This is my second time living my life on crutches for an extended period. And let me tell you (in case you don't already know), they are downright treachorous. Luckily, adaptation is a wonderful thing.
A taste of my struggles...
1. A VERY TIRED left leg
All of the sudden, my left leg is forced to support ALL of my weight, and it apparently is not yet in shape to be doing so. After a few trips to the bathroom, and downstairs to let Lola (my dog) out, I feel like I just ran a marathon.
2. Man Arms
I WILL have huge manly arms in another week or two. Same thing happened last time. The better I feel, the more I trek myself around one creaky step at a time, and the bigger my arms get. I'm just not a fan of man arms on myself. Guys can have big muscular arms, but I prefer the smaller version for myself.
3. Transporting food, drinks, computer, phone, etc.
It's almost impossible to hold any object while crutching to safety (the table, couch, bed...). However I have learned a few tricks for emergency purposes.
- The Hooded Sweatshirt: Always wear a hooded sweatshirt with a front pocket to hold small items such as cell phone, a book, etc.
- The Hobble: For very short distances, it is possible to hold a drink and hobble...its too confusing to explain, and it's probably not the safest, so we'll just leave it at that.
- The Hop: Once the left leg is strong enough to hop, it frees up both hands. It definitely looks really ridiculous but it does get me from point A to point B (as long as A and B aren't too far apart).
- The Crawl: I use this trick especially in the middle of the night when I need to go to the bathroom. Somehow it's easier than crutching to the bathroom in the dark when I am half asleep and totally out of it. It's also good for carrying larger objects such as my laptop.
4. Ice on the ground, water on the floor
It's just f-ing slippery. Let your imagination run wild.
5. STAIRS
The absolute worst, most dangerous part of all. I'm not sure what's worse - going up or down. Going up, I use one crutch, and hold onto the railing with the other arm, and then hop up each stair with the good leg. Going down I completely surrender and slide down one stair at a time on my ass. I can't imagine trying to crutch down a flight of stairs - it's just too risky at this point. Every time I'm standing at the top of the stairs, I can't stop the image of toppling down,(a mess of cast and crutches flying in every direction), from rushing into my mind. So my new motto for life...play it safe for now.
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