Near miss

 Yesterday I almost died. A series of mistakes and happenstance conspired to spare my little family from a devastating car accident. The fragility of life and circumstances is thinner than I care to admit.

Robby's favorite teacher passed away last year and his widow gifted Robby his World War II research book collection. Yesterday was pick-up day so I packed up the boys and we headed to Arlington. In full disclosure, I abhor driving into Arlington and Alexandria. I try to avoid the beltway and 66 as much as possible but sometimes the routes are necessary. With no other route options, we hopped onto 66 and headed into the city.

We were overwhelmed by the sheer number of books that were gifted to Robby. 15 banker boxes, full of research books and materials. We barely fit everything into the SUV, and I am not sure where we are going to store all of these boxes in the house. I have been working so hard to purge things out of the house- adding 15 more boxes to the mix is not helping the effort. But the books mean a lot to Robby so I will figure out where they can be safely stored until we move.

While we were driving home from Arlington I was frustrated because I missed the HOV hot lanes. Frustrated, I decided to keep driving in the left lane so that I could catch the HOV lane at the next entrance. In the meantime, I accepted that my flub was going to put me in more congestion and traffic.

I was driving down 66 going about 70 mph when I saw an accident happen in the opposing traffic lanes. All I saw of the actual accident was the car spin into a barrier. After the initial impact, my eyes were immediately drawn to the tire which was flying through the air. 

The tire bounced in the road median, propelling it even higher into the air. It was close by this point and I was scared. Even though I was driving 70, everything went into slow motion. I saw the tire bounce high into the air in front of me and I knew it was going to come down close to my predicted path. In the few microseconds that the tire was in the air in front of me, I didn't know which way it was going to bounce again. If it went to the left, it was going to land directly onto me. If it bounced to the right, I thought we would be okay. 

With the heavy traffic, dodging and darting out of the way was not possible. I was stuck in my line, going 70 with a rouge tire that may or may not bounce onto the top of my car. I am eternally thankful that the tire bounced to the right, narrowly missing us by crashing into the hood of the car next to me. (Robby was able to see her pull over to the side of the road so we know that the incident was not fatal.)

When I close my eyes I can still see the tire in the air in front of me. I think it is going to be along time before I am truly comfortable driving again. 

 

Professional Amputee

A few days ago I heard a phrase that I had never before heard and it has created a whirlwind of thoughts. A friend referred to an acquaintance as a "professional amputee" and it was not meant to be a compliment. Confused, I asked for the definition of a professional amputee. According to my friend, a professional amputee is an individual who has been drawn into the Orthotics and Prosthetics profession as a direct result of their amputation. 

I was taken aback because I know so many people, including myself, who fit this definition. I never considered myself a professional amputee but, according to this definition, I am one. Unlike my friend, I don't consider the label to be negative.  Why is being drawn to a profession because of a personal experience a bad thing?

My discussion with my friend led me down a bit of a rabbit hole with other friends in the profession. I was shocked to learn that there is an undercurrent of resentment within the O&P community towards amputees who enter the profession later in their career as a result of a personal experience. I am saddened to learn about this divide.

So many people in O&P entered the field after a close personal experience. Honestly, most people don't even know about prosthetics until they need one! In my opinion, anytime you can get people who have a personal connection and investment in the profession to work towards a common goal, everybody wins.

Zapping

 I spent yesterday on my feet, ferrying things between rooms and working in the kitchen. It was one of those days where I was busy from the moment I slipped my leg on until I finally pulled it off at night. Even though I was moving all day, I was certainly not comfortable. My socket no longer resembles something that fits and I am reminded of the volume loss with every single step. Walking down the hallway last night I distinctively thought to myself that each step is miserable. Prosthetic issues stink!

I've started the process for approval for a new socket, but I know that it will take awhile to inch through the system. In the meantime I am forced to pad my limb so that it fills the socket. My fixes are not long term nor are they particularly comfortable. However, I am able to function and walk without crutches, so I suppose that I am successful. 

Not only is walking difficult, exhausting and painful, but I am also paying for efforts at night in the form of nerve pain. The shooting bolts of electricity that course through my limb and into my phantom foot are nearly intolerable. Last night I was forced to compress the nerve so tightly that I was worried I was going to cut off circulation to my remaining limb.  

Needless to say, I overdid it yesterday. Sigh. Have I mentioned that prosthetic issues stink?

Flexy Weekend

I spent the majority of my weekend at flea markets, chatting up new friends and selling FlexyFriends. It was hotter than I anticipated, especially on Sunday, but it was still more comfortable than our weekend in Gettysburg. (That experience has become our family yardstick for misery.) I am glad that flea markets are primarily morning activities. I am required to wake early (again), but at least I am home by 2 to salvage the rest of the day.

On Saturday Robby went to sell with me, allowing Scott to sleep in with Timmy. I have to admit that it was really nice to spend some quality alone time with my Koopa. He is growing up so quickly and soon he will be leaving for college. I really want to focus on spending as much time as possible- or as much as he will tolerate- before he leaves. After spending a few hours selling, Robby and I packed up early and headed to his favorite restaurant (which happened to be very close by) for lunch. We probably could have made a little more money if we had stayed, but I was glad to pack up and retreat to the joys of air conditioning and milkshakes. 

Sunday was Scott's turn to rise early to sell with me. Robby stayed home to work on a school project and to take care of Timmy, allowing Scott and I the ability to just sell without worrying about the kids. Scott, who just realized the true cost of college, was not nearly as eager to pack up to leave for fear of missing a sale. 

Today everybody is returning to school. It will begin the second week, which means that everything should start to settle soon. I am craving normalcy right now!