Dang, Clint. Man, I'm gad you're OK.
Now, my story as a word of warning: Late the spring of 2011 I was finishing up my workshop. I was putting the ceiling in the 1/2 attic where I planned to store staves and wood. So, my ladder was leaning against the 2x12 floor joist for the attic. I had made 100 of trips up and down the ladder during the building process. I need to go down stairs. I swing my leg around the ladder then the other leg and the ladder starts siding. I've had ladders to slide down a wall before so I was not too concerned UNTIL I realize this was not a wall. In a moment the ladder would have nothing to lean against. I made an attempt to turn and jump, but it was too late.
I fell, shoulder to floor about 10 feet on top of the aluminum ladder. My right hip just below the hip socket landed on one leg of the ladder my right forearm slammed onto the other leg. I was certain that I'd broken my hip and my arm. But that was not the case. In 15 or 20 minutes I was moving around and finished the ceiling.
NOW fast foreward to August 6, 2012. I woke from sleeping on my right side all night with a pain between my shoulder blade and my spine. Now big deal. I'll ice it, get in the hot tub, then ice it again. I'll be fine. But, I did call work to give them a heads up. After the ice and heat and ice treatment I felt worst. I couldn't lift a coffee with my right arm. I called in sick and headed to the couch with an ice pack.
When I laid down my whole right side siezed up. It was like I had the worst charlie horse in the world radiating from my right shoulder/back down my right arm to my wrist. Every muscle in from mid back to my shoulder and down my right arm to my wrist were in cramps that were as hard as tapping on a piece of hickory. I've never been in so much pain in my life.
My wife wasn't home, so I called her to come home. On our second phone conversation I was crying and screaming in pain. If I hadn't been screaming, I'm sure I would have blacked out. She called EMS. The EMS and sheriff visist and my chiropractor calling in sick for the and my trip to the ER is too long of a story. I will say from 12:30 to 5:30 the only position that was semi bearable was with my right arm raised over my head with my right arm bent at the elbow across the top of my head while pulling on it with my left hand.
Diagonist: I had pitched nerves cause by my second rib beeing dislodged from my spine and my sternum. Caused by blunt force traumma to my right side--falling of a ladder over a year ago.
Recovery and restrictions and treatment: 8 visits to the chiropractor the first week, 6 the next, 3 the following and 2 visits a week since.
I couldn't lift over 5 pounds the rest of August. Archery deer season started here Sept. 1. So, no practicing. No bow building. Straightening arrow cane shafts hurt. I'm hunting with a 42# bow that I reduced the weight from 50# instead of the #58 bow that I had planned to hunt with this year. Even now I don't think I could string the 58# bow let alone draw it. I don't think I could grab a draw knife and peal the bark off an osage stave.
I truly hope your fall leaves you with nothing more than bruises. I know you're the kind of guy like I was--I'll walk if off and be find. But I HIGHLY recommend that you get xrays just to be sure that something does bite you in the arse later. I would never wish the pain I went through on my worst enemy, let alone a friend. Literally, if my pain would have been isolated to my arm instead of running through my torso, I would have wrapped a tournique around it, called 911 and gone to shop an removed it with a chop saw.
