AuburnChick's Adventures

Time flies when you’re having fun, or so the saying goes, eh?

Well, let me tell you that the days since my surgery have dragged by.  When you can’t do the things you normally do, that’s kind of how it is.

Not so this weekend.

I had a rough time Friday evening as we were getting ready to go to sleep.  I didn’t want to sleep in the recliner again.  I’d tried to sleep on the couch a couple of nights last week, but my back started hurting midway through, which made for some long hours.

I started crying in frustration and told the Mr. that I wanted to sleep in a regular bed, but I didn’t want to be by myself across the house.

The Mr. was too afraid to let me sleep in the master bedroom because he didn’t want to hit my leg in the middle of the night, but my tears softened his resolve, and he set me up on his side of the bed…the right side…so that my ankle would be farther away from him.

Y’all, I sank into that bed with such satisfaction in my heart that I started crying from joy, which made the Mr. go crazy because all I’ve seemed to do lately is cry.  I tried to tell him that I was crying because FINALLY, I felt normal.

I slept so much better that night.  I’m not sure that the Mr. did, but as I’ve mentioned a time or two lately, he’s a good man.

Waking up refreshed, I was ready to take on the world…and not be left behind while the Mr. ran his weekly Saturday errands.

He helped me get dressed in warmup pants and a long-sleeve workout shirt and reluctantly helped me in the car.

We headed over to Walmart, where he secured some new wheels for me…

Oh goodness, but do you see that smile?

Yeah.  it didn’t leave my face all morning.

I propped my leg up because I needed to keep it elevated.  I was careful not to run into anything.

After we finished at Walmart, we headed over to Dunkin’ Donuts so the Mr. could get his coffee.  We don’t own a coffee pot.  We went through the drive-thru.

Next on his list was Publix.

It was still fairly early so there were numerous motorized chairs available.  I eased myself onto one, and off we went.

Now, I’ll admit that prior to my injury, grocery shopping hadn’t been high on my list of favorite things to do.  That’s why the Mr. had taken over this task and, might I add, gotten quite good at it.

It’s amazing how much your perspective changes when stuff like triple ankle fractures happen.

I was surprised at how much food we packed into that little basket too!

The Mr. tried to tell me how much I was slowing him down, but between you and me, I think he actually enjoyed having me around.  We had a few laughs, including when he picked this out so he can clean the bathtub.  He said he doesn’t to want to bend over to do it.  Poor guy.

Next, we headed over to Starbucks because I really wanted a Soy Peppermint Hot Chocolate and the Mr. was all about letting me enjoy my morning, bless him.

Then, we went home to watch football the rest of the day.

I was happy though.

That evening, I did get the Mr. to pull out another set of wheels…

Ignore the ugly picture in the background.  War Eagle!

A friend (a fellow teacher) had secured it for me from one of her former students.  He had taken it to school my first day back, but I hadn’t been ready to use it yet.  My leg had still been too sore to prop up there.

I practiced with it around the house Saturday evening, and we tinkered with the seat and handlebar heights until they were just right.

I was nervous but oh goodness…the freedom…the stability.

Sigh.  Happiness.

The first big test was yesterday morning at church.  The hubby loaded it in the back of the car, and off we went.

I quickly learned that I had to keep a close eye on the ground to watch for rocks or other things that might get in the way.

I cannot afford to fall; my fracture still has a lot of healing to do.

I got in without any problems and was able to actually keep up with the Mr. as he walked into the sanctuary.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

I even managed to get myself to the restroom, where I quickly learned that I’m going to have to use the handicapped stall for awhile.

I was grateful to be back.  I’d missed church for the last three weeks.

After church, we went out to eat where I did hit a rock in the parking lot when I wasn’t paying attention.  Scared me a little.  The Mr. was not pleased either.  It was a good lesson.

After a quick trip home, we ran to the mall to hunt for mother-of-the-groom shoes for me.

Did you catch that?  I was shopping…something I don’t enjoy much but was so thankful to be doing again.

I’d bought a pair before I broke my ankle but wasn’t sure if the small heel would be safe.

I wound up deciding to keep the shoes because I was much more stable on them than I’d expected given the scooter.  I will definitely not be using crutches the day of the wedding.

I also bought a cute clutch to go with my fancy dress.  It was even on sale.  Go, Me!

After a quick text to my seamstress, who’s still working on my dress, we ran over there for another fitting.  She re-pinned the hem and will have to redo it to shorten it a little.  We are trying to ensure that I won’t trip on the dress.  She also gave me pointers on how to gracefully kneel on the scooter and wheel myself around.

We all know that grace isn’t my middle name, but God performs miracles daily, so there is hope.

The Mr. and I were tired after that, so he headed home.

He snapped this photo of me before we went inside…

See that smile there?

That is the look of pure joy.

When you experience an injury like the one I have, it’s hard to remember what it’s like to feel independent.  It’s hard to see light at the end of the tunnel as well.

This weekend gave me hope, and it gave me a taste of the freedom that I’d taken for granted.

If you hear the song, “They see me rollin’, they hatin’,” that will be me, carefully making my way through the crowd…or maybe not a crowd because a crowd might hit my ankle.  It will be me, with my Mr. keeping watch, enjoying life a little bit more as each day brings me closer to complete healing.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: trimalleolar fracture |