Another Foot Picture

My foot did seem to be swollen more than it should have been for a bruise. But I kept feeling better and better. I was feeling so well, we went to the zoo for a couple of hours on Tuesday, the 22^nd. My foot felt pretty good and I was able to walk with very little pain. We had fun, and Becca enjoyed the fish, monkeys, elephants, and the carousal. We made it back in time for afternoon school. Our trip to the zoo was our school field trip for September.

That evening, around dinner time, my foot started to ache. It didn’t just throb; it hurt no matter what I did. A week earlier, I had scheduled a trip to the doctor for the 23^rd to see if I was well enough to go back to work. When the doctor saw my foot, he decided to have an X-ray done. How do you say, BROKEN ANKLE! The X-ray tech wouldn’t even let me walk back to the doctor’s office, she had to put me in a wheelchair and take me there. The doctor put me in the boot you see and told me to leave it on even when I slept. I thought, “Ya, like that is going to happen.”

I was able to drive home, and my foot did feel better in the boot. However, I did take it off to sleep, but after 20 minutes out of the boot, the foot started to hurt again, so I put the boot back on. I slept ok, but I kept waking up when I would hit myself with the boot.

The doctor made an appointment for me with an Orthopedic doctor for Friday morning, and I drove there while Marty picked up Jacqueline and JD. They stayed with us until Saturday morning. The doctor said that I did indeed have a broken ankle, but that it was in a good spot. There was no need to cast it, and I could wear the boot as long as I wanted, as long as the pain was there. When I thought I didn’t need it, I could take it off. He said that I would need to do therapy on my ankle. He said to draw the ABC’s with my foot, and do that about 3 times a day. I asked him if I was supposed to use a pencil or an ink pen, and he went on to explain that I just needed to draw them in the air. I hate it when people don’t get my humor!!

He did say that I would not be working for at least the next two weeks. Really glad that I have enough sick leave to handle this. What an adventure this has turned out to be. Who knew riding a motorcycle would have such long lasting effects on a person? (Duh……….from Marty!)

09-14-09 Another picture

Here is my left foot 3 1/2 days later. I hope it gets better soon.

09-11-09 Celebration??

Friday, 9-11-09 will be remembered here for an entirely different reason than 9-11-01. I was on my way to work, riding the motorcycle. It was a nice morning, with the high reaching 87 that afternoon. What a nice day to have the wind blowing as I enjoyed one of the last good riding days before fall and the rains. Well, an odd thing happened on the way into work that morning. I was on the freeway, getting ready to turn off onto my exit, when the truck in front of me slowed down. I slowed down, but I was fast approaching the truck. So I pushed harder on the brakes. Not a wise thing to do. I should have just driven around the truck, but I wasn’t thinking, I just wanted to slow the bike down.

At least one of the bike’s tires must have grabbed, and the bike made a violent swerve to the right, and then as I was going down I said to myself, “This is going to hurt.” And then I felt pain and saw the pavement sliding along under my helmet as my eyes were parallel to the ground. Then everything stopped, well, except the pain in my left leg. I was able to get up and hobble around, trying to get the pain to stop. A guy in the truck behind me stopped, and asked if I was ok. What do you say at a time like that? I think I said that I would be ok. He asked if he could help me, and I had him help me get the bike back up. He did, and I got it running again, and I headed home.

I got home at 8:16; I’m supposed to be at work at 8. Marty was surprised. She said, “What are you doing home?” I told her that I had a little accident. After the shock of seeing my shredded pants and my bloody knee, she vacillated between wanting to kill me for having the accident and thanking God I was alive.

I tore the skin off my left knee and my left ankle must have been holding the weight of the bike off the pavement because it was really sore. It swelled up rapidly. But I could walk, so no broken bones. I also had a rasberry on my right hip and some skin taken off my right elbow, which I didn't know until later that day.

Lesson to self and to anyone else who wants to learn a lesson without the pain I experienced. We do not know when our days here on earth will end. Mine could have been 09-11-09. Are you ready for that day? I have no doubt I’ll be with my Savior, Jesus, when that day comes. Where are you going to be?