There are times when your DNA is exposed for what it is: Your handed-down future. When you can see quite clearly where you came from, and where it\u2019s taking you. Observe one generation and see where it will lead the next. Sometimes it\u2019s in your looks. Or your shape and mannerisms. Sometimes it\u2019s health. And sometimes it\u2019s the dumb things you do. Or know you will do. Because it\u2019s all in the DNA, and there\u2019s no changing that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was Saturday when the texts between my brother and I started bouncing back and forth. My dad had taken a fall. He had nearly blacked out and toppled over at home. On his way down, he did some damage. Some pretty major damage. A broken nose. A gash across his brow requiring enough stitches that it brings automatic membership to the crew of pirates of his choice. Scrapes, bruises, cuts \u2026 and oh yeah, \u2026 a cracked vertebrae in his spine. His neck. The C2 vertebrae.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The C2!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OK, a little anatomy lesson here: The C2 is the second segment in your spine, just under your skull. It\u2019s pretty important for support, head movement, and of course, protecting the spine. In particular, the C1 and C2 vertebrae do not take kindly to being knocked around. When you look up injuries to the C2, Web sites like to roll out big words like: severe, can lead to full paralysis, often fatal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can crack a lot of things in your body, but you would be wise to stay away from the C2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For these reasons, the minute you step foot in a hospital with what turns out to be such an injury, they understandably freakout. They call trauma surgeons, strap on a neck collar and duct tape you to your bed while barking: \u201cDon\u2019t move! For any reason! For the rest of your life!!! You are a danger to your-SELF!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And because it\u2019s in their DNA, people like my father will reply: \u201cGot it. I understand. Very serious. So \u2026 can I go get my iPad real quick? It\u2019s in the car.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DNA \u2013 It stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. A molecule that stores all of our genetic data. It\u2019s woven into two linked strands that wind like a spiral staircase, encoding all of the biological information that makes us who we are today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You will have black hair, blue eyes, stand roughly 6 feet tall, and when a nurse says you\u2019ll have to stay flat on your back until the spinal doc sees you, you\u2019ll say, \u201cOh come on! Isn\u2019t this overkill? This is like murder on my sinuses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s hard-wired into DNA, too. Doctors and geneticists may disagree, but I\u2019m not sure we totally know enough about it to be sure some of these traits aren\u2019t passed down from generation to generation in our code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know this because as I was standing in the hospital trying to explain to the nurse how she needed to watch my father like a hawk \u2013 that she needed military-grade tie-downs like the ones they use on missiles \u2013 I could see myself in the mirror. That this is exactly what I would do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
D-N-A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t really worry that much about aging, or getting injured as I age, which is part of the problem. I worry about not recognizing my limits, dialing back when I need to or just listening when people tell me what I should or should not do. These are things not in my deoxyribonucleic wheelhouse. Probably the same for most of us. Certainly the case for my dad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After several days in the hospital, and running every test they could find in the storeroom, the best medical determination they could come up for what caused all of this was over-exertion and dehydration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wait \u2026 WHAT?!?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, apparently being 80 years old and over-doing it in the blazing heat of Tampa. The morning bike rides. The grueling work in his yard and shop. The running around and getting ready for a road trip. The fast pace and the drowning humidity. They figure he overdid it, got dehydrated, his blood pressure dropped and things went blurry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four days later, the hospital cut him loose from his military-grade straps and sent him on his way. \u201cWalk! Don\u2019t Run!\u201d they yelled at him like a lifeguard as he bolted for the door. \u201cYou still have a C2 fracture!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DNA yelled, \u201cScurry like a wild bunny!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019s home now, strapped in a neck brace, but not much worse for the wear. In less than a week, his face is healing up so quickly that his pirate membership might get revoked. So is the rest of him. Thompsons!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember at one point saying something to him like: \u201cYou know, you\u2019ve got to remember you\u2019re 80. You can\u2019t keep going like you\u2019re 30. You have to slow down a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s the same thing I\u2019ve said to my mother countless times. And my aunt, who also ended up in the hospital for a spill earlier this year. I said it like I had this wisdom. This insight into the world that they don\u2019t have. Like they need a lecture about things they couldn\u2019t, or shouldn\u2019t, do anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the hard part \u2013 the really difficult-to-stomach bit \u2013 is realizing I would do the same thing. And one day probably will. Even though I know you have to find balance and slow down once in a while. But I can\u2019t help it. It\u2019s in the DNA, after all. Keep going. Keep pushing. Keep living. Expend everything you\u2019ve got in the tank. Leave nothing left on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part of it worries me \u2013 that inability to pace myself or go easy. But part of it also makes me think, \u201cIs there really any other way to be?\u201d That there aren\u2019t enough straps to hold me down, and maybe I\u2019m OK with that. Because it\u2019s really deoxyribonucleic acid\u2019s fault. And when I turn 80, I can get my own neck brace and join a crew of pirates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There are times when your DNA is exposed for what it is: Your handed-down future. When you can see quite clearly where you came from, and where it\u2019s taking you. Observe one generation and see where it will lead the next. Sometimes it\u2019s in your looks. Or your shape and mannerisms. Sometimes it\u2019s health. And sometimes it\u2019s the dumb things you do. Or know you will do. Because it\u2019s all in the DNA, and there\u2019s no changing that. <\/p>\n
It was Saturday when the texts between my brother and I started bouncing back and forth. My dad had taken a fall. He had nearly blacked out and toppled over at home. On his way down, he did some damage. Some pretty major damage. A broken nose. A gash across his brow requiring enough stitches that it brings automatic membership to the crew of pirates of his choice. Scrapes, bruises, cuts \u2026 and oh yeah, \u2026 a cracked vertebrae in his spine. His neck. The C2 vertebrae. <\/p>\n
The C2!<\/p>\n
OK, a little anatomy lesson here: The C2 is the second segment in your spine, just under your skull. It\u2019s pretty important for support, head movement, and of course, protecting the spine. In particular, the C1 and C2 vertebrae do not take kindly to being knocked around. When you look up injuries to the C2, Web sites like to roll out big words like: severe, can lead to full paralysis, often fatal.<\/p>\n
You can crack a lot of things in your body, but you would be wise to stay away from the C2. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[579,561,574],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2022-nutshells","category-family","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2405"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2406,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405\/revisions\/2406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}