Wednesday, February 5, 2020

IWSG: Falling For Each Other

                                               
                                                

It's time for another edition of the  Insecure Writer's Support GroupBe sure to visit Alex J. Cavanaugh  and the rest of the talented bloggers who are always willing to lend a helping hand.

                       
                              Falling For Each Other

Last month I wrote about how 2020 got off to a rocky start when my husband fell in the shower, and we almost didn't make it to our dear friends' New Year's Eve party. Though the story had a happy ending, I stumbled by taking a lighthearted approach to my husband's accident, causing karma to step in. 

About a week later, Hubby experienced debilitating pain in his right knee, and couldn't walk. In an effort not to wake me, he used a Swiffer handle as a makeshift cane. Then I bought him an actual cane, and we went to an orthopedic doctor the next day. 

The x-ray showed that the arthritis of Hubby's right knee was so severe that his leg was bone on bone. The doctor ordered physical therapy, in addition to continuing pre-shower fall therapy on his right shoulder. 

He also advised him that he'd likely need knee replacement surgery in the near future. We researched surgeons and will be seeing our first choice in mid-February. 

But karma didn't end there. A few days later, despite clear skies, I bundled up in layers, snow boots and my warmest winter coat en route to a hair appointment. I didn't want to take any chances encountering wild winds or slick sidewalks. Then without warning, as I approached the corner before the beauty shop, I gracefully fell face first on an uneven sidewalk. 

A kind stranger apparently witnessed the dreadfully embarrassing incident and offered to help me up, but I slowly managed to get to my feet. I tried to smile with my protruding bloody lip, and thanked her as I limped into the shop. 

Then my wonderful beautician sprang into action by helping me into the chair. I admired her restraint, as I was aghast at my reflection when I saw something resembling a freakish Simpson cartoon character staring back at me.  

Next, I checked to make sure I wasn't missing any teeth while my caring beautician gently dabbed my lip, and bandaged my bloody knee. Then she offered to either drive me home or to the ER. 

But I did exactly what my mom would've done. I ignored my throbbing knee, and stayed for the two hour color highlights appointment. Hey, if I had to go to the hospital, I was darn well going to look my best. My full-service nurse/beautician even drove me home afterward.

Fortunately, my husband's knee was improving, so later that night he lent me the family cane. By this time I was screaming in pain, but he didn't notice any swelling and thought my knee would heal quickly. 

Grateful that I fell on the opposite side of my new kidney, I spent the next few days toughing it out by icing and elevating my knee, in between Nancy Kerrigan "Why me?" rantings. 

A few days later, my husband woke me with a start when his blood pressure sky rocketed to 184/100. I drove him to the ER for a series of tests. 

Fortunately, aside from his blood pressure, his other numbers looked good, and there was no evidence of a heart attack or stroke. 

Relieved that Hubby was out of danger, I asked if the young trauma doctor would look at my knee. He nodded. Then I rolled up my pant leg, and added, "If I was your grandmother, would you recommend having an x-ray?" That went over like a lead balloon which really cheered me up.

The x-ray showed I have a small fracture of my kneecap, so I was outfitted with an immobilizer (brace) which spans from my lower thigh to my upper calf. Thankfully, my husband has been doing well on a low-dose hypertension pill.

When we arrived home that afternoon, we were greeted by our neighbor whose husband is a former orthopedic surgeon. After we told her why I was wearing a brace she reiterated what I already knew, that a fractured kneecap is extremely painful. Then my husband apologized for not taking me more seriously.

We also took a photo of the uneven sidewalk where I fell, and sent it to the city to hopefully prevent future injuries.

Last week Hubby celebrated his birthday, and our wonderful boys took us out for a delicious pre-birthday dinner at an outstanding steak restaurant which really raised our spirits.

On my husband's actual birthday, I wanted to make his favorite fudge brownies, but the mixing bowl is located on a high kitchen shelf. With his painful shoulder(s) and our bad knees, we didn't dare risk climbing up the step stool. Though I offered to make a bakery run, he insisted on finishing the last slice of frozen key lime pie instead.

February 4th marked the three week anniversary of my fall, and when we're not putting our impaired knees together (my left and Hubby's right) to team-up in competitive three-legged races, we can be found casually limping down the sidewalk. 

However, when the disgruntled seniors sideswipe us with their walkers as they forge ahead, my husband is never left behind in a trail of dust. Instead, Hubby can be heard howling in his best raspy Ratso Rizzo voice from Midnight Cowboy, "I'm walkin' here."  

Of course, this just makes me fall for him all over again.

27 comments:

  1. Wishing you both quick healing!

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  2. Oh dear, oh dear, it's like knee carnage at your house! I hope you both heal quickly. That's very unfortunate.

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  3. Sorry you are both suffering knee issues. My father had knee replacement surgery and it really did help.

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  4. 2020 did not start out well for you two. Crap happens, pain follows, but somehow you get a good story. As they always said at opening scene of Hill Street Blues, “Let’s be careful out there”.

    All around me, friends are getting new hips and knees. I felt so fortunate that my legs were still keeping me in a vertical position, but then, right before giving a large party (baby shower) in my house to be followed two weeks later with my annual Super Bowl party, my knees decided to let me down. I blame it on my cat who sleeps in our bed, on my side so I scrunch up in an awkward position to give her room so she is comfortable. She demands that. Anyway, it is off and on pain and I made it through the parties and have decided to ignore it in till I can’t.

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  5. Sorry you are both hobbling along. Glad you’re there to help each other.

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  6. Oh no, I'm so sorry you fell. But I love that you still manage to create laughs out of the situation. You and your husband doing a three legged race killed me. Take care and I hope you are pain-free very soon!

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  7. Oh no! Falls are scary. My mom fell a couple of years ago when I was with her. I had to bring her to the ER. No stitches, fortunately, but her knee hasn't been the same sense. And I fear falling all the time because of the rod in my back. I have no idea how my body would react to that.

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  8. Oh my goodness! I'm so glad you're okay. But wow, how interesting that you had to take hubby back to hospital so eventually someone would check your knee and see how very seriously it was injured. Karma! Really. You were meant to be okay. Why it happened, I don't know, but only good will come from it. How do I know? I broke my hip 2 years ago and lay immobilized for 8 hours before someone found me. I thought it was the worst thing that could ever happen to me. It wasn't and I learned more from that than I could have ever guessed. Life is a miracle.

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  9. >>...the family cane

    Ha!-Ha! Will you be donating that to the Smithsonian Museum someday?

    Hokey-smoke! It sounds like you're the limping wounded in a war zone. I hope things settle down for you and Mr. Rizzo soon.

    By the way, a few years ago I came across something about 'Midnight Cowboy' which said the "I'm walking here!" bit was actually improvised on the spot by Dustin Hoffman. They were using a hidden camera to get "natural" New York City street shots, and the driver of that car turned right in front of Hoffman as seen in the movie (i.e., it wasn't something scripted for the movie) and Hoffman reacted while remaining in character. I don't know if that's really true, but if so, how wonderful that one of the most memorable lines in the history of cinema occurred "in the moment", completely ad-libbed!

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

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  10. Liza -I've been very fortunate as I've noticed a big improvement this week. But my husband's knee has been acting up for years, so we might not be able to put off surgery much longer. Thank you, Liza!

    Debra - "Knee Carnage" has a nice ring to it, and would make a gripping book or movie title! Now if we only could get more than my immediate family to read or watch it. Thank you, Debra!

    Alex - I've heard many success stories from people who've had knee replacement surgery, and I'm so glad your dad is one of them. Your dad must've been a very good patient, and followed up with all the physical therapy. Thanks for your kind words and for hosting another great IWSG, Alex!

    Arleen - I'm so sorry you had to suffer through hosting two large parties, but miraculously you soldiered on. Would you consider getting a separate mini bed for your cat that you can put next to your bed? If not, you could always set up a cot for your hubby! Haha! I hope you feel better soon, Arleen. Thank you!

    Natalie - I'm very lucky that he's been such a big help to me, and I hope he feels the same way. Thanks Natalie!

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  11. Julie - I've been feeling a lot better lately. Hubby is at PT now, so I hope that helps until we have our appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. My husband actually came up with the three-legged race idea, so I'll tell him you appreciated it! Thank you, Julie!

    Chrys - That must've been pretty frightening when your mom fell, and I'm sorry her knee never completely healed. I didn't realize you had a rod in your back. That must've been very intensive surgery. I hope you're feeling okay. As Arleen said, "Be careful out there." Thanks Chrys!

    Joylene - Oh no, I can't believe you had to lay on the ground for four hours until someone found you. How awful! You must've been going out of your mind! I hope that you're doing well now, and I really admire your positive attitude.

    On another note, I decided to make the most of my time in the ER that morning, but I should've gone sooner. Thank you, Joylene!

    Hi Stephen - Yes, the Smithsonian will definitely be interested in our drugstore family cane, but something tells me we shouldn't part with it just yet! Haha!

    I also saw the Dustin Hoffman story when I was trying to find a clip from "Midnight Cowboy" to include in the story, but I couldn't get the sound to work on my computer. Supposedly, Jon Voight (who is brilliant on Ray Donovan) backed up Dustin's story, but there still were conflicting reports on whether the cab driver was in on it. On another note, there have been many incidents where people have said my husband looked like DH, and someone actually thought he was him (more "Marathon Man" than Ratso Rizzo, I hope). Though I agreed with them, he always thought he was more of an Al Pacino type. Turns out DH has aged better than AP, who now reminds me of Morey Amsterdam, so he doesn't mind so much anymore. Thanks for putting a little pep in my step, Stephen!

    Julie

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    1. What a chapter of disasters Julie. I do hope you both heal fast and smoothly.

      Was my hubby's birthday on the 4th so Happy Birthday from one man to the other.

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    2. Jo - Thanks for your good wishes! Ah, so our husbands were both born under the Aquarius sign. Please wish him a belated happy birthday from us.

      Julie

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  12. Hi Julie - gosh ... telling the tale like it is - with a dash of your mother's sanguine thoughts ... just great to read - though I do know falling flat on one's face is not a happy place to be. When I did it - it was Halloween ... and I went up to the Nursing Centre the next day and asked them to check I was ok .. I thought I was - they just said: you haven't taken your Halloween make up off?! I laughed ... and when the next day (again) I went to the doctors' surgery with sunglasses on - at the Reception they wondered what I was doing, then I took the glasses off - and they fixed me an appt ... thankfully no damage just a few repairs!

    Wonderful telling ... but I do hope you can both get knees et al sorted out without too much hassle ... and so pleased you didn't fall on your new kidney's side = karma was with you then.

    Take care - cheers Hilary

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  13. Hi Hilary - I'm so sorry you fell on Halloween. As always, you were a very good sport about it, but you must've really banged up your face. OUCH!!! Thank goodness you healed up nicely. We'll both be fine, but it was just so strange that this happened practically one after the other. Thank you, Hilary!

    Julie

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  14. My gr-daughters always hold onto me when we do something. Falling seems to be my stock and trade.
    Take care, get a better cane!

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    1. Susan - Though I'm sorry you've experienced multiple falls, I'm glad that you have such caring granddaughters to watch over you. The cane definitely came in handy, but we were fortunate to only need it for a couple of non-conflicting days. Thank you, Susan!

      Julie

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  15. Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about all that you and your husband are dealing with. when it rains, it pours. I'm glad you are able to keep your sense of humor about it. Wishing you both a quick recovery so that you are soon pain-free.

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  16. Cue up Jack Benny's voice: "Now cut that out!"

    Geez, girl, I'm sorry to hear about your falls... both of you. You guys must look like my hubby and hobbling around. The only way to stay ahead of it is to find the humor in the situation, which you clearly have.

    Falls aren't always a bad thing. My best gal pal took a nasty fall flat on her face. Her face took the brunt of the fall, including broken glasses and a broken nose, but she also had enough other injuries that the ER doc insisted on an MRI. Thanks to that MRI, the doctors discovered that she had non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She had no symptoms to warn her, but her tumors were quite large. Now, after undergoing treatment, she's doing great. We agreed that her guardian angel pushed her. :)

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  17. Connie - Falling so close in time to each other is more a comedy of errors than anything else. I'm getting better every day, and Hubby is relieved that he was able to prolong having knee replacement surgery for so many years. I was hoping this experience would teach me to stop teasing him so much, but he still enjoys giving me a hard time too. We really are meant for each other. Thanks Connie!

    Hi Susan - It's incredible that something so good came out of your dear friend's painful fall! Thank goodness she's doing so well. I wholeheartedly believe in guardian angels, and because you and your husband are such kind and caring people, I'll bet there's one looking out for both of you too. Take care of each other, my friend!

    Julie

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  18. Hi Julie!
    Thank you for the entertainment! You are too cute! I just love your spirit!
    I hope that you and your hubby get well soon.
    Take care.

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  19. Hi Michelle - Aw, I really appreciate your kind words, and it means so much coming from such a fun-loving, spirited person like yourself! We're getting stronger every day - so no worries. I hope you're doing well. Thank you so much, Michelle!

    Julie

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  20. Years ago, I fractured my patella in a car accident (my knee came up upon impact, and hit the steering wheel). When my husband heard the diagnosis, he laughed. The nurses thought this bizarre, so he explained - the kneecap is one of the hardest bones to break. You practically have to hit it with a sledgehammer to break it.

    The good news is that it's gonna hurt like hell for a while, but heal fairly well. No residual effects, unlike other broken bones.

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  21. Oh, Julie, I so love and miss you. Your and hubby's priorities can't be beat (except with some chocolate fudge tossed into the mouth, not hair): haircolor highlights and key lime piece. Your creativity and humor are sharp as ever.
    I'm very sorry for all the pain and exasperating struggles. I'm sending you lots of love and healing thoughts, remarkable lady.

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  22. WOW!And I thought I was having a rough time. Hugs and keep smiling.

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  23. Jack - Thank you so much!

    Linda - Sorry I didn't see this sooner and I'm even sorrier for what you've been through! Everything you said is absolutely true and I am feeling almost completely healed at this writing. Sounds like our husbands would become fast friends! Thank you Linda!

    Robyn - I feel the same way about you! That is quite a compliment coming from one of the wittiest women I know! I so love your ability to always find the "silly" in every situation, and we're very fortunate to be able to laugh at these minor inconveniences. Thank you Dear Robyn!

    Susanne - Haha! We know how lucky we are that things did not turn worse. Thanks Susanne!

    Julie

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