It’s been just over a month since I had surgery on my left leg following a nasty break of my tibia and fibula, known as a spiral break. If you’re looking for some time off your feet, I wouldn’t recommend going the broken bone route.
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| My boys William and Oskar |
Since my fall on the ice, I’ve faced a number of challenges, most obviously dealing with limited mobility while trying to care for two young kids. I’m a stay at home mom with a 16-month-old and a six-year-old. Not being able to walk makes chasing a toddler pretty difficult, not to mention trying to get upstairs to change his diaper. We’ve been relying on the help of family. Both my mother and my mother-in-law have been instrumental in taking care of the boys. I’ll always be indebted to these women for their time and patience with our situation. Of course we can’t hold these fabulous women hostage forever, so starting Monday we’ll be putting William in temporary daycare while I finish with my recovery. Hopefully it won’t take longer than another month before I’m mobile enough to resume my parenting duties.
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| Looking much better one-month post surgery. |
It’s been a very strange month. Between dealing with my immobility and watching our country implode, I can truly say I’m feeling challenged both physically and mentally. The combination of being stuck on the couch with a laptop and a constant stream of disturbing Trump related news is not pretty. Combine that with watching The Man in the High Castle, and things are feeling particularly dark. On the positive side, I managed to make it out to the Women’s March and found it to be a very positive and uplifting experience. Not only did I get out of the house to reclaim some of my independence, I was able to feel some comfort in the camaraderie among people who share the same concerns as I do regarding the state of our democracy. It may not do much in the long run, but it feels so much more proactive than posting article after article on Facebook. And yes, I realize that I still keep posting article after article on Facebook, mostly out of frustration and outrage.
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| Women's March - Minnesota State Capitol |
I’d like to use this blog post to thank everybody who has been so helpful in this challenging time. I’m looking forward to being on my feet again and trying to find a way to pay all this kindness forward. I’d like to thank my Aunt Joan for being there at the hospital with me before and after the surgery. My mom was quite busy taking care of William and Oskar and couldn’t be there and AJ was a great stand-in. It was so nice to have a friendly face to wake-up to after surgery and I appreciate your company. Of course, thank you mom, for doing such a good job watching the boys while I was in the hospital and taking time away from your snowbird getaway in Florida to fly up to warm, sunny Minneapolis in January and stay with us. Thank you dad, for managing without mom and even getting your very first cell phone.
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| Aunt Joan - wonderful bedside manner |
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| Grandma Betty - coffee with William |
A big thank you goes out to my sister-in-law Rachel and brother-in-law Dan for helping us get home to Minneapolis after the accident. These two drove from Houghton to Minneapolis then back to Houghton again in one day - round trip of nearly 750 miles! The next day they made the trip home to Chicago. You are truly road warriors and I can’t thank you enough for your kindness.
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| Road warriors Rachel and Dan |
Thank you to my husband Adam for rising to the occasion of extra household and parental duties that I usually take care of. Thank you for doing all the legwork to find temporary daycare for William. And of course, thanks for being a great dad and supportive husband.
Thank you to the Cussin’ and Drinking Mamas’ Society of Minnesota Facebook group. One post about my broken leg situation led to an amazing amount of support from a group of virtual strangers. A member of the group set-up a Meal Train website allowing other members to sign up to bring us a meal. We’ve had more than twenty meals delivered to us in the past month and it’s been amazing. Many of the meals included a main dish, sides, dessert and a much needed bottle of wine. We’ve been truly spoiled and I worry my family will be disappointed when I start cooking again. It is especially wonderful to see this display of compassion and generosity coinciding with the start of the Trump administration. In many ways my faith in humanity has been restored.
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| Remember no woman is a failure who has friends |
Thank you to my friends who came out to visit me at my parent’s home when my stay in the U.P. was unexpectedly extended - Meg, Marika, Katie, Dan, Rachel, Matt and Cathy. Thank you to Adam’s awesome Aunt Lynn and Uncle Bob, who were so helpful with wound care. Uncle Bob even made a house call to help me with changing my dressings post surgery. Thanks to all the friends who have helped get me out of the house, especially in those early weeks when I was fairly immobile. Robyn, the walker drink holder has been a lifesaver. Thanks to the book club ladies for helping me in and out of the car during an ice storm. It’s still a miracle that I didn’t manage to break my other leg getting out of Molly’s house. Thank you Clara for stopping by with pastries, coffee and a darling baby. Thank you Erin for taking me out to lunch before I was able to drive and cabin fever was driving me crazy. Thank you Scott for helping us get Oskar to the bus stop and home again after school. Thank you Steve for shoveling our walk on multiple locations. I’m sure I’m forgetting somebody, and I apologize.
Finally, my biggest thank you goes out to my mother-in-law Ronan. She has spent a good three-weeks with us helping with childcare, cleaning, meal preparation, grocery shopping, laundry, kitty litter clean-up, and more. She had to board her cat Furry and sleep in our not so comfortable guest bedroom/office. She’s changed countless diapers and managed to get Oskar out of bed, dressed and to the bus stop on time in twenty below zero temperatures, even after her knee went out. I can’t even begin to express how thankful I am that you’ve been here to help us out. We’re incredibly lucky to have you relatively nearby and I’m glad the boys have been able to spend all this time with their grandmother. I’m really not sure how we’ll ever make it up to you. You are a saint!
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| Saint Ronan, entertaining Oskar |
Sadly, the doctor has yet to give me the green-light to start swimming because he’s worried I’ll slip and reinjure my leg. I did start physical therapy last week and now have a walking boot. I’m still using the walker for balance, but am allowed to do 25-50% weight bearing on my bad leg. Showering has become pretty easy, but stairs remain a big challenge. This week I’ll be getting back to cooking and trying to do more cleaning. It’s a slow process, but it’s very heartening to feel some progress. I’m even wearing real pants today. It’s the little things . . .
