On November 11th, I had just bought a house. I was about to begin a 5-day free Write Without the Fight challenge in my FB group. I had stubbed my baby toe. I was slated to speak for the Garden Writers Association in a couple of days, and I intended to meet a New York friend for lunch the following day. I was in the midst of a busy life.
In my morning book, that morning, I had written: “I’ll actually write today.” And I thought that was true.
I was also sewing a Thanksgiving dress, knitting a cool winter sweater, picking up the ukulele to learn some carols. I had put up a chicken to boil to make soup.
Then, about 7pm, I fell. I was getting out of my daughter’s car (it’s her fault) rushing to move my car out of the way. My stubbed baby toe squawked a little, and got my attention. I babied it, however briefly, and didn’t lift my tired foot up high enough to clear the curb.
Down I went. Enroute to the cement, I thought, I’m sick of scabbed knees. I twisted to try and land in the grass. I landed in the small strip of grass between sidewalk and street, and there I lay for about an hour. I soon noticed, there was no communication between my arm and brain. None. I couldn’t move the slab of pain and sorrow my arm had become, and I couldn’t permit my eager daughters to try and help me move it. We called an ambulance. The six people from the Pasadena Fire Department arrived, and gave me a shot of morphine to make the next several minutes bearable. They got me standing, onto a gurney and into the ambulance. Despite the meds, I cried out. Loud.
That was my Veteran’s Day.
Now, I’ve never broken a bone before, but I knew Sally Young when she broke hers in 5th grade. I was her Hall Buddy. We got to leave classes early. I helped her, carried her books, and got her to her next class. Then I got the time between the bells to get to my class. It was way cool. Everyone signed Sally’s cast. We were the envy of everyone we knew. The whole event lasted about 4 weeks. And then everything was back to normal.
Suffice it to say, that was my expectation. 4, maybe 6 weeks, tops, and everything would be back to normal. I think everyone around me, my family, friends and people in my business thought pretty much the same. People break bones, and it takes 4-6 weeks to recover.
MYTHBUSTER. When adults break bones, they don’t repair so fast. In my case, I had broken my humerus bone in 2 directions, four fractures in total and had also torn two tendons. My right wrist was sprained, so my dominant hand was big as a softball. And for good measure, my left arm was sprained. After letting the swelling subside for about 10 days, I had surgery, and had to restart my recovery.
MYTHBUSTER. I may have liked the special treatment I got bec Sally Young broke her arm, but in retrospect, Sally probably didn’t. She was probably in pain, and overtired.
MYTHBUSTER. They don’t give you a cast anymore, almost ever. But especially not for shoulders. Remember old-timey shoulder casts where your arm went straight out from your body, held up by a metal pole that was anchored to your waist? It was like portable traction, and extremely awkward. Great for slapstick routines, but how could you sleep with such a cast?
MYTHBUSTER. You do NOT have to exercise to lose weight. I lost 7 pounds sitting in a chair. Just from the pain. It’s not a recommended weight-loss method but people put themselves through a lot of pain to lose 7 pounds, just sayin’. (Biggest Loser)
My busy life – Thanksgiving, moving to a new house, meeting my friend for lunch (at my house), Christmas, and even speaking to the Garden Writers – all happened. Most things moved forward without my participation. I sat in the chair as moving boxes mounted around me, daily, till my armchair was in a grand canyon, with a narrow pass through which to see the tv. The world continued to turn as I watched Law & Order and home improvement shows. People waited on me night and day.
Things just waited. There was no choice. I was 100% off track, sidelined, stopped. Before all this happened, and for a little while afterward, it seemed impossible to quit this life. But injury and illness are definitive. I was in pain, tired, muddy-headed.
Apparently, anything can wait.
Now, I’m nearing the three month mark. And, as of only yesterday, after three weeks of PT, I am able to get my hand to desk level, and use the mouse right-handed. Sure, I could have spoken a blog or typed it all in lower case letters, hunting and pecking with my left hand, but I didn’t. I was busy with other heroics, like getting to the bathroom and sleeping through the night.
That is the story of breaking my arm, and where I’ve been these past three months. I still cannot drive. My right arm is still weak and has limited range of motion. But I have more energy during the day, and see progress daily. I mean, look at me, I’m blogging.
For the longest time, I didn’t blog bec I thought this reentry had to be the bomb. This had to be the blog to end all blogs. My first in three months! But, finally I’m doing it, and it’s perfect. Not bec the writing is so spectacular, or bec I blogged through pain against all odds – no just bec it is. It is happening, just as it should, when it should and I’m proud of my little arm.