After my accident in 2011, the one involving that unfortunate and last minute decision to jump the curb of the front lawn on my bicycle, my left arm underwent 4 surgeries to repair the damage that had been caused. 9 months of being encased in one type of cast or another was not what I considered a fun deal. But it was what it was and thankfully when it was all over, I had an arm that was fairly usable and at the very least, still attached to my body.
The accident is always something that I tell my students about. I figure they will be noticing the zigzag scars anyways that run up and down my left arm. When it seems as though I am constantly letting things slip from my left hand and fall onto the floor, they all realize it's because I cannot grasp as well any longer. The numb feeling in my left hand is now spreading up the arm, slowly but surely. I still wear long sleeves most of the time to cover up what I always felt was such a misshapen appearance. But little by little, as I feel more comfortable with people, I don't mind that the scars show.
As I was going through some stories in this blog earlier, I wondered what it was like for me 4 years ago this time. I was back in Kansas and nearly ready to be through with the ordeal caused by one fateful and split-second decision. I wrote the blog post shown below about this time back in 2012. I am including it with this one, if you would care to read it.
You know we never think about being thankful for our arms, our legs, or any other part of our bodies for that matter. We never do, well that is until we no longer have them. So this morning I give thanks for my arms.
Even if one of them is no longer quite like the other.
~in the beginning~
~not the way that the good Lord intended for them to be~
~my reminder to NEVER give up~
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Old Lefty Update~
I cannot believe how fast the time has flown since "old lefty's" freedom date, now nearly 2 weeks ago. I have 4 more weeks in the "hot pink, get the heck out of my way" long arm splint and then perhaps another 3 weeks in the shorter version of one before I am dismissed from Dr. Chan's care. All in all, it still looks like I will have the "once in a lifetime" opportunity to go through all 4 seasons of the year before "old lefty" is finally in the clear. It's been a long time coming friends....and when it's done...I hope it will be a long time gone! (Oh man, I love THAT CSNY song! Little kids reading this blog and scratching heads now, CSNY=the best group EVER to come out of the '70s. It's a "Woodstock" thing. You probably won't understand.)
Every day it seems like my arm tries harder to look more normal in its appearance but there are some things that will just have to always be a little different. Yesterday when I was teaching my little people at school, I had the splint off so my arm could rest a bit out of its confinement. I noticed one of the little boys staring at it...not in a bad way but rather in an inquisitive and concerned manner. He said to me, "Mrs. Miller, how come your left hand is smaller than the right hand is?" So I tried to explain, as best as you can to a little guy, just why that was so.
You know, when I first noticed the obvious difference in size just a couple of months back, it really bothered me. The LAST thing I wanted anyone to notice was the fact of how much "old lefty" had seemed to begun to wither away! But I've "grown up" a little bit during the course of this ordeal. Vanity has taken a far back seat in my life now and gratitude has moved right up front, riding "shotgun" if you will, in the life of one very thankful, now much more practical, woman.
It's going to take much more time, I'm afraid, for everything to return to the "state" it once was. Some of you may remember that after the first surgery in August, washing my own hair proved to be quite the challenge. I'm finding that to be the same for me this time around. Because I don't have much of my left wrist's range of motion, just the simple act of turning my hand over (something we do without thinking, right?) is painfully difficult. So when I squirt a nice amount of shampoo or conditioner onto my left palm, I can pretty much guarantee that only about half of it will make it to my scalp, just like before. The only difference now is, I don't break down and cry as I see shampoo making its way down the side of my arm instead of to the top of my head. See, I TOLD you that I'm growing up! :) All in all, I'm making progress, albeit at a "snail's pace"....but it's forward movement. I plan to make it all the way.
Hey, I really have to be honest in saying that some good ALWAYS comes from bad. Sometimes you just have to wait with "eyes open" to see it happen. The photo below shows one of the new blessings in life....
It's been quite a while, 20 years to be exact, that I could wear my high school class ring. Way back in the "good old days of 1973" my left ring finger was a size 4. The years that followed took their "toll" on me and before the accident in August, my ring size was a 6. You know I always liked that ring so when "good old lefty" finally heals up, I intend to begin wearing it again. Hey, to my friends reading this from Haven High School's class of 1973, do you guys still have yours? Weird, I still remember that it cost $35 and having to save my tips from working at my folk's restaurant to pay for it. One of the few things I have left from my days of being a kid and a very permanent member of the "over my dead body pile".
Well, I'm trading "daylight for dark" again and if I don't get a "move on" I'm going to be late for school. I send you greetings, ALL, for a wonderful Thursday, January 26, 2012. It's such a great day to be alive~ :)
You know, when I first noticed the obvious difference in size just a couple of months back, it really bothered me. The LAST thing I wanted anyone to notice was the fact of how much "old lefty" had seemed to begun to wither away! But I've "grown up" a little bit during the course of this ordeal. Vanity has taken a far back seat in my life now and gratitude has moved right up front, riding "shotgun" if you will, in the life of one very thankful, now much more practical, woman.
It's going to take much more time, I'm afraid, for everything to return to the "state" it once was. Some of you may remember that after the first surgery in August, washing my own hair proved to be quite the challenge. I'm finding that to be the same for me this time around. Because I don't have much of my left wrist's range of motion, just the simple act of turning my hand over (something we do without thinking, right?) is painfully difficult. So when I squirt a nice amount of shampoo or conditioner onto my left palm, I can pretty much guarantee that only about half of it will make it to my scalp, just like before. The only difference now is, I don't break down and cry as I see shampoo making its way down the side of my arm instead of to the top of my head. See, I TOLD you that I'm growing up! :) All in all, I'm making progress, albeit at a "snail's pace"....but it's forward movement. I plan to make it all the way.
Hey, I really have to be honest in saying that some good ALWAYS comes from bad. Sometimes you just have to wait with "eyes open" to see it happen. The photo below shows one of the new blessings in life....
It's been quite a while, 20 years to be exact, that I could wear my high school class ring. Way back in the "good old days of 1973" my left ring finger was a size 4. The years that followed took their "toll" on me and before the accident in August, my ring size was a 6. You know I always liked that ring so when "good old lefty" finally heals up, I intend to begin wearing it again. Hey, to my friends reading this from Haven High School's class of 1973, do you guys still have yours? Weird, I still remember that it cost $35 and having to save my tips from working at my folk's restaurant to pay for it. One of the few things I have left from my days of being a kid and a very permanent member of the "over my dead body pile".
Well, I'm trading "daylight for dark" again and if I don't get a "move on" I'm going to be late for school. I send you greetings, ALL, for a wonderful Thursday, January 26, 2012. It's such a great day to be alive~ :)
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