladder at a height of about 15 feet. Thankfully I had my wits about me and knew bailing out was a better strategy than trying to hold onto the ladder as it fell. So, I simply turned around and jumped so that the landing could be somewhat on my own terms. I was able to tuck and roll as I hit the ground, which was on a slight slope, and that helped me absorb the impact. I was fortunate to walk away totally unscathed...ah, youth. Ever since, that incident is in the back of my mind when I have to use an extension ladder.