The New Normal

Those who have followed my health update and original posts know that I was hit by a car while crossing the street in late June. It’s now been 12 weeks, and I want to give an update on the update.

Just a couple of months ago, I was in really serious pain, with 9 rib fractures, and even with opioid painkillers taken every couple of hours, every movement was excruciating. My left wrist was in a brace and I couldn’t write or type. My face was bruised and numb, with broken bones in my jaw, cheek and eye socket.

Today, I’m mostly better. It’s astounding how resilient my body is. I have a hard time with standing and sitting, but not with the kind of blinding pain that made me want to faint. I rarely wear my brace, and I’ve started running daily.

I’m seeing an occupational therapist, a psychotherapist, and an acupuncturist for better circulation and healing.

My broken wrist is still very stiff; I can barely bend it. The orthopaedic surgeon says that I may need another surgery at some point, but I am hopeful. I can type, write, and do most household tasks. It still can’t take a lot of weight; I need to push myself up with my other hand, for example. I am not yet back to the weightroom, which is a bummer, since it was an important form of bonding with my son before the accident.

I have a hard time remembering just how scary and all-encompassing my injuries were that first weekend. I felt like my pain was everything; all I was was a pain-haver. I kind of gave up at some point even imagining what it would be like to get back to normal.

I talked to my therapist about this; I’ve kind of realised that I’m never going to go back to how I was before the accident. I’m always going to have a body that had a really violent set of injuries, forever. But that doesn’t mean it has to be worse. She said, “How do you know it isn’t better?” I’m trying to hold onto that thought.

Legal and financial issues still loom, but they feel like they’re starting to resolve. I kind of realised a while ago that the reason people get pain and suffering payments from legal settlements isn’t to compensate them for the pain they had during the accident; it’s to compensate them for the pain and complications they’re going to have for the rest of their lives. It’s a way to pre-pay for chronic, recurrent medical issues.

I’m doing some household chores, gardening, and other light hand work. I’ve been trying to do extra stints of dishwashing to make up for all the chores I skipped, but I’m literally 3 months behind, and I’m probably never going to catch back up.

Thanks to everyone who’s had kind words about my accident; it’s meant a lot. I’m probably not going to make any further updates, except in that creaky way that people with pins in their bones complain about oncoming storms. No words of wisdom to share except please be careful crossing the street.