10/7/12

The Five Million Dollar First Grade Teacher. (aka....ouch)


It’s been six weeks since this particular log thrust me into the land of excruciating pain. 




I had been hiking early that morning, as was my usual routine.  I love the sounds and smells of the forest early in the morning, and felt great when I started my day with a hike.




It was damp that morning, and I was wearing shoes whose tread was a bit worn.  I began to walk across the log, remembering the words that Sassy had lectured me with the week before.  “Mom, you should NOT be walking on that LOG! You are going to get hurt!” I smiled at her, reassuring her that I could certainly handle this silly old log.



Yep, I remembered that conversation as my foot slipped and I fell hard, straddling the log.  I screamed as I felt an explosion rip through me, and slipped slowly to the ground. 

I lay there for some time, screaming a bit until the pain subsided.  My dog sat beside me, chastising me with his eyes and reminding me how stupid I was to not have brought my phone.

I managed to pull myself up and walk off the mountain, surprised that I could even walk at all.   I was very sore in the weeks that followed, but was busy with unpacking and re-arranging my new classroom and it distracted me from the discomfort I was feeling.  I was visiting my physical therapist weekly, and he tried to ease my pain.  I was finding it increasingly difficult to walk, and even more difficult to sleep.

I made several trips to my family physician, who was convinced that I had injured my sciatic and some ligaments.   I returned after several weeks of excruciating pain to see if perhaps they had missed something.


 I had x-rays, and again was told that I simply needed some PT.


Mr. Darcy and my best friend were convinced I needed a second opinion, and this time I listened.


Dr. Wonderful agreed to see me the day after I called his office.  He was the orthopedic surgeon who had performed my carpal tunnel surgeries and repaired a torn meniscus. He looked at the x-ray, did a few more of his own, and sat me in his office.

“HOW long ago did this happen?” he asked me again.  “SIX WEEKS? I can’t believe it, “ he said as he shook his head.  "Not only do you have a broken hip…but your hip socket is completely crushed. I can't believe that you've been walking around like THIS for THAT long. Are you Wonder Woman?  And you're TEACHING?”


I looked him and nodded, incredibly relieved and thankful to learn that I was not crazy after all. 




My plan for the coming week?  Well, call me The Bionic Woman- cause I’m getting a brand, spanking new hip.    




49 comments:

Mrs. E said...

Holy cow! You amaze me. Or you drink a lot more vodka than you let on! I'll be thinking about you this week!

Sheila said...

Oh my...your pain tolerance must be very high.
Take care of yourself and let others take care of you as well.
Please let us know if you need anything!

jwg said...

Ouch! Now let people take care of you and don't rush back to work.

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

Sending good thoughts for a speedy recovery.

notme said...

I don't know what's up with not being able to leave a comment.

notme said...

OK, got that fixed. Here goes the 3rd try. It's the charm, I tell ya!

Trying to decide between:
a) too much vodka caused the fall
b) too much vodka masked the pain

At any rate, good luck to you. Take care of YOURSELF.

ps. hope you have a great sub. it's a tremendous amount of work to prepare for even just one day.....

Kristen said...

Oh my goodness! You must have a very high pain tolerance and a strong desire to go to work every day! I wish you a speedy recovery and hope you can enjoy some down time, even if it wasn't really planned!

Vodka Mom said...

What caused the fall? A damp, wet log.


And the pain? Oh, I felt it. 24 hours a day I felt it.... I tried to convince my doc, and I guess I wasn't convincing enough. I've always had a fairly high tolerance...

Brian Miller said...

holy crap VM...dang...you had to be in some serious pain...ugh....well i hope the process goes well...will def pray for the docs hand and all...new hips too...i know a few tht would not mind that...smiles.

ChiTown Girl said...

Holy hell! I can't believe this. I'm so sorry you've been in so much pain for so long. Don't you want to go back to all those other people who didn't find your CRUSHED hip, and bitch slap into next week?!

I'll be praying for you, for a safe & successful surgery, and a speedy recovery.

I can't wait to hear how Mr. Darcy spoils you while you recuperate!

xoxox

Pam@OurAdventuresInHomeImprovement said...

OMG! I am amazed!

Good luck with your recovery. You are incredible!

Pam

Terra said...

Oh no! I hope you have a speedy recovery, so I can see you walking more easily down the halls again. It is amazing how happy you've seemed despite the pain you're in. Must be that Mr. Darcy you promised to share about soon! ;)

Anonymous said...

Wow - I knew teachers were tough but...

I am sorry you have had to live with this much pain, and I am really, really glad that you got a 2nd opinion. It is funny how doctors think they are so learned, and they don't trust our own experiences... Good for you to know that something was 'wrong'. I am glad it is going to get fixed.

I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness!! You poor thing! I'm so glad you're getting the care you need now!!

Japolina said...

Oh nooooo! Hope you feel better soon.

Gigi said...

SO glad you went for that second opinion! Jeez, woman!

But you'll be up and around AND pain free in no time.

Scope said...

"Straddling a wet log"?

"Crushed your hip"?

I was thinking this injury happened some other way that may have involved... well... probably something Sassy has lectured you about. :-)

Speedy recovery. And don't let the gymnast in you think of it as falling of the balance beam.

noexcuses said...

Oh my! So glad you were persistent! Scares the hell out of me with all the medical changes taking place!

Please take care, rest, use that little bell by the side of your bed, and eat as much chocolate as you can.

Does Mr. Darcy have a brother... or a cousin?

Liz@thisfullhouse said...

Holy crud! Broken hip? Crushed hip socket? I can't EVEN imagine. Not only the pain, but the other folks getting it SO WRONG! Good luck to you and feel better soon.

As Cape Cod Turns said...

Seriously girlfriend, not only do you have a will of steel, you have a body of steel too. Why don't you have the surgery up here and I will drive you to the beach every day so you can see the ocean? Plus, I make some really good chicken noodle soup :)

Irish Gumbo said...

Stubborn broad...;)

Well, good grief, I'm hoping for a smooth surgery and a swift recovery for the bionic woman!

Busy Mom said...

Sweet, Sparkly Jeebus, woman!

Wishing you a speedy recovery and your own private radiologist.

(Btw, may I have surgery in Cape Cod, please?)

SkylersDad said...

Still giggling at Scopes comment because I was going to go there to! I wish you well on the hip replacement, and you know what? You will be getting a sweet ID card with an x-ray of the new hip to show at airports. Huzzah!

One crazed mommy said...

Ouch...my arms literally just busted out in goose bumps!!! I can't imagine how painful that must have been, and I am soooooo glad you got the 2nd opinion. But this just goes to prove the point...women do have a higher pain tolerance than a man! LOL!
Even more impressive...look at all the high heels you have been sporting...yes, impressive indeed! Hope your surgery goes well!!!

Sue said...

There are times in our lives that we "do what we have to do"! But you my friend went a bit overboard with this one ;0) I hope you heal quickly and remember that we are not invincible! Shit does indeed happen even if we ignore it. Take care of yourself and heal quickly!!

Sue

Melisa Wells said...

My hope for you is that you've dealt w/ so much pain already, recovery will be a piece of cake and a great relief.

And...YIKES. xoxo

SanH said...

Wishing you a speedy recovery!

Pamela said...

Goodness! What a miserable six weeks you must have had. Praying for a speedy recovery, and a wonderful physical therapist. Don't let Mr. Darcy wait on you too much!

Michelle said...

Not that you didn't already amaze me, but holy cats! You amaze me. Yikes. So glad you got it figured out, but I wish it were simpler to fix. Good luck with surgery!

Ann Imig said...

Sounds incredibly painful. Wishing you speedy successful surgery and healing.

Love to you!!

Vodka Mom said...

October 22. That's when my new life begins.


Move over, Lindsay Wagner. Move on over....


Vodka Mom said...

and yes...the tiny discomfort of the recovery will be nothing compared to the last six weeks.

I look forward and you know what I see??

Sunshine.


tamilyn said...

Oh Lord Vodka=thankfully they found that! This is serious. Make Bitchy and Sassy take care of you!

Joanna Jenkins said...

Holy crap!!!! You really ARE Wonder Woman. OMG!!!

I am so very sorry to hear you've been suffering in pain for 6 weeks and thrilled that hip replacement has come so far and is an option for you.

But WOW girl!!!!! Just WOW.

I'm cheering you on.

xo jj

Anonymous said...

You must have the threshold of my only child, when she was a wee one she fell from a concrete step and bashed her entire head, stiches with no anesthia and it was bleeding like a stuck pig..She did not cry at all, the doctor who was a plastic surgeon talked to her and he was not calm, after all that he told me to watch her carefully because she had more courage than the men and women he normally stiches up and works on after auto accidents whereby they are thrown thru the windshield..I quit my job in a day and never looked back, she never complained at all about nearly breaking her arm in gymnastics and her leg falling down a huge hill, so I was glad to be home we were broke most of the time, but she never got into broken bones and head injuries at that..YOU ARE BRAVE like my only child but now take it easy and rest and recuperate, your life will be changed a lot!!!!

Kevin McKeever said...

Better now than when you are really old, like 40.

Break a leg, or hip, or whatever - good luck with the surgery and recovery!

Magpie said...

Ouch ouch ouch. Here's hoping for a good surgery and fast recovery!

Anonymous said...

Holy Sh*t balls you are amazing.
Friend had the same problem due to excessive chemo/drugs, etc, her hip sockets collapsed. She said the pain after surgery was the kind that she knew would go away. And two weeks later a girls w/e of fun. Four weeks after that she had the other side done.
And she got a cool card to carry in her wallet to prove she was bionic for when she set the alarms off.

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness! SIX WEEKS?!
You are super amazing...I wish you all the best for your surgery. My uncle just got a new hip about two weeks ago and he's doing great.
Sending lots of love & healing thoughts :)

anymommy said...

So awful. I'm cringing and hoping that you have really, really good drugs now. I'll be thinking of you and wishing that I could help for real.

LauraW said...

sending healing dust your way!

phsymom said...

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

However, I'm thinking perhaps you need to find a new primary doctor, since he couldn't see a CRUSHED hip.

Just saying.

AmazonQueen said...

That's INSANE..I broke and dislocated my hip in a car accident and was in EXCRUCIATING pain..YOU my friend ARE Wonder Woman!

Cora said...

Okay, first thing first: How many times has Sassy said "I told you so!" over this?

You really ARE Wonder Woman, aren't you? I've suspected as much over the last few years, of course, but, really, now it's just out there clear as day, isn't it? I sure hope you feel better soon!!

Unknown said...

What a woman. I'm voting for you in November.
Seriously, though, how in God's name were you even able to do that?
I wish I lived closer to help with the post op stuff.
Love you.
Speedy recovery

Fundis said...

Amazing! Can't believe it!

Mimi Lenox said...

Oh dear Lord, Deb. Sending prayers and hugs.

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