Not so bad, all things considered

This morning I went to the hospital to see the orthopedic specialist, and to my surprise was given excellent news: not only do I not need an operation, but I don’t even need a cast. I’ll have to use crutches for the next month or so, but with only a minor fracture in a non-weight-bearing bone, I can also use my leg. This is basically the best possible news I could have received (with the exception of “oh, sorry, that was someone else’s x-ray — there’s nothing wrong with you!”). So I’m very happy, and grateful that I wasn’t hurt worse. I still have to wait until next week to find out how badly I hurt my shoulder, but I also found out today that the SAAQ (Québec’s monopoly public auto insurer) will pay all my medical bills, regardless of whether the police report says the accident was to some degree my fault. The hospital started the paperwork for this, and told me the SAAQ would reimburse all the physiotherapy I need, meaning I can visit the private clinic of my choice and not have to worry about the cost. They even would have covered my taxi rides to and from the hospital, although it didn’t occur to me to keep the receipts. So, that’s a relief. God, I love living in a welfare state! My leg is still rather painful, mostly from a week’s worth of muscle atrophy and bruising from the temporary cast, but all of that will of course heal much more easily than after a few months of similar damage. I see a lot of hot baths in my future as I try to relax those muscles back into their normal positions, but I’m sure it will go smoothly.

Meanwhile, Shannon and I passed a pleasant, quiet Christmas here in our apartment, consisting mostly of nice dinners, movie nights, and many phone calls to relatives. We also took the opportunity to make even more crafty gifts than planned, most of which were shipped out yesterday on a fast train heading south. A few friends have visited, and others will be coming over the next few days, so it’s been a nice holiday after all. We’re planning to visit Ontario sometime in the next few weeks, too, so we’ll still get to see most of the people we missed this week, except for my brother and his partner, who fly to Nepal on Wednesday. But they’ll have their travel-related gifts by then, so that’s okay.

To all of you who responded to my previous posts about my accident: thanks so much for your concern and best wishes. This has been a difficult week for me, but thanks to friends and family, and especially Shannon, it’s never been too hard to bear. As one of the cabbies I met this week put it, friends are like stars — it’s in the darkness that they shine. May the light of all your friendships shine brightly upon you in what shadows you may meet this coming year, and may you always remember to be grateful for all which one can so easily take for granted. And wear your damn bike helmet!