It has been only five days since my last update, but since I am now at home instead of my sister’s house, I thought I would share the experience so far.
Living solo at home with a non-weight bearing cast has been more difficult than I expected. I have plenty of equipment, with a knee scooter (thanks Doug) and a (cheap) walker upstairs, and a fancy walker with a seat for the first floor.
Finally, in the garage, I have a pair of crutches, another knee scooter I bought, and a wheelchair. I get around okay, but going up the stairs several times a day is very tiring.
My routine starts in the morning. I have a stash of pre-made protein shakes upstairs and I usually drink one for breakfast. I try to avoid going downstairs until lunch. I would also bring down trash, empty containers, or dirty dishes, one step at a time. After lunch, I would climb upstairs, usually on my knees, and stay until dinner time. Then I would repeat the cycle, bringing up stuff one step at a time too. Of course, stuff comes up during the day, so I end up going downstairs more than just for lunch and dinner.
I expected that climbing stairs would be difficult, but making meals, even if just microwaving, has been taxing too. I did not think about how I would transport hot plates and bowls using one hand since I still needed to steer and hold on to the chair/walker. I used to eat upstairs before the surgery, but now I just eat in the kitchen nook. Even going to the dining room is too far and precarious.
The best scenario is the surgeon letting me use a boot instead of a cast after the next appointment. The appointment was schedule three weeks from last Wednesday and I already survived five/six days out of twenty-one.
Life with chronic diseases 