Mine is all black, less conspicuous. Ha!

I really tried to talk my orthopedist out of it. I couldn’t bear being seen pushing a walker. I had no choice. It was either accept a walker or find myself another doctor. “If you are looking for rakhmones, (Yiddish for pity), I could recommend someone else,” my modern orthodox doctor told me today.

“You need a walker because you shouldn’t be placing any pressure on your knee. As you get older, you run the risk of having your knee collapse if the stress fracture doesn’t heal properly. Then you will have real tsouris (Yiddish for trouble).” 

I asked my doctor about using crutches and he basically said that a woman my age can’t be trusted with them. The last thing I needed was to fall down. The walker was the only way to go. He recommended one with a seat in case I got tired. I got more nauseated by the minute.

The final results of the MRI was a stress fracture. We went to a medical supply store to buy the walker and a knee cuff with braces that I must wear all day. The store owner made sure I got the right size for each item. At first these things looked like foreign objects, but I’m now getting used to them. I am actually grateful that such innovations exist. 

Years ago, my foot probably would have to be strapped in a bed sling and I would have been trapped there for weeks, maybe months. Now, I can be mobile, yet give my knee the care it needs. I am pretty sure that in a few years there will be a companion app for both these contraptions, allowing us to click in for height, tightness, navigation, and time management.

We live in some world. Let’s hope for the best, at least for the next four years.