Just My Opinion - By Mary Kilen
Well, That Ended Badly
It has been an interesting week for us. On Wednesday after I got home from the school board meeting, I decided to go see how many leaves had fallen in the pool with the wind.
There were plenty of them floating on the surface of the pool and getting sucked into the filter only to be spit back out. As I turned to go back in the house, I got distracted by a bumble bee.
The bee was climbing up the ladder and then fell back into the pool. And this is where I made my big mistake. I felt bad for the bee and grabbed a leaf from the pool. I reached out and got the bee on the leaf and then turned to throw it into the air. Unfortunately, it landed on my hand and I admit to getting startled and I jumped. I came down wrong on my left foot. I heard and felt the crack.
I hobbled back into the house and put an ice pack on my foot, hoping that it would feel better. Forty minutes later, I got up and discovered that it was not better. It might have been worse.
Because I have osteoporosis and because Dale was sure I needed to have it looked at, we headed to the ER at MCMC. I waited to have x-rays and then got the news I dreaded. I broke the fifth metatarsal on my left foot. That’s the bone that runs from your ankle to your little toe. (Having researched it since then, I also found out is the most common break in a foot.)
Meanwhile, it had started getting dark outside. Dale can’t drive in the dark. He went home to get crutches and also got Kris Halvorson to drive him back to the ER to get me.
I got home after almost killing myself with crutches leaving the ER. I moved on to trying a walker. Neither of these was working well for me.
I went into the office on Thursday. With a few Facebook posts about my issues, Grace Lystad offered a knee walker. Dale was already considering looking for one because I was pitiful trying to move. She and Larry dropped it off at the office and it made an amazing difference. I am at least mobile now.
I’d like to point out that this is my first broken bone. I will see Dr. Joshi here in Stanley on Thursday to evaluate my foot. If he determines it needs surgery, I’d like to point out that other than Lasix surgery, it will also be my first surgery.
Meanwhile, I’m trying to take it easy. My restrictions include no weight bearing on my foot to start with. That means using the knee walker all the time. My foot is in a boot most of the time.
It also means that I haven’t been able to do all of the things I usually do. There have been so many people step up to help.
The staff at MCMC’s ER took great care of me while I was there. Kris coming to help Dale get me home was a lifesaver. Grace sharing her walker with me has been lifechanging for me as I deal with the limitations.
Heather and Kerrington Lee stepped up to help me with pictures from the Back to Blue Jay night on Thursday. Julie Woodbury sent me pictures from the Farmer’s Market. Al Christianson, who is always good to share pictures with me, sent pictures from Friday’s football home opener.
Christina and Jada have been awesome at the office, after they got done laughing about how I broke my foot. (Trust me, everyone laughs when they hear I broke my foot trying to save a bumble bee.) They’ve made it possible for me to take some time off to rest my foot last week and they’ve been great about bringing things to me in my office and saving me steps.
And most of all, Dale has been a real trooper. He has been amazing taking care of me. He has had to take on a lot more than usual around the house. He’s willing to get me anything when I’m sitting on the couch. He helps me wrap my foot in the ace bandage each night so that I can take the boot off. He’s also driving me everywhere right now. The only vehicle that has moved at our house since last Wednesday night is the Polaris. It’s just about the perfect height for me to get in and the walker can ride in the back. Buddy is not amused because he hasn’t gotten a ride in the Corvette for days. The list of things Dale has done and helped with would be longer than the space I have for my column this week.
I can’t thank all of these people enough for stepping up and offering assistance. I know that there will be times over the next few weeks when I’ll be looking for more help, especially with pictures and more. That’s one thing I love about living in a small town. The number of people that are willing to help is amazing and sometimes humbling.
So, now you know why my foot is in a boot and I’m using a knee walker. If you’re wondering, yes, the bumble bee flew away and seemed perfectly safe. My grandkids pointed out that while they appreciated my willingness to help out another living being, they are not sure they would be willing to break a bone to help an insect. I’ve also been told that I really should have put some thought into telling the story about how I broke my foot. Apparently, I should have made up something more interesting, like dancing on a table.
I’m just hoping that my foot heals quickly and that I’m able to start doing more on my own. I’m not good at slowing down or asking for help. I just want everyone who asked about me, offered help and support, to know how grateful I am.