Tuesday, April 01, 2008

New Discoveries



Hi there! I never meant to become one of those bloggers who is never "home" and never goes "visiting" anymore. The leg in the aircast above is my left leg. February 27th I went to Urgent Care at 9:00 in the morning and haven't been back to work since. I've been out on Worker's Comp all this time. It's only 2/3 of one's normal salary, which I didn't know. There are a whole LOT of things I didn't know. Oh, I thought I knew and understood, but not really. Here are just a few of them:

*The value of friends and family
*How wonderful, kind, and helpful most people are
*How very difficult it is to walk and get around on crutches
*One cannot carry things while on crutches (which seems quite evident, but I had not thought about it before)
*Most places, including grocery stores, are really not handicap accessible
*My house is not handicap accessible
*Having time off from work is not necessarily fun, or a good thing
*Patience really is a virtue

I went to the bone doctor today for a check-up and am OK'd to return to work, with many restrictions, next Monday, April 7th. I'm actually looking forward to it--can you believe that? But a little bit scared about the driving. I've just started driving again, starting with short trips. It hurts to have my leg down like that and since it's the left one, there's no place in the jeep to prop it up. If it had been the right leg I could have thrown it over that middle "hump" in the jeep. But I'm really glad to be able to (sort of) drive again.

SLA and I made a deal. She has no car and I had no mobility. For the use of my jeep the past month, SLA took me to doctor appointments, grocery shopping and even took my Mom and me out out Saturday, which was a huge job for her when my Mom doesn't get around very well either. SLA took me into her home for the first few days to feed, entertain and care for me. When I finally went back home she would take me to places or do errands.

The past month has gone both slowly and quickly. Envious friends thought it would be great to get all that time off from work. Not! Just getting to the bathroom and back was an adventure, which you, if you've ever been on crutches, know all too well. Being in pain is distracting and reading or watching TV or sleeping were not good options for the first couple of weeks, although now I am enjoying those things. Two co-workers have visited me a couple of times, bringing food, books, movies and good cheer. Other friends, some of whom I hadn't seen for a long time, came to see me with books, food and movies. I've been cared for, loved and pampered!

Hope life is going well for all of you, too. Happy April Fool's Day! I really missed being at work today and getting to prank co-workers. And no, this isn't an April Fool's joke. I wish.

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8 Comments:

Blogger Maria said...

I actually DID think this was an April Fool's prank...

Ah...so sorry to hear that you have been laid up.

Once you return to work, you will be exhausted at first, but then....once you get going, it will actually feel good to be in the mix again. Or at least I hope so.

How long are you in the cast?

5:02 PM  
Blogger Walker said...

Well a broken leg really sucks the big one but.......ummmmm you didn;t say how it happened.
I hope it was kicking the boss in the head.

You know who your friends are when they come to help without being asked.

I know what its like to need crutches and to be in a cast.
A body cast once but being catered to does have some enjoyment in it especiually if there is a cute nurse willing to hang around.

I hope you get better real soon and it nice hearing from you again.

OH and hows the baby :)

5:06 PM  
Blogger Lorna said...

Delighted you're back, in spite of the reason for your being a non-blogger. I trust that your being able to go back to work means that you've recovered.

9:32 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Yeah, PBS. I've been on crutches for months at a time. May you heal and be well just as soon as possible. God Bless!

Michael

9:48 PM  
Blogger Fizzy said...

I am really glad to hear from you and thanks for the kinds words. However, I am so sorry that you have had such a hard time. It is good to knwo that friends have rallyed around to help you. Good luck with the driving.
(how did you do it?)

3:16 AM  
Blogger Anvilcloud said...

One does get rather tired of crutches. When I badly sprained my ankle way back when, I was happy when I was able to graduate to just a cane. You'll be happier now that you're getting around.

7:11 AM  
Blogger Dale said...

Oh, the things we take for granted!
I remember it all too well, PB. Glad you're mending, though, and regaining your mobility.

7:17 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Ouch!!

I hope that it isn't too painful after a month recovering and that work goes well next week. Take care of yourself!

8:51 PM  

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