Ouch!

So, I mortised in the 12 hinge plates for the “French” doors going into the utility room yesterday. I stood on my feet for 3 hours to do so I felt some pain in the left foot that has been bothering me for a couple of months now (plantar fasciitis?) and the right ankle that has pestered me off and on for close to a year(sprained during construction when I missed a step on the work site). I used the utility knife to score the outer edges and the chisel to remove the necessary wood to fit the plate in flush with the edge of the door. There was plenty of pressure on the arms and wrists while I did this but I never felt any pain from anywhere but my lower extremities—until I was finished.

As I tried to don my coat to go outside I felt a stab of pain in my right clavicle. That’s the one and only bone I have ever broken (if you discount the nose) and that happened back in the winter of ’66-’67, senior year in high school. I’ve always had a tiny lump where the healing occurred but yesterday that area felt inflamed. Touching it would create shooting pains. I couldn’t lift my arm up to put on a hat let alone put my coat on the way I normally do. I gulped some ibuprofen in the hope it would help. It didn’t. I had trouble sleeping during the night because every time I turned on my side the pain would jar me awake.

The shoulder pain remains with me this morning but something curious has happened. I have no pain in my left foot at all today—or in my right ankle. It’s as though I have a limited quantity of pain within my body and right now it’s all centered in the shoulder. If it doesn’t clear up in a day or so I just may have to go see the doctor, but I’m holding out as long as I can. I won’t baby it and if it’s just a muscle problem, it may work its way out with only the ibuprofen as an aid. The only thing I won’t be doing is shouldering my rifle to fire at anything…unless it (a deer) happens to walk into the yard, then all bets are off.