So, for those that don't know already on Monday I was going down our front steps to get to the car so I could go to work and I slipped on an icy spot and fell. I thought it was only a sprain or twisted ankle and tried to (very unsuccesfully) get myself back in the house. Failing miserably at that, I did manage to get myself into the car - still under the dillusion I would be able to drive myself to an urgent care place in the neighborhood.
Reality eventually kicked in and I called Keith, crying the entire time asking him to please come home and get me. He made it here in record time and took me to the emergency room. They diagnosed me with a fracture on both sides of my ankle which meant surgery to put in a plate and pins to stablize everything.
Somehow I managed to make it to age 46 without having a broken bone or needing an overnight in a hospital but that went out the window pretty quickly. I will admit to a bit of crying when the doctor gave me the news. The idea of having to ask people for help is a difficult one for me, even if I'm asking the person I love most in the world (and that I know feels the same about me).
Surgery was Tuesday and it went well. But Wednesday was a very hard day for me. The surgeon's physician's assistant's answer to when I could go back to work was "whenever you want" (WOOOHOOOO!!!!!) followed by "but you're not allowed to drive for 6-8 weeks because you can't put any weight on that leg" (BOOOOOOOO).
So now reality is really setting in, and as Keith will tell you, I was pretty down for a large part of Wednesday. But there was some light at the end of the tunnel - they let me go home. But I was going home faced with the prospect of spending an unknown length of time in our very nice, fully furnished, and comfortable basement because we had no idea how I would get up the stairs. Attempting the stairs with the physical therapists at the hospital was a disaster. I just could not convince my body to put my left foot on the step first in order to use the crutch. Apparently I am VERY right footed!!!
So even will all of this, why am I feeling lucky and blessed?
Well, lots of reasons actually.
I am lucky and blessed because I have the best husband in the world who is doing such an amazing job of taking care of me. He has had to step in and do EVERYTHING around the house, help me with physical tasks, and worry about me (the one part I wish he would do less of though).
I am lucky and blessed because I have AMAZING friends. My friend Heather, packed up and headed to PA from Ohio to help me out. She hung out with me Wednesday night so Keith could go to bed and all day Thursday as well. With her help the three of us were able to formulate a plan to get me up the steps and into the main part of the house. I don't know many people who have friends like that.
I am lucky and blessed because my work has been fantastic about all of this. My co-workers genuinely care about how I'm doing. Many have sent me text messages checking in on me and are planning visits to keep me company.
I am lucky and blessed because I have a fantastic support group of knitting friends around me as well. Many of them "live in my computer" but they have been there to listen to me, offer suggestions to me, and just be the wonderful friends I need in a time like this.
I have a fantastic nurse. She has four legs and fur, but Bobble is quite good at keeping an eye on me. She even got enough courage to visit me in the dreaded basement when I was there for the night. She seems to want to keep an eye on me as much as she is able to, following me to other rooms and sitting there watching me until it's time to head back to the living room.
I am also lucky and blessed because it is hard for me to ask for help (this one seems odd I know) but part of the reason it's hard for me is because I have, as my sister calls it "the Woody stubborness." So yes, it's hard to ask for help, but it also means that I am bound and determined to do as much as I am able to for myself and to find solutions when obstacles present themselves.
So I'll be out of commission for a while, but in the long run, I think I'm pretty lucky.
