Sunday, November 9, 2014

Lots of time on my hands... or feet as the case may be.

Blogging seems to haven fallen by the wayside here... mostly because I haven't had much to say of interest. Things haven't changed much by way of interest but I will have lots to say which will include a lot of moaning and groaning :-(.

I will spare you the gory details but I just had some foot surgery which will impact my lifestyle for the next 5 weeks at least. A plate and several screws later and here I am.
I will be in a NON weight bearing cast for 5 weeks. This is the first of the casts.. to be replaced in 3 weeks with another... perhaps lime green the next time? I am finally off the pain meds which make me nuttier than I already am and I have migrated to plain old ibuprofen for the minor annoyances. The next stage will be a boot and then tons of physical therapy as I am told I will need to rebuild the muscles in my leg. Oh joy.
In the meantime I will have to figure out what to do with myself without going stark raving mad. I do have a scooter, a pair of crutches, and a walker (left over from hubbies double knee replacement a year ago). Until this morning, between the anesthesia and the pain meds, I was going nuts. I couldn't focus on anything for more than 2 minutes. I started three books but couldn't get past the first few pages of each, pulled out some hand work but couldn't decide which of 2 colors of thread to use, couldn't get my brain around some simple sudoku, etc. Today is better. I need to be where I can elevate my foot which cuts out a lot of activities at the moment.

Showering is a 2 person adventure. There must be a way for me to do it alone but haven't quite figured it out yet. The brunt of this whole thing falls to Ned. He is doing a great job as he now has to do the cooking, fetching, and everything in between. At least I can use the scooter to get to the bathroom on my own....some indignities shouldn't be shared!

Long skirts will be the attire for the foreseeable future... I can't get pants or leggings on, not to mention how difficult it would be to pee. Too bad I don't own any kilts.

If I can figure out how to get myself into and out of the car on my own, I will be able to drive. Don't need my left foot to drive. I guess I better start practicing with the crutches. I really hate that I have lost my independence. Needing someone else at my beck and call is not my thing. Poor Ned is trying his best but I am not the best patient. All will be OK until he has to travel in a few weeks. Maybe by that time I will figure out how to do what really needs to get done and forget the rest.

There is some great news in all of this!!! My daughter is pregnant with twin girls. This is what really precipitated the surgery. I can't get into shoes without great pain and walking up and down stairs is difficult. I might have put it off a year or so otherwise but it needed to be done. I am betting I will be in great shape when the twins arrive in late winter.

One day at a time. I need to learn this. Planning in advance is going to be very important.
Poor Lucy hasn't figured this whole thing out yet. She doesn't like when someone else feeds her... she is still expecting me to get up and do it. She will learn, like the rest of us that shit happens.

3 comments:

Barbara said...

I live alone. Here's how I showered when my leg was in a cast. A friend got me a shower seat from Walmart. I double bagged my leg with trash bags and used a rubber band at the top above the cast to hold it closed. Then I could sit on the seat and hang my bagged leg over the side of the tub to keep it dry.

Martha Ginn said...

Sherryl, Please feel my sympathy and compassion on your foot injury and subsequent surgery. I'm assuming the break some months back started this horror story. I visited your blog and loved the grandson pics, felt sorry for you knowing you have been in pain ever since or you wouldn't have had the surgery! I tore my fascia playing tennis and 18 months later had surgery; 25 years later I am facing knee replacement but baffled about why my foot hurts as bad as the knee.
Good luck on your recovery and rehab; glad you have Ned to help you. Sending prayers and good wishes!
I think we've been in a class or workshop or group together in the past--your name is so familiar. I'll check back on your progress.
Martha Ginn
www.marthaginn.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Very nice purple cast.Did you take the cast off?Hope you feel better and dont have any pain.