Anybody have a pair of crutches I can borrow?

Anybody in Austin have a pair of crutches that I can borrow this weekend? I may or may not need them temporarily Please and thank you

— Austin W. Gunter (@austingunter) September 14, 2012

Last week, I sent out that very vague Tweet, and posted something similar on Facebook.  I didn’t explain why I needed crutches, but I threw it out there because I wasn’t going to be able to walk all weekend on doctor’s orders.  Doctor’s order, and my leg was completely numb so I couldn’t feel it to walk.

Also, I had two sets of stitches running up my ankle.

Ok, so there were a few reasons why I needed to borrow crutches for at least a few days.

I’ve written about the stuff going on with my joints (arthritis) in a post earlier this year. I hate having to write about this part of my life because I hate having to deal with this part of my life in the first place.  I don’t like arthritis, and I don’t like the way that it can get in the way of me living my life. As much as I wouldn’t want to admit it, and as hard as I work to stay focused on my work and where I’m heading, I still have to be honest and face times like this past weekend where there wasn’t anything in my power that could change the circumstances.

I had to have a (relatively) minor surgery on my left ankle to remove some parts of the joint that were getting in the way of my full mobility, and were causing a bit of pain when I walked.

I’ve had the same ankle specialist for about 6 years now, so I had a doctor I trusted and who knew me well. If you know me, you know that I’m pretty quiet about this sort of thing, and I don’t head to the doctor unless I know pretty conclusively that I need to go take action.  My doc and I took a look at my ankle and decided it was time to make the cut.

Things to be thankful for right off the bat:

1. I have great health coverage at WP Engine (thanks Jason and Ben)
2. The company is growing and stable, and there is breathing room for me to take time for something like this
3. I’ve got full support of my co-workers and community

My awesome roommate dropped me off and picked me up from the hospital.  I walked in with a pair of sandals, and they wheeled me out (in the rain) with a huge splint on my ankle. They took some novocaine to the big leg nerve that lasted about 36 hours so I wouldn’t feel anything, but I also wouldn’t really be able to move my leg.  Hence the crutches. I had to be able to get around all weekend.

I spent all weekend growing a beard and working on my limp. And once Chris Carter brought me a pair of crutches to borrow, my horizons opened a bit and I mastered the path between the couch, the fridge (where I had stocked a week’s worth of food), and my big bed.

I slept a lot. I ate a ton of Snack Packs. And by Monday morning, I was walking around without the crutches. I’ll be in Toronto this weekend for about 5 days, so I’m accelerating my recovery process as much as possible.

That week, I brought the crutches into work and made my way around the office and downtown using them. Everybody got used to hearing the *click* *click* *click* of the crutches as I walked around the office.  It was funny to tease the guy with crutches.  (Actually, this is almost always the case)

Yes, I have stitches on my ankle. Yes. I took pictures of them with my phone. No, I’m not going to post them on my blog.

I do want to thank all the folks who dropped by to bring me food and hang out while I was recovering over the weekend. I’ve got a great community of friends around me. Very grateful. I was well-stocked with tacos and homemade cookies all weekend.

I’m about 10 days out of the operation at this point so I have good perspective on it.  Already my ankle is stronger and there is less pain.  My definition of a useful surgery, and worthwhile stitches, is dramatically improved condition within a week or two. This fits.