The journey home

Well, I was finally able to walk around with normal shoes on starting last Sunday, so I was ready to start thinking about heading home.  I was ready for the kids to get back into school and for our lives to look a bit more normal.  We decided to set our homecoming for the following Wednesday, the 19th.  We had both of our cars, so Brad would drive one and I would drive the other.  We did good on the way home.  Brad said he didn't feel nervous or anxious about driving, but he said he was definitely aware of everything around him and of our speed, especially when we were driving 65-70 mph, realizing that was how fast we were going when we collided with the other car.  We are both much more cautious on the road and in no big hurry.  We are just fine with going the speed limit and keeping our distance from other vehicles.

Some friends and neighbors were here to help us unpack all of our stuff.  We were gone for exactly 8 weeks and we had all of our Christmas loot, some of Will's birthday presents plus some of our new medical equipment.  Our house looked clean...way cleaner than it was when we left, thanks to our great friends and neighbors.  Our fridge and pantry were stocked and a friend brought us dinner that night.  We definitely felt loved. 

I realized that first night just how much my parents (especially Terri, my step-mom) had been doing.  After dinner, some unpacking, and bedtimes my foot and ankle were aching and I was ready to crash.  The next day I had to pull my walking boot back out.  All of the new activity has definitely irritated my injury.  I am not feeling as concerned about all the help we are getting from our friends now that I see that we do really need the help. 

The kids went to school on Thursday and jumped right back in.  They were both so glad to be back and all of their friends welcomed them with lots of hugs and excitement.

Brad went to Physical Therapy on Thursday as well and jumped right back into his recovery effort.  He's moving along and he's having to adjust to our home and the new surroundings.  Some of our doorways are smaller and our shower is much smaller here.  He's doing good figuring out how to make everything work for him.  His energy levels are low, so even though he feels exhausted at times, he's trying not to let that get him down. 

I went to the orthopedic doctor here today.  She took a look at my xrays and she told me she would have done surgery on my foot fracture.  She said normally she doesn't do surgery, she usually only does surgery in about 1 of every 100 foot fractures she sees, and she thought mine should have been fixed surgically.  She said she'll recheck it in 4 weeks and we will keep an eye on it.  If it gives me problems, she may recommend going in and re-breaking the fracture and setting it surgically.  Not great news, but if it needs to be done I want it done sooner rather than later.  She prescribed 4 weeks of physical therapy and gave me an ankle brace that I can wear with a normal shoe.

We are glad to be home and so thankful for all the help our friends have given and are giving to us.  We are so BLESSED by them.

A New Ride

Yesterday we went to Dallas to have Brad's follow up appointment with his orthopaedic surgeon.  We didn't get any huge news, just that Brad won't be able to put weight on his left leg for a couple more months.  He's still going to Physical Therapy and making good progress, though at times it seems slow to us.

I thought my foot would be healing a little faster.  It is uncomfortable to walk, but today I didn't really use my crutches or cane just a walking boot.  I twisted my ankle funny earlier tonight and I had some pain where my ankle fracture was.  Hopefully it's just tender and not making the injury worse.  I am SO ready to walk normally!  Hopefully I will improve enough over the next week or two to head back home.

So, on our way back from Dallas we stopped to peek at some cars.   The poor car salesman was hauling Brad's wheelchair and walker around the lot.  We found a car that we liked, so we just went ahead and got it.  It is a 2009 Chevy Tahoe.

It's been fun to drive.  We were trying to decide between the Tahoe and a minivan.  I'm not sure we really engaged our practical and frugal sides on this decision, but we enjoy being a little higher up with more car between us and the other cars on the road.