Tuesday, December 7, 2021

A Change of Pace…but Life Goes On!

Our usual routine around the house was put on hold as of Saturday Morning, November 6th.  As the saying goes, “stuff” happens… Laurie went out the front door to remove the covers she’d placed over her flowers to protect them from an expected frost.  Her Leg went limp and she fell… When she tried to get up, she fell again and rolled onto her left ankle.

When I appeared in the living room, she was looking disheveled and unhappy so I asked her what happened.  She told me the story.  At that point she was hurting but could still walk and put a bit of weight on both ankles… Why her leg gave way with no warning, prior problem or pain was still a question.  We guess that it was a pinched nerve…possibly sciatica.   Laurie continues to have pain running up and down her right leg and her toes are numb…but still pink.

So we put an ankle support on her left ankle…the one that hurt the most…  She took some Tylenol and put her foot up as much as possible.

On Monday morning, 11/8, we headed for our local hospital’s Emergency Room in Lenoir City.  We wanted to make sure that nothing was broken and to get a prescription for a more effective pain killer.  An x-ray did indeed reveal that she’d broken her left ankle…

Based on the discovery of her broken ankle, we made an appointment with an ankle specialist at the Tennessee Orthopedic Center in Knoxville.  Our primary goal was to verify the first diagnosis and obtain a better cast…

The doctor at TOC took extensive x-rays and showed them to us… It wasn’t just a simple fracture but rather a multiple break that would require surgery ASAP.  We did pick up a new and improved cast during that visit. (Shown above)

…and so our Thanksgiving trip to visit our families in Omaha Nebraska and the St. Louis Missouri area were cancelled.  Change of plans!  

Happy times…for a few moments at least!  Our neighbor Sherry and her dog Fiona stopped by to see how Laurie was doing.  Fiona was so happy to see Laurie she jumped right up on top of her.  No injured limbs were impacted and only Sherry was nervous about the love Fiona was giving…


More appointments!  One pre-registration visit to the surgery center in Oak Ridge and then another appointment back at TOC in Knoxville to check on the swelling…and a temporary cast (no photo) was applied until surgery the following day…11/16.  The cast applied after surgery was causing too much discomfort…and so another visit to TOC resulted in that handsome black cast.  On 12/1, that cast was removed in order to check on the healing process… That’s when Laurie acquired that striking green creation!


Laurie hates confinement and the inability to move around and perform her normal activities.  After our 12/1 appointment, we decided that we needed a break so we headed out for dinner.  We chose the Cracker Barrel in Lenoir City because we knew that tables were placed well apart and we wouldn’t have any access issues with a wheelchair.  The store itself was attractively decorated for Christmas and it was loaded with goodies.  


Our meals were pure comfort food…a nice big chicken pot pie for Laurie and 2 fried chicken breasts for me.  We both ordered the biscuits rather than corn bread with our meals…and my entrée’s two sides were fried apples and steak fries.  We were very happy to have someone else cook for us!  The quality and the price was right too…

Laurie was very happy to be out and about…escaping the house for the first time that is if we don’t count all the medical appointments!  Even so, she still had that nerve pain radiating up and down her right leg all the time and it's hard for her to sit still.  

Her birthday in early December sure won’t be the best either… The challenge is that Laurie can’t put any weight on her ankle until probably the end of December…so we won’t be doing much of anything this season.  We’re hopeful that she’ll be mobile by the New Year.  One positive from all of this is that yours truly is getting a lot more exercise…and I’m improving my housekeeper’s skills!

The wheelchair we’re using has a family history… It was Laurie’s mothers.  A neighbor loaned us one of those knee scooters but it’s limited as it doesn’t provide a solid base when getting up and down.  Thanks to all of my own medical ‘adventures’, once her cast is removed and she’s allowed to stand, we already own canes and a walker.  

Laurie is eager…no, more than eager…to be able to get up and walk around on her own.  Now we just have to solve the pain and discomfort related to that pinched nerve or sciatica… It’s causing more pain than the ankle did!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave 

5 comments:

  1. I am so relieved and happy to know that Laurie's ankle is on the mend and you two had a great time out and about, at least for one day. Food looked really yummy :-)

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  2. We hope the recovery goes very well.

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  3. My goodness, Laurie, you sure know how to get decorative accoutrements to your poor leg. Having sat inside with my shingles for almost a month, and now being a good patient with pneumonia that doesn't seem half as bad...I know the impatience of being a a patient. Hope you feel better soon! And especially that the pain goes away!

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  4. That has been a terrible experience for Laurie from the fall to the resulting diagnosis and medical appointments. The green cast is in keeping with the holiday more than that uncomfortable black one. Sorry to read that your Thanksgiving plans had to be cancelled, but perhaps the family will surprise you with Christmas visits. Sending our best wishes to you both for as happy a holiday as possible -- it is what you make it to be and I'm sure you will make it joyous, regardless.

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  5. David Im so sorry this Laurie accidemt and I know is really hard, poor Laurie, hope she feel better soon, the important she feel better and Im so happy she have you to help her specially now !!hugs and love

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