Blue Down, Orange To Go

The withered one is on the left.

So, this morning I had my enormous blue plaster removed, and I think my life has improved about 1000 per cent.  My new svelte ‘sarmiento’ cast (so named after Dr Sarmiento who invented it in the 1960s – it is moulded to the knee so supports some weight on the knee cap) is smaller, lighter, better fitting and, importantly, orange (blue is so April 2011).  I can now, for the first time in two months, bend my knee.  What a difference!  Aside from the twinges of pain when I do bend it (after two months of total inaction my knee now feels like a rusty hinge), a world of possibilities has opened up.  I can sit up in a proper chair, I can get in the bath all on my own (with the aid of my special leg condom), I can lie in any position I choose in bed, and I can sit in the front passenger seat of the car.  I feel like an adult again.

As expected, the muscles in my left thigh have withered away to almost nothing, to the point where simply lifting my lower leg out in front of me seems like a monumental struggle.  And although my left leg now feels incredibly light, whenever I put any weight on it I have the strangest feeling that the entire leg is going to crumple beneath me.  A few more months on crutches lie ahead, as well as quite a lot of hard work to full recovery. But I will get there.  I’m back in hospital in a month’s time when they will decide how long this cast should stay on for.  I am crossing my fingers that it will be off in six weeks, but I have learned not to get my hopes up.  With any luck by the time we go to the states in August I will be plaster free and able to get in the pool to give Lara her first swimming lesson (one can’t start early enough).  I will still probably be on crutches by then, but at least I'll get a lift through the airport on one of those buggy things with a flashing orange light (every cloud...). 


There is light at the end of the tunnel. Life is good!