A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to . . .
Oh No! Another wheelchair plumber story!
Not quite, unless I am talking about my plumbing in a round-about way. No worries! It is G-rated. Trust me!
In August 2007, my family was in a car accident. The kids came away without a scratch, thank the Lord! The car got the worst end of the deal, or so I thought. When the paramedic, who also happened to be a teacher I had worked with in the past, came to extract me from the car, I realized that the car and I were both in bad shape.
It seems that my knee hit the hand controls, during the collision. A few painful hours later, I knew my knee was broken in 3 places, and I had non-active osteoporosis. The doctor couldn’t do surgery, because my bones couldn’t take the stress. So, I had to wear a full-leg split for two weeks, until the swelling went down and they could sedate me to cast the entire leg.
Are you wondering yet?
So, where is the funny story I promised days ago. So far, it sounds like a downer, right?
Well, use your imagination and think how awkward it would be to use the restroom, if you are already in a wheelchair, and now you have a heavy cast, and a small bathroom. Well, let’s just say it was a challenge.
I tried to avoid the trip as much as possible, but when nature calls . . .
It is a real trick to maneuver my leg, get out of the chair and slide onto the commode. One day, I went to slide over; I knew I was in BIG trouble! I couldn’t move. I was stuck between point A and B, and I had to go! Really, I did!
My underwear had caught on the wheelchair. Since I was holding onto the potty with one hand and the wheelchair with the other, I had a major problem, since I seem to be missing a third hand.
Unfortunately, the only one home is my 9-year-old son.
Thankfully, I was wearing a dress, and he was good at following directions. I made myself decent. Then, he came in and reached under my thigh to detach the offending garment from the wheelchair frame.
Bless his heart! He took it in stride. For once, I don’t even think he teased me.
But, it is just another example of how I can get myself into pickles, without even trying!
Am I the only one that has such weird and funny adventures living with cerebral palsy?!
