Paper Mache #5

On day 3, Thursday, I received some unexpected news. My doctor wanted me to get fitted for another back brace. I wanted to cry, but my eyes were still so swollen that I couldn't. They wheeled me downstairs to be fitted.

But there was one problem I hadn't thought about. How on earth were they going to make a mold of me when I could barely even sit up?

In this picture, you can see a very thin metal rod (about an inch or two wide). The brace doctor asked me if I wanted to lie on that, or stand up. I had no earthly idea how I would get on that when it was painful enough to lie on a bed of pillows. So I chose to stand up and hold on to the bar. I have no idea how long it took. I felt so weak that I couldn't even keep my eyes open. But soon it was over with, and back to my room I went while they turned the paper mache of me into my brace.

There was another problem. My whole body was still swollen. That meant that when I tried it on the next day, it was too big. And when I got home, it was even bigger! When I started healing, though, I was thankful for my brace, as much as I didn't want to wear it. It helped support me, since I didn't have the back muscle to do that. I ended up wearing it for seven months (until July). I was very self-conscious in this brace at first because of how big it was on me. I could wear only a couple of my shirts over it. But it helped, and I got over it. If a brace is all I'm dealing with, I have a lot to be thankful for.