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A year in a wheelchair - Fate Fairies - book version
This entry was posted on 1/9/2012 1:45 AM and is filed under Fate Fairies:Fate Fairies - book version.
It was bad enough trying to go to college in my forties. And there was all the baggage that comes with college at that age - actually living in a house, owning cars, caring for an elderly mom, trying to stay married, and on and on. But then, the age variable reared its ugly head; it manifested in health issues that on reflection should not surprise anyone when thinking about middle age.
My ongoing blood and heart conditions evolved and manifested in the form of poor circulation in my right knee area. It became one of the most painful experiences I have endured other than my bouts with meningitis, recurring blood clots, and internal bleeding - all extremely painful experiences.
Around 2000, my right knee hurt so bad, I had to use a cane. You can about guess what transpired. Things deteriorated to crutches. My clinic and general doctor at the time, sent me to an old well-known regional surgeon.
The crusty old doc surgeon explained rather crassly, "You are screwed son. I can't fix what you've got. Your leg is dying."
My wife did not believe me when I told her what he said. So I made another appointment and in front of her, he said, "You are screwed son. I can't fix what you've got. Your leg is dying."
In the mean time, I was forced to use a wheelchair, as by then I could put no weight on the leg at all. Any movement of the leg caused extreme pain. That was a challenge. Our old farm house was of course not handicapped accessible. And, I drove one of two Geo Metro stick shifts. In case people have forgotten, Geo Metros are the consummate miniature car - they have three-cylinder engines. My motor cycle has a bigger engine.
As a handicapped person, I did adapt to the small car. The roomy cargo area in the hatchback area was perfect to carry a wheelchair. And the small car was always easy to park in tight places.
I learned also, that the state-of-the-art mega campus at Madison Area Technical College was not as wheelchair friendly as I think the good administrators thought it was. Once I was so tired after a day of fighting through narrow doors and crowded computer labs, that when I went into the bathroom to relieve myself, and was presented with a challenging urinal location, I ended up pissing on my foot.
I remember just saying, "Fuck it," out loud and heading back to computer class.
The handi-cap sticker for my Metro was the only high spot. The infamous bad parking at the MATC campus is the topic of collegiate legends. For a year I parked right by the front door. Before my own battle with the wheelchair culture, I had never paid much attention to all the scofflaws that misuse the special parking. After I became handicapped myself, I seemed to be one of the only guys at the grocery store or big-box store that actually got out of a vehicle at the handicapped spot and was actually..., unable to walk. Others hop out of a mega pickup truck type vehicle or new car, with a handicap card hanging in the window; often, they bebop into the store with a shit-eating grin and a cigarette dangling from their lips.
One advantage of going to college as an old guy was that I actually paid attention in my classes. In medical ethics class, and pre-law classes, I learned a patient could fire a doctor. You would be surprised how many people do not realize that.
I fired Old Crusty Doc with dispatch and my general doc, with a sigh, referred me to yet another surgeon - this time a rather young dude. Now this guy looked at the facts, the xrays, and CT Scans, and scratched his chin.
He explained to me that my wrecked circulation in my leg was killing the complex human mechanisms of my knee. He looked at me and said, "I can open up your leg and move a few things around and remove some ruined parts. You will probably never run again, but I can get you up-right....and you might need a cane indefinitely."
"What the fuck do I have to lose?" I said to myself.
Within a week of the operation, I was out of the wheelchair. Within another couple weeks the crutches were gone. To my amazement, without even any therapy, even the cane was gone just two short months later.
Every so often, I will need the cane for a day somewhere along the way. But, I go for months with it just siting in the corner by the cat pole. Sometimes I hide an old cane at work knowing I will not be able to walk after lifting up to 21 tons of paper products all night..., one bundle at a time.
But, I will never forget that year in..., "the chair," and all the lessons I learned from looking at the world from the level of everyone else's..., fucking belt buckle.
Note: This blog "Fate Fairies" - book version Category is a work in progress. The original vignettes are being edited for book form. Go to the Cooldadiomedia Web site and the Fate Fairies Page for an ordered chronology of the book vignettes (chapters).
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