So glad to have found this site. Every time I get a little down, I come here and it makes me feel better. I can certainly feel empathy for all of you on this site and am wishing you all the best.
Wanted to share my story. I was laid off in Sept. 08 after 14 years due to the economy. Was on unemployment and decided to see about going back to school for nursing (LPN), which was offered through unemployment. Had to go through a lot to get into the program, and after several months of really pushing, finally had everything in place. Unemployment was going to pay a partial amount of the tuition and also extend my unemployment while going to school. I was very happy. School started in April 09 until June 09 for the CORE part of the nursing program. If you pass that than you could continue in Sept through June for the CLINICAL part of the program. It was very hard to pass the CORE part but I did it and loved it and was looking forward to starting back in Sept. There was alot of homework that had to be done over the summer and I had completed it all by the beginning of Aug. On Aug. 14 I was doing some work outside and simply stepped out of my shed and that was it!!! I felt like my ankles were rubber. I felt a crack in my left ankle. There was a slight little gully that I must of stepped into wrong and my left ankle just turned in. Then I must have tried to stop it with my right ankle and it too went to the side and I heard another crack and down I went. It all happened so fast yet at the same time in slow motion. I live alone so I laid there for a couple minutes trying to get a grip on what just happened. My right ankle seemed to feel worse and it looked odd like it was leaning over the right. I tried to see if I could put weight on the left and no way. So I got on my knees and crawled about 30 feet to my deck where I crawled up the steps. I felt like I was going to pass out but made it into the house where I got my cell phone and called my brother. To make a long story short, I had broken both my ankles. Right one was worse and needed surgery which I got on Aug 28th, getting a 6 inch plate in fibula and 2 big screws in heel through tibia. Worse of it all, I was unable to continue school since nursing by law needs students to be 100 per cent able to function during CLINICALS which was starting 1 week after school started on Sept 8. So needless to say how crushed I was and still am. Everything that I worked so hard to get in place and was going to work out so perfectly just went out the window. Fortunately my mom came up from North Carolina to help me. I am still in both hard casts which are a real pain. Have a walker(which is a GREAT help) and a wheelchair. Hopefully I am going to get the left cast off in 10 days. Dr. says the right one has to stay on for another 5 weeks if the xrays are good. My right ankle is still throbbing and if I have it down for too long it swells. I had the stiches taken out last week and it is SO amazing to me how fast my calf muscles have atrophied. It has been difficult to be unable to do anything. Hopefully this all will have a positive outcome. I have been wanting to move to North Carolina for quite a while and I think I am going to take this as an opportunity to finally do it and than go back to nursing school down there next year. I, also have osteoporosis which I am sure had something to do with the easiness of the break, yet I ran everyday and always felt so strong. Now I feel like the "GLASS GIRL" LOL
Good luck to all and thanks for letting me vent........