Aint Nothin Gonna Break My Stride

Matthew Wilder sang it best:

Ain't nothin' gonna to break my stride
Nobody's gonna slow me down, oh-no
I got to keep on movin'...

To say this hasn't slowed me down would be a little bit of a stretch, but keeping moving has kept me from throwing myself an all out Pity Party of the grandest kind!!!

The "crankies" and the lack of patience seem to be waning, not with absolution, but my goal this week of having appropriate expectations seems to be helping. I think. I suppose you have to ask the peeps I live with about that??? There was a chart for last week that set the ground work for the expectations! A LOT got accomplished and that was wonderful. The goals for this week have not been set and with a 2 day getaway in the plans I have a feeling very little will get accomplished, but I will breathe deep and chalk it up to SUMMER VACATION and be O.K. with it :)

My other goal this week was not to cry too much and I have met that goal with flying colors!!! I was a little uncomfortable for the first few days after the boot adjustment, but now feel pretty darn good. Some days I still do too much and my foot and ankle swell and ache and I am reminded to elevate and behave.

The things that keep me going and keep my spirits up include Movie Nights with the family, Coffee Meetings with the girls, CrossFit, the many Graduation Parties/BBQ's and of course all the new babies! I like having things to go to and to be a part of. I appreciate feeling included :)

The things I struggle with still are: 1. Not having a job this summer and feeling stuck, feeling like I am not contributing, 2. I get frustrated that I cannot go for a run or even a walk. On one hand I feel like my leg is getting stronger and I think I'll be able to take little steps or scoots, but it's just not true. I have been measuring the pounds of force that I am able to tolerate on the bathroom scale and I am only up 40 lbs on my ATR (achilles tendon rupture) and that is only about 1/3 of my total body weight, so I still have a ways to go :(

I have been getting pictures of where the boot can go to show you and remind myself that I am still on the move. That "Ain't nothin' gonna to break my stride, Nobody's gonna slow me down, oh-no I got to keep on movin'..."


The Boot on the road ... I am NOT driving (in this pic) ;P












The Boot in Starbucks ... mmmmmmmm














The Boot and a Baby :)















Thanks for reading...pass it on!

Shopping Excursion - Adventures in a Wheelchair

This week was incredibly busy. First, as you know, it started with a severe achilles rupture, which led to surgery, followed by my birthday and an important track meet. Soon to follow were the preparations for my son and husband's birthdays which were yesterday and will be tomorrow respectively. In order to get it all done I had to rely on a friend to cart my rear-end to various stores while trying to make decisions while balancing on crutches and fighting discomfort and fatigue. I'm sure I was pure joy :)

We made a quick stop to the open air mall, guess what? No easily accessible wheelchairs! It's fine though, I have handicapped parking now! The first couple of stores were fine we got some good deals and checked of items from the wish lists. The next stop was a department store and I was excited because they usually have accommodations in the form of wheelchairs or electric carts...here's another guess what??? After navigating to the service desk it was discovered that THE wheelchair was broken...ugh, the pain medicine was wearing off, I was breaking out into sweats and I HAD TO GET THE SHOPPING DONE!!!

For the record I have borrowed a wheelchair from our community, but I was afraid I would not be able to get a certain birthday gift into the vehicle if I brought my own wheelchair.

I was most certainly frustrated and discouraged. Although we got some good things accomplished, my limitations are INFURIATING me! Vicky, who affectionately referred to me as Miss Daisy for the last few days, was a true friend and trooper. She expeditiously returned me home where I could prop the leg and rest the arms and slow down. She also offered to do it again the next day!!!

Friday's shopping was a dream compared to Thursday! I purposely plotted out adventures based on wheelchairs and in-store motorized vehicles!!! :) I was far more delightful.

Target was just plain fun! I must admit I get a lot of stares in my little motor cart. I also need some driving lessons! These babies are tricky and they do not move very fast! First, you need to be seated in order for them to move. Well, due to my diminutive stature I tend to scoot forward to the edge of the seat so I can firmly plant my one good leg on the floor board. Wouldn't you know, the cart will stop when one does not have their rear-end firmly planted in the seat!!! Next, I feel the need to shout to the world that the store may have these fabulous rides for those of us experiencing ambulatory technical difficulties, but the folks who plan out the floor display fail to take into consideration a certain turn radius ESPECIALLY when one is carrying one's crutches in the basket looking like a modern day special (oh so special) jouster!

This would be a good time to tell you that Vicky and I were quite entertained by our navigational predicament.

On to Kohl's! Kohl's by the way does not have the motor scooter, but does offer the wheelchair. You might think we would be able to get around corners a with more ease in this smaller, less cumbersome vehicle...BUT NOPE!!! The Men's Department at Kohl's is hideous!!! I mean HIDEOUS!!! It would be difficult getting through there as a normal sized person. I never notice before, because I am not a normal sized person,I am a mini little lady with the stealth and agility of a ninja...well I did have agility...stop laughing at a girl in a BOOT!!!

Vicky eventually had to take over completely. I had to keep my hands inside the vehicle at all times or I surely would have lost a finger or two. There were a lot of things falling as we ever-so-carefully rammed into display. There was the moving of displays, because most are on wheels, so that's good. There was the, "Oh $!@#, how do we get out of this one. And of course the "OUCH, that was my leg." Regardless of the "Ouch," it was very comical and if you ever get the chance to be wheelchair bound, make sure you go to Kohl's with a friend!!!