Dog House For Me
Alrightttttt! My first day back to work was today. Man I missed actually seeing and interacting with real people rather than living vicariously through sitcom characters. I have watched the entire 2 and a half seasons of a sitcom called Eureka….wow, that’s a good show. Anyway, I actually drove to work today….with my left foot….and I live in America, and my wife blew a gasket. She was very disappointed in the fact that I selfishly risked my life to go to work by driving with my left foot. Umm, in my opinion, I was not risking my life, I was adapting to my situation. I have lived and driven in 3 different countries, I have driven with the steering wheel and pedals on both sides of the car, and not to mention, I have driven manual transmissions vehicles, with the pedals and equipment on either side of the car so I think I should be safe driving and automatic with my left foot. Does anyone think I am crazy here? It is not like I have both of my arms in a sling and I am driving to work using my knees to steer me all the way to work, although that would be a fun project to try tomorrow! lol
It’s amazing to me how free I feel when I work out or when I am driving, because as soon as I get done, I almost feel as if I can stand up and walk off as if I never had this injury. I am an active person and it is only so long I can sit in that house and not do anything but watch TV all day. I have wished I can do that many of days while at work, but when I got my chance to do just that, it is not all it is cracked up to be. My wife was obviously so irate with me that she felt as if I did not need anyone to do anything for me. She walked in the house and prepared a meal for our daughter, and then she went to her room. Hmmmm, now I have to get upstairs, get my own food and carry my food and drink back downstairs while using my limpy sticks.
You know I could have played the victim and made her feel guilty, but I said screw it and attempted to do the impossible, and I did it. I did not drop one drop….okay, I did have a little water spillage but not much, and all my food made it do the couch. HAHAHAHA! I did something on my own, and I was proud of it. But it was easier to drive to work than it was to do that crap. Next thing you know she will be replacing my pain pills with vitamin C pills to really try to do me in.
Recently I have been feeling like a chore in the house. I felt like I was a senior citizen being cared for on a schedule. Lunch at 1230pm, short conversation between 1 and 1:15pm, Water at 3pm, etc. And to make matters worse, my daughter would come down stairs, grab some lip balm and apply it to my lips, and then put hand sanitizer on my hands?????? I have no idea why but at least she is trying. But the oddest and sweetest/weirdest thing happened today. After her and her mother came home this evening, her mother of course said nothing to me and my daughter said hello and asked if my foot was feeling better. Then she disappeared upstairs for a while as I watched old presidential debates….yeah I got THAT bored. Then she came back down stairs with about 4 of her oddest dressed dolls and sat them on the other end of the couch and did not say a word, just walked away. Now we have had conversations about her starting these toy terrorist cells all around the house before, so I asked her where she was going and why she was leaving her dolls on the couch. She then turned to me and said, “So you don’t have to be down here by yourself”. There was a moment of silence and she walked off. A four year old ladies and gentlemen, a four year old.
Speaking of being back at work, I have a pretty cool game for you to play if you have not been back to work yet. Hopefully most people at the job have no idea about how you hurt yourself, and normally if they do, they still ask. What is with that anyway? So here is the game, every time someone new see’s you on crutches and ask what happened, you have to give them a different out of this world superhero type of story, with a straight face. If you make it through the story with a straight face, that’s 1 point. If you get them to open their eyes wide and drop their jaw, that’s 5 points. If you get a tear, that’s 50. LMAO But just so your game does not end early, I have pretty much ran the, I jumped out of a burning building with a little girl, cat, puppy…llama, in my arms and saved it’s life story has pretty much been played out. Along with my story of winning on an American gladiators episode that wont air because of the terrible injury that I gave the “other guy” while in competition.
Have fun out there!!
September 29th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
OMG!!! YOU ARE TOOO FUNNYYYYY!!! Are you really only 5 days post op? What kind of work do you do? Great job getting along!
September 30th, 2008 at 12:34 am
Hey Verse,
I am with you on the driving front, being housebound is no fun. every time my wife caught me doing something she would have a strop and treat me like a 2 year old for a day (at one point I thought she was going to make me sit on the naughty step).
I too overcame the food issue by using the office chair around the house; luncg and drink on my lap and a quick roll though to the lounge and hey presto. Although my wife thought it was weird and proceeded to tell everyone about my ‘executive wheelchair’.
Viva la independence!
September 30th, 2008 at 2:26 am
Wow,
What a way to start my morning in work, usually look forward to reading your stories over lunch, but today it is over a cup of tea on arrival in the office. I am laughing already.
Can I suggest you make sure you print off all your posts, they really are so funny. You should then collate them in book form with the responses and put out on the web, or as a side bar on this site. You are such a tonic.
It also takes our minds off the awful world situation with the banks etc.
Keep up the good work.
Annie
September 30th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
I envy you having your 4 year old daughter to dote on you….they are soooo sweet at that age!!!!!!! My 14 yr. old daughter was sweet at the beginning of my injury and then became resentful, having to do chores she wasn’t normally expected to do around the house all summer….now that I’m able to do most things around the house, she makes a habit of hiding out in her room, or her bathroom, with her computer, tv and cell phone, so I can’t ask her to do things for me lol……either that’s the reason, or it’s just the age….I barely remember my 23 yr. old daughter being 14, but remember the general drift of what goes on during the teen years. For the first couple weeks of school, she had to ride the bus because I wasn’t driving. She HATES to ride the bus!! For the past month, I drive and pick her up from school…you would think, that would make up for some of her messed up summer. I guess mom just isn’t fun lately…..can’t blame her. I miss my “sweet” girl
My husband tried to get me to drive left-footed ASAP, but I was telling him in no uncertain terms that there was no way I was going to risk an accident since I didn’t feel comfortable trying leftie and was in a lot of pain. But, I have read others that have done what you are doing—don’t know about 5 days post-op though. I think you win the driving soonest “contest” here. Just be careful and check out your insurance policy…..
Once again, thoroughly enjoyed your post….keep them up and stay well.
Marianne
October 1st, 2008 at 12:13 am
Marianne, you have just ruined my day. I had completely blocked out the idea of my sweet 4 year old actually becoming a teenager!!! Now as I sit lonely on my couch drained from watching sitcoms, I will have to think of “that talk”, boy friends, cars, paying for a wedding ect! lol Teens a hand full, even the good ones. But hopefully if I do enough work on the front end I will be able to coast in the later years. I think I have just given my wife a get out of jail free card when it comes to taking care of me. Now she is hiding out in her room doing homework so I cant ask her to do anything.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:18 am
ANNIEH
how do I make these a side bar? Let me know and its done
October 1st, 2008 at 12:19 am
Johnathan, I think our wives know each other. I am on the naughty step right now.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:23 am
marilynrd
I do business to business sales over the phone. I consult people on their credit card processing fees. I hope I am this funny when my children put me in a home, I will need something to talk about as the nurses change my bed pan. Thats kind of an akward situation so you really dont want to have a bunch of quite time then! lol
October 1st, 2008 at 2:38 am
Don’t know!
Think you will have to email Dennis and ask him. He often puts things on the side bar that are interesting and informative to eveyone.
Annie
October 1st, 2008 at 9:48 am
Verse,
That’s good then that you can possibly do your sales from “home” or at least put your foot up at work…..even though we don’t want to slow down, it may prevent us from having further problems. The first two weeks is critical for wound healing. I didn’t like feeling like I was a burden to my family either, but frankly….caring is a two way street in families!! We can’t go from nwb to 2 shoes in TWO WEEKS! It is a “process”.
Marianne! I can relate as I have a 14 yr old boy at a new high school….nearly fell down the steps today rushing but caught myself to drive him to school. AND because of his bad attitude this morning….told my husband “You” take him…sorry but I need to “rest because I think I pulled something.” (Actually was a few decibels higher
We need to take care of ourselves!!!! My son has been resenting me not doing more for him in the past 6 weeks. Kids need to learn that it is not all about them!
I spend years taking my child to sports to keep him fit and be involved….don’t do my own sport, so I take up tennis at 40…..and eventually get injured trying to be fit. Go figure. Like my husband says…”No one ever dies lying on the couch” every time I beg him to work less and exercise more. lol There are so very many folks out there with the same issue……balancing everything on a road to wellness.
“Spouses”, “kids”, we can’t live with them sometimes, and we can’t live without em.
Verse and all: Hope “your cross” is getting lighter each day to bear.
Best,
MarilynRD
….off to the pool