My Current Mantra

Anicca anicca anicca
अनिच्चा


*Pali for impermanence

How to Travel After a Fracture

One rainy night toward the end of October I slipped when I tried getting into the bus. It started to swell pretty quickly, as soon as I arrived home I put on Thrombopop (a salve against swelling) and param kocok (traditional concoction for bruising) and wrapped it tightly.

The next day I went to the hospital, got an xray, and yes, another hairline fracture. This time on my left cuboid bone. The doctor said I didnt need any cast, just properly wrapped it and no high heels.

Two days later I was at the airport, checking in. I asked the person in charged if I was allowed to board along with family with kids. She asked why, and I told the story. 'ok, you'll be in a wheelchair' she said.
'My gosh, I dont need a wheelchair, I can walk slowly and it is still 3 hours prior to departure' I rejected her command. But she wont take no, so I had to be wheeled in after checking in.

I felt embarrassed, yet grateful. I was healthy enough bar that one bone, people didnt see that I had swollen foot. And I'd been walking around in the last two days, for crying out loud.

As we transited, I was glad she put me in a wheelchair, it was quite a walk, up and down 2 flight of stairs. It was quite funny when we were about to board, there were 12 (yes, twelve) people in a wheelchair! Each has their own person who pushed it. It felt like a race. I was probably the youngest.

When we landed in SFO, they didnt have any wheelchair for me. I was about to walk, when they said I should get one. So, I did, except this time there were only 3 people pushing all the wheelchairs! Poor them. They had to do a relay pushing us. And, they also helped us getting our luggage. The good thing about being in a wheelchair was we didnt have to wait for long for immigration.

On my way back I didnt ask for a wheelchair. My foot was more stable and I had been walking (slowly) every where for a week anyway. Granted travelling with broken bone disturbed some of my plans and I have to walk slowly and rest often.  But it was a fab trip none the less.