Grandma's Ninja Warrior Diary: The Power of Adrenaline


 Yesterday, a newly adopted feral cat hid himself under our very large, 7-section sofa. I pushed the sofa out a bit to reach him and found that by doing so I had trapped his paw under one of the heavy bars that held the sections together in the back of the sofa. Concerned for his safety, I instinctively reached out with my left had, lifted up the end of the sofa (about three sections) and pulled the cat out with my right hand.

My goodness, I thought, after letting the sofa back down, I have become quite strong from my training over the past seven months. Quickly, though, the reality set in. It as not my muscles alone that lifted the sofa. It was adrenaline pouring into the muscles, making them stronger.

Very quickly, my wrist began to throb. Oh, oh! I made it through the night, sleeping though the pain -- I can do that.

In the morning, the pain made it clear that I needed to confess to the doctor my foolishness at thinking I might be superwoman. I wrapped an ace bandage around the wrist, rather awkwardly since I had to do it one-handed. Then, off we went to the clinic in nearby Hollister.

The doctor took an x-ray, which turned out to be difficult to read. It has been sent to a radiologist to rule out a hairline fracture. For now, the formal diagnosis is bad sprain. 

The result:
  • analgesic (had to pay for the prescription)
  • hot and cold compresses (had to buy a heating pad)
  • splint for two weeks (had to buy that, too)
So, an expensive lesson: watch out for the power of adrenaline. Do not underestimate its ability to make you falsely feel super human and foolishly act upon that. (But it might become a very useful natural chemical response in a real ninja competition.)

Doctor's orders: no upper body fitness training for two weeks, no lifting anything over five pounds for two weeks -- and no lifting sectional sofas one-handed ever.

MSI Press Blogger: Dr. Betty Lou Leaver (see Betty Lou's books, published under the name of Leaver, Mahlou, and Quinelle)

Note: Grandma's Ninja Warrior Diary will be published by MSI Press in 2022

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