Break a Leg! or Chookas! if you’re an Aussie
Seems it’s time to outsmart the Sprites with some Good Luck!
You need context, I hear you say
– Do read on … 💜
Why do I say ‘Break a Leg’? 👀
This phrase, as I feel sure most of you will know, evolved from the fact that many actors held a superstitious belief that wishing someone good luck would actually bring bad luck. If the Sprites heard you ask for something, they were reputed to try to make the opposite happen.
We Aussies have a different term for ‘break a leg’ – it’s ‘Chookas’. 👀
There is a placard at the stage door of the Princess Theatre in Melbourne, which relates the following:
“During the early days of J.C. Williamson’s dominance of the theatre scene in Australia… In the early 1900s chicken was regarded as a delicacy and could cost a good weeks wage. As most shows paid fees depending on the box-office take, a full house meant that the performers would be able to afford a chicken meal. The cry ‘chook it is’ was shortened to ‘chookas’, and eventually used by performers to wish each other a successful show, regardless of the number of people in the auditorium.”
So – What does all this mean? …
11th May 2022 – Critical Date
At 2am, whilst walking across a dark room to switch off the music, BANG!!
I stood on Moose.
He is our Maremma who had, until that point, been peacefully sleeping on the carpet. Both of us were shocked – in fact, he growled at my intrusion.
Up he stood, quick as a flash!
Up and over I went, twisting my leg as I crashed to the ground!
OUCH!!
Laying on the ground clutching my very, very sore ankle, two of my daughters came to see what the loud thud was.
After much writhing in pain, I eventually clawed my way into an upright position, to inspect what I had thought was a badly sprained ankle.
Off to the comfort and security of my electric blanket.
Such good medicine, don’t you think?
Let’s avoid my tendency to write War & Peace…
Keeping it concise…
From that point, for the next 9 days, I was unable to have my leg attended to as we were in the midst of serious flooding. The ambulance couldn’t get in to our property, and we were unable to get out!
I kept my leg as immobile as possible, and I was finally able to be taken to the hospital – to learn :::::
Findings:
There is an oblique fracture of the distal fibula which extends to the lateral malleolus.
A lateral malleolus fracture is a type of ankle fracture that occurs when the fibula fractures just above the ankle joint. It is the most common type of ankle fracture and may happen when the foot rolls or twists. Lateral malleolus fractures can cause severe pain, swelling, and bruising in the injured ankle.
Yep!! .. most definitely!
Additional injuries …
Ankle Synovitis (Ankle Joint Effusion) – an injury to the synovial membrane in the ankle. It is an inflammation of the synovium that causes pain and swelling.
Plus a torn tibiofibular ligament.
The unfortunate aspect of these injuries was a provoked pulmonary embolism (PE) – a blood clot that developed in a blood vessel in the leg. It then travels to a lung artery where it suddenly blocks blood flow.
Fractures of the femur and tibia are associated with the highest risk of fracture-related pulmonary embolism.
Damn!! Now I have to take blood thinners for 6 months.
But, many stories have happy endings, so here we are 6 weeks later, cast on, cast off and now a moon boot on!
Only 4 1/2 weeks to go – yay!!
Message derived from this mishap …
Well, what else …. some GOOD LUCK has to be on the way to me
-YAY!!
Chat more next time!
Have a good weekend!
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