so ... what happened?

i'm finally getting around to typing up the gorey details ...

this was a freak photography accident - don't try this at home folks!

i wanted to get a shot of all of us - the ShawWright clan - for the blog/scrapbook so i placed my camera on the hood of the Wright's tahoe ... positioned it just right and pushed the timed shot button. i had 10 seconds to get to the group and pose. i hustled to get to the camera and as i pushed off with my left leg to get there i heard a strange noise and it felt like i stepped on something. i smiled for the picture and then went to get my camera and couldn't walk. it seriously felt like i was bleeding from the back of my leg - like an animal had scratched the back of my leg off ... i went into a slight shock ... felt like i was going to pass out and throw up all at once and then i had to use the bathroom ... it was horrible ...

i tried to stretch it out thinking it was just a bad charlie horse or something. Andy carried me to the bathroom and i changed (i was still in my swimsuit ... ). i carefully got into the van - Trav and Nicki were so helpful. Trav wrapped my leg with an ace bandage to hold the ice pack on and then he and Andy gave me a blessing before we rushed home.

on the way Andy called his parents to come to our house and stay with the kids while he took me to the ER. we drove to providence and there were a ton of people there ... they wouldn't give us an estimated wait time ... so we decided to go to the Colby campus to see if it wasn't so full. andy dropped me off (well put me in a wheelchair) and i waited in line to check in as he parked. i was in line for about 20 minutes ... checked in ... and then waited in the waiting area for another 20 or so ... they brought me another ice pack and then took me into triage to find out how bad it was ... i was wheeled back to the waiting area and about 10 minutes later they brought us back to another waiting area ... and then it was our turn.

the pain was coming in waves and i would was thinking about all the things that i wasn't going to be able to do ... so i was crying off and on and each time the tears came i'd try to be tough but i needed som kleenex in a bad way! when we got to a room they had me lay down on my front so that they could get a look at my leg. (to this point i had told 'what happened' the shortened version about 6 times.) the doc asked what happened (don't these people write things down? or talk to each other??) and he looked at my leg ... poked around and then had me sit up. he said that he didn't think it was my Achilles tendon but he wanted me to go to and orthopedic surgeon to find out for sure. the ER nurse put a brace on my leg with ace bandage wrap and this stuff that gets hard after it gets wet ... weird stuff ... but it worked and then he gave me 2 tablets of percocet and sent us on our way.

it just so happens that my mom works for one and i got an appt. the next morning. he said, after examining my leg and touching and poking, that the good news is there would be no MRI or surgery because it wasn't my Achilles - bad news ... it's a deep tissue tear and there was nothing more he could do for me except perscribe pain meds, give me a good brace and tell me to stay off of it for 3 weeks and then come back and see him.

monday marked exactly 3 weeks. no walking, running, standing, or even straightening my left leg ... i go back tomorrow for my check up and to start physical therapy ... pray for me.

after thinking about it and telling it over and over ... i think the full story is:

we had spent the weekend on the boat - i was trying to wake board (unsuccessfully) and was sore from the effort! i'm not 18 anymore ... and though i am limber my body had had it! the sudden movement to get into the picture was just the last straw ...

lesson learned? stretch out ... when feeling tight and sore - STRETCH ... get those sore muscles moving!