So I promised myself I’d get back doing Cold Starts, at least, here in this fresh, brand-new, still-vacuum-sealed Year of Our Lard 2024, and so I am. I mean, sort of. I’m doing this one, and I hope to keep it up, but I’m not gonna lie – I still don’t feel exactly 100%. Mind if I kvetch a bit here? Sure, that’s how everyone wants to start the new year – listening to some dork whose aorta exploded gripe about things!
So, during surgery, there was a bit of unexpected nerve damage to whatever nerve-wires feed my right thigh. That means it’s weirdly numb save for shooting lightning bolts of pain that appear at unpredictable intervals. I hate it. It’s driving me bizzonkers, and it makes sleeping difficult. Even better, the doctors plan for it is to do, medically, fuck-all, since all you can do it wait it out, which they say will take months. Oh boy.
I’m also kind of achey all the time, which is to be expected, since I was cracked open like a delicious crab, and while I’m weaning off the pain meds, when I do give in and take them they make me feel nice and loopy, like last night, when I tried to explain to my wife something dreadfully important that also, somehow, had precisely zero words in English to describe whatever the hell it was, which I absolutely cannot remember. But I sure tried to explain it, just, you know, sans words.
I did not explain it.
I still get tired quicker than I want to. And I’m tired of being tired, tired of not being able to do the things I did like drive or pick up heacvy things or wrestle full-grown badgers into submission. And yet, I have to remind myself, that’s okay, I actually am recovering, and this is all part of the process.
I know. And I also know how thankful I am to be here, and for all of you, who have kept me going in some very real, non-metaphorical ways.
So, yes, I’m bitching. And I’m sick of my thigh feeling like it was caught fucking Zeus’ daughter. I’m sick of feeling cold and brittle. But it won’t last forever, and I’m so happy to be able to complain.
Oh, and that car up there is a 1924 Renault NN, one of the Renault “coal scuttle” cars that had the radiator behind the engine, with cooling air pulled into those gills on either side of the hood. These things only had a 951cc inline-4 making 17 hp – honestly pretty damn good for the era!
Glad you’re up and about relatively speaking. I know your pain on the nerve things. It took me the better part of 20 years to regain full use of one of my hands after a neck injury, and I’ve now had to recover my ability to use both of my arms, at different times, after crush injuries to the nerves in my upper arms from being attacked by felons. It takes forever, but if it is going to heal, one day you’ll basicly wake up and it’ll be almost perfectly normal, in my experience anyway.
Best I can say is good luck, get feeling better, and you’re plenty tough enough to fight through it.
This is good advice. When nerves are stretched or crushed or cut, but still lie in approximately the correct locations, they will sometimes grow back together, and try their best to start to function again. It isn’t always perfect, and frequently there will be a bit of weird misassignment of function when one cut off bit connects to the wrong upper bit. So you can get these ‘paresthesia’ things where light touch feels like burning or whatever. But the upshot, is that most of the time, young strong guys like you will get a lot of function back in the first six months, with good rehab, and a diet high in vitamins and other nutrients.
I’m personally just happy to see that your mental attitude is so positive. We really are all behind you here. We are going to do whatever we can do to help you with your recovery, Mr. Torchinsky.
Oh, and happy New Year. Kvetch at full velocity. Send it…
Glad that you’re feeling better, Torch! Keep an even strain on things and nothing too sudden! Stuff takes time to heal, so give it time. I know, that’s a lot harder done than said.
Welp, the Ami yesterday and this Renault today amply demonstrate the French are not like you and me. I know, obvious.
Dear Jason, you are living the paradoxes of a body created by evolution, definitely not designed to facilitate repair work, and which often shows unexpected failures of seemingly unrelated systems.
I don’t know why I’m writing this. I do know we are all of us long out of warranty and fortunate to be here every new day. I’m grateful to see you coming back.
“I’m tired of being tired,”
Lili von Shtüpp can empathize: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uai7M4RpoLU
Take the time you need to heal buddy! Meanwhile, if you’re able to occasionally vomit up a column, bitching and moaning included, we’ll all appreciate it!
PS- that Renault is adorable!
‘Vomit up a column.’
OR:
‘Extrude a column. Lavishly.’
Vote below please…
This is why I’m a member. Haha. Keep recovering Torch. We need more writing like this
Welcome back! Rant away. We nearly lost my dad in the spring and when he got well enough to be mad about how bad he felt it was such an oddly comforting thing to witness. I’m happy for you. Not for your pain and suffering, (I’m not that cruel) but that you are here with us working through it. Hang in there, we’ll all be here reading whenever you feel like typin’ ‘bout taillights.
Glad to have you back, Jason. A little Torch is better than no Torch, so take your time recovering.
Welcome back Torch! I think all of us are happy to hear your kvetching.
Love to read your work again, but don’t rush your recovery.
If you can’t find the time to do it right,
How will you find the time to do it over?
You do not want to do this over.
Jason on meds. How would we know?
So happy to read your twisted similes and see a cheerful centennial Renault brightening my browser.
Happier than Dr. Frauenkensteen ! Never paid Greek mythology much attention, but hear that Helen was quite the looker, then she started a war about prophylactics or something. Who knows what inter-dimensional planes of existence you trounced apron whilst not quite here, and I’m sure there are no words to explain to your wife about such shenanigans.
Get better quickly, dude!
Aorta do something about that nerve thing … Welcome back, Jason, your seams are your ticket out. Meanwhile, take some advice from Foghat:
Slow ride
Take it easy
Keep bitching man, and we’ll keep reading. It’s good to have you here.
Don’t worry man, if the thigh thing doesn’t sort itself out we’ll put together a crack team of backyard mechanics, YouTubers and mad scientists to make you the world’s first carborg! Now the only questions are which one, the Chang-li or the Pao? And do we go full “Cars” horrorverse style or do you become a cartaur, upper half human, lower half automobile?
Jason’s cartaur would be split longitudinally
Jason, wishing you a steady recovery, and very glad to have you still on this planet.
The best read! A cool car presented by a cool guy!
What a great way to greet the first morning of 2024! Glad you are well enough to favor us with some classic Torch. Bell well in 24 it will take some time but you will be all back together again.
Cheers
“so sick, so sick of being tired
and oh so tired of being sick…” TBS
welcum baq
Welcome back Jason! Here’s to another year of taillights and other arcana and you getting closer and closer to feeling 100%!
Yay! Welcome back
Jason I think we are all just happy to read your words again. As someone who broke their sternum and also had a back injury that caused nerve pain in one leg, I had a micro-machine size version of your pain. But I can say that time does heal
, so hold onto that crazy goop that makes you who you are, don’t let the humors leak out! We will be here for you during the whole process.
Good to see you back hope your thigh thing sorts itself out. Always cool to learn new things – I’ve seen similar cars, it never occurred to me the radiator would be behind the engine and that is what those vents are for.
Glad that you are still amongst the kvetching, all things considered. And, ugh, the numbness and pain can be truly maddening. Nerves take time to heal and start behaving properly again so hang in there. (Get a second opinion if you can on how to deal with that as it heals up). And as far as pain meds go, I have one word, or, rather, two- stool softeners. Godspeed JT and Happy New Year.
Never thought I would be so happy to hear someone bitch and complain! Good to have you back!