First Drive

It seems a silly thing for a 26 year old to be celebrating but yesterday marked another first for me since surgery. I went for a drive! And no I don't mean I rode around in the passenger seat. I was driving. For a couple days now I'd been thinking I was ready and yesterday I decided to finally give it a try.

I'd gone into town with my mom and on the way home I asked if I could drive us the rest of the way. We live on the outskirts of a small town and I had waited until we were off the main roads so there was very little, if any, traffic around. We switched seats and I got myself positioned behind the wheel. I spent more time than usual making sure I was in a comfortable position and more importantly in a functional position. I have nearly all the function of my lower right leg, from the knee down. The problem is with my upper leg between the knee and hip. My body has yet to relearn and find new ways for this area to move properly. For instance, if I'm sitting in a chair I cannot lift my leg/thigh up off the chair. And I would not be able to move my leg, under its own power, to the right or left so I could slide over on a bench or couch. I can however kick my leg out straight when sitting because it's only the bottom half of the leg moving. This was all very important when deciding how to position myself for driving.

Before I would consider taking the truck out of park, I checked several things. I made sure my seat was close enough that my foot could not only reach the petals but that I would be able to press both the gas and break down fully. I checked to make sure my leg was strong enough to press the break down fully. Then I made sure I could move my foot from the gas to the break and back again. Yes, yes and yes! Good to go. I shift into drive.

I don't think I've ever driven more cautiously in my life. Maybe 10 years ago when I was first learning to drive but for the most part this was the exact same situation, learning to drive all over again. I drove off down the road, below the speed limit. I braked way in advance for the coming corner, smoothly, but early. I didn't go for a long drive, maybe 10km, just around a couple blocks lined mostly by farms and forest. I don't plan on driving around town quite yet and I definitely won't be venturing out onto the highway any time soon. Just knowing I CAN drive is enough for me for the time being.

Every time I tell someone I drove, they assume I must have done so with my left foot. Or at the very least, with both feet. When I correct them and explain that I drove just as they would, with their right foot, I'm usually met by a look of shock. It often changes quickly to them being impressed. This is when I remember, it is a big deal and not just another day! But like I said, it seems a silly thing for a 26 year old to be celebrating. I went for my first drive.