Sunday evening and back at home

Well, the ride home was just as interesting and who would have thought, not me, that three months after surgery I am still learning a new normal. First the plane ride.

Little Molly helped me check my bag into the airport, she wheeled it up to the counter and then to the Inspector. The problem was she did not want to give up possession of it to the Inspector. :( Then she walked me to the security and waved good-bye. As I went through security they as before in Rochester were accommodating and willing to work with me. They did a few things differently in Milwaukee though, in Rochester they only checked my brace for explosive residue after I walked through the scanner which I did not set off. In Milwaukee the waved the wand over my entire body, made me take my belt off and run through the conveyor belt, the hand scanner went off when they ran it over the top of my head. I explained I have six titanium plates holding my skull together. The gentleman then patted me down arm, legs, waist and body just like a police officer. While it was more extensive it was not a hindrance, I thought his thoroughness was impressive. So on the plane and to Detroit, they had a wheelchair waiting as I got off the plane and wheeled me to my gate. I wondered why the planes cannot keep such an accurate schedule if their wheelchairs can? Again, all were VERY helpful.

I did notice though that I have some needs that even those near to me do not stop to realize. It is not their fault, but I do feel a responsibility to inform them. One is that I need people who are walking with me to walk only on the left side of me not the right. I have discovered that I need to walk near the wall so those who are faster, which is most people, can go around me only on the left side. It makes it safer for me to not lose my balance by someone cutting me off. Something else I noticed is that people see me using my cane with my right hand and my left hand is free. So they 'assume' I can carry something with my free hand. Well unfortunately I have to make sure I keep my balance and with the brace on my left foot, restricted movement it is easy to lose my balance and if I have something in my left hand I find it very hard to regain my balance. If it is something of weight then that will throw my balance off. So it may appear to some people that I can carry something or help out and my response may be no. I have seen that when I go to decline it is interpreted by some close to me that I am being unwilling or hard to get along with. Nothing could be further from the truth, but it is hard to for those who are not in my shoes to understand what I can and cannot do.

It is my fault most times as I do not take time to sit and explain to the person exactly why I cannot help or why I need them to walk on a certain side. What makes it more difficult is that I am still learning myself. Like the walkway to the airplane. You know those little declines that are only about 4 inches long? Well they are huge to me as the walkway is already in a decline. It is amazing how many things in life have meaning today that were meaning less yesterday....