The Next “Leg” of My Journey

It’s nearly 3 years since my left femur snapped in two. Those first two years I can barely remember. It’s a blur of surgery after surgery, hospital stay after hospital stay, recovery after recovery. Actually recovery is probably the wrong word because I haven’t recovered. My left femur is still broken. It’s officially diagnosed as non-union.

A pole holds it together but the two pieces of bone, being compressed together by an interlocking screw at the base of the long rod, rub constantly and cause unrelenting pain.

My right leg has a femur stress fracture and that too is being supported by an internal rod & not healing. That too has aching pain on a daily basis despite a regime of strong pain killers.

My feet also have multiple constant non healing fractures, although amazingly these only really hurt occasionally.  It may be the other pain is just greater.

I have muscular atrophy and bone marrow inflammation in both legs. I have sclerosis in my spine and severe damage to most of the discs in my neck and back.

All of the above is a result of my rare bone disease. It has no cure or treatment so the disability & pain are here to stay.

Rheumatoid Arthritis sits along side my bone disease and has its own set of varying symptoms and pain issues. It is joined by Sjogrens Syndrome, Trigeminal Neuralgia, inflammatory nerve disease & Autoimmune Thyroid Disease is also starting to present itself.

Managing these disabilities and using double crutches makes getting out and about difficult, especially when I have to factor in my permanent colostomy and the care that needs at its beckon call.

So, the above are the facts, the reality of my situation. Facing facts and realities of this nature can pretty much do one of two things.

1. Cause extreme depression or;

2. Motivate you to make a plan to live  well with your Disease.

From the outset I’ve chosen to embrace my situation & plan for the future as much as possible. That plan has included a muti-faceted approach including:

1. Medical Retirement
2. My husband becoming my full time Carer
3. Care agency Support
4. Building a strong relationship with my Medical Team
5. Installing a stair lift
6. Installing Bathroom/Toilet rails & making other changes to our home to cater for my new needs
7. Keeping my brain active through Blogging/Writing
8. Setting up an online forum, Medical Musings with Friends, to connect with & help others living with chronic & complex diseases.
9. Enjoying the little things in life everyday, caring for my soul as well as my body
10. Planning for my future care with Permanent Residential care approved, if/when it’s needed

The list could be expanded as there are lots of other things I do to ensure I embrace life within my limitations but  you get the idea.

One thing I’ve struggled with is getting out of the house, other than for medical appointments or a coffee at our local cafe.

My husband & I have often discussed an electric wheelchair or mobility scooter but I always wanted to wait & see if my leg would heal. I felt I was giving up on the hope that it might heal if we went down that path.

As my 3 year anniversary of my bone disease diagnosis approaches, I know it’s time to face some more facts. My disease is a permanent disease. Even if my leg could heal it won’t heal properly as the bone & muscles are dead & the nature of my disease is that I have low to negligible bone turnover. Pain & disability will be my lifelong companion.

I’m not looking to go on great overseas adventures or long trips but I would like to stroll in the park with my husband or go to a Westfield shopping centre every now & again. I can’t do that on crutches. At best I can walk 100metres on a good day but that is a huge stretch for me & painful & exhausting.

So, it’s time….time for a new “leg” of my journey to begin. That leg starts with a mobility scooter. It arrived this week & we registered it today. I am the proud owner of new legs….well, wheels to be precise!

It’s not without its challenges because the suspension capabilities of the scooter is limited & the vibrations through the seat aggravate the pain in my legs. We’re getting a gel cushion which will help alleviate that to some degree. I’m hoping with time my legs will adjust to it & allow me to stay out for longer trips. To begin with we will start slow. A short outing to the park will be wonderful. I can’t wait.

Life with chronic disease requires constant adjustment. There are never neat & easy answers. The answers to our problems are often life changing & take time to digest. For me the key is not to give up looking for solutions to new issues.

We might hope for a particular outcome only to discover that’s not possible but don’t lose hope. Find it in a different outcome. It’s a bit like a sailor adjusting the yachts sails when the wind suddenly blows in an unexpected direction. That happens with chronic disease all the time & we have to find new ways to cope when previous ways cease working.

So far I haven’t got any further than our garage on my new legs but stay tuned as I’m sure I’ll soon be writing a blog all about “The Adventures of Sam & her Sleigh” 😄

 

As we trust God to give us wisdom for today’s decisions, He will lead us a step at a time into what He wants us to be doing in the future.
Theodore Epp

 

If you’re looking for genuine support, care, understanding & friendship, you are so welcome to join my closed Facebook support forum Medical Musings with Friends. It’s a safe place to connect with others living with chronic & complex diseases, who truly understand the daily challenges. A warm welcome awaits.

I’m also a Contributor at “The Mighty”  

The Mighty – Author: Samantha Moss