Why do healthcare workers make the worst patients? My wife will tell you it’s because they’re not supposed to get hurt. They are the ones who take care of US when WE get hurt!
I believe I have mentioned before that my wife is a paramedic and after 24 years in EMS… she got injured on the job. It’s not uncommon in that business and you could say we’ve been blessed that there hasn’t been anything serious until now.
It’s not unusual for injuries to happen since they are carrying that “first-in bag” that can weigh 30 or 40 pounds. My wife likes to say she can take care of everything from birth-to-death and everything-in-between with what’s in that bag. There’s also the monitor and stretcher and all the other paraphernalia they need, sometimes going up three flights of stairs, in the dark and all kinds of weather. And let’s not forget, people are not as slender as they were in the 1940’s.
A couple of weeks ago my wife really messed up her neck and back responding to their first call of the day. It was 7 a.m. and something like 17 degrees outside. While starting to get all the gear out of the truck, something shifted and…..that was that.
Healing has been a sloooowwww process and for anyone that knows my wife, laying around doing nothing is DRIVING HER INSANE! Which in turn is driving ME insane!
ME: “You need to rest.”
HER: “I don’t WANT to rest!”
I get it. I’ve been through many weeks of rehab at different times in my life and it obviously gets upsetting when you can’t keep to your normal routine. We hate to give in but sometimes the body needs to heal. Far too many of us push and push until, eventually, things shut down. I sometimes think it’s the universe’s way of saying, “Ok. You won’t take care of yourself and rest? How ’bout we make it so you HAVE to slow down and you can’t keep going??!!”
This week she asked the doctor if she could go back to walking, something she likes to do every day. There had been an issue with her knees. The dog was really confused the other day. It was time for him to go out but he would not go to the door for me because mommy always took him for a walk if she was home. “Mom is on the couch. Why should I walk with you? That’s not how this works.”
Anyway, she asked the doctor if she could go back to walking. The doctor said she should start with small walks, which my daughter and I thought meant she could go down the street and back. She proceeded to walk the dog about half a mile or more and was sore for the rest of the night. When we asked why she went so far she said she missed walking down along the beach and just had to go. Ugh!
One thing I will say is you never realize how much someone does around the house or in your life until they can’t. This has opened my eyes and I have a newfound appreciation for all that she does. With all my limitations over the years Priscilla has definitely taken over many of the chores around here. These last few weeks I have learned that I can do more than I thought I could and I will try not to fall back into my old habits when she’s healed.
I will say to her and anyone else who is struggling with an illness or injury… celebrate any and all progress. Sometimes it’s just baby steps but if you are even the slightest bit better today than you were yesterday, you are headed in the right direction.
We seem to take care of our cars with regular tune ups and good maintenance; why can’t we do the same with our own health and fitness?
And to all our first responders: Thank you for all that you do and stay safe out there.
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