I never gave it a second thought when I climbed the stairs each day.  Standing before them now looks like I am about to climb Mt. Everest.  How did I not realize how many steps there were in the house? As the towering ladder to the second floor looms in front of me I think to myself, “wow, that seems like a really long way up to the second floor”.  One, two, three, four……oh it really is a long way up…..16 steps to the landing.  Let’s see, if I use one crutch and sort of hop maybe I can master it fairly simply. 

I lean one crutch on the wall at the bottom, grab the railing and hold the other crutch under the arm on the side of the injured foot, and start attempting to climb up.  Boy is it ever a long way to the top…but I am up for the task!  First step, not so bad.  Second and third alright but by the fourth I felt a searing pain whip up the back of my leg that said…hey, down here, not so happy that you are putting undue pressure on all us nerves. What are you thinking? So, in my quest for freedom and actually finding my way to the top of the stairs without butt scooting involved, I made it to 4 stairs and then sat down and scooted to the bottom defeated for the moment.

About a 1/2 hour later, I gave it a try again.   This time I started up the stairs successfully and as I neared the peak of Mt. Everest, sweating, muscles hurting and in a little discomfort, I realized I was 2 steps from success.  As I continued to reach the last two steps, the crutch fell out from underneath my arm and bolted for the bottom of the stairs as I stood helplessly watching it sail down them.  It was like the crutch had its own agenda and was saying …”ha, you think I am going to help you get to the top, not today!!!!”  As it landed unceremoniously at the bottom I looked at it, turned back to look at the 2 remaining steps to climb, looked down at my good foot and my booted foot and panicked.  Now what?  Stuck not quite at the top, and way far away from the bottom, backwards to be able slide down and butt scoot my way back to the crutch.  Hmmmm…now what?

I decided I could pivot on my good foot and turn around to sit back down and scoot.  What I didn’t count on was the shoe I had on my good foot getting caught in the nap of the carpet on the stairs causing me to flail around trying to regain my balance.  Luckily I caught the railing with one hand and stabilized myself long enough to regain my composure and sit down “quickly” on the stair.   Back down I went on my butt.  A little defeated but not giving up yet.

If you go on the knee scooter, then you can’t push the grocery cart and keep your balance and/or scoot on the scooter.  If you go on crutches its even worse because if you push the grocery cart, then you have to let go of the crutches.  You get the picture.  In order to shop you have to have assistance.  This can come in the form of helpful children or maybe your significant other. Or, if you don’t have either, the store clerks, shoppers, etc. all are willing to offer advice about how to conquer this feat.

Rolling through the store to get groceries also causes another problem…if you pick up things to put in the basket, you have to scoot one handed….and reach the cart with your item without dropping it or tipping over on the scooter.  Sounds simple right?  Try this…pick up a loaf of bread and one other item in one hand, stand on one leg and hop to where you would drop off the item…the cart if it were there.  Sometimes your helpers have gone on without you and you have to catch up.  The one legged race then becomes aerobics as you take on skateboard speed rolling down the aisle catching up with the cart.  It can be so much fun!