Tuesday, March 17, 2009
3 YEARS LATER...................
18th March 2006.
18th March 2007.
18th March 2008.
3 years on from that fateful day and I find myself in a totally alien position.
Lying on the road / helicopter ambulance stretcher / hospital bed, I don't think that even in my wildest drug induced dreams I would have imagined myself in this situation.
Gone from bed bound on a regular diet of morphine and other drugs, surgeries, stints with a plastic bubble over my head in the hyperbaric chamber, to a relatively physically capable husband with a gorgeous wife and a baby on the way, working full time and studying photography part time.
At the moment I am waiting to see the plastic surgeon in regards to the muscle flap on my leg that was sliced off the calf and flipped over to cover the metal on the side of the knee. As it is still attached to the rest of the calf muscle, the sensation and motor control nerves are still functioning. What this means in real terms is that if something touches the side of my knee, it actually feels like it is touching the inside of my calf muscle. That I can live with, but what is troubling me is that whenever I use the calf muscle for its intended purpose, the flap contracts too and feels like it's pulling tendons and what not across the side of the knee. Not to mention that it cramps up after prolonged strained use ( which is not all that long ).
The result is that I am unable to run as I cannot put full strength / force through that muscle. I can do a slow limping jog, but feel that I could do more if the motor control nerve was snipped.
I don't want to run any marathons, just be able to run a short distance if the need arises, or one day to be able to indulge in that sort of behaviour with my daughter/son.
I still find myself looking on in a third person kind of way and thinking just how bizarrely the world turns and how I should never take anything for granted though.
I am busier right now than I have been in a long time and yet I feel full of energy to tackle my regular duties and the potential circus that will be the threesome at the end of June.
Actually, it's a circus at the moment, what with all the baby books to read and preparations to get under way.
We are still gathering baby 'stuff' and have so far managed to accumulate a pretty sweet cot off ebay, a heap of sheets, bottle insulators, change mat and clothes from a garage sale, which we got word of from my sister, a car seat, steriliser, and some presents like the baby jumps suits from Snorky's mum and and alpaca jumper my father bought in Argentina when working there.
Yet there is more 'stuff' to acquire, but I reckon it will all come together in it's own time and way.
I am still waiting to get my camera fixed. The insurance company is dragging it's feet and has assigned their number one 'useless employee of the month' to my case. I received a phone call from a confused case worker not understanding all the paperwork I sent in with my claim. This is after I made sure that I filled out all their required forms, and supplied all the information and paperwork they could ever possibly need to make a decision. Reports, quotes for repair and / or replacement, receipts, little notes to clarify certain bits of paperwork, etc.
So, after patiently and calmly talking to the dufus "Can you see the figure on the form in front of you? Good, that's the part with the amount and the note explaining the sum, etc " I was informed that it's all too complicated and that the claim will have to be forwarded onto another dufus who is paid $2.42/hr more so they can make the decision.
Bearing in mind that when I called them a couple of weeks ago to see how the claim is going, I spent 1hr 50min on hold. That's even before I got to talk to an actual real live person!
My recommendation is: Do not under any circumstances take out travel insurance with RACV or Mondial!!! It will drive you to drink, and commit acts of violence upon your telephone handpiece.
In the end I gave the camera repair shop the go ahead to repair the camera and lens as I really miss it and need it for school.
I'll deal with the insurance company in good time. In the mean time, at least I have my 'Hoff to shoot with.
So, in short: 3 years on and life is good. Who knows what the next 3 will bring? But for now it's full steam ahead.
Thank you to all who helped in their own ways. You know who you are so please don't ever hesitate if you need the favour returned any time. I will gladly do what I can and just hope I never have to return it in the same circumstances.
.
18th March 2007.
18th March 2008.
3 years on from that fateful day and I find myself in a totally alien position.
Lying on the road / helicopter ambulance stretcher / hospital bed, I don't think that even in my wildest drug induced dreams I would have imagined myself in this situation.
Gone from bed bound on a regular diet of morphine and other drugs, surgeries, stints with a plastic bubble over my head in the hyperbaric chamber, to a relatively physically capable husband with a gorgeous wife and a baby on the way, working full time and studying photography part time.
At the moment I am waiting to see the plastic surgeon in regards to the muscle flap on my leg that was sliced off the calf and flipped over to cover the metal on the side of the knee. As it is still attached to the rest of the calf muscle, the sensation and motor control nerves are still functioning. What this means in real terms is that if something touches the side of my knee, it actually feels like it is touching the inside of my calf muscle. That I can live with, but what is troubling me is that whenever I use the calf muscle for its intended purpose, the flap contracts too and feels like it's pulling tendons and what not across the side of the knee. Not to mention that it cramps up after prolonged strained use ( which is not all that long ).
The result is that I am unable to run as I cannot put full strength / force through that muscle. I can do a slow limping jog, but feel that I could do more if the motor control nerve was snipped.
I don't want to run any marathons, just be able to run a short distance if the need arises, or one day to be able to indulge in that sort of behaviour with my daughter/son.
I still find myself looking on in a third person kind of way and thinking just how bizarrely the world turns and how I should never take anything for granted though.
I am busier right now than I have been in a long time and yet I feel full of energy to tackle my regular duties and the potential circus that will be the threesome at the end of June.
Actually, it's a circus at the moment, what with all the baby books to read and preparations to get under way.
We are still gathering baby 'stuff' and have so far managed to accumulate a pretty sweet cot off ebay, a heap of sheets, bottle insulators, change mat and clothes from a garage sale, which we got word of from my sister, a car seat, steriliser, and some presents like the baby jumps suits from Snorky's mum and and alpaca jumper my father bought in Argentina when working there.
Yet there is more 'stuff' to acquire, but I reckon it will all come together in it's own time and way.
I am still waiting to get my camera fixed. The insurance company is dragging it's feet and has assigned their number one 'useless employee of the month' to my case. I received a phone call from a confused case worker not understanding all the paperwork I sent in with my claim. This is after I made sure that I filled out all their required forms, and supplied all the information and paperwork they could ever possibly need to make a decision. Reports, quotes for repair and / or replacement, receipts, little notes to clarify certain bits of paperwork, etc.
So, after patiently and calmly talking to the dufus "Can you see the figure on the form in front of you? Good, that's the part with the amount and the note explaining the sum, etc " I was informed that it's all too complicated and that the claim will have to be forwarded onto another dufus who is paid $2.42/hr more so they can make the decision.
Bearing in mind that when I called them a couple of weeks ago to see how the claim is going, I spent 1hr 50min on hold. That's even before I got to talk to an actual real live person!
My recommendation is: Do not under any circumstances take out travel insurance with RACV or Mondial!!! It will drive you to drink, and commit acts of violence upon your telephone handpiece.
In the end I gave the camera repair shop the go ahead to repair the camera and lens as I really miss it and need it for school.
I'll deal with the insurance company in good time. In the mean time, at least I have my 'Hoff to shoot with.
So, in short: 3 years on and life is good. Who knows what the next 3 will bring? But for now it's full steam ahead.
Thank you to all who helped in their own ways. You know who you are so please don't ever hesitate if you need the favour returned any time. I will gladly do what I can and just hope I never have to return it in the same circumstances.
.
