Home Again! A Place where it is “Okay to not be Okay”

Dear Reader:

John (my son-in-law) took me back to Summerville yesterday morning after dropping everyone else off at school. He also helped me limp into the Summerville Police Department to get my copy of the final report. I now have a name and address for my car thief….a teenage boy and his address is in the same proximity of where my car was left the first time.

I don’t know how all of it is going to shake out…but it will come to pass soon enough I imagine. I am still waiting to hear the final verdict on my car.

As far as the Mohs surgery on my left foot…it was pretty deep and Dr. McGowan had to go in twice to get it all. I will have to admit that it is one of the most painful (after math) procedures. I was so numbed up during the surgery I didn’t feel anything but once it wore off…I was in some pretty serious pain. It was a deep throbbing ache like a toothache with burning stabs of pain.

My foot was also doing a lot of extra bleeding so I had to go in the next morning to get it checked again and cleaned up. I literally slept on and off again all day Thursday which ended up being a big help. Dr. McGowan put me on a second antibiotic…since my white blood count is so low and puts me in a more compromising position to heal naturally.

He is just fabulous! He called me twice Tuesday evening to check on me and then had me come in Wednesday morning to check everything one more time. So nice! The foot will take some time to heal…an Epi skin transplant is being used to fill in the wound little by little. But I certainly don’t mind returning….because look at my doctor.

Wow….is he cute and he is from Laurens where I graduated high school. He knows my cousins and we figured there were less than six degrees separation between us.

He made me his V.I.P. patient and I felt like I had a tiara sitting on my head. What’s a little pain when there is so much to gain, right?

 

 

I return next Tuesday for a follow-up appointment and to keep adding more skin transplant to the wound. Sadly Dr. McGowan will be gone on vacation but I will see him soon enough when he returns.

I read somewhere recently where it is “okay to not be okay” We can allow ourselves the moment…however long it lasts…an afternoon, day, or week…to not be completely in sync and to not have it all together.

There is no need to force ourselves back on top when we just aren’t feeling it….life is full of ebbs and flows, highs and lows. We need to learn to ride them out instead of trying to fight them back. It really is “okay with not being okay.”

So until tomorrow…This series of unfortunate episodes in my life lately (car stolen twice and wound showing squamous cells) reminds me to always be ready… We shouldn’t always get so attached to routine that we miss out on a chance to make something big happen. If we look for opportunities inside problems we tend to find them. We must be ready for whatever life gives us.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

One nice thing about being at John and Mandy’s is that the children and grandchildren (and grand dogs) ended up stopping by to see me and I loved it. Mollie sent some pictures of Walsh with Eloise and another family picture by Sarah.

 

 

Little Jake became my right hand man (literally)… he would walk me to the bathroom and back…my kindred birthday soulmate! Who needs a walking cane when you can have a little Jake waiting to escort you anywhere.

 

 

I had not been home two hours when I looked up and saw Doodle and Lassie coming in the house….Doodle had made me some homemade chicken salad and as she remembered (Dee Dee’s chicken/rice pileau with butter beans)…the best medicine in the world! It was so fun to catch up since we weren’t together on the Race for the Cure day for the first time in eight years!

I cut and pasted these sweet comments of support because the computer wasn’t letting me reply….but when I read these different comments it reminded me again how the blog post is a two-way street.

Johnny Johnson says:

You take care of yourself and don’t worry about us readers on your blog, we will be right here when you feel better. I will continue to say a special prayer for your speedy recovery and I know before I say the prayer that it will be granted to you. The Lord looks after his own.

Beth Brewer says:

Prayers for a speedy recovery. Thinking of you and hoping you’re better each passing day

You take care of you.

Jo Dufford says:

The most important thing you need to do right now is take care of yourself. I am praying for the pain to subside and for a speedy recovery. Take care and know we miss and love you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”
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10 Responses to Home Again! A Place where it is “Okay to not be Okay”

  1. Patty Knight says:

    Oh, Becky! I praying for you this morning. You are so brave and now all of this. May God hold you ever so tightly as you heal and recover. We love you , sweet friend. Patty and Kristen

    • Becky Dingle says:

      Love you back Patty and Kristen! You and Kristen are both so selfless…always putting others over your own personal problems….a role model for the kind of life God wants us to live. Keep me updated…living for the day Kristen’s “little c” decides to pack up and leave permanently…we will give it a great going-away party!

  2. Sis H Kinney says:

    Good Saturday morning, Becky,
    Hope your recovery continues to go smoothly and that the pain will subside and your foot will heal just fine! Praying for you daily. Glad you got to see the grands!
    Much love,
    Sis

    • Becky Dingle says:

      Oh thank you Sis….I had a good night last night….slept straight through the night for the first time in awhile. Get to remove some more bandages today…so hopefully that will help with some of the pressure problems. I know you are glad to be home after your dog sitting in Raleigh….did you get a lot from the recent storm?

  3. Jo Dufford says:

    I’m glad you are home. Hope the pain gets less each day and that you can soon put this all behind you, and “it is okay, not to be okay.” The old saying is things comes in 3’s, so that being the case, two car thefts and a painful surgery ought to meet that requirement. Just one more thing, leave it to you to check out the pictures of the doctors and choose one that is so easy on the eyes.

    • Becky Dingle says:

      So…..oooo easy on the eyes! 🙂 And I thought the same thing about three “3”‘s ….hopefully 2 car robberies and 1 surgery fulfills the number category. I am ready for the upbeat other side of life to jump in now. And it will.

  4. bcparkison says:

    Blessings for you . It is always good to be home even if you can’t hobble around the yard. It will come just be careful.

  5. Susan swicegood says:

    Becky you are the strongest person I know. Lots of love coming your way. I’ll go with u to ur next docs appt. ❤️

  6. I admire your positive spirit and faithfulness-know I am praying for you – and by the way the grandchildren are precious.

  7. Gin-g Edwards says:

    Becky…I dropped by today around 1 to check on you and everything as locked up….will drop by again…prayers for healing…

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