Tuesday, January 8, 2008

A Flicker of Hope.....

So I go to my pre-op today and aside from the fact that there will be a surgery at all, it looks like mostly good news. I will need one plate along the outer side of my left ankle. This will be held in place by six to seven screws. This will be all the hardware that I will have installed unless they find that my ankle won't stay in socket on it's own. If that is the case, I will have one long screw from end to end stabalizing the main bone. In that case, it will be removed in 3 months, but otherwise, the remaining hardware is mine to keep forevah!
*
Dr. Bradley, who seems very nice, by the way, (not quite "McDreamy" nice


but nice just the same) talked me through what is going to take place on Thursday, shockingly denied my request to have the gas mask put directly on my face upon checking in, therefore nullifying the anxiety I am feeling over getting the IV, but did surprisingly agree to see me on January 22nd to evaluate me for flight! He said that IF I'm healing exceptionally well, and IF I feel like it then he will give the OK for my own McDreamy and I to take flight westward and continue on with our plans to house hunt!!
I was VERY excited until I crutched my way down the hall to the elevator, out of the elevator to the back of the building, into the van, out of the van, to our front step where a hot pink fluffy mushroom chair was strategically placed so that I could just sit directly on it and be pulled inside instead of having to step up to get inside the house. (I'm spoiled, I know!)
I then crutched my way through the kitchen, through the dining room, through the living room and through the foyer to our front staircase. I handed my crutches to McDreamy, sat on the bottom step and proceded to one legged crab walk to the top of the ridiculously steep and long stair case. Once at the top, I always have the same feeling of panic.
What now? How the heck do I get from sitting to standing and not fall forward down the stairs? McDreamy always calmly reminds me that I again use a chair. Our steps are so that a chair can sit on the second to top step allowing me to crawl up on it, sit and be spun around so that I am level with the actual top step and can then lean on my crutches while pulling myself off the chair and viola....I've successfully, but not so gracefully ascended the staircase.
The thought hits me that almost every house we want to view is a two story....um...do I really want this to be a public display? Who do you think will let us rent their house once they've seen me grunting and groaning in a modified crabwalk up their stairs? Every homeowner will need only one phrase when referring to me in subsequent weeks as they review their possible renters.... it will sound something like this...
"Oh honey, you remember that nice looking navy officer and his short little blonde headed wife with the southern accent?"
Husband scratches head.
"You know the one with a cast on her foot?"
"Oh, Crab-Walk lady!"
So, I'm adding a new requirement to my Doctor's expectations on the 22nd.
1.Must be healing wonderfully
2. Must feel like I can handle it
and most importantly,
3. Must have decided upon and mastered a more dignified way to ascend a staircase! :)

1 comment:

Rising Rainbow said...

I totally understand your problem with a second story. Years ago my youngest child had brain cancer and with complications from her surgery ended up in a wheel chair.

While we didn't live in a 2 story, the only way into our home was steps, lots of steps. It's amazing how steps seem so unimportant until your life changes in a split second.

My daughter is fine now but I still always see steps as a huge obstacle.

I wish you well in your recovery.