Adventures in London: Issue 142

This week has been a rather difficult one. Staying home is one thing, but being on bed rest requiring my leg to be elevated 24/7 is simply annoying. I cannot move anywhere without feeling extreme amounts of pain. I have been staying at a friend's flat as there is no way I can function at mine. Have you ever tried carrying a cup of coffee on two crutches?! Or how about making lunch and setting the table?! If you imagined right...you cannot. You cannot do a thing when you have a broken ankle. LIE!!! You can watch DVDs. Since walking to the DVD player to change DVDs is difficult, I have switched to TV series box sets. Between my hours naps, a few TV episodes, and some work (yes I had my laptop courier to me so I could push things along) the day is pretty much finished. Not really the way to spend the day, but I don't have many options lately.

We have turned the flat upside down. Hubbs has made a temporary kitchen in her living room equipped with kettle, mug, coffee, cooler (with sandwiches, yogurts, milk, fruits), bowl, and pretty much everything I may ned for the day within arms reach. It took a couple of days to find an optimal arrangement, but I think we have one now. As long as I can reach without moving my leg, we are good. And if I am not - there are plenty of drugs to be had to help me cope with the pain.

On Wednesday 'after work' we went to the park to get some fresh air and change of scenery (there are only so much of the same 3 walls that you can look at). To be honest it was bittersweet getting out of the flat. It is nice to be in the open air, but the fact that I cannot walk even short distances is depressing. Finding it rather hard.

Thursday was slightly worse. I had a consult at the Fracture clinic in St Thomas' hospital. Apparently in the UK when they say 'small slight chance of surgery', they really mean that you are likely to have surgery. WTF right?! How can you go from...'you really shouldn't need it' to 'it would be my recommendation to have it' in a matter of 4 days. The whirlwind continued as they started prepping the paperwork for surgery. They had not yet decided whether they wanted to go forward with the surgery, but they wanted to get things ready just in case. They were recommending ORIF (open reduction internal fixation) surgery meaning they would put a plate or screw to stabilise the bones. The reason they were recommending this is because I wanted to run again. I should have been pleased...I would run again...but I couldn't help but go into shock. Surgery?!?! From a little fall...HOW?!?!

After a post bombshell lunch at the Flask it was nap time to recharge for a dinner with Darshan. As they wanted to do surgery the next day, a bit of family by your side is always appreciated. We had a nice relaxing dinner at Antepiler a turkish restaurant around the corner from the flat. Thanks to a friend of Hubb's we were able to borrow a wheelchair sparing me from the painful "walk" down the street. It was a nice evening of chatter to get my mind off of what potentially was going to occur the next day. It is in times like that you discover who your real friends are. I have been touched by the phone calls, emails, BBMs, facebook comments, tweets about my status and check ins.

Friday came and I waited. Waited and waiting by the phone for the hospital to call telling me what the verdict was. Couldn't drink anything, couldn't eat anything...just waited. Let me tell you, if you have ever waited by the phone it is the longest wait you will ever experience. Minutes feel like hours....especially when you are waiting to hear if you are to have surgery. It is a rather daunting feeling.

Finally the call came. They were not going to do surgery Friday (good thing as they called at 1400), but it was still an option. Just had to go through one more review with the surgeon. How many reviews does it take?!?! Apparently one more.

On Saturday we decided to take a trip to Westfield - - nothing gets you over a broken ankle like a shopping trip to a packed mall full of people who completely miss a person in a wheelchair. Again, may I ask HOW!?!?! It was not the most successful shopping trip, but I did manage to rack in some new clothing (get it? rack clothing...see what I did?)

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing. It was actually a nice chilled weekend recovery and getting the rest that my ankle needed. Things considered, it was an ideal weekend. Ideal up until I got THE PHONE CALL! At 8pm on Sunday I got the phone from the surgeon saying that the surgery was going to take place. The slight possibility of surgery had become an indefinite. I was going in the next morning.

That is where this weeks ends...more to share

xx

T