My bloggy friend Kirsty is laid up at the moment and awaiting surgery after completely destroying her ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).
In the meantime, her knee looks incredibly swollen and painful, she’s unable to drive or do any housework, and has to hobble around crutches (and yet she still managed to brave the recent Problogger Event! Go Kirsty!).
I really do sympathise, because I have some idea of just what Kirsty is going through. I too have dodgy knees, and have managed to dislocate my right knee three times (at ages 14, 20, and 33), and tore all the ligaments in my left knee when I was 16. I’ve been told that next time I dislocate my knee I will need an operation, so I am diligent in doing exercises daily to avoid surgery if at all possible (especially after having a brush with death last time I had an op!).
My Story: Experiencing Life With a Disability
I wrote the following the last time it happened (in 2000), on living with a disability …
A couple of weeks ago I dislocated my knee, so here I am bandaged up and on crutches. Welcome to the life of the disabled person! It has been incredibly frustrating. I see so many things around the house that need doing and there is very little I can do about it. Just having a shower and getting dressed each morning is a monumental effort and I need a break afterwards! Household tasks take me three times as long as they normally would.
Every day I need support, and I don’t really like having to rely on other people to meet my needs – to make me a cup of tea, or cut my toenails (I’m unable to bend my knee so I can’t reach!).
I Must Confess: I was a very grumpy patient; I hated feeling so helpless.
I can’t drive anywhere; and even hugging my children or husband is difficult. These rotten crutches keep getting in the way!
My sister helped me do the grocery shopping (NB this was in the days before you could grocery shop online!). All I had to do was hobble around and point to what I wanted – she took care of the trolley, unloading at the checkout, unpacking the car and putting away when we got home. Even so it took twice as long as it normally does!
Going Christmas shopping was an experience. One lovely friend booked a courtesy wheelchair at the service desk and away we went … even though I quickly realised that the wheelchair was not comfortable at all! If only it had a lovely padded cover …
Well, all I can say is I should have had an “L” plate on that chair! It was okay in wide aisles, but very difficult to manoeuvure in confined spaces such as small shops, and even the disabled toilet! There is a real art form to driving one of these things, believe me. I quickly gave up on the smaller stores, because there was just no way I could have fitted in with the wheelchair; and even the large department stores had cluttered up their normally wide aisles with boxes and displays of Christmas goods.
It’s just as well I had my friend with me, because I couldn’t reach half of the merchandise as the shelves were out of my reach. And as for seeing the prices – forget it! The price racks are at such an angle that you’re meant to be looking down to read it. Of course I was looking UP at most of them and was unable to see.
Finding a table that the wheelchair and I could access in the Food Court during the lunch time rush was also a challenge. We eventually found one right next to an aisle but it was a very busy spot and I really felt like I was just in the way.
Parking was another issue. As I only expect to be immobilised for a few weeks, there really wasn’t much point in applying for a special disabled parking permit. By the time it came through, I would probably be back on my feet again. So I was forced to hobble with my crutches to where the wheelchair was waiting for me.
I also learned that escalators and travelators were out; instead, my options were limited to two lifts which were packed to capacity both times we had to use them.
Despite all the hassle, I can’t help thinking it would do us all good to “step into another person’s shoes” for a while. I’m sure if everybody had to use a wheelchair for a month, no able bodied person would ever park in a disabled bay again!
Kirsty, I hope your surgery goes well and that you will be back to full strength in no time.
Have you ever had a time where you experienced life with a disability?