When you can't hold yourself up!

Yesterday, I stood up for the first time in 3 weeks.  Stood upright, just like us Homo Sapiens are supposed to. Enough of this upside down, backwards crab crawling from bed to chair, to wheelchair.  Enough, of this sideways slide from chair to chair.  Those manuevers may have been had a benefit in ensuring that my triceps didn't dissolve the way my gastroch have, but I am humankind and we are meant to travel the world upright.  That is how we evolved to be superior to monkeys, also how our homes, streets, sidewalks and vehicles are designed but alas I get ahead of myself....

My plastic surgeon has been very strict about keeping my foot elevated at all times.  As I have no more veins, lymphatics or functional nerves on the inside of my ankle to deal with the pressure of gravity.  Thus, I have been relegated to the seated or reclined position since my surgery.  Yesterday, in his office, he tested my foot in the dependent position. I sat upright like a normal person with my foot dangling for 15 minutes, and my back rejoiced at not having my hip tilted at some odd angle to keep my foot up.  As long as the foot didn't turn purple, I'd pass the test. If I passed, I'd get to begin brief periods of having my foot dependdent.

I passed the test!  My prize, crutches! Oh crutches, I have had a love hate relationship with you in the past, shall we begin the dance again? At this moment, you feel like freedom, but I know shortly you will be a jailer again.  Thus the ying and yang of healing! Still today, you are freedom and thus crutches in hand, I stood up.  I got a little dizzy and realized I hadn't been completely upright in 3 weeks.  Woa, folks this is going to take awhile.  Still, there is progress.  I may still primarily depend on my wheelchair to get around, but this am during my allotted upright time I was able to brush my teeth and wash my face over a sink!  Progress, my friends progress!

The world may be built for us to travel it upright, but I have learned that people are very nice to you in a wheelchair, even on the Manhattan's Upper East Side