Mr. Twist and I had quite an eventful July.  At the end of June, Mr. Twist had kidney stone removal surgery – ureteroscopy. He tolerated the procedure well, and we went home. But as the week progressed, it became apparent that he wasn’t improving. He was in intense pain and even more so after we removed his stent (his nurse, me, had the honor of helping with that). Two CT scans later, and labwork showed stones were still present resulting in poor kidney function.  This time I really pushed for his doctor to admit him to the hospital for IV hydration and he happily agreed to make that happen.  After the second surgery, Mr. Twist became a new person: his strength returned, his color improved, and he had no pain. So, the day after his surgery, we were happily discharged home.

After I got Mr. Twist cozy in his bed, I decided to water my zinnias in the front yard. I bought a new sprinkler to try out, and after I got it going, I realized the water wasn’t quite hitting the garden area I wanted, so I kinked the hose to move the sprinkler. After setting it gingerly down, I unkinked the hose and ran like the devil so as not to get wet—a big mistake. Flip flops and a tangled water hose do not mix. Instantly, I felt myself airborne from the grass to the concrete driveway. As I landed, my knee went in one direction and my body in the other, and I heard an unforgettable “pop.” I slid sideways and scraped the entire right side of my arm and left foot.  Ouch is an understatement.

I lay there for a few minutes, processing what I had done. How dumb. I thought, “I’ve now entered the age of falling.” Aside from having the wind knocked out of me, I felt like a refrigerator had tackled me. While on my back for a few minutes to catch my breath, I immediately wondered if someone had seen me or filmed it on their phone, thinking, “I’m going viral on someone’s TikTok.”  I sat on the burning hot concrete and somehow stood up – maybe from adrenaline.  As I took a step, the visual of my right knee moving in the opposite direction of my leg was the freakiest thing I’ve ever seen. I hobbled toward the door and sat on the bench, hoping that a Christmas miracle would happen and the knee would pop back into place. Nope. I managed to get inside the house and called to Mr. Twist, “I fell, and I need to go to the ER.”

A new brace to help me bend my knee.

Long story short, I have a ruptured ACL and damaged my MCL and meniscus. My sister said, “Well, when you take a fall, you sure do it in a big way!”  I have always been someone to make a statement.  Fortunately, God has connected me with a tremendous orthopedic team and physical therapists. I am scheduled for knee reconstruction at the end of the month and will focus for the next three weeks with PT to strengthen my knee in hopes the MCL will repair. In terms of pain, it is better than it was the first few days after my injury. I can walk with a brace, but it is draining. The healing and rehabilitation from ACL surgery is a 9-12 month process, and I know I will need to give myself big doses of grace and patience. Mr. Twist has been so loving and attentive. My friends have shown up in spades with food, treats, cards, and post-surgery supplies. I am very grateful.

When I started blogging almost 15 years ago, I did so to share my experience as a caregiver. When my parents passed away, I pivoted to sharing the joyful lessons my mother taught me while I was growing up, but with a modern twist. Now, I find with my current life circumstances, I need to chronicle the time during my rehabilitation from pre-surgery to healing with my readers. Maybe someone out there needs the support I can give them from what I have learned. Since I won’t be sharing my typical content of cooking and puttering around my house and garden, my content pillars of healthy living and encouraging authenticity will be foremost in my thoughts. I hope you will share this journey with me. The best is yet to come.