Recovery Check Point: Nine Weeks

Turned a corner in my recovery today. Surgeon gave me the green light to ditch my trusty boot sidekick and go back to wearing two shoes. TWO SHOES! I was ecstatic. It's been nine weeks since the injury, just over eight since surgery, and I've bonded with my PT, Kelly, in my last six sessions with her. I'm riding a stationary bike, re-learning to walk without carrying my right leg like stiff, dead weight and building back my calf and foot muscles with balance and oh so many stretches. Slow and oh so steady. X-rays look great and Kelly said I need to rip the band-aid off and get back behind the wheel. So that's the goal by the end of the this Thanksgiving week: reclaim my independence with driving.

Sidebar: I'm anxious to get back to driving and also a bit apprehensive about my reflexes to slam on the brakes (if/when needed).

I still have quite the journey ahead of me. Continued PT through the end of the year, a few weeks of re-learning to walk (properly) before I can tackle an elliptical, and likely many days of swelling now that my ankle is getting more action than it has in two months. But I'm pushing through.

I've learned a lot of stories these past nine weeks. That's what several ride shares (and sharers) will do for you. So many have their own #gritandgrace stories. The driver whose ankle was shattered after a bullet ripped through it, the woman with a metal plate in her left leg who continued to clean 35 houses a week through her injury because she gave her clients her word and it's all you have in this world (her words), the man worried he won't be able to provide for his 4 kids this Christmas by driving full-time, the die-hard New Orleanians, the LSU and Saints fans, the woman caring for her elderly mother who is in and out of the hospital, and so many more. I've learned many shouldn't be behind the wheel and most find it easy to share compassion with a stranger.

Heading into this week of Thanksgiving, grit, grace, and gratitude are at the forefront of my thoughts. And thoughts of pumpkin bread...