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I recognize some people may be wondering about the aftermath of the minor fender-bender I described in my previous post. I realize I’m far behind on my daily entries (a goal I had set for myself).

First things first: aside from residual tense muscles, I am fine. The doctor examined me Tuesday morning, and did not find anything broken. Given the situation, I doubted that I had sustained serious injury; I doubt the yellow cab could have been driving more than 5 miles per hour. I went to see the doctor as a precaution.

She did order x-rays, and said she would call if she found anything serious in them. She has not called, and I’m taking that as good news.

As for the car, the only visible damage is some scratched paint on the rear bumper. A friend at work recommended a collision shop, and I took the car to them on Friday. They did not do as thorough an inspection of the car as I expected – the rep said they’d have to actually be commissioned for the work to do that. I did get sticker shock when I saw the estimate on retouching the bumper – almost $500.

The yellow cab driver had asked I get an estimate on the damage prior to reporting it to insurance. His job might be on the line. He said he’d pay it if he could afford it; otherwise, we’d turn it over to the yellow cab company’s insurance company.

So I called him, and explained the estimate was for the visible damage only. I repeated what the rep had said: it seemed unlikely there was more damage, considering the low speed involved, but there was no guarantee. I think the yellow cab driver was as shocked by the $500 estimate as I was; what he said he didn’t want to risk it costing more than that. So, we’re turning it over to his insurance company.

Now, I admit I should have taken the car in on Monday or Tuesday of last week. Thing is, Monday I was waiting for the clinic to call to set up an appointment. I could have gone Tuesday afternoon, but I got consumed by inertia. Or maybe just by the headache.

I failed to mention the doctor prescribed Flexeril – a muscle relaxant – for the muscle tension. I’m sensitive to downers, so I’ve only been taking them in the evening. The doctor also suggested that I relax, or take it easy. So I took off Thursday and Friday, and sat around like an inert lump of flesh.

I did not take a Flexeril last night, as I need to chair a meeting at church this morning. As this entry may suggest, my energy has returned. Who knew I would be so susceptible to downers?

Anyway, I do have some tension in my left shoulder – echo of a car wreck back in the ’80s. Otherwise, I feel OK.