This morning I had a sense of confidence about myself. It had been nearly 10 weeks since my August 4th accident and I was POSITIVE that today would be the last doctor appointment for me. I was so sure of myself that I had my son take the picture shown below. I was going to put it on my evening blog post with the caption: "LOOK MA, NO CAST!"
There were some very positive things that I was shown in today's appointment. The x-rays showed that my bones are indeed healing, slow but very sure. My own bone is starting to grow over the donor bone making that area much stronger. But the x-rays show a few gaps and that's a sign that not enough time has passed for me....so I must wait a little longer. The doctor was very pleased with what is happening so far but he reminded me that I have a very long road ahead of me and that I just have to be _______________________. (guess what word should fill in THAT blank) In case you need a hint it starts with "p" and ends with "t". And oh man, have I ever heard that word a lot lately. But he's right and I know it.
The doctor reminded me, when I asked about the splint, that it will be very important for me to continue wearing it for at least another 4 or 5 weeks. It is especially crucial when I'm up and moving around at school. Anytime that I'm around kids or crowds of people, "old lefty" must be in the splint to protect it from further damage. And I dang sure don't want to "undo" what work has been put into the last 10 weeks. I aint starting over again, and I mean it!
I was reminded by more than one person today at the doctor's office that I was the worst case they can remember seeing there in recent history. In fact, they can only remember one other person who had as significant an injury as me. Given that fact, I should be ever so happy to have come along as far as I have at this point in time.
The doctor wants therapy to continue on a once a week basis in Wichita. I promised to continue to do so as well as keep up with things here at home. It's important to not give that up for any reason and if I expect to continue to get better, then I must do so. According to the doctor's measurements, my wrist/hand is back to about 50% normalcy on the range of motion. With luck and lots of practice on my part, I can probably get even more back. But it's going to take.....argh, TIME!
As I began to walk out of the doctor's office and head through the waiting area, I couldn't help notice that most of the clientele waiting to be seen was in similar shape as I was. There were casts and slings everywhere and some of those poor people were in the beginning stages of treatment, just like I was 10 weeks ago. They've got a long road ahead...me, I hope I'm on the final leg of this journey. I need to remember that always-I'm not the only one with a debilitating injury-there are plenty of others who are in worse shape than I am but I didn't notice anyone whining. For a teacher, I sure have a lot to learn about life!
And hey, I have to admit, the news wasn't all bad! I was given the "green light" to return to the YMCA for the second set of swimming lessons I wanted to take. That "bucket list" item had been put on hold for the last 10 weeks but now, as long as I'm careful it will be fine. I can't believe I typed the words "I wanted to take" with such ease and absolutely no anxiety...wow, I must be getting better! For those of you not aware of it, Peggy Miller has been a water phobic for the past 45 years but that's beginning to change. Thanks to the encouragement of a very dear friend of mine, I re-entered the water this summer. Soon it will be "so long Peggy the polliwog" and hello to "Peggy the guppy". I'm hoping I haven't forgotten what I learned in those first 4 lessons.
The good doctor did give me a couple of pieces of advice (kind of like a real warning actually)---no running on the slippery deck (oh yeah, like Peggy Miller would run anywhere anyways!) and the last one, a real no-brainer to me-NO going off the diving board... to that I say, don't you even worry about that one happening.
Looking back in retrospect, wow what a difference one little decision to ride a bike on a cool summer morning made in the life of this nearly 56-year old woman. So many "couldas", "wouldas" and "shouldas" to consider. Mistakes made in riding like a 10-year old instead of the mature rider that I used to be have cost me plenty!
From Max Lucado's book, "On the Anvil", I love what he wrote about life. Consider his words in the paragraph below and remember that we are ONLY humans. Have a good evening friends and family!
"Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It's OK to stumble....I will get up. It's OK to fail .....I will rise again. Today I will make a difference." By Max Lucado, "On the Anvil"
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