Leonora ferita

Mi Amor ~ wounded in action

Though seriously disabled, what bothers her more is that

she feels she is now a burden on me, our family and our friends.

It all started last Saturday when Lenore and I were on our way home from my sister Mary’s post-funeral luncheon at Mulino’s in White Plains. We got to Somers at about 5pm and because we had no cash, we stopped at the ATM. When Lenore got out of the car and started walking to the bank, she tripped and fell headlong. Her face impacted solidly with the ground and she sustained two lacerations, one on her nose and the other on her forehead. Bleeding was profuse (we are both on coumadin). Her left wrist was injured and it looked deformed. She was unable to rise by herself. With nobody around to help, it was a herculean struggle for senescent me to get her back to her feet and into the car. Though she pleaded with me to be taken home, it was obvious she needed emergency medical care.

Holding tissues to her bleeding points, I drove at breakneck speed to Northern Westchester Hospital. At the ER we were quickly "triaged." The staff there couldn’t have been more helpful. The bleeding was staunched and the lacerations were sutured. X-rays showed impacted fractures of the distal ends of her left ulna and radius (Colles fracture). My son Tom, my daughter Lorna and my nephew Allen arrived and gave us much needed emotional and physical support. The orthopedist, Dr Karas, placed her forearm in a splint. Then, after signing multiple waivers, we were discharged. Together, we made our way back home, and got there about four hours and thirty minutes after she fell.

It’s been nip and tuck since last Saturday. Our flight of stairs to our bedroom has not been easy to negotiate. We’ve had to discover brand new ways to get up and down safely and getting to and from the bathroom, and shower has not been easy. Then, two days ago, early in the morning, she developed a spontaneous, major nosebleed. Drawing on whatever clinical acumen I still had, I finally got it to stop, but I was only inches away from calling 911. Then finally things did settle down and the remainder of the week went passably well.

While we were at the Mt Kisco Medical Group today, to get a fiberglass cast applied to her forearm, we had her right knee x-rayed. Sure enough, the patella is fractured. So, in addition to all the baggage she is already lugging, she now has to wear a knee brace.

But the really good side of all this unexpected travail is that everyone we know has been so eager and willing to be helpful, friends and family alike. It has also been great for me to discover that I’ve been able to rise to the occasion and do whatever needs doing. How truly wonderful it is to keep probing new dimensions of love.