Wednesday, January 17, 2007

HELP! I'VE FALLEN AND I CAN'T GET UP!!

One week after camp…

I was so excited about the previous week that I was telling everybody. My friend Tonya wanted to hear all about it so we arranged for me to stay the night at her house after church on Wednesday night. So I wore my camp T-shirt and brought my annual so she could see it. There were no elevators to get to the upstairs to go to the youth room for the service, not to mention the steps were very steep (of course isn’t that always the way it goes!) So, after the service I grabbed Tonya’s arm and off we headed to go down the stairs. Only right before we began that journey I fell back and landed on the floor. I was screaming because I knew something was out of whack. I raised my head up to look at my body, and realized that my knee cap was not where it should be. All I needed was some help to straighten my leg so that I could pop it back into place. It had happened before, and I could do it myself but this time I was needing help. People were running to my rescue, Tonya was freaking out thinking she did something wrong, I was cussing, people were praying, and someone finally got a hold of 911! It was crazy. Meanwhile this guy who I had a major crush on gave me his Bible to rest under my head. Now I am in pain but got caught up in the moment of the sweet gesture. While he is probably hoping that God's Word would somehow seep into my brain to fix my language! No one would help me try to straighten my leg to pop the ankle back into place. They were afraid to screw it up even more, so we just waited on the ambulance. I do not blame them, although at the time I was not a happy camper! My grandma was also an onlooker who never left my side. Neither one of my parents were home. I did not know where my dad or mom was to get a hold of.

As the ambulance arrived they would not straighten my knee either, so they put something on their to stabilize it until I got to the emergency room. Tonya and her family, my grandma, and majority of the youth group met me at the hospital. In the ambulance it was the two drivers and myself. They had given me some laughing gas to ease my pain. We were having a good old time in the ambulance after that! I was telling some of the stupidest jokes that are gut wrenching funny when you are on something. Probably something like: What did one tomato say to the other tomato when it realized it was going to slow? KETCH-UP!!! ROFL, LOL! I remember those guys saying that they wished all the sick people they picked up were like me!

While I was on the stretcher waiting for the doctor I remembered where my Mom was. So they went to give her a call, and she was on her way. The doctor came in lifted my leg and popped my knee cap back into socket. I was like, “pop pop fizz fizz oh what a relief it is!” I thought I would just be able to get off the table and go on about my business. WRONG, due to the fact that my knee had been out of socket so long fluid had built up a round where the knee cap should have been. They put a knee brace on my knee, but even then I was not able to put pressure on that leg. My mom had gotten there at that time. Tonya and her family jokingly said to me, "If you didn't want to stay the night with us all you had to do was say so!” LOL.

For the next month and a half I wore that leg brace. Every day got better and I seemed to be able to put more and more pressure on it. It was like I had to learn how to walk all over again. My dad was so patient with me during this time. Again I felt I had no other option but to walk. I started my 10th grade year using the brace. After the first few weeks I would just wear it for security during school but take it off at home to gain confidence without it.

After going through the headache of borrowing the wheelchair again from MDA we decided that it would be a good idea to get my own wheelchair. This made me so completely sad, but again motivated me to fight to stay on my feet longer so I would not have to use it. The doctors were shocked that I was not already permanently using the wheelchair full-time. Some people think that going to pick out "a new toy" would make them happy. I am always sad any time I have to get "a new toy" because of my FA. I go through those five stages of grief again every time.

I have decided to not end this post on a sad note. So here is another joke for you: What do you call a ghost bee???? A boobee!!!! HEHEHOHO, ROFL! Don’t get me started!

It is your turn, got a joke to share? Or a trial in your life to share? I would love to hear. Thanks for taking the time to read, Miss S

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