The stairs are easy, especially if I don't have the immobilizer on. There's very little pain, and the Percocets are going unused. I only got 5, and that'll be far more than enough.
I had to work out the best way to do stairs. Going up is simple. The good foot leads and I hold the crutches in my right hand at the handgrip (middle) level. They function pretty much like a cane. I face forward. The only hard step is the one right before the landing. I'm actually doing most of the heavy lifting with my left arm and leg and there's no decent handgrip at that step. I do have to remember to start with the good (left) leg.
Figuring out how to come down proved a bit more of a challenge. Facing forward was plain scary. I couldn't generate a whole lot of confidence nor could I figure out where to put the crutches or how to bets use them. Going down, I need to lead with the bad leg.
The solution is simply to back down, and it works even better if I toss the crutches down from the landing and use both hands on the bannister. This is sort of backwards and sort of sideways, and gives me the most confidence.
And, like walking on ice, confidence is everything.
The car is a bit interesting mainly because of the walkway to it. The flagstones get very slippery when wet and I'm better off on the grass rather than trying to get the crutch tips to hold. The steps, one down from the door, a small one from the porch to the walkway, and the ugly thing from the walkway to the driveway are all challenges. The first two just need to be taken slowly and carefully, while the step to the driveway is a horror. There's no railing, but the yew on the house side is big and strong. The problem is the driveway slants down to the left and down away from the step. I never actually realized how steep and unlevel the drive way is. I can't generate much confidence at this step, and have a tendency to stop, stare and think for a while when going both up and down.
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