It took a lot of planning for my first trip out of the community (with the exception of my post-op appointment). As I begin recovery week number four, I feel good. That actually makes me a little frustrated because I still cannot put any weight on the ankle. Following my doctor's recommendation, I am trying to stand for short periods without too much weight bearing (I actually washed some dishes this way), but I still need to rely on the scooter. Although it is not very heavy, it is cumbersome and bulky enough to make it difficult to handle. My friend Susan, who is currently staying with me, has a bad back, and that certainly makes it difficult, if not impossible for her to handle by herself. So the first step was making sure we had someone to help us with the scooter.
Ironically, our person of choice was my dear friend and neighbor, Val, who at 78 suffers from foot problems and scoliosis. It's like the blind leading the blind! But we were on track for an outing!
You might not think that a trip to Target can be exciting, but after not stepping into a store for over three weeks, I was really looking forward to wheeling around the aisles of Target. Val stopped at the front doors, and Susan went into the store to get one of their electric carts. It wasn't difficult to transfer from the car to the cart, and after Val parked the car, we were off and running!
One of my challenges is that the foot starts to ache after hanging down for a brief time; this impacts my time at the dining table as well. After shopping for about half an hour I needed to get the foot up, and, luckily, the local movie theater has reclining seats, so it was a good choice to head to the movies.
Our local cinema, Brier Creek Stadium 14, is accessible, and the reclining seats are super comfortable. As you enter the individual theater there is a row of chairs reserved for the handicapped, allowing me to stroll in on my scooter, park it alongside the chair, and lay back in comfort to watch the movie. What a joy! With apologies for such a cliche, I so appreciated what before was a simple act of going to the movies. I couldn't thank Susan and Val enough for making it. happen!
Ironically, our person of choice was my dear friend and neighbor, Val, who at 78 suffers from foot problems and scoliosis. It's like the blind leading the blind! But we were on track for an outing!
You might not think that a trip to Target can be exciting, but after not stepping into a store for over three weeks, I was really looking forward to wheeling around the aisles of Target. Val stopped at the front doors, and Susan went into the store to get one of their electric carts. It wasn't difficult to transfer from the car to the cart, and after Val parked the car, we were off and running!
Our local cinema, Brier Creek Stadium 14, is accessible, and the reclining seats are super comfortable. As you enter the individual theater there is a row of chairs reserved for the handicapped, allowing me to stroll in on my scooter, park it alongside the chair, and lay back in comfort to watch the movie. What a joy! With apologies for such a cliche, I so appreciated what before was a simple act of going to the movies. I couldn't thank Susan and Val enough for making it. happen!
Also important was the choice of movie. Having just finished The Looming Tower on Hulu, I wanted to see something uplifting and light. We skipped the preferred Chappaquiddick for the little known film, Finding Your Feet. Believe it or not, I didn't even make the connection between my situation and the movie title until I just wrote that sentence! The British movie tells the story of a woman of a certain age (mine) who, after she catches her husband in an embrace with another woman, moves in with her quirky sister. Together with a senior dance class she rediscovers her love of dance and starts to find a life for herself. Every once in awhile a feel good movie is a good choice!
The negative side of all of this is Susan. This morning she woke up with an aching back and nerve pain, and I am so afraid that I did her in on our little excursion. Wednesday night Judy and Barbara brought over some Chinese food for dinner, and, to my delight, they brought my friend Elaine to dinner. Elaine had back significant back surgery five weeks ago, and she is still not able to bend, and has lingering pain. Barbara is in between two cataract surgeries. Judy has back problems. It seems when you reach that certain age we all face challenges!
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