Grace's Mosaic Moments


Saturday, September 7, 2019

Freak Accident

At the doctor's office (9/28/19)


FREAK ACCIDENT

On Wednesday afternoon, August 21, I pulled up to the cluster of mailboxes at the end of the cul-de-sac where I live - as I do almost every day of the week as I come home from errands, choir, kid transport, etc. I got out of the car, was standing behind the open door looking through my keys for the post box key when WHAM! my car rocked back, the door toppling me over. Fortunately, I ended up on the grass next to the mailboxes and seemingly in pretty good shape. My elbow was skinned by the cement curb, but that appeared to be it.

A young woman came rushing over to pick me up, apologizing about a hundred times in the next five minutes. She'd backed out of her driveway (perpendicular to my car), backed around into the street and hit my front bumper straight on. There were a few more scratches than it had before, but not enough to make a big fuss. I did not want to pursue the matter; I just wanted drive the half block home.

BUT I soon discovered my foot seemed "sensitive," but it did not pain me and there was little swelling, so I figured it was only bruised. I got out my cane and began using it for more than long-distance walking, and that was it. And then . . .

A couple days later, I noticed the AC on my car - usually freezing on the lowest setting - was not acting right. Had something vital been loosened or damaged in the accident - could I be losing Freon? I was planning to take it to Toyota on the Friday nine days after the accident when on Wednesday, and again on Thursday, I stepped down, and for the first time felt true shafts of pain. I suspect that up to that point I'd had only a hairline fracture and when I put my full weight on the foot, it finally broke.

Anyway, there I was with businesses closing down right and left, including my GP's office, because at that point we thought Dorian was going to make landfall in Central Florida, yet I knew it was time to have my foot X-rayed. Sigh.

My GP recommended Centra-Care, a walk-in clinic with many branches in our area. I went to the one in Lake Mary and was just about their only patient that morning when everyone was home "battening down the hatches," as the saying goes. I knew I was in trouble when the technician took her first look at the X-ray and said, "You've been walking around on this for a week!"

Centra-Care made a CD of the X-ray and sent me to an orthopedic clinic about two miles away. Naturally, by this time, I was dragging. Fortunately, Susie was able to join me and be with me when I was ordered into an orthopedic boot and to use a walker and keep off the foot for SIX weeks. Believe me, I was in shock. 

Susie went out and found a wheeled walker (at Walmart), and her husband's cousin came over to put it together - NOT the easiest task. Lionel is extremely handy and still got the left arm in the right slot & vice versa the first time around. He also rolled up rugs, moved furniture, etc., so my wheels would have room to run.

But oh, the agony of learning to get around at a snail's pace. There's no way to picture what the effort and frustration one has to go through unless you've had to do it. Making coffee, feeding the cat, putting together a sandwich, and oh horrors, using an above-stove microwave become hurdles as challenging as a steeplechase.

Fortunately Squeak (my cat) doesn't seem to mind eating off the floor.

After nearly a week of this torturous snail-like pace, I am happy to say that my ease of locomotion is improving. I can only hope my foot is, as well. But it's perfectly horrid to depend on others for everything, from moving my hanging baskets and birdfeeder before the storm - and then putting them back. To picking up my mail, buying groceries, cleaning, etc. (I did manage to unload, reload, & run the dishwasher, a major accomplishment.)

This morning I looked at the lovely clean kitchen tiles Susie just mopped and saw coffee drips. Sigh. Just try transporting even half a cup of coffee while sitting on a walker seat & trying to make it turn a corner - over raised molding. Aargh!

But I'm getting quite a bit of work done on my new Gothic, plus more editing on the blog posts going into the compilation of all my articles on Writing & Editing since January 2011. No running off to buy fabric or yarn at Jo-Ann's. Or to the Post Office, grocery store, or garden outlet. No constant demand for transport for the grandgirls.

Okay, one week I can manage, but SIX???

I'm hoping for a bit more mobility after my check-up on Sept. 17th. Encouraging thoughts are welcome!


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Thanks for stopping by,
Grace  

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