Broken Bones

Yes, three. When I was four, I decided it would be fun to hang on the arm of one of the flower pots on the side of the house. It was approximately 2 feet by 6 inches and about 6 or 7 inches deep. It was filled with dirt at the time. I wrapped my foot in the angular arm protruding out from the house, grabbed hold of it with my hands, and started swinging. It took one swing and the flower pot came down on my left ankle. I remember that pain like it was yesterday. I am thankful to God for not letting it come down on my head, or I probably would not be here today reliving that experience. Then…..

Last year, July 29 2024, I was on a walk. I had my cellphone in my left hand playing music (no headphones) and going at a pretty good clip. I was on the sidewalk (usually I walk on the street). As I approached the next street, I tripped over a piece of cement sticking up from crack. My knees went out from under me, I couldn’t right myself, and I flew over the curb into the street. I landed on my left side. My phone went flying, my left arm twisted, and the left side of my face smacked against the pavement. My right arm was trying to do its job, and in so doing, twisted as well but not as much as the left. The result? My left arm was dislocated at the elbow (radius), and the ulna was broken in three places. I have a plate and screws keeping it all together. The right arm had a tiny hairline fracture in a small round bone inside the elbow. No cast for the right arm, but it still hurt to the point I needed my husband to do tiny favors for me like opening the tube of toothpaste, LOL. The left had a splint for the first two weeks (after the ER doctor put the radius back in its socket). Two weeks later I had surgery on the three breaks on the ulna to put the hardware in, then it was wrapped for a month.

Now, ten months later, my arms are as good as new.