For Patricia the glass is half full (with hot chocolate!)
"Are you always so cheerful, ma'am?" the taxi driver asked me yesterday. Well, luckily, I have to say that there is a lot of laughter at home, humor plays a big role for my husband, and we see life as a glass half full.
Blogger Patricia (54) fell down a kitchen step ladder and shattered her knee. After much deliberation, she opted to get an amputation (knee disarticulation) in 2019. Now she's going back to her old life. Patricia is married and mother of two adult daughters. She works in the education sector and is active in a theater group. She uses her blogs to put her new life into perspective.
We don't see life as a glass half full of wine or beer, but of hot chocolate and a generous portion of whipped cream. Of course there are also moments when I just want to lay with my head under the covers all day and treat myself to chocolate. So no, I'm not always that happy, but fortunately very often. Shortly after my amputation my husband announced we were going to have ham for the evening and my eldest gave me a fake parrot to put on my shoulder and an eye patch and I was ready for an adventure on the sea. This made me laugh so much that all worries were gone for a while.
Positive people
What also makes me happy are positive people around me, a message from a colleague, a cute postcard in the mailbox or friends who think I've been home long enough and invite me to lunch. What also makes me happy are the people around me in the rehabilitation center. First of all, there are the employees, who so far have given me 100% the feeling that they are all there for me. Always there to listen when I need it, good care and such excellent support - all you have to do is say one word and you can count on the whole team. And everyone is equally dear and nice (even if I sometimes really nag them during the ab exercises!). It may sound strange, but I'm starting to feel at home there.
And then there are the other rehabilitation patients. We get to know each other over about five or six weeks, listen to each other's stories, recognize each other's problems, but also crack jokes and eat with each other from time to time. Knowing that you are not alone in this situation. We all have our worries and problems and we work hard at it, and that gives a sense of togetherness.
Heartwarming
Writing this blog has resulted in great connections for me too. After writing the first one about three months ago, I received so many heartwarming replies. People encourage you, tell their story, and genuinely care about you. I now have contact with dear people with a lot of experience, whom I can ask my questions, who calm me down and with whom I can share my (gallows) humor.
Made a decision
But what makes me really happy is that I seem to be able to help others with my story. Through ‘Leven met amputatie’ I was introduced to a lady who had read my story. She had been in a bad accident about eight years ago and also had a knee that wouldn't take it. About sixteen surgeries in the Netherlands and abroad and she still couldn't walk properly. I think we talked on the phone for almost an hour and a half. By the end of that conversation, I was even more confident in my decision to amputate now, and she made also the decision to continue for an amputation. I do not mean that an amputation should be taken lightly and "just like that" - it will cost you a lot in many ways, but for some of us it turns out to be the only and right solution.
I must have many reasons not to be happy, but thankfully many more reasons to be. Being positive gets you so much more out of life and that's what I strive for!