This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
Life can turn on a sixpence or in my case on one wrong foot. On Thursday I went for a run with my dogs, it was a beautiful misty morning with a light frost. I remember thinking the ground was very hard so to take it slowly. Then, laughing to myself as any excuse to not run fast, I got going.
The next thing I knew was when my right arm and the hard ground came in to contact with a huge impact. The pain was so bad I knew this was serious. My older dog, Barney, went straight for the treat bag that was around my waist and having eaten all the biscuits only then showed any sympathy. My other dog, Kobi, a seven month puppy who does not yet understand the power of his 20 kg body, was licking my face all over. I think this was an indication of his guilt as I vaguely remembered my legs becoming entangled with his body. A cyclist emerged from the fog and helped me call my husband and got me to my feet. I have no idea how – it must have been the adrenaline – but I hobbled home with two very subdued dogs.
The next piece of luck in this very unfortunate day was that we have a newly built small hospital with a minor injuries unit in Henley-on-Thames. We parked right outside the front door, were escorted to a small waiting room and I was immediately given pain relief whilst filling in the forms. 15 minutes later, after an x-ray, I was given the bad news that I had suffered a fracture to my humerus. But the worst part was that it was impacted -hence the severe pain. My x-ray had been sent to a virtual doctor (so no Dr. McDreamy at my bedside) who was a bone specialist – hence the very quick and accurate diagnosis. No need for me to queue in a fracture unit at my local large hospital. The staff were very sympathetic to both me and my husband. He was looking very downcast at the anticipation of the next eight weeks – his Florence Nightingale outfit needs dusting off. So with a collar and cuff sling I was home within one hour. All I can say is in this instance the NHS worked extremely efficiently and I was impressed.
Now to reorganise my life!
Yes it was my dominant arm so typing, texting, driving are all off the menu. Immediately my computer techie friend came to the rescue and dictation was set up on my computer and was already available on my iPhone (don’t you just love Apple), Ocado for all our sustenance, and friends like Grace who immediately went online and bought me some zip-up tops. Gym membership temporarily cancelled and I would like to say that, as cooking is out of the question, I am now on an enforced diet. However you only need one hand to eat chocolate!
Bad as it is, it is only a broken arm and it will mend. So whilst inconvenient I am grateful to only be temporarily out of action. Family and friends are rallying around – probably because they know the limitations of my husband’s skills in the kitchen! Christmas shopping will be solely on the internet and Christmas wrapping out of the question (hurrah). Books and TV box sets will be my entertainment for the next few weeks so any suggestions gratefully received!
Find out how I managed with my broken arm over the next few weeks here.