Good Day, Bad Night

Well, after 10 days of house arrest, I got out of the apartment yesterday with the help of my friend, Court. It was a gorgeous Saturday and I felt very fortunate to be able to get out for a while.

First, we went to Target. Court went in search of one of those electric carts the store provides and could not find one. He came back to the van and began to get the wheelchair out when out of the blue, this lady come scooting past us in an electric cart. Well, we just kind of sat there for a moment, amazed at our luck, until she asked if we want to to use the cart. Of course, I jumped at the chance (not literally, the doctor specifically told me no jumping). After we got me all loaded into the cart, off we went for a shopping adventure. Most of the adventure was just learning how to control the electric cart, which ended up making me car sick because of its sensitive control. By the time I got checked out, I was queasy and tired. For those of you who know me well, you are familiar with the fact that I can become quite cranky in stores when I am not feeling well. Coming out of the check out lanes, I had a choice of 2 directions. The first was the more direct route but was crowded with carts and people, not a good choice for a cranky person driving an electric cart. The second choice was clear of people but it obviously was an entrance not an exit. Knowing my mood, Court start toward the second choice and I was happily following him when store security told him that we had to go the other way. I loudly protested, turned around, and briefly aimed my electric cart at the security officer.

After our Target adventure, Court and I went to dinner at a great Mongolian BBQ and then drove around Forest Park, enjoying the weather. While it was nice to go out for a while, it was equally nice to come home. I needed more help getting back into the building than I did when I left but overall, I pleased with my endurance and the lack of pain. . . .that is until bedtime.

My learning point of the day is that feet that have been elevated for 10 days do NOT like to "unelevated," even for a couple hours. My payment for a great afternoon out was an uncomfortable night with a swollen foot. I slept off and on and had to take the heavy-duty pain meds again. There was even a tear-filled phone call to my sister, Erin, in Phoenix, because I could not find a pair of pyjama pants to fit over the cast.

Needless to say, I am taking it easy today. I am very sad to miss church but I am looking forward to going back to work on Wednesday.

Thank you for reading and God bless,

Devin