Take it easy on yourself

[venta]

The story begins at Day 1. The short version: I ruptured knee ligaments skiing, and am currently experiencing life with dramatically-reduced mobility.


Part of the process of getting on with life at the moment is just working out how to do things. I can stand for short periods of time without crutches (by standing on one leg, and concentrating so I don't lose my balance). So I can make myself a cup of tea. What I can't then do is carry it anywhere, because crutches and carrying things is not compatible. (Another part of the process is working out what not to do... surprise thing that requires functional medial ligaments: the side-to-side swooshing leg movement used to encourage hot water up from the tap end of the bath!)

My new best friend is a zippy fleece jacket I bought some years ago. It has huge, bucket-like inside pockets. ChrisC has dug out from the back of the kitchen cupboard the one-cup flask I used to use to take tea to the Engineering Computer Science building when I was a post-grad. So now I can make a cup of tea in the flask, put the lid on, put it in my pocket, and transport it safely back to the sofa. Hurrah!

Add to that my improving ability to whizz round on crutches, and I encouraged ChrisC to head off to work for the day. He consented to leave me unattended, but on condition I promised to keep my phone on my person at all times in case of emergency. Since it seemed like a reasonable request, I agreed. And then promptly managed to abandon my phone in different bits of the flat on no fewer than three occasions while he was getting ready to leave...

I dug out my Glastonbury Festival don't-drop-your-phone-down-the-bog strap, and tied my phone to my trusty fleece. OK. Now we are ready for anything. This isn't so bad.

Also, someone on Google+ pointed out that Kate Moss has recently had a skiing incident and is sporting a legbrace and crutches. So apparently I'm bang on trend as well. I know you were all worried about how this was affecting my fashion choices.

My hip was still pretty sore, so I made sure I never sat for too long, going on little jaunts down the corridor or to the kitchen. By the end of the day, I'd discovered a new problem.

All this walking around was probably great for Right Leg, safely wrapped up in its brace and only having a fraction of my weight on it. Left Leg, however, which was doing all the work, was reminding me (with increasing frequency and ferocity) that it also has ruptured ligaments and would I please stop with all this racing around.

Bother.

I also remained uncertain just what exactly was upsetting my hip. Sitting still? Sitting wrongly? Sleeping with my leg chocked up with pillows? Just the exertion of lifting my leg awkwardly around? I experimentally went to bed wearing my leg brace, with my leg flat on the bed.

No specific heroes today, but ChrisC is clearly Designated Hero of the Week.

Comments

[sammason.livejournal.com]

Painful! Inconvenient too.

I'm so with you on this, my friend. The small things that aren't small any more. Eg your 1-cup flask sounds v useful to carry hot drinks. I've also used a lidded mug, as sold in camping shops.

When near people I use the 1000 pairs of legs, 1000 pairs of hands and 1000 pairs of eyes that I have; just not attached to this particular body. Polite words and a smile like a barista's smile (this userpic) work miracles.

If you tell friendly_crips what you're doing, that'll be v welcome.

[venta.livejournal.com]

that'll be v welcome

Do you think so? I'm aware that there's a risk that someone incurs a minor injury then goes all "ooh, I totally know exactly what it's like to live with a disability" - and that could quite get up people's noses ;-) I wasn't sure I'd have much to contribute to the community. (Beyond "you're right, this is hard!")

It's interesting (I think!) to note though, that with the best will in the world (and quite a few friends who consider themselves disabled) I'm still learning for myself things that people have told me before. Some years ago ebee was using crutches and mentioned that carrying basically anything was impossible. And yet still, I've tried to pick up things thinking well, it's only small/light... and do you know what? It's basically impossible to carry anything.

(In hands, that is. The boyfriend has located a small messenger bag that looks like it might have a few uses.)

[sammason.livejournal.com]

Yes this topic would certainly be welcome. I like how it illustrates the way most of us crips have needed to learn, and relearn, things that others may have seemed to know already. Also it illustrates the term 'Temporarily Able Bodied (TAB)' which is deliberately humbling to normies, pointing out that nobody's strength is permanent.

In a more immediate way, I like your descriptions of finding adaptations to meet your requirements. Your hot-drink flask is one of those.

Reading about your crutches and your limbs I keep wanting to tell a story (that isn't my story to tell) of somebody who used a walking frame for years. When it made her wrists arthritic she got a wheelchair.

PS I'd esp like it if you posted to the comm without naming me. People have sometimes started posts, 'Sam asked me to write about this,' which makes me the centre of attention. Your words are yours.

[venta.livejournal.com]

OK. I shall try and cogitate upon a post for the community. Noted that I shouldn't say you are pulling my strings :)

[ebee.livejournal.com]

My breakthrough was when my lovely mate bought me a trolley (like a tea trolley!) that could be nudged along with crutches. I'm happy to A) lend mine B) get you one. I've held off so far as concerned it may not fair well on your tile/thick carpet combo.

[ebee.livejournal.com]

And, needless to say, a rather awesome Venta came to help. I did see a lady pootling about in town recently with a crutch attachment bucket thing on it. HOW THE FRELL DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THESE. I am mid sourcing you one.

[venta.livejournal.com]

That does indeed sounds like an awesome thing! Please don't feel you have to spend lots of time chasing things down, though!

[ebee.livejournal.com]

Correct search criteria identified. Crutch bucket success. Also found glitter wraps but figured I'd hold on that.

[venta.livejournal.com]

"Crutch bucket" totally sounds like an insult!

Not entirely certain glitter wraps are quite "me"! Also no real grasp yet of how long me and the crutches are going to be hanging out!

[sammason.livejournal.com]

I have a 'brake trolley' in my home and Watson's home. Each was paid for by the Dept of Health and Social Security (DHSS) or whatever they're called, after my GP referred me for a wheelchair. Which, btw, is another aid I didn't have to pay for.

I don't know how the system works if your disability is classed as 'temporary'.

One of my brake trolleys has wheels that swivel to let me go around corners. The other doesn't. Neither of the Occupational Therapists (OTs) who prescribed a brake trolley asked me whether or not I wanted wheels to go around corners. I'm not impressed by that but I'm very impressed by the brake trolleys, esp since I worked out how to lock the brakes.

On a bad day for mobility, or when Watson's little grandkids are visiting, I wheel food or tea to my computer chair, lock the trolley's wheels and sit there to eat or drink.

[dr-bob.livejournal.com]

Many years ago, my Dad damaged hs knee skiing (not as badly as the right, but maybe not dissimilar to the left. Turns out that this had a long term effect on his posture, such that now (by the age of nearly 70) he has knackered his hip. So putting up with a dodgy knee may not be a good long term solution, if you can somehow persuade someone to fix them both.

For tea transportation (a basic human right) when cuthbertcross broke her little toe some years back, she set up a series of tables/stools from the kitchen to the sofa to enable her to move tea while crawling between locations.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

What kind of a hip ache is it? May help to lie on your front with leg brace on in bent position and flop your legs (more of a controlled flop) inwards and outwards, because all the muscles in there that help stabilise your leg as you walk are not getting any sensory feedback any more so they are going tense and whiny because they know something is wrong. Sort of.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

If that has the "ahh, that's a helpful stretch" kind of pain it's ok but if it feels like something is about to break, stop!

[venta.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, I'm not going to blame you if I do something stupid and my leg drops off :-)

I'm struggling to define either what sort of ache it is, or indeed exactly where it is. It feels bone-y rather than muscle-y, but I shall try your suggestion out and see if it helps, thanks!

It is actually better now than it was (my write-ups are a few days behind real time). Whether this is because I'm putting a little more weight on the leg as I'm walking (so the muscles are getting feedback), or because I'm not sleeping with my leg in such an oddly elevated position, or because I'm trying not to sit too still, or because the wind is now in the East, etc., etc. is a mystery...

[exspelunca.livejournal.com]

As someone who dropped her mobile down the netty last week, without the excuse of crutches, I could do with a Glasto strap. It did not do it any good and the new dumbphone relies on psychic abilities rather than a set of instructions.

[lathany.livejournal.com]

Tea with a lid is definitely a win!