02.02.10

Because I need more drama in my life…

Posted in Journal, Micah at 1:25 pm by Sarah

So we have been back from Malaysia for a total of 1 week. We were’nt really looking forward to that week because it was full of things – like Greek and sermons and dermatology appointments and Hebrew. Not a particularly relaxing week in which to acclimatise and recover (travelling with parents is somewhat exhausting – no matter how convenient the babysitting is).

And so in an apparent attempt to avoid that week, or perhaps to celebrate Australia Day.. and our homecoming, I broke my ankle on the stairs.

It sounds very dramatic.. but in some ways it wasn’t. I didn’t tumble down the stairs and land in a broken heap, neither was I attempting an interesting aerobic stair feat. I was simply walking down the stairs carrying Micah with Haoran following close behind.. and I went over on my ankle.

I’ve done this several times before, resulting in a painful and multi-coloured ankle for a week or so. But for none of these times was the ankle-roll accompanied by an almighty SNAP. That was the dramatic part.

Things happened a little too quickly for my mind to catch up – so I have no idea in what order these things happened. But yes.. there was a SNAP, and there was screaming and there was pain. It took me a moment to realise that I was the one screaming. Haoran took Micah and encouraged me to somehow put my ankle up. I wasn’t willing to move or for Haoran to touch it.. so there I was sitting in the middle of the stairs with my ankle resting tentatively on my other leg.

Poor Haoran went into panic mode – which is unusual for him since he would normally go straight into action. But as he explained later, it’s different when it’s me. Anyway for this reason, I had  to yell out instructions in between moans of pain from me and cries of frustration from Micah. It was actually a good distraction to run through the things we needed to do. Somehow the ambulance was called and G and M were on the way over to look after Micah.

The ambulance guys didn’t have to look very hard at my ankle to realise what had happened. So they gave me some wonderful painkillers and put my leg into one of their weird cardboard splint thingys. Then – because there was literally no other way – I had to come down the stairs on my bum.

They had a gurney waiting for me and so I was loaded up, rolled out of the house and packed into the back of the ambulance. A fleeting glimpse of Haoran and Micah and a wave – and we were off.

My first ride in an ambulance was short and uneventful.

Emergency at Canterbury Hospital… not where you want to be at the best of times. I spent 15 minutes in a hallway before they found a spot for me, and Haoran turned up a few minutes later. Then we found out what happens to you in emergency if your life is not in danger.

You WAIT.

Every step of the process was a 1 or 2 hour wait. The x-ray, the doctor looking at the x-ray, the doctor telling me that my ankle is broken (DUH.. could have told you that!) waiting to be moved into the ‘plaster room’, waiting for someone to plaster me in the plaster room. It was frustrating.. but Haoran was given some good advice before he left and was ready with a book, an iPod and my mobile. So I alternated between these things and napping.

Finally, after 6 hours in the ER, I was free – equipped with a heavy back-strap cast (to allow for swelling) and a pair of mis-matched crutches.

It was horrid to be away from Micah for that long – so it was lovely to get back and have many cuddles and feed the poor little guy. He apparently had had a whale of a time with his uncle and aunty and had behaved brilliantly!

So now… well. Things are tough. I think I would have been able to deal if I didn’t have Micah to look after too. There are many strategies that a person on crutches learns quickly. Wear pants with pockets. Keep a bag to carry stuff in. How to balance on the crutches while brushing your teeth. How to quickly and efficiently ascend the staircase backwards on your bottom.

But there is no good strategy for lifting a child out of a cot while on crutches… or carrying a child for that matter. There are so many things that are made 10 times more difficult by this injury. And it frustrates me no end.

But Haoran and I, after trying to make sense of the madness, have been trying to see what we can learn though this difficult season in our lives. I anticipate that I will learn patience and grace. But the biggest one will be how to receive grace.

Haoran and I have been blessed enough to have people willing to help out by giving their time while Haoran is at college. This is really great – but I still find it particularly difficult to ask for help, even when there is someone there willing to do it. I find that I feel like I’m barking orders, you know.. ‘The yellow bowl goes in the side cupboard next to the plates.. no not there.. behind you..’ etc.  It’s just really hard to ask for things if they’re not absolutely necessary.

I’m not sure what’s going to happen next. Mainly because I saw the doctor for exactly 3 seconds in the hospital. Hopefully when I get my new permanent cast on tomorrow I’ll get more answers on how long healing will take and how much I’ll be able to do.

In the meantime.. Facebook, Korean soap operas, church history books and an unhealthy amount of crotchet.

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