First of all, thank you to everyone who sent well wishes via mail, email, texts, or phone calls when I had surgery. It was delightful and greatly appreciated. Since my ankle surgery, I have been getting around with a knee scooter and crutches. Immediately, I started to make notes about lessons learned while using them. Here are some of my learnings:
Crutches are more difficult to use than I remember. I last used them in 2018 so not that long ago, but this time around has been much harder.
I don’t know how anyone can use either the crutches or the knee scooter if they didn’t already workout because it is a workout! I jazzercise regularly and I was intentionally doing an upper-body workout to prepare, and I’m still exhausted all the time when I use them.
Some people don’t watch out for me, even when they look right at me on crutches or a scooter. Most people have been very kind and gracious and helpful by holding doors and offering to carry things.
I can’t carry much while on crutches or the scooter. I’m using a backpack, but it throws off my balance when I’m on crutches. I have a bag on one scooter and a basket on the other, but they don’t carry a lot.
Art and I have discovered that we can work together. (Early in our marriage we discovered that we don’t always work well together.) However, one day early in my recovery I wanted to bake a cake which I couldn’t make on my own. I needed help to get ingredients down and to put it into the oven and get it back out. We managed!
When we moved into our house, it seemed so large. However, it seems small as I try to get around on a knee scooter in it. I have to make a lot of Y-turns.
While the floors in our house are level, the transitions between floors can be a challenge. Also, dog toys inhibit getting around. Both the floor transitions and the dog toys cause the scooter to come to a complete halt.
Handicap parking is excellent. However, parking lot and sidewalk surfaces are not always level. They have grooves, bumps, and holes in them.
Going backwards on a scooter can be painful, especially when I run into something.
There are lots of lessons that I have learned. I hope you enjoy this list!
Pastor Beth
