This is a long story. I’ve chosen to tell it in three parts, over three days.  This is part 3

On Thursday February 27^th; eight days after I had initially broken my leg, I received a phone call from the Belleville hospital. They had an opening at 2 p.m. for my surgery. Finally!  A plate was screwed into the bone covering where the tibia plateau had caved in. At my insistence I spent two nights (30 hours) in the hospital before being released. I was sent home but this time help was waiting for me. Community services had lent me a nice wheelchair, walker, a shower stool and commode. Arrangements were made for a personal care worker to come to the house three times a week. I was in the system now and from this point on I was well looked after.

Since March 17^th I have been attending physio two times a week and performing daily workouts at home. I now have good movement in my leg when I take off the brace. I continue to keep all weight off my leg.

Warren did eventually get home. I think he arrived early in my second week. Since then he has been a saint, doing it all: feeding the dogs, letting them out and in and out again, cooking all of our meals, doing all of the shopping. He drives me to physio and brings me water beside my bed. He has even built me two wonderfully strong new ramps which make the front steps and climb into the truck much safer.

It is now almost over. Thank God.  I long to throw away this leg brace and sleep on my side. I’m tired of bumping into door frames with my wheelchair and getting trapped in corners by sleeping dogs blocking my rolling path. I miss the outdoors; the wind, the stars and above all else: walking with my dogs before breakfast. I’m missing hearing the spring birds and watching the sparkle of melting ice. I’m just fed up with the whole thing.

If I were totally honest and shared with you my deepest darkest fears (full disclosure) I’d admit that I’m anxious about this Wednesday’s appointment with my orthopedic surgeon. He is going to take x-rays. What if my bones are not healing properly? I’m concerned and imagining the worst based on my breast cancer history. Maybe my bones are now brittle after all of that chemotherapy and radiation treatment? I continue to take a pill every day to inhibit my body from producing estrogen. Is that the reason for my fracture? Do I have old lady bones now?   Worst case scenario… has my old cancer come back and metastasized into my bones? I should not even write that. Let’s not go there…..

When I was about eight years old I was hugely influenced by two popular movies. One was “Heidi”. This was the story of a spunky little Swiss girl who played in the mountains with her friends Clara and Peter. The second movie was “Pollyanna” starring Halley Mills. Oddly both of these films had characters confined to wheelchairs. I loved these movies and would often imagine myself in their roles. I guess I’m now living my dream – for seven weeks anyway.  Very fortunately my experience with a wheelchair is only temporary.