Sunday, October 02, 2011

The next step along the path...


I am home guys and gals. After a month and a half over at my parent's house after I broke my ankle and had surgery, I am home for good.

More on what has transpired since then in just a sec, but first I want to mention that I am participating in NaBloWriMo this year. I am always wanting to post more in my blog but have trouble with staying in the habit, and as NaBloWriMo is all about writing a blog post every single day for the month of October, it would be fun and get me back in the habit of posting, especially since I have not been posting hardly at all since I got hurt. Check it and the other blogs out when you get the chance, and if you do, stop by and tell them you saw them on NaBloWriMo, makes us all feel good!

Now, where was I? Oh, home, right. Last Monday, on September 26th, I got my cast taken off and put into a walking boot thanks to my father, who still had his old one and let me use it. If he had not had it, I would have been put into another fiberglass cast with a strap on sandal of sorts that would let me walk. If I would have had to be stuffed into another miserable cast for 4 more weeks, I would have lost it. I just know it. The change in my life has been immediate and for the better. By the next day I was walking with one crutch. I had walked from my parent's house to the bus stop there and got Alex off the bus, twice, with no problems. Wednesday I was ready to go. I came home.

That Thursday, I moved my best friend in here with us until they find a place of their own. I have hardly been home since then, as we have gone to dinner and shopping and to lunch and have been spending a lot of time together. I am exhausted, but happy.

Over the last 4 days, I have gone from one crutch to no crutches, although if I get tired I use them, and always take them with me where ever I go. We walked about Wal-Mart for two days in a row, and I used no crutches. I walk around the house with no crutches. It is wonderful. I can take the boot off when I get tired, and to shower. I have to wear it as much as possible until Wednesday however, per doctors orders. Turns out I had a Trimalleolar Fracture which means : (courtesy of eMedicineHealth )

  • "Tri" means three so in a trimalleolar fracture, all three malleoli (medial, lateral and posterior) bones of the ankle are broken.
  • These are unstable injuries often caused by a large amount of force, disruption of the ligaments, or a dislocation.
So yeah. That is what I have. I finally got to see my X-Rays, which were interesting. Two screws in the left side of the ankle and a place and 5 screws on the right side of the ankle. I have a mostly bionic looking foot now, seems more metal than bone in there!

I love my Doctor, Dr. Andrew Wong, and his staff. I have had to have similar surgery on my left knee many years ago, and had his colleague, who was a monster. I could not stand him, or his uncaring staff, so I was a little worried about Dr. Wong. I was very surprised at his excellent bedside manner, his attention to me, and the wonderful staff he had. Dr. Wong came to see me every single time I was due in for an appointment to have my cast changed and x-rays taken, instead of just letting his more than capable staff handle it. He always asked how I was doing, and was very attentive and answered any questions I had truthfully and in a straight forward manner. He listened to any suggestions I might have, and was so happy that I managed to find a walking boot so they would not have to put me in another cast. He said he had been thinking about it, and the fact I did not have insurance so could not afford the 200+ dollar boot, and it had been bothering him enough to see how he could get around it. That made me feel really good, and let me know he really did care about his patients, he was not just in it for the money, he genuinely wanted to help people. I am very thankful he was on call the day I got hurt! He told me I was free to put as much weight on it as I was comfortable with, and I asked when should I try to get off crutches, and he said any time I was ready, but within the next two weeks if I could get started. Two days later, I am walking without them, even I do walk a bit like I am a drunk penguin. I can CARRY stuff in my hands again! I can not tell you how much of a pain in the ass that has been lol. I have to leave the boot on as much as possible, aside from showering and small breaks from the boot, for ten days, which is this coming Wednesday. Then he said I can sleep without it and leave it off for longer periods of time if I will not be walking for a while, like during a movie or something. My foot feels really odd when the boot is not on...I put my hurt foot on the floor while I was trying to get into the shower to sit on my shower seat ( no weight on it, just enough to lay the foot flat on the floor ) and I was disturbed at the feeling my foot was not even there. It is still largely numb over at least 3/4 of the foot, as the nerves are still regrowing ( the lightning strikes that travel up and down my leg from the foot let me know this is going well ) It was strange after the constant heavy presence of the casts and then the boot, it just felt like my foot was missing. I was actually HAPPY to get out of the shower and put the boot back on, it made me feel more...whole...like I really did have a foot. Very surreal and unexpected.

So all in all, my recovery is going well, and things are looking up. I am mobile and very happy to have my friend here with me. It would have been quite a shock going from being surrounded by 5 people all the time to having NO ONE here during the day. So I am thankful for that. I am alone right this second however, which is nice. Everyone else went to the flea market, but I have been walking around and surrounded by noise and people for most of a week and I just needed some down time, so I sent them without me. It was the right thing to do.

It was hard leaving my parent's place to come home. As much as I missed Jack, having my kids there with me all the time was soothing to my torn soul. I have been walking around with those two massive holes in my heart for years and I am happy to say those holes are considerably smaller now. It was also nice to be close to my Mom and Dad, and Dad tried several times the last two days I was there to get me to stay longer. That made me feel good. I know we were a pain, but at the same time they liked having Alex and I there all the time.

So now starts the next steps along my path of life. Learning how to walk correctly again, healing more, taking care of my house and family again, and having one of my closest friends here with me, and then near by after they find a place, are all waiting for me as I hobble down the road that is my life. I am looking forward to where the path leads me next!



7 comments:

Luna Raven said...

I love the piece of art you chose to share. I have missed you being online and I am so glad you are back! Sorry I dropped the ball on writing & keeping you entertained, I am working on balance this week!

Unknown said...

Thank you, I am glad to be back! No need to be sorry, I had cable to entertain me which was great as we do not have it here at home lol.

Hart Johnson said...

Wow--such a big injury and complicated recovery! I'm very glad you are to the 'boot' that you can remove for things like showering (I think I'd die without regular submersion). So I'm sure it's nice to be home. I hope your recovery continues to go well--take it very slow. you'll get there!

Magaly Guerrero said...

So happy you are back! NaBloWriMo sounds like a great way to get back in gear, I just can't post every single day so I'll seat back and read what you write.

I hope the ankle reaches 100% soon, I know how those things go.

Tamara said...

Hey! Welcome back to blogland! lol I've missed you! I'm so glad you are back home, moving around and things are looking up again. :)

Faery Chaos said...

So glad you're back! Have really missed your posts :)

Also glad to hear that you're healing up well!!!

Anonymous said...

You sound happy : )

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