I've been at least partially disabled since November of 2008, when I broke my T12 vertebrae and subsequently had a spinal fusion of the T10-L2. Luckily, I was able to walk and live something like a regular life, albeit always in a lot of pain and with a very restrictive lifting/weight limit. Then (and I am summing this up rather rapidly) I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in July of 2012 at the relatively young age of 35. I did two kinds of chemotherapy, had a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction, and have been doing regular scans and labs ever since being declared 'No Evidence of Disease' on January 31st, 2013. Still trying to get back up to functional levels, I've changed a lot of my life in the last eleven months. Things have been tough, but ultimately very rewarding. Now, a new injury plants me right back on the invalid list and is prompting me to share at least some of my moods and experiences.
Simply put, I had a minor bicycle accident on November 4th during which I managed to give myself a rather severe Lisfranc injury. Initially misdiagnosed as a sprain at the ER (apparently very common with this particular injury), I wasn't surprised at all when the attending called me at home later in the evening to inform me that it was actually a fracture of the intermediate cuneiform bone. I was referred to a podiatrist, who took one look at the bruising between my toes and on the arch of my foot and ordered not just CT, but also reserved the OR for the following day- in anticipation of the CT results confirming his suspicions. Surgery was uneventful, and now I have several internal screws that will be permanent and several external screws and wires that will be removed in 3-5 months, provided my recovery is on track.
Due to the spinal fusion and side-effects of the mastectomy, I am not a candidate for crutches or a walker. I now zip around on a knee scooter, which isn't as awful as one might think. Unfortunately, as much as I would like to rest, I've had almost non-stop appointments. I'd already scheduled a bone scan for severe hip pain, and then this happened- tripling the appointments, and increasing my overall pain and stress. Certainly I am aware of the need for an outlet to discuss all of this, to vent- lest I become completely bogged down by my depression, anxiety, and pain.
The first photograph on this post is my favorite brand of selfie- "radioactive in a hospital bathroom". I'm not radioactive anymore since that injection happened over twenty-four hours ago, although I suppose I could stand to shower. The second photograph, my bedroom at my best friend's house where I have lived since April of this year, where I will be doing most of my recovering and resting. As much as I enjoy this space, I am sure I will be mightily sick of it all too soon. It's already difficult to stay in bed, although I've had the lion's share of practice at it since 2008. Now is as good a time as any to recultivate certain interests, and thankfully I have quite a few that I can partake in while incapactitated in this way.
