I went to bed Tuesday night with my limb feeling nothing more than
tired. I woke up to discover a significant sore on my inside knee. I
have no idea how I managed to achieve skin breakdown in the middle of
the night. I am not sure I'll ever adjust to the strange things
happening to my body during this pregnancy!
Having a
sore on the residual limb is never a fun experience. Coupled with the
other discomforts of pregnancy, I was utterly miserable. My liner is
already tight because of the swelling in my limb, and trying to roll a
slightly too snug liner over an open sore was difficult. Needless to
say, trying to squeeze into my barely fitting socket only intensified my
misery.
With my first step, I knew that I
decided to forgo my prosthesis for much of the day. I hoped that I
would only have to wear the leg to drop off Robby and pick him up from
school. I had planned on coming straight home, taking off my leg and
liner, slathering on Neosporin and working on the couch. Unfortunately,
plans rarely go as expected.
Yesterday was Picture Day
at Robby's school. He picked out a green and yellow flannel shirt for
the occasion and was quite proud of his outfit. He looked so handsome I
just wanted to smother him with kisses! As soon as we walked into his
school I realized that this was not a normal school picture.
Instead
of the traditional blue screen, we saw piles of frilly dresses, hats,
little boy suits and assorted props. His class was scurrying around,
delighted with the opportunity to play dress-up. The photographer looked
utterly shocked when she saw Robby. Looking at the small sizes strewn
throughout the lobby, I immediately sensed the problem. After some
stalling, she admitted that she had failed to bring any "fancy clothes"
his size.
Personally, I find the concept
of a dress-up school picture ridiculous. However, I didn't want Robby to
be the only student in his class picture to be wearing normal clothes. I
pulled Robby aside and told him that I was going to run out and buy him
a fancy suit. He threw his arms around me, kissed me three times and
kept saying thank you. As I walked out of the school I heard him call
out, "Try to find a yellow tie, Momom."
With
a sore leg I hobbled into Walmart, certain that I would quickly find an
outfit that would fit. After all, it is nearly Easter and the racks
were overflowing with spring suits. Unfortunately, none of the outfits
on any of the three racks were even close to his size. Discouraged but
not defeated, I drove to the department store down the block.
By
the time I entered the second store I knew that my leg was bleeding. I
also knew that my little guy was depending upon me and that his class
was waiting for him to get dressed for their big picture. Thankfully the
clerks noticed my difficulty walking and offered to shop for me. I
normally would have declined the offer, but yesterday I was desperate
for relief. I sat in a chair by the register while they pulled all the
suits in his size. Within minutes I was buying a grey vest, blue shirt
and yellow tie and heading out the door. It was refreshing to experience
such compassionate and prompt customer service! .
After
dropping off the over-priced new suit, I went home and immediately
cleaned the blood and fluids off my limb. I spent the remainder of the
day on the couch, trying to nurse the wound back to health. I have come
to expect the unexpected during this pregnancy. That being said, the
surprises can stop anytime now.
I was
anxious to see Robby's photos, especially after the whole wardrobe
malfunction. Although he was handsome, I was totally disappointed in the
uber-expensive portfolio which was presented to me. The photographer,
the same lady who was prop happy, insisted that Robby remove his cowboy
boots and socks for every pose. I failed to see the artistic value of
wearing a suit while sporting bare feet. Oh well, I guess we'll be
headed to Target for school pictures this year. At least there he will
be able to wear his green and yellow flannel shirt and cowboy boots!
