Entry for April 22, 2008 ~ Up, Up and Away...

I broke my R leg in February, on the 17th to be exact. I knew I was looking at a few weeks of R&R ~ rest & recuperation ~ and hoped that would be that. I went into the hospital, had two surgeries, one to insert an external fixator which held my leg in traction for three days, the other to do the actual repair by installing a rod and two plates. I had broken both of the two lower bones, the fibula and tibia. They even had come through my skin, but since I was wearing jeans at the time, I had no idea of this until later, at the second hospital, one of the residents pointed it out to me...showing me the break in my skin and explaining what it was from.
I have known many people who have had broken bones...and knew that at least one-two months of recovery was standard, depending . My daughter Theresa had broken her wrist as a child, her twin Laura had broken her collarbone and had to wear a brace for a few weeks. Daughter Clare had broken her ankle just a couple of years ago, sat around for a couple of weeks...at the same time, by coincidence, Theresa had sprained hers...and her healing actually took twice as long as Clare's! My husband Mike had fallen a couple of years back and broken his hip ~ a hairline fracture, but it kept him out of work for a solid month! Our son Paul had broken his wrist at work a few years ago, also, when he was employed at a plastics factory.
So, from all of this, anyone reading this can plainly see that my dear family has had more than our share of broken bones with which to contend...but I guess it must be part of God's plan for us and we live to talk about it all, lol.
Since my leg fracture is but the latest episode, I find that we have once again adapted to this predicament...only this time it is me sitting around, everyone else waiting hand and foot on me ~ no broken pun intended ~ and still we survive the day.
However, there is but one catch here...one that I had no fore-warning until this very afternoon would ever happen. We went to see the doctor, had a new set of xrays taken, and were told in no uncertain terms that I will be sitting around for another SIX weeks. According to my doctor, the tibia takes a good four months to heal. Mine is doing fine, straight as an arrow, thank God ~ and from that I assume that the fibula is also well...but still, another two months of rest should just about do it, lol. Poor, poor little ol' me, eh?
Up until today I was not allowed to put any weight on my leg at all; now I can put up to 50 lbs. of pressure on it, but that is all. I can sleep without my "boot-cast" finally, lol...but when I go out, I have to wear it for protection. I can sit at home without it, I have to continue to use the walker ~ no shileleigh yet ~ and I was at least hoping he would tell us that I could start using one so I could carry things from room to room, if nothing else, to help myself!
My poor family has been doing it all ~ cooking, cleaning, driving ~ you-name-it...no complaints, but still they have lives to live, too!
All I can say is KUDOS to my family!!!
Mike and I have been told many times over the years that we have an exceptional family ~ every one of our eight children has gone on to become an amazing, wonderful, loving and well-adjusted adult. Thoughtful of others, helpful and kind, they make us proud. I have always laughed when anyone told us how well we did ~ I like to respond that we had really great material to work with!
In the meantime, I sit here...awaiting the day when I will be able to walk again ~ albeit while using a cane ~ but at least walking and holding something in my hand while doing so!
I will go for a walk in our nearby State Park. I will walk into church and not wheel myself in using a chair. I will be able to do what I want to do ~ yard work, clean the kitchen if I feel like it, dance at my daughter's wedding in July, even!
And the day that that happens, when my leg is healed, I will hear the song in my head that was a hit so many years ago ~ "Up, Up and Away!" ~ and it will feel to yours truly here, after four+ months of pulling myself around on a walker, using my arms for legs ~ like I am truly flying! And I may never come down again!