Shades of Purple

 

Ten days ago, I was walking home with my friend, Leahy. We were talking, just enjoying each other's company. Earlier that day, we had our Special Needs Awareness Program. My knee hurt a little bit all day, just enough to let me know it was there (arthritis pain.) As we were walking, all of a sudden, I slipped and fell. Yes, on my hurting knee, but I tried to break the fall with my right hand. It was not a pretty sight! (We were walking on uneven ground that was covered with gravel.) The good news is that I was no longer aware of the arthritis pain in my knee! The bad news is that my right wrist was REALLY in pain!

 

I sat there for a moment. Leahy wanted to help me up. But, with bad knees and a very sore wrist, my big question was, "How will I ever be able to get up off the ground?" Again, it was not a pretty sight! After a couple of minutes, I did manage to get vertical once again and we finished the short walk to my house. Leahy was such a sweetheart, getting me ice and later putting an Ace Bandage on me. She even cooked dinner for me! I was planning on going to Wa the next day, so I put "get wrist x-rayed" on my Wa list.

 

The next morning, my wrist still hurt and was swollen quite a bit...did I really have a wrist in there someplace? I took the tro tro to Wa and a taxi to the hospital. I had to get a patient folder, so first, I had to pay for it and the consultation. Then, my vital signs were taken. I was instructed to go to Exam Room 6. Good! There were only 2 people ahead of me. But, ten minutes later, the physician left to go to surgery! Now what? A nurse took pity on me and took me directly into Exam Room 3. The doctor wrote an order for x-rays. I went to the x-ray department, showed them my folder. Then, I was given a slip of paper. I had to go and pay for the x-rays first. So, back to the Cashier. I paid for the x-rays, returned to the x-ray department and waited. Eventually, I was called and the x-rays taken. After they were developed, I asked the technician if he saw anything. He said everything looked fine. So, I took my folder and the x-rays to see the doctor again. This time there were twenty (20) people ahead of me. After fifteen (15) minutes and seeing that no one in the line moved, I returned my folder to where it belongs. My wrist wasn't broken. I would be waiting for hours to hear, "Take it easy. Put ice on it. Use an Ace Bandage. Elevate it. It will take anywhere from 2 to 10 weeks to completely heal." I didn't want to wait. So, I left.

 

For the most part, at least for the first few days, I followed that advice. My wrist, thumb, palm of my hand was very colorful for awhile. Now, not so much. It still hurts, but I can now brush my teeth with my right hand, with some pain. There are plenty of things that still hurt when I try to do them with my right hand. The pain is less each day. I am VERY grateful for all of Leahy's help and that my wrist did not break. I am not young anymore!!!! God is watching over me, in spite of myself!