All I want for Christmas is two steady legs. Fingers crossed that works out. I hope Santa is listening. I don’t usually write very much about my real-time life in these postings, but the past two months have been no fun. So, this one is all about me.
I went out to walk my dog Sunshine in the evening on Monday October 12th, slipped due to the recent torrential rains that left a landscaping mess in their wake, and broke my leg. After that it was a blur of hospitals, x-rays and painkillers. I had to wait until a week after the accident to have the surgery for repair. Let me tell you, lying around for a week with broken bones pointing in the wrong direction is no picnic; I don’t care what kind of drugs they give you! The orthopedic surgeon said, “this is an unusual collection of injuries…you don’t see this very often”. It took nine surgical screws and a stainless steel plate to repair the three fractures and completely displaced ligaments in my lower leg.
After a certain number of doctor visits, follow up phone calls, x-rays, prescriptions and costs equivalent to buying a car, shouldn’t you get some sort of loyalty program reward? Where is my elite gold medallion status and upgrade certificates? Thank goodness for my amazing friends, terrific neighbors and wonderful Bluwatermom who have helped me get through all this. Special thanks to the ladies of THE Book Club for their calls, notes and delicious comfort food!
Sunshine decided to show support & solidarity by injuring her leg as well. Nothing too serious….she decided she did not like a calloused spot on her leg and began worrying at it, resulting in vet trips and the doggie “cone of shame” to keep her away from it. I think she just wanted to maximize her sofa time. She has been successful in that, as she spends a lot of time with me on the sofa where she can be relieved of her “cone of shame” while she sits with me and gets a shameless amount of petting and good doggie praise. Sunshine and I have been staying with Bluwatermom at her home for several weeks, which is more continuous togetherness than we have had in 20 years. I do not know what we would have done without Bluwatermom’s love and care.
I usually enjoy decorating my place for the holidays, but had to look for other options this year. The pictures are my 2009 bluwater tree. I already had several bluwater themed glass ornaments, and to prevent me from going completely stir crazy, Bluwatermom braved taking me out to search for a tree. She would go in stores and scout around, calling me on the cell to describe the options and taking cell pictures. I really wanted a small aluminum tree, as I loved the big one we had when I was a kid. She found one at Hobby Lobby, and then off-loaded the wheelchair from the SUV with me wearing the hated aircast for some serious shopping. We slowly wheeled around the store looking at the trees and decorations, deciding what would be best with my ornaments…and this is the result. I love it 🙂 I may keep it out year-round when this is over, to remind me of the love and care it represents.
Sunshine is still wearing the doggie “cone of shame” and I am still going from wheelchair to walker to crutches and back…but we are both improving. I put both feet on the floor today and wore two bedroom shoes instead of just one! I already had a phobia about falling (clearly a well-deserved phobia!) so getting back to full function is an interesting and shaky journey. If I can get two steady legs by Christmas, Bluwatermom and I may be able to get back to our normal lives by the New Year. Did you hear that Santa? Fingers crossed….
