My leg

Boy am I glad 2007 is over. It was quite a year. It started out fine, then n March 3, I tore my ACL & LCL (two of the 4 ligaments in my right knee)while skiing. Well, honestly, skiing was fine, it was the fall that got me. I was going too fast (for me, which is turtle speed) and the slope was a little icy. I was going around a curve towards some fallen branches and didn't want to crash into those......I didn't want to end up smacked up against a tree. As I tried to slow down, my skis became tangled and down I went. I knew something was wrong with my knee, but it didn't hurt. I just knew I couldn't get off that mountain by myself. Cameron & I were skiing together and he came to help with lots of other people. One nice teenage boy got the Ski Patrol who got me stabliized and loaded into the rescue basket. By then, CJ and his friend DJ came up on me and were surprised that I was the one injured. Well, not really. I'm not the most graceful at sports. I called mama while waiting for the ski patrol, but had to leave a message. I didn't think Gary would answer the phone so I didn't call home. Boy, that was the best ride down the mountain! It really was cool! We were with the county 4-H group and many of the adults were outside at the ski lodge watching as I came down the mountain. I yelled up at them and they too were shocked that I was hurt.
Sheila, the 4-H Program Assistant and DJ's mom, Joyce came right away and helped me in the first aid station. We all packed in the small first aid room, Sheila, Joyce, Cameron, CJ and DJ with another couple of injured people and the first aid staff. By the time I got to the room, my leg was quite swollen and I knew I couldn't walk. I couldn't see my leg because I had on ski bibs. Joyce was able to help me get those off and get on my pants. It hindsight, I bought those pants off the clearance rack at Walmart and they were a little big. They became my wardrobe for the duration of my leg healing and wearing leg braces. The ski lodge first aid people fashioned a leg brace out of cardboard and helped me get to the bus. CJ & DJ carried me from the bus to the hotel room. After I got undressed for my bath, I was able to see my leg..............boy, was that a shock. On the outside part of my leg, it was quite swollen. I didn't think I needed to go to the hospital so I called Paige to see if her sister had a pair of crutches I could use. Her sister was in college at Appalachian State and lived in Boone. My cell phone was dying and I forgot my charger, so I had to limit my calls.
I called Gary and decided to go to the hospital. Fortunately, one person drove separately, Beverly, the 4-H secretary because she was also visiting her son who attened ASU. She was kind enough to forsake time with her son and take me to the hospital. Watuaga Medical Center did xrays and found that I had torn my LCL, the outside ligament and broke off a small fragment of bone. The other ironic thing is that I packed pajamas for the trip. I never wear pajamas.........I put those on to go to the hospital. I knew I couldn't get my jeans on and the dr. said they'd have to cut them off me. They put me on crutches and told me to see an orthopedic dr. when I got home. This was on Saturday, March 3. Since my office is on the second floor without an elevator, that proved to be a challenge. After the accident, I was able to make it up the steps ok on crutches because I could use my leg with a brace. The first week, I was able to make it to work by Friday.
After visits to the orthopedic doc and an MRI, I found out the extent of my injury and that I'd need surgery. That's when I found out I had torn both ligaments. They don't waste time, either! I was in the dr's office on Friday and my surgery was scheduled for the next Wednesday. My boss, Kim, got on the phone with Dave, our IT guy mere minutes after I told her that I'd need surgery and we got remote access set up on my laptop so I'd be able to work from home. Surgery was successful and I was able to come home the same day. Unfortunately, that same evening, CJ was inducted into the National Technical Honor Society and I missed the ceremony. Mama and my best friend Wendy represented me and supported CJ. I thought I'd be smart and stay on the couch the first night. I thought it'd be easier for me to get up. Boy, how wrong I was! Everyone in the house sleeps so soundly................I needed to go to the bathroom about 5 am and really, really needed to have some pain meds and I couldn't get anyone awake. I was able to make it to the bathroom but almost passed out. I was yelling at the top of my lungs to try to wake up anybody.............not even Sydney woke up! After a while, I was able to wake up Cameron and he got Gary up and I got pain meds & he got me in the bed. Boy, did I like the percoset!! I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, but I made sure I took the pain meds. The pain was pretty bad when I stood up and the blood went to my leg. I was able to decrease the pain meds day by day and by Monday, I wasn't taking any during the day. I did need them at night because sleeping was difficult, trying to get comfy with the leg & brace. I thought Gary would be able to go back to work the next day after surgery, but I am glad that he was there that Thursday (I don't remember that day much) and Friday. He was a very good nurse and cook. Mama was able to help me with washing my hair, which Gary didn't even want to tackle. I figured out that I could sit in the rolling office chair in the kitchen and roll around to get my lunch fixed by myself.
I was able to try to work some on Monday, but kinks had to be worked out with the remote access. By Wednesday, I could connect but there were still issues that knocked me off every so often. Kim was able to bring me work and pick up stuff I had done. Except for answering the phone, I was working full capacity. That saved my sanity. I had problems with working the remotes for the tv & satellite beside daytime tv pretty much sucks. Being able to work saved my sanity!
I had to have physical therapy to learn how to walk on my leg again. That sounds silly, I know, but there are right ways and wrong ways to do it. CJ was able to take me to PT most of the time. He became my chauffer but didn't like my backseat driving. He threatened to kick me out a couple of times! I went to UNC PT, which is in the same building as my office. Everyone was able to come down & visit me in the car. I told Jo & Rich, the physical therapists, that it was their jobs to get me up the steps and back to the office. I worked really hard and did my exercises at home. By April 24, I was able to make it back up the steps at work. I'd heard that my boss had become quite crabby while I was gone and she and the other staff were quite glad that I would be back, for different reasons! Eventually, I went down to one crutch, then a cane and then nothing. I was able to hobble around unaided at Relay for Life on May 11.
My leg is back to normal, with a few twinges every now and again when the weather is damp.