Just When You Thought It Was Safe...
It had been nearly a year since Earl got his new hip*. The bike accident primarily damaged the opposite side, so the hip prosthesis stayed in place. He went in for the one year post–operative visit and was given a clean bill of health by the orthopedic surgeon.
I was back to meeting my friend for Sunday coffee**. We catch up on our families, current events, etc. and then I blissfully scoot the mile home, listening to music on my phone.
"He's going for his first group bike ride. Yay, Earl. It's been a long uphill recovery."
I'm halfway home when my phone pauses mid–song for a call from Earl.
"Hi Tam. How was coffee?" Sweet, but he's not in the habit of checking in with me during a scoot. Something was up.
"Well, I had a small fall during the group ride. I can't bear weight on my leg and hip, so the bike store owner is going to drive me back to the start, and Jason will bring me home. Would you have JJ get the walker down and at hand?"
Earl received the x-ray confirmation the next day. His physician, also an athlete, spared him the 'tsk–tsk' and the lecture. To make a long story short, after nine months of intensive recuperation, he fell at the start of his bike ride and partially displaced the hip prosthesis that was inserted a year ago. Earl also sustained a small fracture at the top of the femur. This was so different from the trauma of being hit by a car. It was a simple, uncomplicated type of tip over on a gravel pathway he had ridden over many times before. He just didn't have the shoulder strength to stand and muscle through the deep gravel. Unfortunately, this time he fell on the wrong side. Wanting to avoid surgery, he chose the non-weight bearing for six weeks option. Non-weight bearing sounds easier than it actually is. Add in the imbalance that comes as a normal part of aging to the upper body weakness from the September accident, and even I started to look more functional. Now, that's a pretty low bar for comparison...24 hours after the fall, Jason took Earl in for the confirmatory x–ray. Waiting at home, I decided to update JJ, our Thai international student and discuss our home strategy for dealing with the new situation. He was usually on the college campus and I could track him using 'Find My Friends***. He was at a nearby hospital instead of school. To satisfy my curiosity, I called his cell — no answer. Certain I had made a mistake, I called a second time — no answer. To make another long story short, JJ had an anaphylactic reaction to a peanut–based protein used in his Engineering class. So, who is his primary emergency contact? That would be Earl. Fortunately for JJ, his 'village' was there for him and handled the allergy protocol, ambulance transport, ICU admission, etc. His girlfriend texted me using his cell phone and kept me informed. Still, it was difficult not being available for him. Good news, he was discharged in less than 12 hours and we didn't have to call his parents in Thailand to report him lost in the US healthcare system.
Our experience with the initial bike accident taught us the advantage in having different disabilities and getting things done with the tag team approach. Earl took full advantage of my collection of assistive devices. There isn't much that I don't have.
Unlike me dealing with a chronic disability, Earl's mobility needs were variable and acute (he would heal eventually), depending on their situation. In the early days, he used the walker. Initially given crutches, he found the walker required less balance and was better at facilitating non-weight bearing. As he healed and his balance returned, he moved to two crutches, then one, then a cane. But when he just needed to protect his still injured left shoulder, his newly injured right hip, and not worry about balance, Louise became the "go to" device. The big advantage was being able to go back and forth. Thelma, usually my Maui and outside wheelchair became more permanent for me, while Earl and Louise bonded. It's hard to explain the Zen of wheel chairing to a nonuser, but Earl came to appreciate her 'assets'.
Being the selfless, supportive spouse I am, I even shared Skeeter. Trusting (but verifying) that he wouldn't break her, I let him use the scooter to get the mail, check the garden, and just be outside.
Once has was allowed to bear some weight, he was able to use crutches and joined a gym. Earl approached his rehab like it was a freakin' job. Come to think of it – it was his job now. He substituted spinning classes for his conventional cycling. It was indoors, but there was almost no risk. That was a major advantage in my mind.
The Lesson: It is always something. Just keep moving, one day at a time.
*Previous post: Hip, hip hooray
**Previous post: Restaurants: It's Not About the Food
***Previous post: Technology–Unintended Consequences
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