ANOTHER WRIST FRACTURE

To tell the tale briefly, at 5:00 AM we noticed people entering the neighbor's house. Very rare; very strange, since this elderly couple always sleeps late into the morning. Fearing for Rosemary's health, Betty struck off barefooted in the dark to see whether the vehicle was an ambulance or a fire truck with paramedics and, of course, to offer her help. At the property line she tangled her feet in some low-lying shubbery and down she went, again. As we are all prone to do, out went the hand and the wrist took the weight of the fall, as always.

At first, hoping for a mere strain, a brace and sling were employed, and she went back to bed. However, after Sunday morning services the pain and swelling required a closer, medical examination. I was ill at home with a raging head cold, and did not dare risk the public health by taking my draining and sneezing to the Emergency Room, so we asked Super-daughter, Patty, to taxi her Mom to the ER and stand-in for me. After X-Rays, a cast and sling, and advice to promptly see a bone doctor (and a shopping detour for Thanksgiving groceries), they returned with confirmation of a wrist injury.

REBOUND, a local orthopedic and neurological medical practice is famous for (1) tending to the breaks and strains of the Portland Trail Blazers and (2) for tending to Betty's related needs. It was Rebound who repaired and pinned her right wrist a while back, and it was Rebound who pumped super-glue into her crushed vertebrae recently. This time, the diagnosis - another classic wrist stress fracture - and the cast/sling are first steps in another six or eight week period of healing time, with all the challenges of dressing, bathing, and daily living that are complicated by a"hard-splint" which currently reaches from mid-fingers to above the elbow. When one is already balance-challenged, having one arm mostly immobile just complicates balance and getting around the house. After a few days we hope, Rebound may install a shorter cast, and that will help a lot. Meanwhile, we are starting to figure out how Memaw is going to hug on Eli when he comes for Christmas vacation.

"What can I do?", you ask? Cards and calls and reassurance are nice. She's expressed feeling kind of dumb and useless. Assure her she is neither, and that I vitally need her all the time to make me feel worthy. Our deepest thanks to Patty who somehow found abundant time in the midst of her 36 hour days to lend a hand even in the middle of preparing a pulled pork dinner for thirty teenagers.

To check out Betty's blog too, just click here http://www.wordsndeeds.blogspot.com/

Oh. About the neighbors? The were just leaving on a brief trip for the holiday. We are glad that it wasn't what we feared.