Day 38.

Paperwhites.  Incredibly fragrant.  Another treat from someone who feels sorry for me.

Hip.
Nothing too profound to report.  I rowed for an hour today so I guess that pretty big.  And I needed some fresh air (I've been out 4 times (to and from the car) in the last month) so we drove to the pavement and I crutched for 15 minutes.  It was really cold and almost dark but still fun.  Plus, my left leg got a little exercise...poor thing...has to suffer for something the right leg did.

The other day a woman came up and introduced herself to me.  Said she was one of the first responders to my accident on the ski trail.  Told me she couldn't believe how brave and stoic I was through the whole thing.  Nice but that's not how I remember it.

I saw at least a hundred people ski by my window this weekend.  Makes me sad.  It's wimpy but I can't help it.  I know I should focus on what I can do instead of what I can't but geez that gets tiring.

More of my food craziness*.
Almond milk has been tempting me for a long time and even though I buy it once in a while...I haven't dared drink it.  Just almonds, water and natural flavors.  But what are natural flavors?  The almond milk companies won't tell me.  I did some research and found out natural flavors can be almost anything. They don't even have to be listed with the ingredients or in the nutritional info as long as they're used for flavor and not for nutrition.  Seems almost illegal.

fresh homemade almond milk in my favorite pot

fresh homemade almond milk in my favorite mug

I thought about it for a while then decided that I could probably make my own.  dah.  Almonds, water and, to make it special, some expensive organic vanilla powder**.  I soaked. I blended. I strained and haven't been able to stop drinking it.

Other.
We have one cricket in our house.  Vin has been putting water out for it in a peanut butter jar lid.  Then today we got an assignment for sound class.  We have to go around and record some sounds.  An elevator, a truck idling...and guess what else?...a cricket.

*FYI. When I get sick from something I shouldn't have eaten I have hangover symptoms for at least 24 hours.
**something else I never dared try

Day 34.

ONE MONTH FOLLOW-UP.

The x-rays say I'm healing very well.  (to me, I looked lopsided but he said that was because of the x-ray tech...)

The surgeon says it's up to me but suggested I wait until I'm bearing weight more comfortabley before I go back to school.

Said I can do row, ride, and swim.  I can't fall.

I continue to improve everyday (except yesterday when I slipped off the toilet...you don't want to know).


FOOD.

The focaccia is on the third/middle shelf.

We drove to Stowe after my appointment.  Anyone that knows me knows that I can't eat most food without getting sick, (sounds like I'm exaggerating but I'm not) so when I find something besides roasted potatoes I can eat at a deli, I'm absolutely thrilled.  I rarely dare try anything I didn't make myself but the Harvest Market combination of broccoli, kalamata olives, fennel, olive oil, sea salt and pepper looked risk-worthy.  Then for fun I got a still warm hearth baked rosemary-olive oil focaccia.  All incredible.  All good.

Broken bones.  Food sensitivities.  Poor Vin.

 

Day 32.

Thought I'd do some stream of consciousness while the rice is cooking.

Good day.  Vin and I got ready for class.  He showered and I put on some clothes.  Two classes.  Screenwriting and directing.  I dozed off for a few minutes and no one knew.  I love Skype.  Now that I think about it....I'm assuming no one knew.

PT discharged me from home visits.  Just for fun, Karla the therapist wanted see if I could sit on my bike and turn the pedals.  I'm content on the rowing machine but since she was curious....
So there we were looking at my road bike on the trainer.  The seat is between  3 and a half and 4 feet off the ground.  She suggested I stand so I could mount by swinging my good leg over the seat but that would mean all my weight would be on my not-so-good-leg for an undetermined amount of time.  Better, I thought, would be swinging my bad leg over  the seat while supporting myself with my good leg except the seat was too high.  Figuring no harm in trying, I swung.  Surprise.  It landed on the other side of the seat.  The rest was easy and before I knew it I was sitting on the seat and turning the pedals.  Even though the seat seemed higher for the dismount than the mount, soon I was headed down the stairs with another feather in my cap.

Today's knee flexion was at 98 degrees.  Up from 87 a week ago and 80 the week before.  The threat of a 'manipulation'* has me working on flexion 2-3 hours a day.

We went to the coop for groceries tonight.  That's right...WE.  

*you are put under a general anesthetic and the surgeon applies pressure to the knee to break loose the scar tissue and adhesions that are preventing bending the knee

Day 30.

One of the things on today's 'to do' list is to do a post so I'll make it quick.  Fill you in on some details of the world's fastest hip recovery.

Our rowing machine is upstairs so I put my laptop in a backpack with a pair of head phones, walked up, alternating steps, (as opposed to the two feet on one step I'd been doing) and watched the first eleven minutes from episode 1 of 'Freaks and Geeks' for the millionth time (such a bummer it was canceled after 18 episodes...in my opinion) while rowing.  No 'Citizen Kane' for me.  Tomorrow I'm going to see what happens when I do fifteen minutes which should get me to the homecoming dance scene.

NEWS FLASH.         NEWS FLASH.            NEWS FLASH.            NEWS FLASH.  
Hanging on to Tina the therapist's arm, I WALKED WITHOUT CRUTCHES.

My one month follow up with the surgeon is Thursday.  I'll go in for an x-ray and they'll as me if there is any chance I'm pregnant.

Monday I start pool therapy with Vinny the therapist...deja vu.

Watching our Ohio classroom from our Vermont classroom.

Our Vermont classroom has windows and the Ohio classroom doesn't.

Ohio and School
Feeling like we're at the forefront of technology,  we've skyped a 'Production' and an 'Editing' class.  Odd, how it feels like we're physically there.  We showed them Max and our view.   Reconnecting with the class*, even if it is just through Skype, makes me a little excited to go back.  We were feeling pretty disengaged and we don't anymore.

Back when I told my advisor about the hip and he said "don't worry, we'll work with you" I think he meant "don't worry about classes, you can just jump in when you get back".  I know he was just trying to do us a favor and probably just forgot that Vince and I are actually there to get the info and skills...not so much the degree.  I'm not passing judgement when I say it's different for our classmates who need a degree for their careers (and I used to jump up and down when classes were canceled too)

Nel, the Christmas Cactus.
Since we were planning on a 3 week Vermont stay when we left Ohio, I gave Nel** a 3 week watering and told her we'd see her soon.  Plans changed, so I sent our new Athens friend, Heidi, a key and she carries water over (we turned the water off when we left) once a week for Nel.

News from Arizona.
Dad painted his bedroom.  Blue.  Said it looks 'real nice'.  Uncle Roy did it even though he didn't paint the trim because he was too shaky.  Aunt Marlene had to do it.  Anyway, you know how people obsess about paint colors?  I asked Dad who picked out the color.  Roy.  Dad had him pick it up at the hardware store from the sale table of paint that was mixed incorrectly.  "$7 a gallon and it's usually 35."

*age doesn't seem to make a difference even though one of our classmates has never heard of Seinfeld.
**Vin's mom, Nel, gave us a Christmas Cactus cutting years ago and we carry that cactus with us everywhere...just not to Vermont this one time.

Day 25.

Got a couple more care packages today.  Sympathy is great.

PT came today.  She just doesn't let up.  Had me doing total weight bearing with my broken hip leg.  Getting in and out of the tub. And getting down to and up from the floor.  So there's another bunch of things I was sure I'd never do again.

Getting up off the floor, my hip started complaining and PT told me I should take a bath.   Said there was a good chance that the sharp pain would go away.  I was sure she was wrong but she wasn't.
  
I just talked to the teaching assistant for our 'PRODUCING' class.  She's 20.  Just making sure our Skype accounts connect so tomorrow so we can be part of the class.  Here's what she said (remember now, she's 20) "Obviously the sooner we can you back in the class physically the better."  Where do I start?  I'm glad she thinks getting back to class would be that easy.  And what does she mean 'we'?

The flexion on my right knee was 87 degrees today up from 80 degrees on Friday but down from 110 degrees before the accident.


Tomorrow I'm not playing any solitaire.

I always like adding a picture or two.  I hope my college roommates don't mind.  Look closely at our books.

Day 23

Instead of dwelling on not being able to ski the whole winter I'm dwelling on skiing 31 years without an injury (pretty much) and all the falls that should have probably sidelined me.

the old way of putting on sox

the new way of putting on sox

Whether it was the rowing or straining to put on my socks and underwear without using my crutch as a third hand* yesterday I had a pain I didn't like**.  I'm sure the bone isn't floating around or the pins aren't loose, like I'm picturing, but just to be on the safe side I decided to wait a few days until rowing again. 

School is starting in a couple hours.  Sound with John Butler, whose claim to fame is that he was Mr Rogers sound guy, is from 11:50-4.

An outing. 
Less than 5 minutes from the time I left my living room bed, I was in the front seat of the car with my legs at 90 degrees which is way better than 10 minutes to the back seat of the car and my legs straight out in front of me like last time.  Vince grocery shopped and walked Max while I sat in the car blissfully staring at dirty snowbanks and reading a page or two of 'Documentary Storytelling' with the car window open.

For some reason I had to spell 'donut' in an email and it came up as misspelled...I hit spellcheck and it said told me it should be 'donuts'. 

*another thing that may not sound like much to you.
**involuntarily yelling

Day 22.

Yesterday is worth mentioning.

I rowed.  More than five minutes but less than ten.  Hip is a bit more sore and swollen (from 5 minutes?! what's with that?) than before I rowed but wouldn't classify as a set back.

And.
At the risk of letting Vince think he can cut back on his caregiving, I made a stovetop decaf espresso and grilled soy cheese sandwich all by myself.  I had to stand by the stove to eat/drink it because I haven't figured out how to carry a ceramic plate, but whatever.

Day 20.

If you ever feel like you want some sympathy, just break a hip.  Even though I'd like to think I hate getting sympathy...if I didn't get any, I'd be bummed.  Phone calls from childhood friends I'd forgotten about, aunts that generally don't make long distance calls, people I don't even know.  It's all good.

Linda, my best friend from high school, gives me a daily task.  Yesterday's task was to learn to wiggle my ears.  I always thought it was something you were born doing like rolling your tongue but evidently not.  I think I'll be good at it.

Complaining to my friend Liz about the pain of having to lay here watching the groomer drive by, she thought I meant the dog groomer and couldn't understand why it was such a big deal.  It wasn't until she realized I meant the ski trail groomer that she pictured my 'bed in the living room' location as a torture chamber.

Twice a week the visiting nurse comes to make sure my blood isn't too thick (blood test) and my bowels are moving.   I knew him from last year and can't decide if that is good or bad.

PT knows me from last year too.  They come three times a week and treat me as an individual rather than a person with a broken hip.  Yesterday I did a bunch of things I was sure would be impossible.   When the therapist said 'I want you to walk with one crutch' (this is the therapist that got stuck driving up to our house in 2 feet of snow on the ski trail so I had my doubts about her judgement) I immediately knew I'd never be able to do it....but I did.  I also
1. laid on my stomach*
2. bent down to pick something off the floor
3. walked up the stairs
4. stared at my bike on the trainer wondering how I could get my leg over the top tube without putting all my weight on the leg with the broken hip.

A huge crowd was on hand for the Vermont premier of 'Sam' and 'Gas Money'

Then.  I WENT OUT...AT NIGHT, IN THE DARK to the Arthouse in Craftsbury Common for the full moon (that was actually a waning crescent) potluck and our film screening.  People must be more comfortable going out during a waning crescent than they are during a full moon because it was the biggest crowd ever (50 or so and only 32 chairs) for the monthly full moon feast.  Buoyed by the riot of home-cooked vittles (we brought Ben and Jerry's) the audience responded well to our films.  Lots of laughs and questions.  Surrounded by handmade wool sweaters and warm boots, instead of facebook, cell phones and texting, I was happy to be in Vermont with no cell service.

I'm thrilled with my seemingly miraculous recovery...probably my incredibly positive attitude...not!

*tired of sleeping (or not sleeping) on my back I somehow managed to roll to my stomach which was wonderful until I realized I was stuck that way

Day 18.

Vin put my x-rays on his facebook page and someone gave it one of those thumbs up 'like' icons.

PT is going well but you know what's really hard?  Leg lifts.  I was worried at first, of course, that there was something really wrong and the PA assured me that that's what happens when someone slices through your muscles to get to your bone and that they'll get easier.

The main difference between getting 2 new knees and breaking a hip is:
With 2 new knees I was going up stairs on day 1 and riding the indoor trainer on day 12.
With a broken hip I'm at day 18 and complaining about leg lifts.

Looking at the pink couch in the living room all day everyday again this year is making me crazy.  Sure, it's cheerful but I've had enough cheer and after about 2000 hours (two winters) of involuntarily starring at that couch I've redone the whole living room in my head.  My grand plan includes built in bookshelves, new paint and slipcovers (in my head) but it's the rug (also in my head) I'm psyched about.  Look.  It's colorful and neutral at the same time.  Perfect for someone that can't make up her mind.

The new rug in my head.

Spent the day doing a final edit of my new film 'SAM', starring Vince O'Connell, for the Vermont premier tomorrow night. 
 
The average hospital stay for a broken hip is a week and I was out in 3 days. 'like'

Day 16.

For someone who NEVER speculates, I seem to be spending a lot of time lurking in online broken hip forums.*  I need to know how long I'll be sitting in a bed in the living room watching the groomer go by.   By the looks of things, based on information that really has nothing to do with me, I can look forward to some pool therapy at 3 to 4 weeks and riding an indoor bike trainer, with no pressure on the pedals, at about 4, maybe 5 weeks.  It's already been 2 weeks.

Noticeably better everyday, according to my speculation, which again really means nothing, I'm at the quick end of the recovery curve.  Today besides my PT, I took a shower, folded some laundry and sat in a chair...all which may not sound like much to you.

My owl timer lets me know when it's time to shut down the solitaire and do a few laps around the kitchen.

This situation is really testing my 'make every minute of every day count' philosophy of life.  I can't believe it's come to this but I've even played some online solitaire.  Even though I shut the solitaire window as soon as I heard Vince coming yesterday, it wasn't quick enough and he caught me playing.  I was so embarrassed.

I've been in touch with my professors.  School starts January 14...at least a month before I'll be able to go.  The general consensus is to 'do what we have to do' and they'll work with us.  First on the my schoolwork list is figuring out a documentary to replace the one I was scheduled to start filming December 23 (my accident = December 22) in Arizona.  I was thinking about doing something on my hip....calling it 'Christmas Break'.  Just kidding but isn't that a great title?  Vince is doing his on a local dog-sledding company. 


*of healthy broken hip victims my age and younger.

Day 12.

x-ray before my hip was set...may look normal until you compare it to how it's supposed to look (below)

x-ray after the surgeon pulled on my leg and twisted my foot so the bones fell back into place (normal looking)

then he nailed it so it would stay put

Day 11.

All week I'd been fretting about how I was going to get from the house to the car for today's follow-up appointment so we had our plow guy destroy our winter wonderland by plowing an ugly strip from our parking area to the front door.  Vince drove up to the house so I could back into the backseat with my legs straight out in front of me and begin worrying about how I would get out of the car and into the clinic.  I think I'm more anxious about things than I used to be.

The appointment was fine.  Most of my stitches came out pretty easily.  I'm healing normally (even though I was sure 'something was horribly wrong') and I was forced to get out of the house.

I was hoping that after today's appointment I'd know for sure if I'd (we'd) be able to go back to school but I don't.  Thinking about it, I can't even imagine how I would get to my classes.  Then a lot of the semester is actual shooting and crewing which is a ton of moving quickly and oddly.  A broken bone like this takes 3-6 months to heal no matter what so I'm thinking I may have to get used to the idea of watching the groomer go by here a couple extra weeks.  I don't think there is a fun option. 

Trying to think of some way to turn this down time into an opportunity, I remembered my friend Linda saying that once in a while she gets the urge to clean up her computer but then figures it would a good thing to do if she ever broke her leg.  Sounds like now's the time.

Tonight we watched 3 episodes of Breaking Bad.  I read, did some knitting and now I'm going to bed (whatever that means...I'm in bed all day) with a fire in the fireplace.  Could be worse.

Day 10.

Sunny.  Fifteen degrees.  No wind.  And even though the ski trail was already perfect, the groomer just went by again.  Guess I'd better get used to it.

At the risk of jinxing any future improvement, I have to say that yesterday was encouraging.  The home physical therapist's thoughtful big-picture assessment and suggestions, left me with a therapy protocol more worthwhile than crossing line items off the perfunctory list I'd been given earlier.

A few pieces of my new logical list:
•Instead of getting up 3 times a day and walking 10 minutes (from the perfunctory list)...get up every hour and walk 5 minutes.  Just getting up is a big deal (i.e. not easy) for me and I get more practice doing it.  I get the blood flowing more often and it plain-old feels good to move.
•Toe raises.  No pain even though I was sure there would be.  Easy.  Good for muscle tone and weight bearing.
•Take pain medication as directed so I can do the therapy I need to do to progress. 
•Put heat on the thigh right above the knee. Put ice, higher, on the new injury.  The thigh is still really swollen which makes bending the knee difficult (i.e. impossible).  I was icing the whole thing but putting heat on the old injury gave me another 5 or 10 degrees of flexion. 

This is what it looks like if 'they' go in and pin things instead of giving you a cast. 

 

Home health came to take some blood and check my wounds.  All this attention...I feel like a princess.

When I realized that spending a week blinded by feeling sorry for myself was plenty, I decided to start feeling sorry for Vince who has to take care of me (again) and is even more worthy of pity.