I feel a wee bit neglectful of updating my beloved's condition. The truth be told, though, there has not been actual neglect.
I felt a pit of despair arising as I raced out to the emergency room parking lot to get our car. Then drive JR around. Then park close to the house, get his crutches then his door. Oh, and his bag/coffee cup/water bottle. I suddenly saw my new role for the next couple of weeks laid out before me. I probably wasn't far off, and it was a long weekend. But in all fairness, it was long for the both of us. The size of our house became even more apparent with the addition of crutches. I will be doing a lot of touching up on the walls.
The next week he had been scheduled to attend a multi-day video production workshop. He was going. Period. The doctor in the emergency room told him that he could put weight on his foot as he felt comfortable, or even walk. So of course, JR was determined.
Physically, it was a struggle for him to learn to negotiate crutches, backpack, a camera, etc. But he was given a dose humble pie. There was a unique couple attending; the wife had had her leg amputated almost to her hip, and her husband was missing an arm. They were constantly offering to help carry his belongings, and could leave the group in the dust on some pretty treacherous terrain. JR decided to 'walk off the pain'.
After he came back, he attended his follow-up appointment. The doctor informed him that he would have been in much better shape had he just broken the darn thing. The doctor was not actually even sure that he hadn't broken anything. JR's sprain turned out to be much, much worse than had been anticipated and the doctor threatened him if his foot so much as touched the ground for the next two weeks. JR came home very disheartened, as he'd really been pushing himself to gain his mobility. So, we were back to square one of him not being able to do much (he can't do or carry much with the crutches!). He also had to cancel a great opportunity to do a geology internship for two weeks in Denali. So, so bummed.
He has been attending physical therapy, and he has been really impressed with the results. It is very taxing for him, but his ankle seems to be getting very strong. By the time we left for the Peninsula, he had only been off crutches for about a week. The great driving lengths (immobility) combined with the additional walking was hard. I know that he was trying to play it off, but he was in a lot of pain the last day or two, which was a major factor in deciding to come home a little earlier.
So, at current, he is doing pretty well. He has been given some insoles, of which he thinks are direct gifts from heaven. His feet tire easily, and he really has to be careful how much he is on them. He has been able to go to work the entire time, but I have had to meet him at the door more than once to finish dragging him in. He anticipates that his ankles will be much stronger than before, but even so, he will be in therapy until at least October.
JR has found a loop in the system, though. It is now his excuse for daily foot rubs!
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