Bad Pain—Updated

Got a nice hard cast at the orthopedist's office on 9/1. Also did preoperative blood work and got an ECG. Surgery is scheduled for 9/9; I don't know the time yet.

Almost-4-year-old Jared, my youngest, is having major separation anxiety because I was in the ER for several hours on 8/29 and then in the orthopedist's office and ambulatory surgery (preop tests) nearly all day on 8/30. Ten-year-old Neil has been a superb, cheerful helper. Twenty-two-year-old Rebecca has been practicing her novice social worker skills on me. Ed is the world's most kind, patient husband. My in-laws have been helping with child care and errands, and church friends are bringing meals for us. But all three kids are flummoxed because their mom is "broken." I'm supposed to be the caretaker—I'm never hurt. I think even Ed's been thrown for a loop. Each family member has acted out in one way or another, but they all shaped up after I threw a rather loud fit.

I'm working hard on not feeling anxious or depressed. A huge amount of supportive e-mails, prayers, and kind thoughts from everyone is helping with that.

My workload's okay; I can edit onscreen left-handed, but it's slow. My client understands. It's a 4-week project at normal speed. (We self-employed editors don't have anyone to give us sick pay, so I must keep working. And we generally can't afford disability insurance, either.) Typing left-handed and pain are tiring, so that's why I'm not e-mailing or blogging much.

On 9/9 in the ambulatory surgery unit at Stony Brook Hospital, the orthopedist will implant a metal plate in my wrist so that the many shattered pieces can be supported while they heal. If they don't heal properly that way, I'll need an external fixator for 6 weeks to hold the bones in place.

And oh yeah . . . George Bush is as thoroughly incompetent as ever. The deaths of many and the life disruption of many more in the path of hurricane Katrina are on his blind, arrogant, rich-boy, racist head.

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