I was unhappy to see a white sedan in the lone handicap space at the Backroads Casey's on Sunday. No handicap plate. I did not see a placard hanging from the mirror, but it's possible there was a card lying on the dashboard. I don't make it a habit of peering inside a vehicle, lest there be somebody sitting in there giving me the stinkeye right back!
Anyhoo... I parked on the far side of it, giving me a little curb to step over to get on the sidewalk. Not a big deal, because I can hold onto the side of T-Hoe for balance. As I stepped down out of T-Hoe, my right kneecap went a bit wonky as it sometimes is wont to do, making my first few steps more halting than usual as the painful chips inside worked their way back into place.
Two women came out the door, walking towards that white sedan. They seemed about my age. Perhaps a couple years younger. Fit as fiddles, each carrying a cup of coffee. The Gal coming to the passenger side waited on the sidewalk for a minute as I closed T-Hoe's large door out of her way. Then she still stood.
"I'll give you the right-of-way!"
"Thanks. I've got a bad knee, so it takes me a minute."
"You need to get that fixed! It's like when your car has something wrong with it. The longer you drive it, the worse it will get. Have you considered knee replacement?"
[Such an interest in my health, This Gal! And I didn't dare tell her that my car DOES have something wrong with it, that my husband keeps "forgetting" to get fixed.]
"Yes, I've thought about it, but I'm just too afraid of the surgery."
"I had it done. What you need to do is take your pain meds before doing your knee exercises. That will help you get through it."
"My friend had a knee replacement, and said they put a contraption on her leg that bent her knee to exercise it."
"Yes. Have you had a baby?"
"Yes."
"Just think of how painful that was, but you got through it. And think of how great it was afterwards. The pain was over, and you had something to be happy about. Same with the knee replacement."
"Heh, heh! I even did it twice! You've given me something to think about."
The other lady had turned on the car. I assume she was trying to signal her buddy to GET IN so they could leave. Yet while I was inside waiting to be waited on, that white sedan just sat there. Oh, no! Was This Gal going to start talking to me again when I went out? For once, I didn't mind that the cashier was taking his time with another customer. Finally that white sedan left. What a relief.
I know This Gal was just trying to be nice. Or maybe trying to distract me from the fact that they were parked in the handicap space. Perhaps legally. Perhaps not.
How rude! And to use a handicapped parking spot is so wrong. My dad had RA & his doctor was going to give him one but he said no, give it to someone who can truly use it. He felt he could still walk that someone else who really does need it wouldn't get theirs.
ReplyDeleteThat was a nice gesture by your dad. I don't think there's a limit on the placards. He could have gotten one, and used it if he felt the need. Otherwise he could have parked in a regular spot, so people who needed the handicap space worse than him could park there.
DeleteI was going to ask if you were considering knee replacement but nice lady beat me to it. I have neighbours with knee replacements and they're doing fine. One is in her late 80s, I think 88, but she has other problems too and though her knees are better, her spine isn't, so just last week she had a wheelchair delivered. But the other neighbours don't seem to be having any problems.
ReplyDeleteIt's the thought of something going wrong during the surgery that scares me, more than the aftermath!
DeleteHave you ever seen Fried Green Tomatoes? watch it . It will make you feel better.
ReplyDeleteYes. I'm older, and I have more insurance, but I don't want to be without T-Hoe if repairs are needed!
DeleteMy first surgery was knee surgery, a torn meniscus. I was terrified of surgery. THEN, I wrote down it was the L knee when it was the R knee. I was horrified at the mistake, took a pen and wrote NO on left knee and an arrow on R knee.
ReplyDeleteMy friend had a knee replacement that went bad after six months. She ended up in wheelchair with no knee and no replacement, just a rod through leg and thigh and wasteland where knee should be. She weighed over 700 lbs when she died from kidney failure that took her about ten years to die from the kidney problem brought on my knee replacement. My knee hurts, but back/spine is what causes me not to be able to walk well. Everyone who knew her immediately cancelled knee replacements or to this day refuses one.
Since then, I have had to have thyroid removal and hysterectomy. But, still no to knee.
I've had a lateral meniscectomy twice on the same knee! According to the doctor, it regenerates part of the rim, and I tore it again! First time was a six-inch scar, and five days in the hospital. Second time was arthroscopic, discharged the same day. I don't remember being afraid of surgery those times.
DeleteHaving my gallbladder removed was a bit worrisome. And then the thyroidectomy was scarier. I suppose the more times you're in a hospital, the more chances you have to see what could go wrong.
The thought of anesthesia is more troubling to me than a thought of the surgery itself being done wrong. Along with the inconvenience of limited mobility during recovery.