Our Olde House: February 2025
Since my foot still has a broken bone in it. this past month has been one of deep contemplation and wonder of the theological importance of the Weather Channel and counting the number of tiles on the living room ceiling; I have a lot of time on my hands. I have come to no conclusions, and have never finished my counting, but I did realize one thing while sitting on the couch; George Burns was absolutely right about the secret to a good life when he said…. “If you wake up, get up; don’t fall in love with your bed”. This also applies directly to recuperating from an injury.
After my foot was hurt by gravity and a ladder, the doctor said I needed to stay off of my foot so it could heal, or surgery was a quicker option; I chose ‘not surgery’. To help me heal naturally, I was given pain pills, vitamin D, Calcium and a long-term reservation on the couch. I also got a big plastic boot for my right foot and a pair of crutches. Two swings and two misses here; the boot proved to be ridiculous to wear and the crutches were too painful to use by an old guy like myself. Fortunately I have a Miss Sherry to help me.
She said one of her friends had a hurt foot some years back, and got around on a scooter thing that you could lean the knee of the bad foot on, and pump with your other foot to move around the house. We did not know the correct name for this scooter, but Miss Sherry found a bunch of them on Amazon. The one we bought is called a ‘knee rover’, and since it is blue it is perfect. The knee pad and handlebars are adjustable for your height, it has four-wheel steering for sharp turns inside the house, disc brakes and a parking brake to keep it from rolling away while attempting to get on it. Very neat, much cheaper than the boot and very easy to use.
Since I cannot stand, walk or use a ladder, my routine chores are backing up. I have a baseball team’s worth of plastic Santas that I cannot put away without a ladder. As I have said before, many times, many many times, everything I do around this house requires a ladder. I did not finish cleaning the gutters, did not put away the Christmas decorations and did not mow the back lawn once more before Winter. The front door needs new weather stripping, the water heater closet needs a new closet and the back gate needs to be replaced. Everything will have to wait.
When I first started to sit on the couch all day, I stopped doing some basic chores I used to do every morning. The first thing I skipped was taking a shower each day, since I did not want to risk standing on one foot inside a slippery shower. I stopped unloading and loading the dishwasher. I stopped drinking a glass of orange juice first thing, and I did not make my morning coffee. I stopped taking the garbage and recycle bags out to the curb, and I stopped replacing the bag in the cats’ litter robot.
But after a week of doing less, and feeling sorry for myself more, I told Miss Sherry that my foot situation was ‘wearing on me’. This was bad, and fortunately I remembered the wise words of George Burns, so I started doing all of my regular morning routine. Well, Miss Sherry still takes out the garbage and recycle to the curb, and changes the litter box bag because these are tasks that are difficult to do one-footed. But the other tasks I can and now do again.
Miss Sherry got me a little chair that sits in the shower so I can take a shower every day; sure it takes a few minutes longer than before but the Weather Channel can wait. I did drill holes in the rubber feet to drain the water out of it. I load and unload the dishwasher when I see it needs to be done, and I enjoy my morning orange juice and two cups of coffee; and I feel like myself again. Before, I was sad, certainly not depressed, but this was self-inflicted by my own sense of what I could no longer do. Sure, everything takes a little longer than before, and I am hopefully careful enough not to hurt myself, and I will keep going.
The orthopedic doctor suggested getting an ultrasound device that encourages bone growth and healing. We got one, and it seems to be working great. I strap in on my foot once a day and let it run for twenty minutes. Four weeks after my fall, and after two weeks of using the bone device, my x-ray showed new bone growth. Not bad for an old guy.
I do accept responsibility for my injured foot since it was not completely the fault of the ladder, or gravity. I was being ‘careful’, but obviously not ‘careful enough’. I realize that over the past twenty years or so, I was also not ‘careful enough’ sometimes when doing chores around the house, but I got away with it. Maybe my age tripped me up, or maybe just the odds caught up with me. Miss Sherry has me on indefinite ladder and step stool probation, so things around the house will have to wait. And, I have a used ladder for sale at a very reasonable price.
