And then she fell...

 Good morning, Blogger friends. Thank you for all the wonderful comments this week, I am up and running and blogging full steam ahead again. 

However, three months ago, I inflicted the worst ever inconvenience and pain on myself. On Wednesday morning, 5th April, I left the farm office at 11.15. Inside my cottage, I placed my phone and other paraphernalia on my desk, in readiness to do my online talks for the Virtual Weigh-Less Groups which I run worldwide. 

While doing this, I heard Nurse start the ride-on mower. I went outside and pulled the rolled-up hosepipe onto my veranda, to save Nurse having to do this.  As I turned around, my left foot hooked the hosepipe and I fell full length onto the concrete floor, landing on my right knee.

With me the glass is always half-full as opposed to half-empty. So telling myself this has not happened, I pushed myself into a standing position, using my arms. I promptly fell down again. My knee just wouldn't support me. Dragging my right leg behind me, I slithered indoors to my desk; I reached up for the little A-frame calendar and counted...I saw that I had four weeks and four days before flying out to Spain.

Then only did I pull my cell phone towards me. I rang my neighbor, Ron, who at a hair appointment in town, and who always answers her phone on loudspeaker, took my call. So, when I said (with hysteria in my voice) "Ron, I fell and hurt my knee; please come and help", within a short time, the whole town knew about my fall!

Using furniture to get around the house, I'd found Grant's hiking stick in a cupboard. When Ron arrived in my lounge, with her supporting me, and using the stick, I managed to hobble to her car. She took me straight to my doctor, 40km away. After he checked my knee, and pronounced that I had cracked the kneecap, he fit me a pair of crutches. He asked Ron to take me to Ladysmith hospital for X-rays.  As he was due to run his clinic in another village that afternoon, he asked us to return in the morning with the results. 

Bandaged by the doctor, I spent an anxious night worrying about my injury

The next morning, John and Ron loaded me into their car and took me back to the doctor. When he checked the X-ray on his computer screen, he confirmed that I had cracked my kneecap; not once, not twice, but THREE times! He made arrangements with an orthopedic surgeon in Hilton Life Hospital. He warned me not to eat anything as I would be undergoing surgery that evening. 

 Arriving at the hospital, Ron fetched a wheelchair and helped me into it. While she and John went the cafeteria to have lunch, a very friendly man arrived, introduced himself as my doctor and pushed me to his rooms down the passage. As we were traversing the corridors, I told him that I was due to go on holiday in four weeks - and now - three days' time. He promised me that I would make the trip in time!

Once all the admin for my medical plan was sorted out and my operation scheduled for 6.30, Ron and John came to greet me and left to drive back to the farm. It was the night before Good Friday, the Easter long weekend... I certainly chose my dates well😞

Later that evening, as I was wheeled into theatre, the anesthetist, theatre nurse, an assistant nurse preparing the theatre bed and the doctor, all chorused: You are going to Spain in four weeks! 

Waking up later, I felt no pain and when I checked my leg, I saw a beautifully bandaged knee.  Oh this isn't too bad, I thought.  

Mmm

The next morning a young man arrived and proceeded to fit a brace to my leg. He showed me how to adjust it to be able to bend the knee when needed and when to tighten it. 

EISH! I know it was a whole lot better than a plaster cast and I am grateful this is the route my surgeon went with me. But oh WOW! This contraption was very uncomfortable, especially once I was home and trying to sleep. 

At first this seemed an object of torture, but ultimately it helped heal my knee 

After the surgeon visited me in the ward and explained what he had done to repair my knee, he said I could go home. Thinking of my four jobs and that three of these entail travel around the Valley, I asked the million-dollar question: when may I drive again. Fixing a stern eye on me, he said in SIX weeks' time!  He also said: "don't swing that leg"; use it carefully,  while wearing the brace; rest as much as possible; and with physio, in a month's time, I'd be able to bend the knee 90 degrees. 

 He summarily discharged me from hospital!

This time, my other neighbors, who were in the city that week, came to fetch me. Janine walked in with her future SIL, who qualified as a vet earlier this year, saying I've engaged the vet's help! Together they helped me into the wheelchair, and while Jer chatted to me, Janine collected my prescription from the hospital pharmacy. 

Back on the farm, Janine helped me to my room and told me to stay there for the long weekend! I needed no further encouragement:  I was exhausted after the trauma of the past three days; surgery the night before and the trip home. By now the knee area was throbbing with pain. Janine administered my pain meds.  She also said she'd bring me lunch and something for dinner.  After she'd left, Ron arrived, pulled up a chair and sat with me for a while asking about the op, and if she could make me tea or do anything for me. 

What friends...

And so ended the first lesson towards a month-long saga facing me, with several friends helping me run my businesses while being basically legless!