As soon as I arrived, Mum took me for an MRI of my ankle, and then to see a specialist. The fracture is healing well but there is a lot of edema in the bone and there is still a lot of fluid. The ligaments that I tore are only 1/4 of the size that they should be. The specialist said that trying to walk as I have been (and as the stupid physio recommended) is putting too much pressure on everything, so now I'm sporting a camwalker boot for 4 weeks.
The physio also told me to do the worst possible exercises, which were apparently just stretching ligaments that were trying to heal. I did tell the physio that the exercises were very painful and she told me to "push through it" because my recovery was going too slowly, and I should try to weight bare more etc. Stupid woman... this whole situation has taught me to listen to my gut feeling and body over what is said by those supposedly in the know- especially physios. I had a lot of trouble finding a physio who could help me with my hip. When I finally found an amazing guy who knew what he was doing and put a lot of effort into developing exercises for me (he was the 4th physio I saw), the progress and difference was fantastic.
It was good to have Mum and Dad fawning over me and now that I have had my ankle looked at properly I feel better about it. Thank goodness I have doctor parents, otherwise getting medical assistance would be so hard (as I found to be the case in Canberra). The specialist saw me at no notice, put me ahead of all the other patients and also made sure I got the last minute MRI. Obviously this is above and beyond what I would want and expect, but getting even basic care in Canberra was impossible- I was badly managed by everyone here at Canberra Hospital and then by the physio.
The next thing I did was go with my friend to look at bridesmaid dresses - I am a bridesmaid for her upcoming wedding. She had already picked one out, and the colour and material is really tacky. It's not particularly flattering or a nice dress either... a real pity that I'll be forking out over $500 for a dress that is worth $50, and that I'll never wear again. There is also so much potential to find a beautiful dress for that price, so settling on something that will make me look like a fairy floss stick is depressing. Oh well, the deposit has been paid and I really couldn't say anything - I am the 'inconvenient' bridesmaid being all the way in Canberra and the other 2 bridesmaids had apparently tried on the dress and liked it (or maybe they were too scared to say anything, like me). I can afford it. It's just money, and the friendship means more to me than that. It will be my first wedding as a bridesmaid so I am looking forward to it, and this girl has been my friend since primary school.
We had a lovely shabbat dinner with my grandparents, aunty, uncle and cousins. My grandma went out of her way to cook all of my favourite dishes for me and I had a fun night playing with the little cousins. It's so nice being part of a close and loving family, I really miss them being in Canberra.
In the midst of all this, Mum managed to find time to take me bra shopping as I desperately needed new bras, and Myer had 25% off almost every bra in the shop. I bought 2 Triumph bras and also scored 2 pairs of Davenport hipster briefs for $3 each (really good quality too, I would have bought more but they were the last set and I was lucky to find them!).
My final enjoyment was having brunch with my best girlfriend at our favourite brunch spot, Coode St Cafe. I always have the grilled peaches on fig and fennel toast with fresh ricotta- my favourite brekkie of all time. It was lovely to spend time with her, we just chat so easily and enjoy each others company so much. After breakfast we went to Mt Lawley and looked at the shops and boutiques there, which is always fun. *The* amazing breakfast:
Back in Canberra, I was so sad to leave Perth. Soon I will be moving house which is really good news though. I am sick of tired of my current living arrangement and not very nice housemate, who I don't like or feel comfortable around. My new arrangement is not a typical one, so I'm really hoping it will work out. I am moving in with a family who have a 3 year old daughter. I will be looking after her occasionally (mornings before work, getting her ready and dropping her at daycare...the occasional weekend care, and some evenings/afternoons). I might need to take some flex occasionally to do afternoon care but this will not be a common occurrence. In exchange, I live rent free in a great area and have my own bedroom, bathroom and lounge room with kitchenette. I can use their kitchen and laundry whenever I want too. I am pretty excited about the whole arrangement for the following reasons:
*1* I really miss working with kidlets... they bring so much joy to my life, and it has been hard moving from nannying to office work.
*2* The amount of money I'll be able to save up will be phenomenal, and my goal is to be able to afford a deposit on a house sooner rather than later. At the moment I am paying $880 per month in rent and bills on top of that!
*3* They have a dog. I miss my beautiful pooch in Perth so much, I am hoping that getting unconditional love from another canine might soften the yearning to see her.
*4* I can't imagine how it won't be an improvement on my current living arrangements, with an unfriendly and moody housemate who brings me down and who I hate being around. At least in the new place I'll have space, privacy and the family seem lovely and upbeat.
That's all for now, I'll report soon on how my moving goes (it will be a struggle with my ankle, but I think I can do it;)
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