My Right Leg

My poor right leg.  It has been carrying the load these past three weeks.  I feel like need to do something nice for it, like get it a bow or something.  My right leg might get pissed off if I were to give it a floral tattoo or something festive.

"This is how you repay me for doing all of the work? By sticking needles in me? No thanks."

Part of my physical therapy involved riding a stationary bike to get my knee and left leg moving without bearing weight or needing to balance.  I started yesterday, and the first cycles were slow and awful. I can barely get through fifteen seconds, I thought. How can I do the minimum five minutes, let alone the thirty minutes they want me to work up to?

My right leg came to the rescue. She got the power and momentum up on the bike, and the left leg went along for the ride. I was able to ride for 30 minutes, no problem.  Again today, I rode for thirty minutes and it was the same.  The first few pushes were hard, but once we were spinning, it was fine.

Stairs are another place where my right leg has been carrying the load.  I had to google how to climb stairs with crutches on the internet.  "Up with the good, down with the bad." My right leg has been schlepping my entire body weight up and down stairs for three weeks. For the first week and a half when I couldn't bear weight, I had to hoist myself upstairs on my butt, using my right leg to push up and ease me down.

Dear right leg, how can I repay you? I know you know that it is in both of our best interest for my left leg to recover as soon as possible. I've taken you to massage.  I've tried to stretch you out, but I know that is hard given my left leg can't yet bear the entire weight of my body. I take warm baths, not just for the sake of my left leg, but for your sake, too.  You need rest just as much.  I bought some body butter today at Trader Joe's. While I can't do much else, I can take care of your skin.

In the meantime, bear with me. I'll try to be gentle to you as the left mends. I am working as hard as I can to get my left leg back as an equal partner.