Monday, August 01, 2005
NO YOU CAN'T GO OUT AND PLAY....
Last Thursday I wrote the last episode of Becky’s gall-bladder fiasco and as I put the finishing touches on it, I thought…..you know? It’s been quite a while since she has had a major disaster…..the past two or three years have been rather quiet. But…..that’s a good thing. Raising Becky has never been over. She is my one child who always finds a way to throw the biggest monkey wrench into my comfort zone.
Friday I had a lunch guest and then took her for a nice long ride. Saturday was a quiet day because Becky was hosting a birthday supper at the neighbors for her daughter-in-law, Aimee. Other than Becky coming a couple of times to ask me to grate cheese for her in my food processor and then later……some onions…..I thought, “Well, this is different for a change.” I normally have all birthdays, holidays, spur of the moment days and anything Becky dreams up. This one time I was told…….”just come to the party….I have it under control.” I enjoyed a quiet afternoon getting to some things I rarely get to do. Rocky was at the gym…..all was quiet on the Ozark front.
Everyone arrived on time and we ate leisurely. The food was enjoyed and then the gift opening. Little Davy was at a loss for attention because the guys were on the deck visiting and we ladies were intent on the process of Aimee’s pregnancy. Aunt Becky, sensing he was lost in all that, took him outside to play. THAT was an error in judgment. She was in hot pursuit of him in his little John Deere battery run car, truck, whatever……he had just gone into the garage and she was running to head him off and grab him………all of which he was oblivious to.
Instead, she turned her ankle on the sidewalk and went down like a body slam. The guys on the deck heard the crunch and figured two knee caps and a wrist or two would be on the injured list. She jumped up, and said she was fine, gathered up her dignity and came in where the three of us were still at the table concentrating on the new baby car seats. Below her left knee was an ugly sidewalk burn which was bleeding and she was hobbling on her right foot. The toe she had surgery on about three years ago or so was giving her fits and swelling……..she was afraid she’d jarred the screw that was holding her toe in place. She for sure didn’t want to have surgery on that toe again……..it took forever to heal enough so she could go back to work.
Then another pain throbbed it’s way into her brain and she looked at her right ankle which was now bulging on the outside and looking ominous. We kept checking the progress, making bets as to whether it was a torn tendon or a bone break. We all had our opinions at Becky’s expense. The ER of choice was over 80-miles away and it would be late getting there and very late even getting to see a doctor after we got there. Becky didn’t want to go and to tell you the truth, none of the rest of us did either. We decided to get her home and leave early in the morning if it still looked bad…..she was hoping it was “just a sprain.” Ice bag in place, we came home.
……..and the sun set………..(remember those old school plays where the cardboard sun falls behind a curtain on stage?) Pardon my drama………..
Next morning we got her there as fast as we could. We didn’t get in to the ER proper until 10:00 so we waited with several other folks who had various degrees of misery and finally got a room. It was a full two hours before X-rays, the reading of them, the guy who came in to put a cast on, waiting for the prescriptions and instructions. Result……..a broken tibia at the ankle joint. Her toe with the screw in it was fine….no problem. That was a big relief to Becky. We put her in the car, ate a Subway sandwich on the way home and kept her here until almost dark. She wanted to go home to be with her cat, her meds etc; so we took her home.
Napoleon came, we fed him……again, we watched him fly to his roost. We got Beck settled in, with all the stuff she would need until we came back.…..which I did this morning. Fed Napoleon, the cat and checked on Becky. She looked fine and was already getting fidgety about the things she “couldn’t” do. Just like a kid. Bored already and she has another 6-weeks to go.
It hurts like you would imagine……and then some…..they had to wrap a bad spot of poison ivy on her leg to get the cast on. Now how do you stand poison ivy under a cast? Stay tuned and I’ll let you know how it goes. Wait………..I think I hear someone screaming………
Prayers are acceptable. Not for her........for me.
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
Friday I had a lunch guest and then took her for a nice long ride. Saturday was a quiet day because Becky was hosting a birthday supper at the neighbors for her daughter-in-law, Aimee. Other than Becky coming a couple of times to ask me to grate cheese for her in my food processor and then later……some onions…..I thought, “Well, this is different for a change.” I normally have all birthdays, holidays, spur of the moment days and anything Becky dreams up. This one time I was told…….”just come to the party….I have it under control.” I enjoyed a quiet afternoon getting to some things I rarely get to do. Rocky was at the gym…..all was quiet on the Ozark front.
Everyone arrived on time and we ate leisurely. The food was enjoyed and then the gift opening. Little Davy was at a loss for attention because the guys were on the deck visiting and we ladies were intent on the process of Aimee’s pregnancy. Aunt Becky, sensing he was lost in all that, took him outside to play. THAT was an error in judgment. She was in hot pursuit of him in his little John Deere battery run car, truck, whatever……he had just gone into the garage and she was running to head him off and grab him………all of which he was oblivious to.
Instead, she turned her ankle on the sidewalk and went down like a body slam. The guys on the deck heard the crunch and figured two knee caps and a wrist or two would be on the injured list. She jumped up, and said she was fine, gathered up her dignity and came in where the three of us were still at the table concentrating on the new baby car seats. Below her left knee was an ugly sidewalk burn which was bleeding and she was hobbling on her right foot. The toe she had surgery on about three years ago or so was giving her fits and swelling……..she was afraid she’d jarred the screw that was holding her toe in place. She for sure didn’t want to have surgery on that toe again……..it took forever to heal enough so she could go back to work.
Then another pain throbbed it’s way into her brain and she looked at her right ankle which was now bulging on the outside and looking ominous. We kept checking the progress, making bets as to whether it was a torn tendon or a bone break. We all had our opinions at Becky’s expense. The ER of choice was over 80-miles away and it would be late getting there and very late even getting to see a doctor after we got there. Becky didn’t want to go and to tell you the truth, none of the rest of us did either. We decided to get her home and leave early in the morning if it still looked bad…..she was hoping it was “just a sprain.” Ice bag in place, we came home.
……..and the sun set………..(remember those old school plays where the cardboard sun falls behind a curtain on stage?) Pardon my drama………..
Next morning we got her there as fast as we could. We didn’t get in to the ER proper until 10:00 so we waited with several other folks who had various degrees of misery and finally got a room. It was a full two hours before X-rays, the reading of them, the guy who came in to put a cast on, waiting for the prescriptions and instructions. Result……..a broken tibia at the ankle joint. Her toe with the screw in it was fine….no problem. That was a big relief to Becky. We put her in the car, ate a Subway sandwich on the way home and kept her here until almost dark. She wanted to go home to be with her cat, her meds etc; so we took her home.
Napoleon came, we fed him……again, we watched him fly to his roost. We got Beck settled in, with all the stuff she would need until we came back.…..which I did this morning. Fed Napoleon, the cat and checked on Becky. She looked fine and was already getting fidgety about the things she “couldn’t” do. Just like a kid. Bored already and she has another 6-weeks to go.
It hurts like you would imagine……and then some…..they had to wrap a bad spot of poison ivy on her leg to get the cast on. Now how do you stand poison ivy under a cast? Stay tuned and I’ll let you know how it goes. Wait………..I think I hear someone screaming………
Prayers are acceptable. Not for her........for me.
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
