11 Weeks Down

Well...it has now been 11 weeks since my surgery. I'm actually ahead of schedule at this point, which is great! The problem...because of my ACL surgery in this same leg that I had about 10 years ago, my doctor is being extra cautious. That means purposely slowing down. For those of you who know me, you know how hard this is for me. Patience is NOT one of my virtues.

My PT told me yesterday that had I not had the ACL reconstruction in my broken leg, I would have never broken it. Damn! At least I know that I don't have low bone density, Osteoporosis, or am "just getting old" (which, btw, I am).

Everything is still cool. I'm still thankful for my family and friends...they have been going through this as long as I have and are still there...and just when I had lost trust in true friendship. Amazing...God DOES work in mysterious ways!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is a special day! What makes it so special? Well, it is my mom's birthday. Ya see, my mom and dad are my heroes. I could probably write forever about my parents. Don't worry...I won't. I will say this about my mother:

I owe everything I am to her. She is a very intelligent, unselfish woman who gave up working outside the home to raise her 5 children. When I was in school, I saw my mom all the time because she volunteered at school...ALL THE TIME. She went on school field trips, helped out in the office, worked Sunday School, worked all the school fundraisers, etc. In high school, I played sports all year long. She was at every one of my games. She was not one of those obnoxious "yell and scream at the coaches and players" parents. She sat quietly and cheered for everybody. When we played softball in the cold, she went during the game to buy hot chocolate for the entire team. She brought her father and my dad's mother home to live with us when my aunts and uncles wanted to place them into nursing homes. I can remember watching her play cards and scrabble with my grandparents at night after dinner (which she always made). After I left for college, she painted the outside and wallpapered the inside of our two story house, all by herself. She would also get up on top of the house to clean out the gutters. When I was in my 20's, my parents divorced. I won't go into the details, however, my mom ended up taking care of my 4 sisters while working two, sometimes three, jobs. She worked the "red-eye" shift in the ER of the hospital and cleaned houses when she got off work. She worked the "red eye" shift because she wanted to make sure she was home by the time my sisters got home from school. She still works in the ER, however, now she babysits my niece and nephew on her days off, while my sister works.

I could go on and on about my mom, however, I will just say that she is an amazing woman who has NEVER given up. She is stronger than anyone I know(although, I think that Barbara Spencer is right there with her!). I only hope that some day I will be half the person she has always been. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!! I love you and miss you and hope you have a wonderful day.

"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother."

-- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

Good News!

I just got back from the doctor. It's funny...I really like going to the doctor about my leg. He always says something that makes me feel good. I feel motivated. It has been 9 weeks and 4 days since my surgery. I was suppose to have to go 12 weeks before doing anything. He is letting me start physical therapy for ROM and strength. He is also letting me put some weight down. I can't tell you how good that feels!!

We discussed a few other things, too. One being the removal of the plate and screws. I have been curious about how that would work. They usually don't do that unless the hardware is really bothering the patient. It would mean 4 more weeks on crutches. They wouldn't do that for at least 6 months. I'll just have to see how it goes.

Another thing we discussed was the probable cause of the injury. That is important because if I don't know why it happened, it could happen again. At any rate, he thinks it happened because of my previous ACL tear. The fracture lines seem to originate from the screw canal. That is good to know, since I was thinking that I had low bone density or the beginning stages of osteoporosis.

Now begins PT. I'll keep ya posted!


" Everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was."
~Robert Louis Stevenson

Movies

As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, one of the things I have been able to do while having a broken leg, is go to the movies. I have already mentioned having gone to see P.S. I Love You and Charlie Wilson's War. I saw those movies a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed them!

Last night, I went to see Mad Money with a few of my friends. We got to the movie theater early for a couple reasons. One...we couldn't remember what time it started. I was either 9:25 or 9:40 so we got there early for the 9:25 movie. Turns out, the movie time was actually 9:50! (Hehe). The other reason we were trying to get to the movie early was to get a good parking spot and seat. You would be surprised...or maybe you wouldn't...at the number of people who park in handicap parking that have absolutely nothing wrong with them...physically. That rant is for another day!

The cast Of Mad Money included Queen Latifah, Dianne Keaton, Katie Holmes, Ted Danson, etc. The movie was not bad and seeing all that money in the movie made we want it! It wasn't too long, thus my back and were able to survive the whole thing. The movie was not bad and most importantly, we had a GREAT time!

A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theatre admission and the babysitter were worth it.

Alfred Hitchcock

9 Weeks Down

Well, with 9 weeks down, I have some mixed feelings.

On a positive note, I am terribly antsy and ready to get out and do other things. So far, I have been able to go out to dinner with my friends (yummy!), go see a couple of movies , hang out with friends, and go to work. I also made quite a long caching trip, grabbing 21 caches in 7 or 8 different counties.

On a negative note, I worry that my bones won't be healed within the initial 12 week time frame. I'm also worried that when I have my MRI, they will detect some ligament damage. I have an appointment with my doctor on Monday, so I should find something out next week.

Once again, and I can't say this enough, thanks to my family and friends for their prayers and support. I am so glad to have you in my life!

Let's see if I can come up with a really good quote.

“Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it.” ~Tori Amos

8 Weeks Down

It has been exactly 8 weeks since my surgery! Hopefully , that means that I have only 4 more weeks to go. With each day that goes by, I can feel my leg getting stronger and stronger. I have been able to take in a couple of movies (P.S. I Love You and Charlie Wilson's War), go over to my friends' houses and play Wii (which I love), and go back to work full time! The good thing about low points in life is that they are usually followed by high points. This is where I am right now. I can even laugh at my situation now. I still miss my family and my out-of-town friends, however, I talk to most of them daily. I hope everyone is enjoying the new year!

My philosophical quote of the day (he he he):

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. ~Abraham Lincoln

Happy New Year!!

As I sit watching the bowl games and searching the internet, I'm noticing the tone of everything seems all very positive. Times Square showed over a million people getting along to watch the "ball drop." All of the text and voice messages on my phone today were wonderfully positive. The members in the forums that I visit are all sending positive messages. The negative folks in this world seem to be fairly quiet so far. That is nice. It makes me wonder, though, what makes these negative people so mean. I looked this up and found this quote by Martha Beck.

Why are people mean? Here's the short answer: They're hurt. Here's the long answer: They're really hurt. At some point, somebody—their parents, their lovers, Lady Luck—did them dirty. They were crushed. And they're still afraid the pain will never stop, or that it will happen again.

So, when I see these people reappearing this year, whether is is on the forums, in blogs, at school, on the street, etc, I will remember the above quote and instead of getting mad at them, I will feel bad for them and wish them the happiness they are obviously missing. In the meantime, I will continue to watch football, talk to my friends and family, go see a movie, hit some wheelchair accessible caches, read a good book, go out to eat, play on the computer, and do all of the other things that make me happy.

Oh, and by the way, I would like to wish everybody a very happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. ~Benjamin Franklin