Anyone who knows me knows I’m probably the least patient person on the face of the planet. I want what I want when I want it and God help the world if that doesn’t happen.

Going through this experience with my ankle has kind of put things in perspective for me, I’ve had no choice but to be patient. I’ve gone from the attitude of, “I want to run and I want to run now!” to, “When I finally get back out there I’m going to be better than ever.”

The day of surgery. I wasn’t feeling too hot after.

I’ve come to realize that by going through all of this I’ve actually fixed a problem I never knew I had and if I give my body the time it needs I will be rewarded.

Sure, I’ve thrown some temper tantrums over the course of the past few months but I’ve learned that no amount of tantruming will get me to wellness. My body needs time. Even though I feel like I’m 23 I’m not and I don’t bounce back as quickly from things as I used to.

I did a lot of this.

So I sit here plotting and planning my triumphant return to running. I know what milestones I have to meet and when I need to meet them to achieve the goal of running in the 2015 Philly Love Run. Until I am cleared to start running again I will patiently wait for the doctor’s orders. I will not lace up my shoes and attempt a five mile run once I receive his blessing to run either.

I can’t say for sure but the bigger lesson in patience may actually come once I start running again. Taking it slow to avoid re-injury might just be worse than waiting to be able to run again. I’ll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it though and hopefully the patience I’ve gained over the past few months will help me through the next stage in this recovery.

Bye bye crutches, hello fun.

Where have you received your greatest lesson in patience? How has it helped you to grow as a person?

Today kind of feels like the calm before the storm. There’s a lot I hope to accomplish to make sure I’m set up to relax and do nothing at least through the weekend. Stupid things like making sure the laundry is done since I don’t know when I’ll be able to handle doing it again.

As a teenager I had a few oral surgeries that I can hardly remember. I also had my appendix out in 2005 which included a two day hospital stay. Nothing I’ve already been through has me feeling prepared for what’s to come tomorrow. My appendix surgery was fast, I went into the ER and had little time to think or react as I was wheeled to the OR for surgery before the damn thing ruptured.

I scheduled my ankle surgery last Tuesday and have had more than a week to think about what’s to come.

What’s to come:

I’ll be spending 4 weeks with crutches since I will be unable to do any weight bearing on the right side. After that 4 weeks I will spend another 6-8 in that Godforsaken boot. Perhaps a little PT and then MAYBE I’ll be able to hit the road and start running again.

Since it’s my right ankle we’re dealing with, my ability to drive will be taken away and anywhere I’ll need to go, at least for that first 4 weeks, I’ll need to be driven. I really hate to have to depend so heavily on others like that.

I will also have to swallow my pride and take advantage of those damn jazzy chairs at the grocery store and Costco for a little while. ::beep beep::

The thought of being trapped inside my house has me a little depressed already.

Guilt:

Lately I’ve been overtaken with guilt. I feel guilty that I ruined my kid’s summer by spending most of it crippled and unable to take them to all the fun places we had planned to go. I feel guilty for feeling so miserable about my situation, and that one has me stuck in this horrible cycle of guilt.

Most of all though I feel guilty for putting my family into some serious medical debt. Now that Bill is self-employed and we’ve had to purchase individual insurance our insurance sucks. OK, it’s great if no one gets sick or injured but this injury will set us back tens of thousands of dollars that we just don’t have. The stack of bills sitting on my desk is equivalent to a great vacation and there are still more to come.

Fear:

I’m terrified. I’ll be under general anesthesia and they will be providing an airway for me. Sure I’ve and this before but they never told me ahead of time about it, they knocked my ass out and that was it. People don’t wake up from routine surgeries all the time.

I’m afraid of the pain I’ll be in after. Sure, I’ll be given pain meds but what if they don’t help? I’m a baby, I don’t like pain. What if the next 4 weeks are spent in agony on my couch because I can’t make it up to my bed?

Yeah, yeah, I know I need to stop with the what ifs and just relax but they gave me too much time to lay awake at night and think about all this shit. I’m sure in the end I’ll be fine, I have one of the leading surgeons in his field working on me, but there are two things I find difficult to cope with. First, I don’t like to not have control and nothing that happens tomorrow will be in my control. Second, I have a fear of the unknown. I’ve never had an outpatient surgery like this and I have no idea what is going to happen tomorrow.

Wish me luck! And if you’re a praying person maybe say a little prayer for me, I’d really appreciate it.