Sunday, March 23, 2014

Crutches

Handy Tools in More Ways Than One

Sad to say, I am still using my crutches to get around and my hip still hurts like the devil....well sometimes.

I've hired a Horsesitter to do two feeds a day and I'm still doing the late night snacks for the Boys.

I've been rather amazed at how extra careful the Boys have been around me and my crutches. Even Tucker, who can be rather "in your face" if you don't demand respect, has been giving me extra space. And, when he forgets for a moment, a crutch is a great way to get him to back off. With a rubber tip on the bottom, it can give a gentle push on his shoulder, to remind him to keep his place.

I have to laugh a bit at how patient the Boys need to be as I dole out the feed. It takes me "forever" to get down the 30' barn aisle with the feed buckets. But, aside from a bit of head shaking from every expressive Tucker, the horses just wait, despite the fact that they would much rather be fed "right now!!!!"

In the outside world, my ventures out on crutches also have had some interesting responses. In WaWa, the other day, when I bought a sandwich and needed to fish out thirteen extra cents for the tax, a kind guy in front of me handed the cashier the change and refused to let me pay him back. I had the change in my wallet, but he wanted to gift me instead. On the way into the store, a woman went out of her way to open the doors for me.

Today at church the Christian spirit was is full sway with everyone offering to help me by carrying my music, opening doors, making sure I was safe on the stairs, and doing everything possible to assure that I was OK.

There were three of us lame people in the diner we went to after church. One lady was in a wheelchair with a broken foot, another had her foot/ankle in a walking brace, and there I was as well. We had a bit of fun sharing some stories about "how it happened" and "didn't the weather today make things hurt more," making the whole thing into a social experience.  Better yet, we were able to laugh most of it off, a good skill to learn when you are in pain.

Which reminds me of an Internet article I just read about the most important skill in life. The author insisted it was to be able to control you emotions and to keep yourself on the happy side. (Not the best summary, but the essential premise.)  Except for those moments when a stab of pain shoots through my hip, I've stayed on the optimistic, "laugh it off" side. When I had my knee replacements, I found that keeping a determined and positive outlook made my recovery faster. As an added bonus, I was able to cheer up and encourage a lot of other patients in rehab.

It's probably easy to let yourself mope into your misery, but I don't think it does much to help heal your body.

So I'll end with my humorous perspective on the whole accident that MAY have started my hip problem.

The day Tucker bucked me off into the tree branch--or the tree branch whiplashed me off Tucker--or whatever, and I landed with a heavy "plop" on the ground, I went out to dinner with my friends from choir.

We are all senior citizens, mind you, and I am just a month away from the magic age 65.  There I sat, somewhat sore, my face scratched, and my nose just shy of another nosebleed.  I had just finished telling my first friend the details of the accident and how Tucker had bolted off to leave me lying in the woods when my second friend arrived.

She looked as lovely and put together as always and had a big smile. "I just got back from the Senior Citizens group at church," she said. "We had a wonderful luncheon and afterwards a really wonderful talk on Ukranian Easter eggs. They were really beautiful. How was your day?"

Uhm......

Did you ever get the feeling you were living in another dimension?

Think about it. It's worth a giggle or two.  



5 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:02 PM

    Glad you're making do and that the boys are helping out.

    Could you have a hairline fracture of your hip or pelvis?

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    Replies
    1. Had Xrays and nothing showed up on initial exam. My doctor will spend some more time checking them out. Appointment tomorrow.

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  2. They do say that laughter is the best medicine. Your upbeat attitude surely helps the healing process.

    Glad the boys are cooperating. Fingers crossed you feel better soon.

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  3. Same planet, different worlds

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