Here's the Real Scoop

Not exactly how I planned to spend Inauguration Day, but Barack and I got a fresh start just about the same time. As he was being sworn in, the top of my right femur was being sawed off.

It now seems ironic that I was spending the night with Deborah -- my friend, musical partner, and internist -- who lives just blocks from the Capitol in the hopes of heading down to join the millions in the celebration of a lifetime. I had had an excellent day on Monday -- a piano lesson where I was relaxed and played as I never have before, a 90-minute massage from someone with magical hands, an evening pot-luck dinner with Deborah’s neighbors. We had gone back to her house to amuse everyone with piano 4-hand duets. She had 11 people staying at her house in anticipation of the big day.

It was around midnight when I was coming down the stairs to tuck myself into a sofa bed in the living room when I simply missed the last step, landing directly on my right hip. I have fallen many times, but I always go through a quick inventory of all my moving parts and breathe a sigh of relief when nothing is more than bruised. But this time was different. My right leg seemed unconnected and I couldn’t even straighten my leg. I knew my falling karma had run out.

A couple of pathetic calls to Deb brought her downstairs to assess the situation. When I growled that no one could touch my leg, she called 911 and prepared to meet the ambulance. She quickly moved her expensive bass out of the way so the rescue squads could do their thing.

I cannot tell you how impressive the firemen and EMT’s were. They had a commanding and assuring presence as they strapped me to a board and immobilized all parts of my body. Deborah insisted on coming with me on my first ambulance ride. Despite the fact that it was probably the worst possible night to be driving anywhere, she made sure they took me to Washington Hospital Center. No one could quite understand why I was accompanied by my doctor, who could use their computers to show them the dates of my latest shots, blood test, you name it. She helped me get out of my clothes and into a hospital gown, one of the most painful things I have ever had to do. She was encouraging as they put in IV lines and gave me a catheter.

David’s challenge was getting to WHC with all the Virginia bridges closed. But after a while he showed up and we all hung out in the ER waiting to see what would happen next. The person in the next cubicle had been thrown out of moving car by her boyfriend; the one after that was from out of town and was obviously suffering from alcohol poisoning. They finally took me for X-rays and confirmed that my hip was indeed quite broken. It was clear I would need surgery. Deborah made sure I was assigned to the head of orthopedic surgery.

Finally about 5:00 Deborah’s husband picked her up and she went home where she slept for an hour and a half and then got up to make waffles for all her house guests.

While we waited for my surgery to be scheduled, my wonderful techie husband wrote the first guest post on my Blog, by far the easiest way to let people know what was going on.

By this time I was experiencing the most excruciating pain of my life because I couldn’t take most of the possible narcotics without throwing up.

It was not until about 11:30 that I was wheeled into the operating room where I met my surgeon before being knocked out. He then decided to go for a full hip replacement because of signs of arthritis on my X-ray. I learned today that the saws they use in this type of surgery cost about $225,000. Not exactly Home Depot.

As I came to in the recovery room I could hear the buzz around me of people excited about the day’s events. In a hospital where many people are African American, the mood was especially joyous.

I remember waking up and noting that my hip no longer hurt. Little did I know that I had been given some serious non-narcotic pain meds.

Yesterday as I was being wheeled to the third floor, Ted Kennedy was moving into the Penthouse after his seizure. The press immediately camped outside my window. I hear he went home today and so did they.

The food in general here is pretty gross, with a lot of unrecognizable meat, but I have no other complaints. The people taking care of me are an international crew, coming from Kenya, Ghana, and Sierra Leone.

Today I began occupational and physical therapy. The operational therapist gave me 3 real no-no’s: no crossing my legs, no bending to less than 90 degrees, and no twisting. In each case there is a possibility of dislocating my new hip. That means starting all over again.

That initial trip off my bed was with fear and trepidation and quite a bit of pain. They kept urging me to put weight on my right foot as I tentatively took those first steps with my walker. Once I relaxed, it wasn’t so hard. The therapists are very encouraging and with each session, they add a few new challenges. By the middle of the afternoon, I had managed to walk to the end of the hall an back, to collapse into my chair, which is actually better than my bed.

One of my biggest disappointments was at not being able to make my trip to SF this week. I was looking forward to seeing my daughter and several people I had met only electronically through my Blog. But there will be another time for that trip.

I have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of concern and well wishes from the Blogging community, from my neighbors, and from Temple Micah. It was interesting to hear the voices of people like Pauline and Bulletholes, who are real people! There’s nothing like an accident to remind one about love and friendship, and about how much we take for granted with our miraculous bodies.

I will have a lot of time on my hands over the next few weeks and months, so I may well become a Blogging maniac! At least I will be able to visit my wonderful friends with greater regularity. I welcome your comments, your e-mails, and your calls as I slowly return to normal.