The Story of How It All Began

In the evening of June 9, 2010, I was going out to take my dogs for a walk. They are uncontrollably insane when I take them together - hopping, growling, and barking at each other. By the time I had them out the door, I was so distracted, I closed the door LEAVING MY HOUSE KEYS INSIDE BY THE DOOR.

I knew I was up shit creek without a paddle. I no longer had a big man friend to hop the wall and break into my place. Also, I had upped the security recently. The inside patio door lock has a switch lock and requires a key to unlock it. I was the only one who could get in and I knew it. I had my cell in my back pocket so of course I posted all the happenings to facebook just in case I ended up needing help.

I tried to think of alternate ways of getting in the house, but I knew in the end there was only one that would work.  I borrowed a step stool from my neighbor. I hooked the dog leashes up the the door handle so they couldn't run off. With the stool, getting up the wall was easy. I sat on the wall looking down. It looked much farther from this perspective than I thought. I was directly above the trash can, but luckily it had wheels so I toed it out of the way. After I did that I looked down and thought that maybe I should have just kicked off the lid and tried to land in it. Haha that would have been a disaster too. Scared, but knowing this was my only option, I said "fuck it" took a breath in and launched myself forward.

I think I must have been on too much of an angle or something, because instead of landing on my feet, my left foot actually rolled inside by 90 degrees and I hit the ground on my ankle. I actually saw this and it was pretty gross looking... unnatural. In fact it's all I remember from the jump.  I hit the ground on my left side, but it didn't really seem hard. I think the hardest part of the fall was on my ankle.

I was a bit stunned. I knew that this was going to be worse than a sprain. Sure enough when I tried to move it, it kinda sloshed around in its joint. The dogs were having a fit. I posted on facebook again what had just happened in case I couldn't get back into the house and was stuck out there on the cement. I knew I HAD to get in though. I'm a determined spirit. I looked at the doggy door and tried to reach myself in to see if I could fit. Not a chance. AHA! The keys to the patio door were left on the table. I reached my arm into the doggy door and grabbed the swifter broom behind the fridge (the fridge is just to the right of the doggy door). It was tangled in the water hose and the plug, but I got it free. I reached it over, broom part, to the table and flattened it out. I scooted the keys to the floor and then shuffled them within reach. It was kind of like a curling match. :P

I was just barely able to reach the floor lock through the doggy door. I got the key in and unlocked it, flipped the switch and threw that patio door open. The next step, however, was to figure out how I was going to stand and get in. I think I must have been on some kind of endorphin rush or something because nothing hurt unless I tried to move the foot. I don't even really remember how I did it. I think I slid onto my knees and held onto the door as I lifting myself up on my one good foot. The next problem is that it is a foot high step up into the door. I couldn't contemplate that one too much, I just had to hop it and hope I didn't fall again. I held onto the door again and hopped. I just barely made it. I hopped over to the front door, opened it, and let the dogs in. I sat down on a chair by the front door and my phone started to ring. I left it outside on the patio. I hopped back over and just reeeeaaaached to grab it. It was my brother and he saw my facebook post. I called him back. Told him how hurt I was and he told me that if I called an ambulance I'd have to pay for it because they aren't covered by insurance. Plus I was embarrassed as hell! I didn't want my neighbors to see me get picked up by an ambulance after attempting to break into my house. My brother was not offering a ride at this time and told me good luck.

I bawled like a baby. I called the 24 hour nurse help line with my insurance to see if maybe it was just a sprain and I could just elevate it and be ok. The nurse advised me to take my shoe off. I had to undo all the laces to get it off without moving my foot. Once it was off I saw the softball sized lump developing on the side of my ankle.

She said I definitely needed to go to the emergency room whether I got a ride from somebody or I called an ambulance. I called my brother again, sobbing. He finally agreed to come get me. I thought that when I closed the front door I made sure it was unlocked so he could come right in. I then made my way into the living room to ice and elevate my foot. I'm really surprised I got all this done with only a swifter broom as a crutch.

Unfortunately when my brother showed up, the door was locked.  I stood up and got the swifter again to try and hop it to the door. My right foot was hurting from all the hopping and I kept wanting to step my left foot down. I got close to the piano and I reached for the piano chair for something else to hold me up. The swifter somehow gave out. I landed on my bad foot. Saw it bend and pop again and I just collapsed. This time, the pain was excruciating. I started screaming. I got extremely nauseated and I thought I was going to puke. My brother heard me screaming and started to freak out. He apparently got a chair from the pool area that was now open cause people were in there. He hopped the wall, knocking over my pants and garbage. He said he landed on his feet but slipped and landed on his butt.  Luckily he wasn't injured like me.

He came rushing in and all I could say was that I fell again trying to get to the door. I had him readjust my legs so I could lay flat for a second while the nausea passed. He lifted me up off the ground and told me to wrap my arm around his neck. He held my hand with his left hand and then put his arm around my waist and balanced me. I held his right hand with my right and he said to use him as his left foot. He would step with his left foot and then lift me and move me with his right as I hopped on my right foot. It took a very long time, but we made it all the way to the back of the complex where they had my car ready. His fiance drove her car to follow.

We got to the ER and they put me in a wheel chair and signed me in. I had stuffed everything I might possibly need in my pockets. I had a list of my medications and the time the fall happened. I had my wallet and my cell phone jammed into my back pockets. Luckily the ER wasn't busy. They got me back quickly and got my x-rays done right away. The doc came in and told me I was broken, but not to what extent. The doctor and nurse created a splint out of some cotton/fiberglass material and an ace bandage.  It went all the way up to my thigh.

They gave me pain pills and a orthopaedist's number to follow up with the following day. Unfortunately, they only offered me crutches and the stress from the whole ordeal had been far too much. The walk back to the house felt like an eternity. Each hop was excrutiating and my right foot was tired and aching.  I was sweating from head to toe.

This whole thing has been absolute hell. Just trying to go to the bathroom is painful on all of my muscles. You try sitting yourself down and lifting yourself off the toilet with only one leg. The doctor appointments are worse because I have to hop down that long sidewalk to get picked up again. I ended up pulling a muscle in my abs from working them more than they're used to. Now I've mastered the crutches for walking, but I can't because of this damn pain. I still can't get up the small step to my front door either.  I can't imagine why crutches are an accepted assistance to people with leg injuries this bad.  They are unbalanced and require extreme upper body strength.

Trying to bathe? What a joke. I managed to pull a patio chair into the shower, but it's really ridiculous trying to wash your private parts while sitting down. Got to shave and shampoo my hair though. I got water everywhere, but luckily the plastic bag tied around my leg didn't leak and the splint stayed dry.

Some Buddhist friends have been bringing me food and encouraging me. They take out my garbage and walk my most energetic dog. Arranging rides for doctor appointments has been really hard.  My closest friends work.  I have had a reliable Buddhist friend who has been able to help greatly because she has a flexible schedule due to being in sales.

My first appointment with the orthapaedist had me in tears.  He reviewed my x-rays and told me that my ankle was severely fractured on both sides and that I also had a pilon fracture and would need a bone graft.  The outer fractures would require metal plates and screws.  I was up for surgery.

Here is what I looked like once my banadages were removed:


I am having surgery in a week. Wish me luck. Now it's time for another pain pill and some sleep cause tomorrow I might try to shower again before going to the doctor.