The fun of tiny household jobs on crutches

[limberlou]

Well I’m still here guys and I thought I’d let you have a chuckle with a mental picture of my doings whilst on crutches.

1. Making a cup of tea.

-First struggle up off settee where you have been reclining amongst a pile of cushions with elevated leg..no mean feat

-then locate crutches, which have a knack of always being the wrong way round when you first grab them, left one in right hand etc, a bit like USB sticks always being the wrong way round

-then struggle to kitchen dodging twenty cats on the way, determined to trip you up ( ok it’s only 2 cats but they seem like so many more on crutches!!)

-then retrieve empty kettle and, with one crutch, hop shuffle with said kettle to other side of kitchen to fill kettle, then hop shuffle back again spilling most of water down oneself and over floor.

-flip switch on kettle and then grab handful of kitchen roll and wipe floor with working foot.

-balance on one leg and against worktop while you get coffee/tea out and put appropriate amount in mug.

- get milk from fridge and make hot drink

-then realise you have to get back to settee with drink.

- put drink on nearest part of worktop to door and get through the door to where you can still reach drink.

- pass drink from worktop to corner of cupboard in dining room,

- shuffle and get oneself into position just inside sitting room and, juggling crutches throughout,transfer drink from cupboard to coffee table by settee.

- fall onto settee in relief.

Then play Mahjong/crochet/ watch tv until hot drink is stone cold. Then remember drink, drink it whilst making disgusted face and repeat process from start.

This fun process is interspersed with

-drag oneself from depths of cushions and settee

-shuffle/hop in crutches to hallway,

-park crutches at bottom of stairs and go up them knee, foot, knee, foot

-then crawl into bathroom for a wee. -back out and onto bum at top of stairs and slide/shuffle down the stairs and so back to settee.

It’s a never ending day of fun and frolic. I won’t tell you the tale of how to fill a bowl of water from the kettle and have a strip wash while on one foot as I fear that would be too much excitement for one day - yes I still have no running hot water.

Hope you are all running happily despite the heat and it does seem to be a fraction cooler after the rain and I envy you all so much . 😩

[JennyH10]

I’m so sorry you’re injured but the picture you paint of shuffling around on crutches is hilarious 😂. I hope you’re better soon.

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to JennyH10]

Thanks

There’s no point in being miserable about it although I do find it hard being inactive. It’s not natural to me. I can’t even lie by a pool on holiday.

[JennyH10 in reply to limberlou]

Argh you must be so frustrated! I’m a natural lazy bones tbh, I’d be in my element resting up and reading. I hope you find something fun to keep yourself occupied whilst you’re recovering.

[Jay66UK Graduate10]

I really sympathise.

My ex bust her ankle very badly (she was a trampoline coach and came off when the side padding gave way).

We ended up with a single bed in the front room for her (our bathroom is downstairs, it’s an old house). Things like making hot drinks etc were a nightmare.

She later had the ankle fused and we went through the whole thing again a few years ago.

Get someone to do some helpful prep. E.g get a container of water near the kettle. Get a decent travel mug that won’t leak (my ex used to carry this in a shopping bag slung off the crutch handle). Bonus, they tend to be insulated so you can forget them longer before they go cold.

Get well soon x

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to Jay66UK]

Ahh good idea about the insulated mug. I am such a fidget usually I’m trying not to get tetchy. I can’t even sit still for a whole film I have to pause it and get up to make a drink, get some snacks, water my garden, something rather than just sit.

Before I ran I used to find if I hadn’t done much in a day my legs would get jumpy by the evening and I couldn’t settle and definitely couldn’t sleep

Used to drive my ex hubby nuts🤣🤣

[Jay66UK Graduate10 in reply to limberlou]

That’s what hubbys are for 🤣🤣🤣

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to Jay66UK]

Huh !! hence him being an ex

[Hidden]

Rain?

I’m glad you have kept your sense of humour and are managing to get around and do stuff, no matter how awkwardly. You are an absolute champion? 🌟🌟🌟

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks. I really do struggle lying around though. I’ve just dragged my stuff into the garden to lie on a sun lounger, made a drink and got that out here too and now I’m bored just lying

[icklegui]

I hate that you had to write this but at the same time... I laughed... especially the part about the cats! Really hoping you heal up soon.

[Razouski]

Who’s had rain????

Can you send a little this way...? Please... 🙂

[Dexy5 Graduate10 in reply to Razouski]

We had a tiny smattering with rumbles of thunder in Southsea last night but nothing to shout about.

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

I hope you are more mobile soon limberlou. The sun lounger does sound the place to be at the moment, although I can’t last long out there in this heat.

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to Dexy5]

Me either. Before I gave in and became fashionably silver I was a redhead, one of the pale freckley types who burns easily, blisters, has already had 2 minor ops for sundamaged skin and also gets sunstroke easily. So I don’t lie in the sun ever!!

I only ever lie in the shade , if there’s a breeze, so I’m not spending a lot of time outside at the moment. But I’m trying hard to rest,relax and recuperate.

[_SimonT_]

Glad to read you are still getting plenty of exercise limberlou! Going to the loo sounds like an army assault course!

Very sorry about your foot though.

Take care. S

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to _SimonT_]

Thanks. It’s just taken me an hour to bring my clothes downstairs, boil a kettle for a wash, then after I washed down over myself I thought I’d like to soak my feet so I put bowl on floor,towel under arm, just used crutch on bad side and alternately hopped and pushed bowl across floor into dining room and sat down in relief,washed and dried feet, made coffee and weetabix, ate weetabix and then carefully hop shuffled with one crutch and half cup of coffee in other hand back to couch. I’m exhausted now.

Thank god my sister is coming in later for a while

[_SimonT_ in reply to limberlou]

Sounds absolutely exhausting! And I am worried about your boiler. Are you getting it mended?

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to _SimonT_]

Well the first guy I called said he call back thurs or fri evening, didn’t call in either so I rang someone else who came out sat morning and condemned the back boiler. And said he go away and price up what I needed and come back to me so I waited yesterday, then phoned this morning and left a message and then later today i texted him a reminder.

My friend who lives just up the road from me said she will send her hubby down to piggyback me up there for a shower. But I’m managing.

I’ll chase the heating engineer again tomorrow. He was quite busy and I’m grateful he squeezed me in on Saturday.

I’m having new hot water tank, new combo boiler and new tank in roof too.

The old one was 31 years old.

[_SimonT_ in reply to limberlou]

I’m glad you are getting it sorted. Sorry you’ve been messed around though. Will you need a hot water tank if you are having a combi boiler?

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to _SimonT_]

Oh no you’re right. I forgot we looked at so many options. Haha the heat getting to my head. The loft tank is because of my power shower that takes water from the loft tank.

[Ripcurlrana71 Graduate10]

How are you today Lou? Sorry about the kettlebell joke on Strava...😞😞😉

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to Ripcurlrana71]

Haha no I liked it. I’m just knackered hauling myself around. You take so many things for granted and it wouldn’t be quite so bad if

A. I lived in a bungalow or had downstairs loo

B. It wasn’t so damned hot- I struggle with the heat at the best of times and it’s hot work on crutches

C. If I had running hot water.

But there are a lot of people worse off than me. I have a friend who has only got legs to just above the knee.he got told off by a smart arse for parking in disabled space outside Dunelm. “ those space are for disabled people you young scoundrel!! You should be ashamed “ so he rolled his trouser legs up to show them and got “ well you can still walk so you don’t need to park there!”

I think I’d have unscrewed my leg and hit them with it.

[Ripcurlrana71 Graduate10 in reply to limberlou]

Sounds so frustrating for you! I feel for you in this heat and having to learn new skills to cope with everyday tasks. I hope your family are helping you too.

I would have wacked them with my leg too!! (Re:your friend) 😊😊

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to Ripcurlrana71]

Yeah my eldest boy finished work early today so took me down to visit my sister. Nice to see 4 different walls. My great niece and her baby ( my great great niece ) were there which was nice - makes me sound ancient.

And then we went to Asda to get some groceries and although that was a nice changed and good to actually stretch my leg(s) properly it was hard work and I was glad to get home and then he cooked me tea , bless him. Spinach and ricotta cannelloni with spicy wedges. Yummy.

Back on the couch now with my foot up. While he has gone upstairs to watch the football.

[Ripcurlrana71 Graduate10 in reply to limberlou]

Ahhh lovely. Least you are being well looked after. 🤗