Entered on 15 April 2003 at 8:53 a.m..
Hobbling About
So my first day of hobbling about taught me that it has been a long time since I was last on crutches! And that although european style crutches may be better for you, because they don't allow you to rest your weight on the upper supports, that they are a lot less stable. Every time you want to really use your hands/arms you have to extract them from the crutches. The good news though is that just like last time, the crutches are giving me a phenominal upper arm work-out.
My knee is still puffy, but mostly on the inner side, where I did whatever it is I did. As with most injuries this is the time when you wish you were at home. I went on a hour long jaunt yesterday in search of an ace/elasitc bandage to secure my ice pack to my knee and a brace strong enough to give me knee some real support. I started (logically I thought) with the health center here on campus. Where I was informed that I needed to see the osteotherapy guy, who was full up. (me unable to walk well on crutches, pleads with them to "fit me in", but it cannot be done). So I'm offered an appointment with the doc. At which point I repeat that I have already seen a "doctor" and just want a knee brace and an ace bandage. The knee brace is out of the question and I'm told to get one at a local drug store (yeah me driving with one foot and a crutch)... Not what I'm looking for. Also the concept of an elasitc bandage was also beyond them. I was finally told to see my "qualified first-aider" in my building. They would have one and could give it to me. So I go to the main office and begin to call "qualified first-aiders" Now in my builiding there are 6, and not a single one is answering a phone. I told the lady helping me that I was glad it wasn't a real emergency. Finally we have a lady come over from the other building and they tell me all they've got is a triangular bandage... OK, so now I have a glorified bandana tying my ice pack to my knee.
The good news is that people learn to deal with socialized medicine by working around it. One of the girls in my office has a boyfriend who also has bad knees. He's offered to let me borrow a brace until mine arrives from home. And the nice maintenance man found some padded tape to put around the hard plastic handles on my crutches.