Goodnight Gracie

Hello! I've been away for a while now. Not for lack of wanting to post, but really for a lack of anything interesting to say. Then when I had something to say..I couldn't get to my computer.

I am a klutz. This is a fact in my family. We breath. We eat. Shell falls. When I was little my grandparents bought a shirt for me that said "This end up" with an arrow pointing up. My grandfather, ever the comedian, told me it was to remind me which way was up. I have a permanent bump in the top of my forehead from the many many times I fell on my head as a child. At my grandparents house in California, that I loved like another member of the family, there were only two stairs. Two. Not a flight of stairs, not an upstairs downstairs, just two steps down from the dinette to the living room. (Yes..It ended up being the dining room but to me, it will always be the living room. That's another story). Anyway. From the time I learned to walk to the day my grandparents moved to Idaho about 5 years ago, I could not walk up or down those stairs without falling or tripping. Even with the hand rail. I simply am not graceful.

(Long story getting longer). As an adult, I fall much less often than as a child, when it was a daily, almost hourly occurrence. I've gotten it down to no more than once a year. Amazingly I have never seriously injured myself in all of these falls. Sure, I've had sprained ankles and countless bumps & bruises, but nothing major. Nothing that caused a trip to the hospital or crutches. Until now that is.

On Friday of last week, just walking to the corner for some Chinese takeout at work. I stepped up over a curb and fell. Hard. The curb was not hidden, I knew it was there. It wasn't cracked or high, there was nothing unusual or troublesome about this curb. I just didn't step right. I turned my ankle, almost stopped myself from falling, then down I went. Now, I've done this before. Twisted ankles are not unusual for me. But right away I knew that this was no ordinary twisted ankle. I looked down at my foot and it was turned inward, like a backwards L. Fabulous. The fire department is directly across the street and they arrived within minutes. I was thoroughly embarrassed but also in terrible pain. So bad that I couldn't cry. I cry so very easily -this says something. The very handsome fireman (his being handsome only added to my shame) that helped me up and into a chair said an ambulance was on the way. NO WAY! NOT GOING TO THE HOSPITAL IN AN AMBULANCE! NO! He reluctantly agreed when I said my husband would pick me up. As we waited for him to arrive a crowd gathered. Okay, not a crowd, but at least 3 other people from work, three other fireman, and a chiropractor that came out to say, "Oh yeah, it's broken." Then left. Thanks. My husband arrived, helped my into the car and we drove away. No longer feeling embarrassed by the cute fireman gathering around me I started to cry. Serious, I am in terrible pain, please drive more smoothly tears. We finally arrived at the hospital and the pain just got worse. In triage as I was hooked up to the blood pressure and heart monitor I could hear my heart beat faster as a wave of pain spread across my ankle.

The hospital we went to is quite familiar to me. I was born there. My son was born there. My grandfather had been there so often most nurses knew him by name. Never, in all my visits there have I received such quick and attentive care. I must have looked pretty bad. After a pain pill, when I was no longer breathless with agony, I started to think, I'm just being a baby. I didn't need to come here, I should just go home & suck it up! All that falling I did as a child have given me that type of attitude to hurting myself. Then the PA walked in and said, "Looks like you chipped the bone." Great. Nice. I what?! They put me in a temporary splint, said don't walk on it, gave me some crutches and a referral to an orthopedist and sent me on my way.

Here I am, 6 days later. I have a chipped ankle bone along with torn ligaments all across my foot and ankle. My leg is blue, yellow & purple from mid calf to the tips of my toes, including the bottom of my foot. I am forced to wear a walking boot that while easier than crutches is hot and extremely uncomfortable. It's my right foot so I can't drive. I have to endure this for at least 3 weeks when I go back to the doctor. I've already been told it will be 6-8 weeks before everything is healed, but that it will be 3-5 MONTHS before I feel normal. Thank goodness for internet shopping-Christmas will be saved. I still have pain when I move a fraction in the wrong direction but mostly I just feel stupid.

Today I leave for a weekend with my family in Idaho. Flying and navigating the airport should be interesting, but I'll have my neighbor, Irish, along for the ride-she'll be huge help to me. I will be loved and taken care of there. A few days of pampering to take away the sting of embarrassment. I'd like to say I've learned my lesson and will move slower, more carefully to avoid accidents such as this in the future. But, I know that just wouldn't be true. They don't call me Grace for nothin'.