Putting up with Partial Weight-Bearing

It has now been four weeks since I fell and fractured my right fibula and almost four weeks since I had surgery to repair it. Until this past week I could only put about 50% of my weight on that foot. It has been such a blessing to be surrounded by and now living with friends during this time. I couldn't have survived without people to help me. I have had to do a lot more leaning on people and my Lord Jesus through some tough days! At least now I can manage to get myself dressed and take a shower by myself and do it with a closed (but not locked) door :) It has been quite the humbling experience.

My very valuable backpack! 

One of the first recommendations I got from a friend (thanks Christy Kinley!) was to use a backpack to help me carry things around with. You have to use both hands on your crutches, so you can't carry much of anything! So that is how I get my clothes to the bathroom in the morning and haul pretty much anything that is not liquid around from books to computers. 

We have made a few adjustments to the house where I living, so that I can be as independent as possible. We have a chair that I can use to sit down on while I shower, so I don't tip over or put too much weight on my leg. (Herman family - I might owe you a chair when this is all over as we couldn't find a good plastic one and are using one of your wooden ones, but don't worry it is not one of your nice dining table ones!) We try to put as much as possible in reach but still one of my scariest transitions I make each day on my crutches is getting out of the shower with its wet floor.  

I quickly also realized that if sat on the closed toilet and pulled the small wooden table with many of my bathroom items on it closer, I could sit to do things like brush my teeth without trying to stand on crutches. 

The one room of the house I have yet to master is the kitchen. Thankfully we have a house helper who keeps my water glass filled and makes lunch etc. The Geary family helps me get breakfast and dinner. Although at the end of this six weeks I am going to have some serious dish washing duties to make up for all the times they have washed mine :) 

I have another couple weeks of partial weight-bearing to go. Thankfully, my arms are getting stronger and as time passes I can put more weight on that leg. I have been also been blessed with a walking boot that as the incision heals up, I am hoping to use more and more. 

There are times I feel a bit trapped at home, but have been blessed by friends stopping by for visits, going to church and the occasional trip out for lunch or a basketball game. I am hoping to start back to language school this Friday but some of you may remember the picture above of the stairs up to language school. They are steep with some bigger than others and no handrail, so that is going to be a challenge on crutches. I did my first trial run today with the help of a physical therapist and while I was hot, sweaty, and worn out by the end, I made it! You can be praying for strength and energy not only for getting to/from language school but normally just two hours of language learning can be wearing. We will hopefully be doing an x-ray sometime the end of next week and I will be able to get rid of the crutches around December 3rd!