Biding Another Year Goodbye

By: MJ Fles

Binding, other, in, big, bingo, good, other, bye, bid, big, tear, gear, yea…

I’ll tell you why I missed last month’s and now I don’t want to go another further with this month’s ‘Theme’ until I tell you the story.

[For the past 6+ years I inject Avonex into me on Monday.] It began on a Tuesday morning I was safely in my room getting dressed. With my under garments on and a shirt all I needed was the pair of shorts that were on the floor. I moved over to where the shorts were, I bent down and my legs collapsed from under me.

In a tangled mess I sat on the floor and not noticing blood pouring out from my throbbing legs I winced in pain somewhat relieved? Either from shock or trauma neither of my legs would move.

Seemingly logical I wanted to know if my toes still worked. Guess what? They did!

The edited version continues something like this: Unable to straighten out my legs to stand, I butt scooted down the stairs where I sat. My Mom calmly got my shorts and helped me put them on: packed a bag then called 911.

Because of City of Chicago code, first to arrive was a fire truck. After the firemen saw that nothing else was going on they called to have an ambulance arrive. Outside my house the paramedics arrived and inside my house picked me up and put me on a wheel chair that they use to transport people that are able to sit. Once outside and down the stairs they transferred me to a gurney to then be in the ambulance. All of this activity must’ve been a treat for the neighbors who were not at their windows but outside on their porches. I didn’t notice any camera flashes, but I was otherwise consumed.

This was not like an episode of ER. But once inside I was taken care of immediately. Time moved painfully slow when I was moved to the x-ray room. I was told to pose for a picture when they moved me how they needed me, again my legs hurt like #$^% probably because I was in pain. The films seemingly immediately came. Outside the x-ray room the emergency room doctor hung them up and I saw the mess of my leg.

(I’ll omit the antagonizing story of the emergency room doctor [chump, what was he thinking I could do?] releasing me with a pair of crutches to then see the orthopedic surgeon the next morning.)

I’ll fast forward to I was finally admitted into the hospital. The orthopedic surgeon came to my room as did the general physician for that floor and a neurologist who was well versed in multiple sclerosis. Each day while I was in the hospital one by one they came to check in on me.

It was logically decided that surgery was needed.

The day before the surgery the orthopedic surgeon came to my room to explain once again what he was going to do. After he explained he ended the subject with ‘do you have any questions?’

The expose’ reporters would be proud of me! The only question that I had and asked was ‘have you ever done this before?’

His reply was ‘yes’. He also said that he has been an orthopedic surgeon for about 23 years.

Since the breaks were…odd, a pin or rod couldn’t be done. An ‘open reduction of left leg AND fixation of tibia’ was the name of the surgery which he was going to do. And it was this type of procedure that he had previously done about 2 or 3 times a month; or was it a week?

Two days into the hospital stay I was taken to another floor for the surgery. It was then that a fix was to happen.

Even though the surgery was supposed to be only one hour I was told two hours later I was awake and recovering.

I think I was in the hospital for another day or two and then went to the rehab center that’s a part of the hospital.

Rehab at the hospital was…professional, nice, brutal, nice, and all encompassing.

The cast that I had on my leg was [and is] a non-weight bearing cast so I was set up to hop with a walker in rehab. But to hop on my weaker leg the right leg was um…um… Thank goodness that whenever anyone was mobile they had a belt around their body for a nurse to hold in case there was a hint of an unexpected descent.

When not hopping there were practice sessions of putting on pants or shorts and removing them, too. Other things were practiced like getting in and out of a vehicle as was getting on and off of a toilet seat. Even though a cast was involved we did other things too, like moving everything that was possible to move, ensuring that the body still worked and was ready when a walking cast would be applied.

So it was over 2 years…no it was months. OK you got me it really was 16 days I was able to hop the hospital standard for release of about 30 feet.

I was released the Wednesday before Thanksgiving!

Flash to the following Monday I went to the orthopedic surgeon’s office for him to remove the things that were holding my skin together after the surgery. The things turned out to be staples and there were about 30 of them. My poor left leg! My leg modeling career has been aborted. LOL

This coming Monday, December 22^nd (my birthday) I return to his office and maybe I’ll graduate to a walking cast. Or is it really a surprise party? I’ll let you know. J