It All Evens Out

I tried out my new wheelchair today.

Shortly after my skiing accident I was able to borrow a motorized scooter (from the Scooter Store!) in order to get around the neighborhood. It has enough juice to get me over a mile and a half to the store and home without even using half a charge. When it's sunny I sometimes take it for a lap or two around the block, just to get outside.

But that scooter weighs probably 200 lbs and doesn't fold, so no way is it going to fit into the trunk of anybody's car. So I was able to borrow a folding wheelchair.

The major problem is that I wear a leg immobilizer that goes from halfway down my thigh to halfway down my calf. If I'm to sit in a chair, my leg must be held out in front of me. My dad, the retired machinist that he is, modified both the scooter and the wheelchair with brackets to hold my leg up. I just use my right leg to lift my left leg into a stirrup-type device, and off I go!

He just finished the wheelchair modification yesterday, and today a friend took me to the mall just so I could get out. I learned very quickly that if I use that wheelchair much I will develop a serious set of biceps! It's really a lot of effort to move a wheelchair, and if I'd done it too much longer I'd probably have broken a major sweat. One trip up the mall and back was all we needed, as neither of us needed to buy any clothing (and clothing is about all they sell at this mall anymore). Then we made a stop at Sam's Club (always lots of sample snackies there, and I needed a root beer float) and then we came home. It was a very good first run in the wheelchair today.

But the title of this post is It All Evens Out.

Amazingly enough, it was raining a bit when we got home. My dog was barking and wanted to come in the house. As I let him in I gave him the command "pillow" (go lay on your pillow), which he immediately ignored as he raced by me into the garage (he thought he was going to go play in the front yard). When he found the garage door closed he tore back into the house and, turning on the wood floor to get to his pillow, slammed into my injured leg at full speed.

Even with all the doors and windows closed and with the rain falling outside, I'm sure all my neighbors heard my yell of pain.

It's a couple hours later now, and it doesn't hurt as much. If it still hurts tomorrow I'm going to have to get myself to a doctor to see if he caused any serious damage.

Darned dog.

Update, 5/29/11: I'm probably going to live.