If this is your first time reading my blog, you may be wondering who Joan is. In short, Joan is the name that has been given to my right broken foot (more specifically lisfranc fracture) and this is where I rant and rave about her. If you want more details about what happened, the injury itself, and why I’ve decided to write this blog, check out: Welcome, How Joan Came To Be, and About Joan. If you choose to skip these sections and then ask me for said details, I will redirect you back to these links because Joan sucks and I don’t want to tell the same stories over and over again. Enjoy 
My last post was in September, just as I was learning to let my crutches go and walk with a boot (walking-cast). I used the crutches for a while still, because I was supposed to gradually increase pressure. It was good timing since classes for my senior year were starting. I still needed to use UMass Disability Services and get a ride to class in a special van. I imagined this experience would introduce me to others with disabilities whether they were permanent or temporary like mine, but I was wrong. The bus was only occupied by the driver and me, since it was unlikely another person with a disability would be going to the same place as me at the same time. Sometimes it was enjoyable when the drivers would make conversation with me, other times we just sat in silence, which made me feel alone and awkward since I was always used to interacting with people in between classes. However, despite it not being the most fun experience, it is a great service to have around.
I discovered that people aren’t always as nice as you’d like them to be. Many people never thought to look behind them to see if they should hold the door. Some people got annoyed because they were stuck behind me going as quickly as I could on crutches. I also discovered many areas of this campus are not handicap friendly. Thankfully since I could start putting my foot down, I was able to maneuver some stairs, or open a door more easily than when I couldn’t put pressure on it. Now that it is January, I see people on crutches in the snow and I honestly just want to cry for them.
I had my second surgery in the beginning of October to get the hardware (pins) removed out of “Joan” (it’s been hard referring to my foot as Joan anymore, just because it’s kind of getting old.) The surgery was quick and definitely not as painful as the first. The nurses told me I could walk right away, but I knew they had no idea what I’ve been through. Really? You think I can magically walk after not being able to for three months? I don’t think so. I had to wear this old lady looking blue sandal with velcro straps until my post-op appointment which was about a week later… during this week I still used crutches. At my post-op appointment, they told me I could actually wear a sneaker and DRIVE. Driving back to school was the most liberating feeling after not being able to for so long.
Since then, I started physical therapy the beginning of November. The people who work there are amazing and are doing the best they can to help me but I’m still in it and I have issues I never imagined having. Due to the amount of limping that occurred while I was learning to properly walk again created plantar fasciitis aka strained muscles in the bottom of my foot and lots of pain while walking. They recommended stretches and massaging it by rolling a tennis ball on my foot. When I’m at PT they massage it for me and it kills but I know they’re helping me. Then while trying to correct this problem, by really focusing on my walking (seriously every time I take a step, I think “heel-toe, heel-toe”) I must have done something else wrong because now I have tendonitis, creating severe pain in my ankle. They had to give me medicine through an electric current, the process is called iontophoresis. It didn’t hurt but the idea freaked me out.
This has also caused a lot of emotional pain. When you have to think about the simplest tasks like walking, something I do a lot of at this campus, it wears on you. Constant physical pain doesn’t help either. I know this blog generally has a funnier tone, but I really just wanted to get this information out there. It’s been seven months since I was injured. I try to stay positive but recently it’s been tough. I have improved on so many levels, such as range of motion, and strength in my leg and foot, and I am grateful that I indeed can walk again without crutches, but I still have a long, long road ahead of me for a full recovery.
So, I suppose the moral of this article is, unless you really know someone you don’t know the battles they’re facing. Try not to get annoyed with the person walking slowly in front of you, they could be facing a battle like mine. Try to understand if someone seems frustrated over something small, chances are there’s a bigger problem going on. I’m the first person to forget such an idea, unless I find myself being the one in tough spot, so I understand it’s not the easiest concept to grasp, but at least try.
Lack of posting once again due to lack of anything very interesting happening with Joan and I…until today. Today I had a doctors appointment and it was the long awaited appointment where the doctor told me I could gradually start putting weight on Joan. The problem now is that I have no idea how to do it. I, of course, have to start somewhere, but I’d rather just be up and running than awkwardly trying to walk while also using crutches. My doctor says that people go at their own pace, some increase weight bearing in three days, others take two weeks. I’d like to think I could be one of those miraculous people, but I haven’t put any weight on this leg or Joan for over two months. I’m like a baby, I don’t know how to walk! What a weird feeling at 21.
In past news, Country Fest was fun, but I ran into the guy who brought Joan into this world out of 50,000 people at the concert, so that was awkward/interesting. Also, handicap services at Gillette stadium was not adequate and inspired me to be an advocate for the ADA later in life. I can’t imagine what life is like for people permanently disabled, because being temporarily disabled has not been a walk in the park (pun intended).
Classes start on Tuesday, that will be a whole new adventure for Joan and I. We will be using disability services, they have a van to help transport people like me to my classes. Living on my own has been another challenge, I became so used to having my mom help me, I have found it a lot harder to ask others for help. The roomies now have to help me carry things I can’t and drive me around. I had to ask others to help move me in, and the unpacking process is taking much longer than it would if I was better. I imagine it’s almost as frustrating to help me as it is to be me. With so many errands to run before school it’s an intimidating feeling to not be in control of when I can go or how much I’ll be able to do once I’m out.
In terms of Joan, the recovery is coming along but I still have a ways to go. I have to get another x-ray in three weeks, then I have to schedule my second surgery to get the “hardware” out. I have already told my doctor it cannot interfere with homecoming weekend. After the surgery, I’ll have to be off the foot again for 10 days, then back to learning how to walk.
For all you crazy Joan Sucks blog fans, I apologize for not updating on a more regular basis (I know you’re out there, I have over 1,000 views! whattt?!). As I’ve mentioned before, things generally stay the same with Joan these days. Not until September 3 will she give me a whole new set of problems when I start to put some weight on her. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited for Joan to touch down to earth, since this means I am starting the destruction of her, I just know she’s going to raise hell. Let it be known, if you don’t know this already, when I am healed that means Joan is dead. I know it’s still a long ways away, but just to clarify Joan is my broken right foot, not my regular right foot which doesn’t have a name because I mean, who names their feet anyway? Pshh.
Anyway, here is something you may not consider about my life, but those that are close to me know all too well: Joan requires me to plan A LOT of things ahead of time before doing anything. She is also unpredictable, like now, just trying to write this post, she has decided to throw a temper tantrum, causing me to not be able to focus. (Sidenote: yes I can feel where the pins are. yes it’s gross.)
15 minutes later… I’m back to writing about needing extra time and extra planning with Joan.
The most important and obvious thing I need to plan is getting rides to where I need to go. Big thanks to Will for driving me to and from work (and dealing with me) on his way to and from work when he can, and another big thanks to my parents who drive 2 hours plus traffic each trip when he can’t. It really does seem crazy that they do that for me, lots of people say their parents wouldn’t, but because I can’t walk far on crutches, taking the train, walking to a shuttle, and walking from the stop to my office isn’t really a possibility. Plus I’m pretty sure they’re banking on the fact that having this internship will help me along in their dreams of me becoming rich and taking care of them 
On top of work, I need rides anywhere else I want to go, from going to the bank, the doctors, out to eat… on and on. I even had to get picked up from a date once. I know, straight up middle school style. So thanks to all my friends and family who drag Joan around. Now you know, if you ever want to make plans with me, remember I need a ride to and from wherever you’re asking me to go, and plan accordingly.
The rest of this post, I will give my most recent example of what kind of things I have to consider when planning something I want to participate in.
I ordered Country Fest tickets in December, obviously not knowing this was going to happen to me. But I refused to give up yet another thing I was looking forward to, especially since I knew if I tried really hard I could plan it right and still have an enjoyable time. First things first, I called the stadium to ask what I should do since I became handicapped after buying the tickets. They said they’ll switch the tickets out to “wheelchair and companion seating” (Laura is my companion). They say they’ll try to seat us near our original seats, but our seats were crap anyway, so I’m hoping for better.
Next, I checked to get pricing of wheelchair rentals and reserved one (45$/week for a transport wheelchair – one you need to be pushed in, if you’re ever in need of one). I had to plan help for getting the wheelchair in and out of the office Friday (I still needed my crutches and all my stuff, so no I couldn’t do it myself) since I planned on sleeping out at Laura’s for convenience on going to the concert Saturday (this is Joan’s first time not sleeping at my house). Getting ready, showering, and packing also took longer than normal, as they always do.
After work, Laura gave me a ride to her house, made sure I had dinner and anything else I needed that I wouldn’t be able to get for myself once she left for work (blankets, pillows, water, clothes for bed, easy access to the bathroom, etc) .
My guess is if I wasn’t crippled, the time gone in to planning would have at least been cut in half considering the only thing I’d really need to consider would be “What kind of beer do I want?”. The answer: Bud light lime. Tomorrow, I hope all this planning and help I’ve asked for pays off . You better believe there will be a blog post about it!
So there you have it. The stupid little things that add up to make planning to do fun things, such as going to a concert, a huge ordeal. Want to make plans? I’ll have to check The Joan Planner first. She will make it as hard as possible to make it happen.
If you’re going to Country Fest, look for the girl in a cowboy hat, one cowboy boot, and a wheelchair!
