During the summer, I realized the value of listening to your body when it talks to you. I was searching for a street number on a house at around 3:00am – something I do every day on the job. I have a flashlight with me, so I can see where I’m going.
Ignoring The Initial Shock
As I was looking up for the correct house number (not looking down, like I should have been doing), I accidentally stepped in a gopher hole and twisted my right ankle. The initial pain to my ankle and foot was sharp, yet brief. I didn’t think much of it.
Eventually, I did find the house, backed my Cadillac Escalade into the correct driveway, pressed “On Location” and then texted my passenger. My passenger got on board and off we went to Newark Airport.
Later that day, my right ankle and foot started to throb, as I was waiting for a passenger in Manhattan to bring her to northern New Jersey. After I dropped her off at her home, I went to our NJ office to talk to dispatch. They asked me if I wanted to do another ride, but I decided I needed to go home and rest my right foot.
My Amazing Lady
When I got home, I went to bed and tried to rest my right foot and ankle. My lady friend, Ellie, came home and immediately sprang into action. She elevated my right leg, wrapped my foot in ice and gave me Advil (ibuprofen). She even went in search of a walker from a neighbor and a walking cane from another friend. Ellie recommended I rest my foot, but I had other plans.
Stubborn Work Ethic
That night, my dispatcher called me and asked if I wanted to do a 4:00am and 6:00am ride and then train a new chauffeur in Philadelphia. I said my right foot was too swollen for me to work with passengers, potentially lifting heavy luggage. I agreed to drive to Philadelphia to train the new chauffeur, since I could train him in an office setting and rest my ankle and foot. The training session went well.
I was not listening to my body… and, because of this, I was still working and in pain from July 31 through August 7. I would have recovered sooner (and better) if I had just taken a few days off.
The next day, dispatch sent me five rides from clients’ homes to Newark Airport. I had no trouble with the first three rides, but the last two would have involved a lot of heavy luggage, and going to and from JFK, which has its own “special” challenges. (If you’ve been there in recent years, I’m sure you know what I mean.)
I was still in pain, so I returned home around noon on that day. I slept until the next morning, continuing to elevate and ice my right ankle and leg, while taking ibuprofen. The next day, Sunday, was my day off, so I just stayed in bed all day, resting and elevating my injured ankle and leg.
Meeting The Boss
On Monday, I drove to Philadelphia again to train the new chauffeur for a second day. He drove us to JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Airports as part of our training together.
After that, my chauffeur manager – who was traveling with us – wanted to see my foot and ankle. He saw I had a galosh on my right foot because it was too swollen to wear my regular shoe. He said he was going to put me on disability and told me to see a doctor and have my ankle and foot x-rayed.
My Special Lady, Ellie, continued to help me recover from my injury. She was encouraging and supportive during my entire recovery.
I saw my doctor that same day and got x-rayed the following day. The results were negative, which was a positive thing.
For two days, I was totally off the road… which was killing me. I was able to see my doctor after the second day, and he cleared me to go back to work the day after
I’m grateful to my company for giving me the time to rest and recover from my injury. They showed me they cared about my health.
The moral of this Street Story is to listen to your body when it is trying to tell you something. If you feel pain or discomfort anywhere in your body, take it seriously and take immediate action. You will likely recover faster, and with better results.
