I couldn't decided whether to title my post happy patience or happy patients? I've been thinking about both this week as my daughter recovers from her recent ski injury.
Our family went skiing at Snowbasin on Sunday. It was my very first time skiing and I was so excited to have my children teach me. Sharee lent me her ski gear and they took me down Needles for my very first run. Needles is a Blue Diamond and it wasn't terribly frightening, but I will admit I felt out of control. Fortunately, I spent an hour the day before watching youtube tutorials on how to carve, stop, and ski like a pro. I also had the opportunity to ride down the bunny hill upon arrival as we parked on the road and hiked over to the lodge. I fell on my butt going down a hill from the parking lot and struggled to get back up. Thank goodness youtube showed me how to do that as well. I found that it's much more difficult to stand up on skis on flat ground than it is when you crash on a hill.
My children are really good skiers. Luke and Page have been skiing for 8 years now and Jane and Gwen for 5. They told me I was awesome and I felt like I wasn't half bad. I did feel like I was going out of control fast most of the time and the only way I knew how to slow down initially was to wipe out. What was really fun though was going down Becker next. I told my kids that we should have started on Becker. It was so fun and not nearly as scary as Needles. Perhaps had we started on Becker, I would not have enjoyed it as much as it would have seemed hard, but after cutting my teeth on Needles, I was skiing like a pro on Becker.
My children thought we should do Porcupine next. I was like "okay, awesome, let's do it!" Well, holy hell, Porcupine was scary! The drop-offs were steep and even though I was starting to feel more confident at this point, I still didn't like feeling out of control, and with such a steep descent, my skill level wasn't up to snuff to know how to carve sharp enough to slow down. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time wiping out to slow down. I did worry that I was going to blow out a knee. I was looking forward to getting down so we could all return back to Becker where I felt like Peekaboo Street.
Just as we neared the bottom of the hill, I heard Page screaming "Help, help!" The instant I heard her voice I knew she had broken her leg. Page is so tough and I've only heard her release such alarming calls of distress 2 other times. Once when she broke her arm, and then again when she broke her pinky.
I tried to make my way down to her, but she was over in the powder that was thigh deep. The powder was crappy too as it featured chunks of ice. She was flying down the hill carving up the powder when she hit a crummy patch and did some somersaults down the hill. Her bindings didn't release and her tibia bone split apart. They came and hauled her down on the toboggan to the IHC clinic where the doctor took X-rays that confirmed the above and splinted her up. He told us to go home and let the swelling go down before our appointment with the Orthopedic Trauma Surgeon.
We were so grateful to be the first surgery of the day. Page was so brave and delightful. The procedure lasted 90 minutes and the surgeon said it went really well. Page has a huge bandage on that we get to take off in a week. I cannot wait to see what her leg looks like under that. I love scars and I'm dying to know if you can see the plate through her skin. She is going to have the coolest scar story.
We all get to choose how to respond to life's challenges. I want to always remember Page's powerful example of happy patience and being a happy patient. Healing takes time. You can embark on the road to recovery with happiness and patience or you can sit and sulk. I imagine the happy brain and body recovers faster and stronger. Sitting and sulking only makes both patient and nurse, miserable. My kids are freaking amazing and it won't be long before we are hitting the slopes again--metal shin and all!
Our family went skiing at Snowbasin on Sunday. It was my very first time skiing and I was so excited to have my children teach me. Sharee lent me her ski gear and they took me down Needles for my very first run. Needles is a Blue Diamond and it wasn't terribly frightening, but I will admit I felt out of control. Fortunately, I spent an hour the day before watching youtube tutorials on how to carve, stop, and ski like a pro. I also had the opportunity to ride down the bunny hill upon arrival as we parked on the road and hiked over to the lodge. I fell on my butt going down a hill from the parking lot and struggled to get back up. Thank goodness youtube showed me how to do that as well. I found that it's much more difficult to stand up on skis on flat ground than it is when you crash on a hill.
My children thought we should do Porcupine next. I was like "okay, awesome, let's do it!" Well, holy hell, Porcupine was scary! The drop-offs were steep and even though I was starting to feel more confident at this point, I still didn't like feeling out of control, and with such a steep descent, my skill level wasn't up to snuff to know how to carve sharp enough to slow down. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time wiping out to slow down. I did worry that I was going to blow out a knee. I was looking forward to getting down so we could all return back to Becker where I felt like Peekaboo Street.
Just as we neared the bottom of the hill, I heard Page screaming "Help, help!" The instant I heard her voice I knew she had broken her leg. Page is so tough and I've only heard her release such alarming calls of distress 2 other times. Once when she broke her arm, and then again when she broke her pinky.
I tried to make my way down to her, but she was over in the powder that was thigh deep. The powder was crappy too as it featured chunks of ice. She was flying down the hill carving up the powder when she hit a crummy patch and did some somersaults down the hill. Her bindings didn't release and her tibia bone split apart. They came and hauled her down on the toboggan to the IHC clinic where the doctor took X-rays that confirmed the above and splinted her up. He told us to go home and let the swelling go down before our appointment with the Orthopedic Trauma Surgeon.
So we came home. She was in a lot of pain so we kept her drugged up. On Wednesday, we met with the surgeon and he said she definitely needed surgery. The bone wouldn't heal right in a cast and required a metal plate and some screws. He said it would be a faster, stronger recovery. We liked the sound of that and he scheduled the surgery for the next morning.
But, now that you have the backstory, allow me to return to happy patience and happy patients. Page is the latter and exhibits the former. Getting injured is the worst. Not only will Page miss out on the rest of the ski season, but her mobility and everyday activities are also severely limited as well. The trauma and recovery from the injury and subsequent surgery have resulted in lots of laying around. I think most people would find it exceedingly hard to maintain a positive, happy demeanor in such a situation, but not Page. She has been remarkably resilient. Her patience as a happy patient makes all the difference for not only her but for me and those who must care for and interact with her. In fact, she doesn't even require much care at all. She's totally self-sufficient. She gets up and takes her own pain pills. She showers and dresses herself, makes her own food, figures out how to get around and doesn't complain. Her injury hasn't inconvenienced anyone. WHAT A SPECIAL SPIRIT!
We all get to choose how to respond to life's challenges. I want to always remember Page's powerful example of happy patience and being a happy patient. Healing takes time. You can embark on the road to recovery with happiness and patience or you can sit and sulk. I imagine the happy brain and body recovers faster and stronger. Sitting and sulking only makes both patient and nurse, miserable. My kids are freaking amazing and it won't be long before we are hitting the slopes again--metal shin and all!
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