The burning and subsequent healing in the hospital really helped us to understand just how small we are, and just how big God is to have all of these brothers and sisters in Messiah come out and support us. We knew no one there, but God knew all of them there, and he brought out His Body to help us in this time in need in a foreign land.
It was awesome!
The pain of being able to walk again after burning your legs is something fierce. For the first week, I did not attempt to get out of bed, and then the physical therapist would come around and harass me to move more. I now know that this happens to everyone who severely burns their legs, but had no idea at the time.
The first thing I tried to do is to put my legs over the edge of the bed. This was excruciating. I don’t know if it’s because the blood is rushing into the legs and there are no longer veins to flow through, or if it’s because the nerves had to be rebuilt. But it was the most painful thing to endure. That first day, that’s all I did. I’d keep my legs over the edge for a few seconds and then give up and lay back down.
The next day I actually stood. Now, that was some real pain! Then I laid back down. The next day I actually walked with the walker to the bathroom a few feet away – in agony. But it was a nice accomplishment!
Each day I would walk just a little bit further. Each day was painful. It took about a year and a half for the last of these effects to leave me. For a long time, I could sit or run with no problem, but if I stood still for too long it would feel like I was standing in an ant pile with lots of ants biting my feet. I can’t remember this happening in a while now though, so I think I’m totally healed. The scars are getting lighter all the time.
Continued tomorrow….
Photo credit: Imagem Compartilhada