I am Lily - stitcher and part time bookseller. Mother to my gorgeous girl, Abigail and wife to Julian. I make time each day to let my imagination potter and add quirky prettiness and handmade comfort to our home and lives. You can email me at lily(at)blockaday(dot)com
broken … or, what happens when you don’t do what you said you would do
patient :: lily boot
red ID :: allergic, so every medic who sees me from triage nurse to radiography technician asks “what are you allergic to? what kind of reaction do you have?” Clearly, the red ID system works well! (for the curious, I’m allergic to ibuprofen and lips, eyes and airways swell if I take it)
time :: Saturday, pre-breakfast
where :: The Prince Alfred Hospital
what happened :: went to fetch Chinese takeaway Friday night ’cause I didn’t cook either the pot roast I said I’d cook or the tomato pasta I promised as back up ’cause I was too enthralled with my new “homesick-therapy-crochet-project”. Parked in cobbled side street, crossing road, stumbled, foot twisted at scary angle, landed on butt in the middle of the road, loud crack (worried it was glasses or phone, no such luck) cried a while, no one offered to help, dragged myself to gutter and onto footpath, rang Julian at work and cried, he came home as quickly as he could (1/2 hour), rang mum in Brisbane and cried, she said she’d just watched a man with no legs ski down a mountain, so I should get up and drive back home and I’d be alright. Did this. Not alright. Terrible pain. Terrible swelling of ankle and foot. Couldn’t sleep. Triage nurse suggests next time I call someone useful, i.e. ambulance filled with caring folk who are paid to pick me up off the road.
what next :: xrays, examinations, pain relief (yuck! I don’t know WHY or HOW people take this stuff for fun).
problem :: fractured the end of the bone that goes down our leg and ends in our ankle. Possibly broken a bit off it as well. Also torn the ligaments off ankle.
what now :: ankle immobilised. more pain relief (not that dreadful stuff thank goodness!) crutches (medics worried I may be a bit clumsy on these given I’m clearly not very coordinated at the best of times!) no walking on right foot or driving for at least 4 weeks. new patient of fracture clinic. when fracture heals, new patient of physiotherapy clinic.
where am I :: in bed. foot raised on pillows. devoted nurses (Julian and Abby, dogs just want to lay on my foot) at my beck and call.
moral of the story :: put down the crochet and cook what you say you are going to cook.
p.s. the medics were right … I am HOPELESS on the crutches … oy! oy! oy!
20 March, 2010 at 5:21 am
I was so sorry to hear this story! I wish your leg will be well soon.I am sure you learn in a minute to use crutches! In every case you have now time to crochet! Maybe you can also push your sewing machine pedal.I wish you and all the family Boot nice weekend!
20 March, 2010 at 6:05 am
Oh Lily, you poor dear! That sounds so horrible, especially the no one coming to help bit. I am so sorry that you’re homesick. It probably won’t help that I am one block from the tumbledown cottage on Friday nights, sitting in the church parking lot listening to choirs and curlews while I knit and wait for a child to finish rehearsal. I think of you every Friday night.
20 March, 2010 at 7:17 am
Ouch !!
sorry to hear you are poorly
similar thing happened to me when I left my family in Sydney & moved to Qld .
Except I disturbed a hornets nest while hanging the clothes out & was bitten a zillion times ( well about 10 )
I also rang my mother & cried.
hope the recovery speeds by
20 March, 2010 at 7:27 am
Get better soon! We missed you thursday at felting. :( hope you girls can come next week- crutches and all!
20 March, 2010 at 10:05 am
Well, the good news is that now you can’t move, your off the hook for dinner for 4 weeks leaving you with 4 weeks to crochet and stitch your heart out! Try to take it easy!
20 March, 2010 at 10:20 am
Lily, Lily, Lily, Bless your heart. What an ordeal. I’m so, so sorry. I can’t believe no one stepped up to help you. That in itself is traumatic! Well, rest up, crochet away, and heal. ~karen
20 March, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Oh Lily!! You poor thing! I think the part that made me wince the most was NOBODY helping you. What is wrong with people!?!?! (similar thing happened to my mama when she was pregnant with my brother and fell and was bleeding in the street and everyone passed her by. Grrrrrrr!)
I am so sorry you are hurt and laid up. And please don’t beat yourself up over it. What if’s are never good for healing. But it looks at though you’ll have loads of time for hand work now :) And I so understand about the crutches, very awkward things. Be well my friend.
20 March, 2010 at 12:21 pm
:-( I hope your foot heals nicely and quickly. As others have already said, at least now you’ll have time to sit and stitch ;-)
20 March, 2010 at 12:51 pm
Oh yuck! So sorry! Hopefully you can get some good stitching done in your reclined position.
20 March, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Oh, my little friend! Just when you were beginning to feel a bit settled. I’m so sorry this has happened to you!
20 March, 2010 at 2:24 pm
my physical therapy crutch-training skills are no good to you here in the U.S. darn it. and, while i see your logic, i’m not sure the takeaway lesson should be that you put down the project to make dinner. if that’s the truth, then i’m an accident waiting to happen. sending you thoughts of speedy recovery and happy stitching.
20 March, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Hi Lily, I’ve read and enjoyed your blog for some time. I feel your pain here in Oregon. A few years ago I was merrily going down the stairs to quilt outside and missed the last stair. Consequence, two broken bones in my foot! I cried and crawled upstairs to a phone. Only good thing that came from this experience is that I handquilted a quilt. Call it my broken foot quilt. Gather your projects around and you have a perfect excuse to work on them! Best of luck healing!
20 March, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Oh Lily. I am so sorry. I certainly hope that it heals quickly.
20 March, 2010 at 3:20 pm
HI Lily,
HOPE YOU ARE FEELING MUCH BETTER TODAY. SO SORRY ABOUT YOUR FALL. I CAN’T BELIEVE NO ONE HELPED YOU !! THAT IS JUST PLAIN SCARY! DON’T BE TOO HARD ON YOUR SELF. RELAX AND ENJOY YOUR NEEDLEWORK AND BLOGGING.I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR WEB SITE AND ALL THE BEAUTIFUL THING’S YOU DO. SO, TAKE CARE,GET WELL SOON. SENDING HAPPY HEALTHY THOUGHT’S YOUR WAY FROM MICHIGAN!
ANNIE
20 March, 2010 at 3:33 pm
oh Lily,
do take care and follow your doctors instructions about staying off your foot! no fun having broken bones … so nice that you have someone to take care of you, including the dogs!
sending you healing thoughts!
elsa
20 March, 2010 at 4:34 pm
I am sorry for your mishap.
You are going to do just great….how do I know? Because anyone who can add humor in their recap of the situation is a strong person….consider this time a little “vacation”. I must confess….I laughed out loud when I read your Mom’s advice to you….I bet she is a strong person also. :)
20 March, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Oh, I’m so sorry to hear this, but it seems you’ve kept your sense of humor. Wishing you good health soon. Rest and relax while you can!
20 March, 2010 at 5:44 pm
OH, Lily, how AWFUL!! Hope the pain passes QUICKLY and that the crochet eases your boredom.
:) Linda
20 March, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Awww, poor love! And here you were in the previous post talking about putting your best foot forward… I hope your foot heals quickly and with as little pain as possible. If I were closer I’d come visit and bore you silly, so it would be a relief every time you got to be on your own again! Once the pain lessens you will at least be able to crochet and stitch and read in the middle of the day for a while! Keep your spirit up, and call your mum for a pep talk whenever you need - it sounds like she has the knack, and after all, that’s what mums are for, isn’t it? :-)
21 March, 2010 at 8:41 am
Oh Lily! I’m so sorry to hear about your accident. May you heal very soon
21 March, 2010 at 9:04 am
Nothing worse than injury and pain and being immobilised! Lucky you have caring nurses! At least now you can crochet to heart’s content and not have to worry about dinner! (looking for bright side). Good luck.
21 March, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Oh Lily, I’m so sorry… do take care.
Hope you feel better soon.
21 March, 2010 at 6:33 pm
Oh Lily what a terrible thing to happen to you. I am so sorry noone helped. Look after yourself xx
22 March, 2010 at 1:31 pm
Hi Lilly - I am so sorry! Take care of yourself and keep creating those wonderful projects.
xxx
22 March, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Dear Lily! Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry about your injury! So very sorry! I hope the pain goes away very soon! Oh dear. I am sure your fine home nurses will surround you with love and care (and knitting needles, and stitching and books and paper and pencils and tasty treats) while you recover! Please take good care! I’ll be thinking of you!
22 March, 2010 at 4:22 pm
get well soon. and i agree with you on the meds–YUCK to dizziness and throwing up and stuff!
22 March, 2010 at 7:41 pm
Oh poor Lily. Please feel better soon and I’m so sorry this happened.At least now you have even more creating time. Hope the new pain meds work. I feel so sorry that this has happened. Take care friend.
22 March, 2010 at 10:33 pm
Oh lily, I’m so sorry. We humans can be so fragile sometimes. I remember my mother did the same thing when I was a kid. There was a cobbled street and we were out late at night and she tripped. Mouth bloody, stockings torn, two bloody knees, my poor mom. I feel the same for you!
23 March, 2010 at 6:55 am
Poo! That stinks! I mean really stinks! I am sad to hear that you were crying in the middle of the street. :(
What an unlucky accident, but do not put down the crochet hook! Hook away! (that does not sound so good, Keep on! Feel better, I am thinking of you!)
23 March, 2010 at 12:50 pm
on sweet lily!! i’m sending lots of love and healing your way…
25 March, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Oh dear. I can sympathise - I managed to break both my wrist and my ankle falling out the front door attempting to take the dog for a walk. Fortunately I could scream loud enough for your Father-in-law to hear me. My wrist was so badly mangled they put a ‘moon boot’ on my foot to immobilise it so I was spared crutches. Glad my stepson and grand-daughter are such good nurses. Take it easy and when it is time be diligent about your physio - it really does make a difference.
25 March, 2010 at 6:44 pm
OOoh that sounds painful! I do hope you make a swift recovery and that you are up dancing in no time! take care!
26 March, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Oooh I’m so sorry to hear about your tumble. I had a broken ankle in 2005 that kept me in a wheelchair for four months, then to crutches for a month. I can relate. On the plus side, after four months of crashing into baseboards and walls with my w’chair, we had to replaster and repaint the gouges in the wall. Being just on crutches should help you to avoid scraping the walls of your pretty new house. I’m thinking of you, and hope you heal quickly!
2 April, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Oh dear!!! I hope you feel better soon… Oh, and I agree with the nurse, next time call someone usefull! I bet they feel awful for not coming to your rescue?!