On August 31st, I was talking on the phone with my sister in Nebraska, as we were planning on playing some Canasta on Yahoo games. I told here just a sec...need a diet pepsi first. I went into my kitchen, got a glass, filled it with ice, then walked over to the 12-pk of diet pepsi standing on one end against the cupboard. I bent down to open it with my right hand, and all of a sudden BAM!!! My knee popped so loud it sounded like a gunshot. Immediately there was excrutiating pain going from my knee into my hip and lower back. It sent me to the floor!! As I'm falling to the floor I dropped my glass of ice and grabbed for the kitchen sink and counter! The pain was so bad I was screaming the worst scream of my life. My sister is listening to this on the other line, and she's yelling into the phone what happened? Are you okay? Cindy...what's going on? She immediately used her cell phone to call my dad, who lives only 5 miles away from me. He called 911 and then raced over to my house. He got there before the ambulance and rescue unit did. They put me on the stretcher and away we went to the hospital. I'm still screaming in pain!! We get to the hospital and I laying screaming in the ER for 2 1/2 hours before being seen by a doctor. They did x-rays of my leg and back. They kept me over night and then transported me to the Peoria, IL Hospital, over an hour away. They gave me a healthy dose of morphine, which really helped the pain, but later made me vomit for 2 days. At the Peoria hospital, (the doctors and staff there are just wonderful), they ran more tests, and did an MRI of both my back and knee. Low and behold....I tore two ligements in my right knee, dislocated my hip (from the fall), pinched a nerve in my left leg leaving the area between the hip and knee complete numb, and to top it off....ruptured the disk at L4-L5. WOW!!! So after a week in that hospital, they sent me home, on numerous meds.... I went to the orthopedic surgeon, he did cortizone shots in the knee. A week later, no help....now I'm scheduled to have knee surgery in 2 weeks!!! Also, in about 2 weeks, I'm to start sterroid injections in my back, to see if that helps, before doing any surgical proceedures on my back!!! Guess where I'm going to be all fall and winter!!! You've got it right....hospitals and physical therapy!!! I'm only 46 years old....whoever said the forties are fabulous should be shot!!! The forties are the gateway to growing older.....the beginning of things falling apart! Obviously I won't be selling anything for awhile on ebay....so all my favorite customers, please bear with me....and hopefully in a few months I can muster up the strength to list some more items. You all have been so wonderful! I can honestly say that 99% of my customers have been terrific!!! Now...since I'm going to be laid up for a few months at least, if anyone has any tips on how I can get my housework and cooking done easier, please let me know....or if you have any good easy one-pot recipes for me...that would also be appreciated!!! I'm probably spending my 47th birthday in November either in physical therapy or having surgery on my back..... So then there's the problem with Christmas!!! Still gotta shop....or make things...so any idea's on that would be nice too. You all have a "spiffy" weekend... Cindy