7
Ch. 123 – My Casted Life
On the way home from work, I told Judy that Lydia had invited her and Jimmy to have dinner with us. When we entered the front door, the enticing aroma of a turkey roasting in the oven hit our noses; there was more than a hint of spice in the air. As I made my way to the kitchen, I saw that Kathy was out of her wheelchair and was sleeping in one of our recliners. She looked so peaceful, reclined back slightly in her halo and casts; she was wearing cervical headgear, too.
Once in the kitchen, Lydia said she and Kathy had prepared a special meal for us all tonight, a Thanksgiving dinner, to express how thankful they are for what we have done for them. Judy said it smelled wonderful and that her mouth was watering. Lydia said the recipes were from her Cajun grandmother, and she hoped we liked spicy food.
Lydia asked how everything went at the office with Kathy's story. I explained that it went really well and that everyone is very concerned. However, I feel bad that everyone is so worried since this is all just for fun. Lydia said it's too bad that more people don't understand recreational orthopedics and that it's not mainstream. Judy said she thinks that a lot of people have the same interests as we do, but they just don't realize it. Her case in point was Jimmy getting braces after only being here a few days and then wearing casts, too. I pointed out that Jose and Rose went home in their casts the other night, and they had expressed how strange our desires were in the past. Judy then asked Lydia what she and Kathy did other than cook today.
Lydia said they played around in the bedroom for quite a while, and that is why Kathy is so tired. I asked how Kathy was feeling and if her pins were still painful. Lydia said, "Kathy is doing great, and other than the pressure, her pins are not bothering her. However, her teeth hurt from not wearing her headgear for several days since her combination headgear wouldn't fit around her halo pins, so she's wearing my cervical headgear." I said that Kathy looks cute sleeping in all her orthopedic and orthodontic glory, and Lydia agreed; she loves Kathy's casts and braces. We made too much noise and woke Kathy, and she beckoned for me.
I wheeled out to talk to Kathy and ask how she was doing. She said she was feeling wonderful, and she loves her casts and her halo brace. I told her how beautiful she looked and that I was so glad she was living her dream. We talked for a while before Joel and Jimmy arrived home.
Dinner was soon ready, and it was great. Lydia was right; none of us had ever had a turkey dinner that tasted this good, and boy was it spicy. Lydia had to cut Kathy's food for her since her left arm was useless in its LATS, but she was used to eating with the SATS brace on her right wrist. We enjoyed each other's company after dinner, then Jimmy and Judy went home, and the rest of us turned in for the night.
Tuesday morning, Judy and I went to Rebekah's house early to do our exercises. Judy looked so cute in her tights, hugging the curves of her atrophied legs, and her carbon fiber KAFOs with running shoes. She was also wearing her low-profile Milwaukee brace, and the rods going up and over her shoulders looked cute. Paul helped me with my exercises, and I even used crutches and "walked" in my hip spica cast on my own! As we were finishing up, Rebekah asked us to join her every morning since it was so much fun doing our exercises together. Judy and I agreed.
After exercising, we parted ways to go get prepared for the day. Joel gave me a sponge bath, brushed my teeth, and got me dressed. When Jimmy and Judy arrived for breakfast, Judy was in her wheelchair. Kathy and Lydia had never seen Judy in her wheelchair and inquired about it. Judy said, "My wheelchair was a gift from Jimmy before we ever met. He likes to see me in it, and it is a nice change from being on crutches. Several of the girls at the office asked me if I ever use a wheelchair, and I said that I sometimes do. They wanted to see me in it, so I thought today would be a good day since I have a presentation to give and I would like my hands free."
Judy's skinny, limp legs encased in their braces with very high-heeled booties on her feet looked so alluring. She really knows how to pull off a very sexy yet professional look. Before leaving for work, I asked her if she wanted to bring her crutches, and she said she did not; she desired to be wheelchair-bound the entire day. We got in the van and headed to work.
On the way, I asked Judy if she wears a diaper like Rebekah and I do when we are in our KAFOs. Judy said she usually does, but lately she has been using a catheter. Rebekah had introduced her to catheters a couple of months ago, and she has been using one regularly. However, she takes a week-long break every so often, so she doesn't lose bladder control from long-term use like I have.
I then asked Judy if she and Jimmy had any intentions of moving out of the cottage anytime soon. Judy got an extremely worried look on her face and tearfully said, "Are you asking us to move on, Leigh?" I said, "Oh, no, Judy, of course not. In fact, just the opposite: Joel and I want to give you your home and the parcel of land it's on. You have become the daughter we never had, and we love Jimmy so much, too." Judy's expression instantly turned from one of dismay to one of pure joy, and she gleefully said, "Oh, Leigh, thank you so much! This is wonderful! We love our little cottage by the creek. It is such a comforting and relaxing place to come home to after a busy day at the office. I can't wait to tell Jimmy! I don't know how to thank you, Leigh!"
During the course of the week, I got a lot of questions about how Kathy was doing and more inquiries about my condition. Working in this cast is so much easier than in my old one. I can stand at my desk in my wheelchair, and I sometimes use my crutches to get around the office, too. It's a lot of fun.
Kathy has adapted to her halo brace and casts very well, and she and Lydia are both in heaven. They have been using Rebekah's van and going out daily so Kathy can show herself off and interact with people. Since Kathy will be working in her casts and halo, she doesn't have to worry about being seen. I think they have visited every museum, art gallery, and shopping mall in the area.
With Kathy doing so well in her casts and halo, she and Lydia decided they would go to the resort her friend Dolores spoke of that caters to handicapped people. Kings Mountain Retreat is a five-star mountain resort that is fully accessible and offers personal assistants for guests. Not only do they have a hotel, but there are also private cabins that are really more like rustic-styled homes, which is where Kathy and Lydia will be staying. Kings Mountain Retreat also does not shun pretenders, so it would be a good place for the group trip Kathy and I have been discussing. I'm excited to hear about what it's like, and Kathy promised us daily updates. They leave on Sunday, and they are both very excited.
Well, it's Friday, and Judy and I have the day off as usual. We did our exercises with Rebekah, which has become a routine, had breakfast, and are off to Jameson Orthotics. Emme, Sam, and Millie have an appointment with Billy to get molds of their legs made so they can all get custom-made KAFOs. They're not going to do anything crazy like Judy and I have done; they just want to wear leg braces for fun and fashion. In fact, I think all three girls are just going to walk normally with their knees and ankles unlocked and rarely using crutches. They just like the way KAFOs look, the feel of the straps on their legs, and the weight on their legs.
Also, I'm going to be discussing my new braces with Billy and Gary so I can get an idea of what I will be wearing. With what I have done with my legs, they will need a lot of support. Billy mentioned HAKFOs—KAFOs that would be attached to my Milwaukee brace at the hips. I'm really not sure what I'll be getting, and I left it up to them since my leg braces will now be for a real need, not just pretending.
When we got to the shop, Collene greeted us and said that we were the only clients for the day. Billy, Rita, and Gary had gotten caught up this week, and next week they planned to devote themselves to the girls new braces and even take a few days off. The girls were already here, and Judy and I could hear them carrying on in the cast room.
We went to the cast room and greeted everyone. Emme already had both her legs in plaster and was waiting for it to dry. There was a table with many boxes of shoes, including two pairs of new roller skates. I guess Sam and Millie really are going to try skating in leg braces. After saying hi to everyone, Judy went to talk with her sister. Gary asked me to wheel into the workshop; he wanted to show me the braces Billy was working on for me. Once there, I saw my new braces, which were almost complete.
They were almost exactly like my current braces, and other than being made for much skinnier legs, there was a major difference: each KAFO is connected to the pelvic girdle of a Milwaukee brace, making one large full-body brace. There are twist-lock fittings where the hip hinges attach to the pelvic girdle and KAFOs. They look beautiful! Gary explains,
"Leigh, after seeing how much weakness you had when you got your cast changed, your braces now need to help support your hips, so you'll now need to wear HKAFOs. Normally, there is just a band of leather or plastic that would go around your hips, but since you also wear a Milwaukee brace, your leg braces will be attached to it. The hinged bar at your hips can be locked or allowed to move freely. If your hips become strong enough, the hinges can be removed completely, and you can wear these braces like you wore your old ones."
"Walking in these braces will be like walking in your cast, but they will be much heavier. You can see that we made you several sets in many colors. Collene had the idea that to complement the brightly colored leather, the metal parts should be anodized in a complementary or contrasting color, and we think they look great. Any questions, Leigh?"
I had no questions for Gary, and I told him I was looking forward to wearing my new braces and that they looked stylish and very comfortable. I then wheeled over to take a closer look at the braces and asked if they were all mine. Instead of the three sets of braces I usually get (white, brown, and black), there were three more pairs in light pink, deep purple, and bright red.
Gary said they were all mine, and the brightly colored braces were Collene's idea, and the other girls would be getting colorful braces to wear, too. The colors were beautiful and would be fun to pair with my outfits, especially with the interchangeable throat molds and occipital pads. I thanked Gary for all he has done for me and my friends and for helping me to have the body I have always felt I should have. I was meant to be a crippled girl.
I then said to Gary, "When Rebekah and I got casts made for our new braces, special attention was paid to our feet. Also, casts were made of our hands, arms, and fingers. I'm curious as to why this was done."
Gary replied, "Well, Leigh, I promised Joel and Paul that I would not divulge the details to either of you. All I can say is to ask Joel and Paul; all we are doing is making the braces. Billy and I are confident they will fit well, so your husbands will be doing the fitting. If they talk you two into wearing them, please send us pictures, or better yet, come by wearing them. They are something we have never made or even seen before." I said, "Rebekah and I have been wondering, and we'll just let our husbands surprise us. We both have complete trust in them, as they do in us."
We then went in to see how the casting was going, and the casts were being removed from Millie's long, sexy legs, and Billy was explaining what he would be making for them:
"OK ladies. I know you all want KAFOs in the three standard colors. You will also get a set of KAFOs and Milwaukee braces in three more colors, too. That will be six sets of braces for each of you. Now, for Millie and Sam: You will be getting a special set of braces attached to your skates. I'll match the leather to the color of your skates and highly polish the metal. These braces will also have built-in knee pads in case you ever fall. They will be very heavily built, like I would make for a large man, and the knees and ankles will be free. Basically, they are just to enhance the beauty of your legs and will provide you with complete freedom of movement."
We then went to the workshop, where Billy and Gary got to work on the molds and began the brace-making process. We stayed late into the evening, having both lunch and dinner delivered. It was a lot of fun to watch braces being made, but I wanted to get home and rest. Joel and I are spending tomorrow with Kathy and Lydia before they leave on their trip.