Yesterday I was thinking of my grandmother and when she had
her gall bladder removed. I only know the story from her telling. In the 1950’s
or so she went to the hospital and had an emergency gall bladder operation.
Since it was so long ago and as it was an emergency, she had the large incision
that wrapped around the lower chest. Also, in those days it wasn’t unusual to
have a week’s stay in the hospital. The doctor, Dr. Azmidia, came to check on
her every day and at last he told her she could go home the next day. She said,
“Doctor, can I us crutches?” He said, “I operated on your stomach. Why would
you need crutches?” To this she said, “If I don’t it would be the first time in
almost 40 years. I only have one leg.” Dr. Azmidia threw back the sheets and
said, “Oh my God, you only have one leg.” This story has given my family quite
a few laughs besides a lesson that the doctor only looks at what his job is.
Another funny story about my grandmother’s one-leggedness happened
in the 1960’s while the family was traveling the alligator highway in south
Florida. My grandfather was driving the old family station wagon. Also in the
car were my grandmother, my cousin Pat and her daughter Cindy, my Aunt Yvonne
and an old family friend, Mrs. Thorpe. There were no speed limits then or at
least not ones that were enforced, so my grandfather was driving like an Indie
driver. He strayed to the edge of the road, lost control and crashed. Pat broke
her back; Mrs. Thorpe broke her hip and was partially scalped. My grandmother
was partially scalped and was thrown from the front seat to the back and was
wedged between the seat and the back of the front seat. Having a scalp wound
she was covered in blood. People stopped to help. When they pulled my
grandmother out they gasped and said she lost her leg, and that people should
look for it. Although she was in shock she still knew what they were saying and
was laughing because she had that leg amputated almost fifty years before.
My grandmother had such a good attitude and never considered
herself handicapped. It rarely stopped her from doing anything and I’m glad she
could have a good laugh about those situations.
#Hazel Wiedrich, #Amputation
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