Good Morning,
It is a pretty common statement that you don’t miss something till it is gone. The use of my left arm/hand these last few weeks brings that to light as I become a bit more dependent on others around me.
Three weeks ago Thursday last (June 2, 2011), while stepping down from a ladder I missed the last step. Funny how the mind works as I was wearing my reading glasses and forgot to take them off like I usually do, as I descended. I should know better, but well, I didn’t this time. Thinking my next step was the floor since it appeared it was so close, I missed the bottom step. In times like these there is that spit-second when you just know
something isn’t quite right and that the floor wasn’t where it was suppose to be. Just enough of a distance to throw me off balance and I went tumbling to the floor. Since I was in a closet, the wall was there to break my fall rather than just allowing me to be splayed out like some kind of chucked pumpkin.
The wall was gracious enough to give in somewhat and allow my shoulder to embed. The hit would have been much harder had there been a stud directly behind where I hit and my shoulder would have known the difference. So I considered myself lucky, and with a bonus as the floor was carpeted, which was not so in most of the house.
So now, I’m lying out like some kind of a wrestler who has just been ceremoniously tossed out of the ring and contemplation the pain in my left wrist. “Damn a sprain.” “That is going to slow me down.” I looked around and no one saw what happened. Good. That was some saving grace for I don’t look very pretty in those kinds of positions. Once up, I glance at the wall…crap, now we have a wall to fix and a 5-minute job just turned into hours.
It doesn’t take very long until my wrist is swelling up and starting to throb. On my way home I pick up an ACE brace for my wrist. I’m pretty sure it is just a sprain since I can still move my fingers, albeit sensitive. Frozen peas, frozen corn for ice packs and a pretty much kick back night. Jeanie says go see a doctor, “Doctor, we don’t need no stinkin’ doctor.”
Three weeks pass and there is still a bit of discomfort, so I give in and make an appointment with the doctor. Checking me over he decides that I need x-rays and that I probably broke something. Great! The x-rays come back and with my Distal Radius Fracture, (Broken Wrist) I am sent to an orthopedic doctor for further treatment.
Ok, since it now has been over three weeks and the fracture has started to heal, the orthopedic doctor says in a mildly “parenting” voice, “If you would have come right in, I would have put pins in this, but since it is already fusing back together and is only off by about one millimeter, we are going to leave it alone.” Phew, I guess I dodged that bullet, as I am not very fond of surgery, even if it is necessary. He does go on to say, “Just to make sure it doesn’t come out of its misalignment, we will put a cast on it anyway.”
Great, just what I wanted…a cast. Ok well I’m at the very least hoping for a black one. I have always wanted a black cast as they go with my
wardrobe. “Sorry, we are out of black. You can have white, pink or blue.” Now, I am pretty comfortable with my femininity, but I am afraid that pink would be a bit over the top and I’m pretty sure Jon Jr. wouldn’t be taking me with him in the field anytime soon. White gets dirty too fast, so it looks like blue it is. Fortunately, it turns out to be Lutron Blue. Anyway, three more weeks and I should be past this and my little blue companion.
While I have not been able to fully use my left hand/arm, I have been reminded several times these last few weeks how fortunate I am really. As I drive to the office I have been seeing a man on a morning walk that has lost his left arm at the elbow. He is sporting something that looks like a large white stocking over the arm. That alone helps me keep a perspective on this whole thing and makes me realize this condition of mine is just temporary…where his unfortunately is not.
We need only to look around to see others not quite so fortunate as ourselves.
I feel lucky.
Love, Dad