I needed my carry-on suitcase to pack some things for a trip. I got a ladder so I could get the suitcase down from the loft where it lives. I’ve done this many times before, going up on the ladder, getting the suitcase, and handing it down to Xan. But this time I slipped and fell off the ladder. The result was multiple fractures to my right knee and difficulty with my bladder, difficulty peeing. At Dominican Hospital, Dr. Damian Smith, urologist, inserted a catheter (folks at Watsonville Community Hospital had tried 5x and failed, with pain each time). My knee was operated on by Dr. Abidi, surgeon (Watsonville). All successful. I got 3 days of good care.
Today was an important day — I had my appointment with Dr. Abidi, the surgeon who did the repair of my fractured right knee. Xan, Eric, Gail, and I went to the appointment. The leg was unwrapped and inspected, x-rays were taken, and the judgment was clear: healing had gone well and it was time for the fixator, the steel brace keeping my left from bending (and thereby damaging the surgical repair to the knee), to come off. Taking the x-rays involved some pain, moving the leg this way and that so x-rays from different angles could be taken. Removing the brace was yet more painfuful. The brace was secured to my leg by screws embedded in the leg bones. Taking the steel rod off and removing the screws from the leg was painful — and great, because the hardware, the brace, is off and history! A big step forward on the road to being able to go home. The next big step may happen tomorrow. I have an appointment with Dr. Smith, the urologist who installed the catheter-a...
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