Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Could it be an injury again?

 Although I’ve only done about a post a month this year, pretty much every one of them has been about some sort of injury. Last Friday while at ABLE, I injured my right leg. It was during a transfer from the mat back to my wheelchair. Both therapists and I heard a “pop”. One of them thought it was just my hip, so I continued the rest of my session doing exercises in my chair.

That evening, night and next day, my leg along with knee started swelling up. It’s even more so than the effusion I had obtained over a month ago because it still hasn’t healed completely. Since I have some feeling, I could tell it was hurting along with how my body was reacting. My leg was spasming frequently and I was getting goosebumps (a sign of autonomic dysreflexia.)

I debated on whether to go to the orthopedic urgent care on Saturday, but decided against it on a weekend, since I didn’t know how long the wait time would be. We didn’t have a nurse Monday, so I went yesterday (Tuesday.) The wait time was about 1 ½ hours, which isn’t bad for an urgent care. After finally getting into a room, a doctor came in.

Based on everything that was going on, from there I went to get a couple of x-rays. When I got back into the room, he looked at them. He noticed a fracture, but thought it was from my old one of my tibia a couple years ago. Although to be sure, the Dr. had a radiologist look at it, and he determined that it was a new one. He was just going to put me in just a boot, but ultimately decided to cast it because it would be less likely to move around inside.

Even though there was an array of different colors, I chose a lighter blue (my favorite color.) The cast will be on for two weeks, then I will go back to the same place and get it taken off. That’s when they will give me a boot for the rest of the healing phase. I’m not sure how long that will be on, but I’m guessing just another couple of weeks or so.

Since starting ABLE, this is my third injury on my legs. Once this heals, I’m not certain on what my plans are going forward. I would hate to have to stop going. My favorite days have always been going there, and I’m always bummed when I can’t go. I’ve gotten so much stronger with function, strength, movement, and overall stamina. It’s been a big mood boost and raised my confidence level within myself.

I’m hoping I can go back at some point, although I don’t want any other injuries to happen. We would need to create a whole new routine, altering what I’ve been doing currently. Which would be unfortunate given what I’ve gained so far and how good it’s been for me. Once everything is healed, I will know more on what to do going forward.

Other than that, I’ve kind of put my book aside and been focusing more on writing poetry. By learning how to write proper poem styles, it’s really helped broaden my writing style. Also, I’ve learned how to “show not tell” when it comes to writing. This in turn is a great background have, particularly when writing my memoir. Despite the slight delay, it’s good to do different things, especially if it’s going to help long-term.

I have been getting outside as much as I can, but lately the weather has been hot and rainy. It’s only going get warmer within the next couple of months. Also, I’ve been going more places since COVID has died down a little. The problem is finding places to go. Since I don’t work, I mainly do stuff on my computer (which includes shopping online.)

I posted some pictures below of my fracture and cast. I’ll try to write more posts, not just updates.


You can clearly see the fracture going diagonally across the right side



Jenni

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi So sorry to here of your injuries…not fun. Heal quickly! Is ABLE like disabled gym 😂how would I search it on google? Thanks!! Enjoy your updates

Jenni said...

It's an exercise program for people recovering from any sort of injury or maintaining abilities after an injury. It is private pay, although you can get grants from places. You could search Courage Kenny ABLE program, Golden Valley Minnesota.

Stephanie Schwartz said...

So sorry to hear you have another injury Jenni. I hope you are able to return to ABLE. Sending you love and a fast recovery!