Diane Winters on sun 10 jul 05
Vince wrote:
>Cadmium Red =3D occasionally seeming cranky and judgmental but actually =
being
>a loving, patient, understanding individual who's on-list persona is
>occasionally tainted by personal frustration with a slow-healing broken =
leg.
Speaking of which, we haven't had any reports for quite a while -- how =
IS the leg doing? and how much are you able to do, if anything, in the =
way of potting and teaching?
Diane Winters
Oakland/Berkeley
Vince Pitelka on sun 10 jul 05
Vince wrote:
>Cadmium Red = occasionally seeming cranky and judgmental but actually being
>a loving, patient, understanding individual who's on-list persona is
>occasionally tainted by personal frustration with a slow-healing broken
>leg.
Diane wrote:
"Speaking of which, we haven't had any reports for quite a while -- how IS
the leg doing? and how much are you able to do, if anything, in the way of
potting and teaching?"
Diane -
Thanks for asking. It's especially nice to get this message from my home
town. I am not teaching this summer, and no traveling, so my primary
objective is to heal my leg. I have not posted regular updates about the
broken leg, because when I write or talk about it, it sounds to me a little
like whining or complaining, and I don't want to do that, because despite
this little glitch in my life I know how lucky I am. This is such a small
thing in comparison to the real crises in life and health that so many
people endure. But at the same time, it is good to be asked, and it is good
to talk about it occasionally. The healing is going incredibly slowly, and
the reasons seem to be multiple - 1) I'm 56 years old, 2) it was an
especially bad fracture with multiple pieces of bone trying to grow back
together, and 3) of the body's major bones, the tibia is furthest from the
heart - tibia breaks are often very slow to heal. On mybrokenleg.com I have
read about people with bad tibia injuries still being in a cast a year
later.
Most people get a "nail" (titanium pin inside the tibia) early on, often
right after removal of an external fixator (external framework with pins
screwed into the bones - a "nail" is considered an "internal" fixator). In
my case, I have an elevated risk of leg infections, and when a nail is
installed after removing an external fixator, there is greater risk of bone
infections, which are extremely serious, and in worst case can result in
loss of the limb. Now it has been three months since the external fixator
was removed, and my doctor thinks it is safe to install the nail. So I am
scheduled for surgery on August 6, and my doctor predicts that I will be on
my feet without crutches within several weeks after that. Without the nail
I would remain in a cast and on crutches for three to six more months.
So this is good news. I don't like the idea of more surgery, but it means I
will be able to get back in the studio. In the mean time, I still need two
crutches to get around, and thus cannot carry things, so studio work is
relatively impossible. I need to move around a lot while doing my work, and
any attempts at studio work so far have been frustrating. I'll wait for the
nail.
In the mean time, as of a month ago, I have a "boot" - a removeable cast
that comes off for sleeping and bathing, and two weeks ago I was fitted for
a light-weight, waterproof "AirCast" that I wear for swimming. I registered
with the TTU Fitness Center, and I have been swimming almost every morning,
rebuilding the inactive muscles. Three weeks ago the doctor and the
insurance company cleared me for driving, and it is good to be more mobile.
I drape the gimpy leg across the center console so it hangs down in the
passenger footwell. It's a little awkward getting in and out of the car,
but at least there is no chance of the bad leg getting in the way of driving
with my left leg. It's a good thing that my car is an automatic.
I am having a good time, sticking around Tennessee for the summer, despite
the humidity (I like DRY heat). We built a big deck on my house a few weeks
ago, and it gives me a wonderful place to sit outside for sunning, reading,
playing my guitar. I've put together a good digital home recording setup,
and I am working on being a one-man Bluegrass band - guitar, bass, mandolin,
and lead and harmony vocals. That's been a lot of fun. First endeavor is a
two-CD set of train songs. This is not a commercial venture - it's just for
my own fun, and something to give away to friends and relatives who have
been devoted fans of my music.
For anyone who wants to see a picture of the "boot" plus the latest x-rays,
go to http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/Digital/digital_photography.htm and
scroll down to the lower part of the page.
Well, that's the update. So, yes, the healing is very frustrating, but I am
still having a good time. I am making a concious attempt to keep the
"cadmium red" out of my Clayart posts. Clayart has always been of great
value to me for so many reasons, and even more so right now.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
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