I Can’t Walk, But Yes, I Am Standing Big Js recovery from the Big Accident of 2014 is in full swing. His mood is positive, he’s eating, he’s sleeping, he’s going to school, he’s – getting better! To celebrate the holiday season, we used a recent opportunity to put new casts on his legs to choose a bright green plaster. If you must have two broken legs at Christmas, you may as well heal while sporting festive holiday-themed plaster casts. Despite not having walked for three weeks and having had to scoot around the floor for everything he needs - and get carried around by Dad otherwise - he is remarkably well disposed. The doctors told us we’d be amazed at not only how well they adapt, but how quickly kids can heal. So far they’re right: we are seeing steady progress forward in a number of areas. The broken vertebrae still looks ugly on his back, but he’s been faithfully wearing his back brace and has only tried to gnaw it off a handful of times (the brace, not his vertebrae). Just two more months of wearing it and he should be home free on that front. The legs and heels on the other hand seem to be healing fairly quickly. Over the past two days I’ve caught him standing on those green casts a number of times – I suppose his legs are feeling good enough to do it. He’s able to pull himself up using the banister on the stairs or by using the couch. Once standing though, he can’t get himself back down – he kind of looks like a terrified surfer who sees a large wave about to crash over him. He freezes there, standing on the green casts and not knowing what to do. I simply ease him back down to the floor and keep an eye on him so that he doesn’t get himself into a jam. For anyone that’s ever had a cast, you know how itchy and uncomfortable it gets after a while. You do anything for relief – find a hanger and slip it between the cast and the skin to give it a good scratch for example. Because Julian is mostly non-verbal, we have to rely on physical clues, and the best one he’s given us so far that the casts are a bother is that he’s figured out how to remove the ventilation cover from our heating system on the floor and will then jam his casted leg right through the open floor to get some fresh air on it. Several times recently I’ve walked into the office where he’s been hanging out only to find him watching his iPad with a green leg half hidden beneath the floor. And then there’s the speech. The thing thats been so painfully absent and that wed give anything to have more of. Sometimes you think youre ready to throw in the towel, and life sends you a ‘not so fast’ message. Life is funny like that. Before the standing started to happen over the past couple of days, Mrs. G. found him sitting on the stairs quietly one afternoon. He looked at her and shouted “I can’t walk!” It’s one of those moments that make you wonder what’s really possible. You can’t know of course – that’s part of the challenge we all face. You have go on faith and do your best and that’s all there is to it. And one more thing: try to avoid having two green casts on your legs at Christmas.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 02:01:13 +0000
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