What a pleasant week. After making the decision to take a leave of absence from everything I had been doing (as a member as well as a leader) at
All Saints Amsterdam, calm began to return. The days don’t begin and end with a spiked heart rate, and I can devote time to the things that require my attention before everything else: my private life, my home life, and my work life.
An early morning meeting on the other side of the country had me spend an evening on the beach, where I finally, finally got to dip my toes in the water
Read the eleven peer reviews I had received at work, and was stunned, inspired, and humbled by the kindness and positivity. Part of me thinks that’s just because people felt sorry for me and my Christmas Eve surgery. A more positive part sees I’m doing things right.
Despite what I was told, my PICC line, which delivered antibiotics intravenously, was able to come out on Wednesday. This meant I no longer have to carry the dispenser pack, that I can pick up the dog again, and that I can take normal showers!
Had my first physical therapy session, where the therapists straightened me out right quick about my posture. The younger one, a senior student, massaged my calf in a way that gave me so much more flexibility it left me speechless.
I made it home after seven nights at the hospital! Staying there between Christmas and New Year’s really wasn’t as horrible as you’d imagine. I figured: if anything happens, I’m already at the hospital, anyway.
Still, I should confess that I was excited to be released from the presence of my hospital neighbor, a dentureless elderly woman with
severe bowel problems whose sounds were revolting. If you’re wondering how petty I am for focusing on that instead of my own fracture-related infection, imagine what Anja’s life is like.
When I introduced this month’s
IndieWeb Carnival theme
belief, I was terribly excited to take a quiet Saturday morning and really put together a beautiful piece on how I relate to the theme.
We make plans, and God laughs. In late October, God laughed
when I triple-fractured my ankle. My original recovery timeline, which included surgery under general anesthesia, had me use first a cast and then an air cast until December 25. Tomorrow. But we make plans, and God laughs.
After the swelling in my ankle postponing it with a week, I was finally able to have surgery on my left ankle on Wednesday! I’m surprised by how pleasant the whole experience was. Post-surgery, I’m in very little pain, and I’ve been able to leave the Oxycodone in its designated box. Four days later, aside from the anti blood cloth pill, I’m raw-dogging recovery.
My pre-surgery phase lasted longer than expected, all because I didn’t understand what “keep your foot up” really means. I’m trying my hardest now to keep it elevated above my heart, and that seems to be working. Just might make it to Paris after all.
In this interstitial state between lying in the road with a triple ankle fracture and running, I find myself learning all sorts of sweet things. Like how excellent Anja and I collaborate in a crisis. How cozy it feels to write in my journal with my head under the covers so as not to wake Anja. How much better I feel if I just let myself rest enough.
It seems everyone’s getting covid again. I was so bummed and embarrassed to miss our annual corporate event at work, only to learn that it was a complete super spreader, again.
Failing to use this recovery phase for reading and listening to audio books, I instead find myself turning to body cam footage of American police officers cracking down on abusers, murderers, neglectful parents.
It’s cute to see how Lemonade responds to my cast, crutches, and wheelchair. We’ve made a little den for her underneath my night stand, because she keeps wanting to lie next to me. What a precious thing, to love and be loved by a dog.
All in all, I’m surprised I’ve managed to keep all weight off of my left foot. I’ve always had the tendency to compartmentalize life (and forget I had made plans with two separate friends after school, for example), and something told me there’d come a time when I forgot I am not to stand on my left foot. So far, so good!
