Nope, this is all about my recent trip to NY and, as the picture above shows, part of my transportation on this sojourn was via American Airlines wheelchair. I'm glad the dude in the picture is pretty young. I don't feel so bad now.
So, if you're a regular reader here, you know I am moving slowly but surely to a right knee replacement. I'm not there yet, thanks to a lot of proactive work with my personal trainer Peter and my electromagnetic therapist Marcie. Plus I just got some gel injections so I would be travel-friendly, right?
Um, wrong. About a week prior to my departure from LAX, I had a knee flare-up that was telethon-worthy. When out of the house, I found myself walking with my Harry Potter fold-up cane. The limp was limpier. If I would be caught in a high rise fire, I would not make it out.
As I contemplated my trip, I thought about the AA arrival gates and baggage claim at JFK Airport. They are so far apart that you might as well pick up your suitcase in Times Square. This was an impending disaster.
I thought about the fact that I had flown over 1.5 million miles on AA in the past 15 years. Surely, this could be some sort of accommodation. I bit down hard on the bullet and made a...gulp...wheelchair request.
Best thing I ever did, hands...and legs down. This process was efficient and painless. As a result, I could ditch the cane for most of my NY trip.
The road back to Los Angeles, however? Um, not so good. I had bizarrely booked my return flight to LAX for 9PM. That's already a long day for these knees. I had also mistakenly overwrapped my knee with a brace which actually compressed my knees beyond recognition. Never again.
While I got an aisle seat with extra legroom, the crowded flight allowed for a minimum of stretching. Er, even with wheelchair transport, that person crawling around Baggage Claim Area 1 at 1AM Pacific time was me.
My knee barely recovered. Plus I had three Dodger games and a Hollywood Bowl upon my return. Agony.
I realized somewhere along this recent journey that I need time to get my knee to rebound. Luckily, I work at home and, over the next two weeks, I have just one Dodger game. Along with training and electromagnetic waves, my knee is coming around.
Just in time for when I have to travel back to NY in mid-August.
Yes, it's a struggle. But, luckily, this is the only health issue I have and things could be a lot worse. More importantly, I refuse to let this define me as a person.
But, will my next airline reservation also specify "wheelchair assistance?" You betcha.
Dinner last night: Salad.
No comments:
Post a Comment