Over spring break, my family and I took a vacation to Galveston, Texas. I was very happy to go on vacation because I love having fun and spending time with my family. I was also aware that this was my last vacation before my derotational femoral osteotomy, which is a major leg surgery that I hope will lessen my chronic pain.
This vacation was unexpectedly harder for me. Walking on the beach is tough sometimes because I do not navigate uneven ground very well. We walked a lot and had a lot of fun, but my legs were worn out every day.
There was a part of me that was sad in a weird way. I was sad because it felt like the end of an era for me. I don’t know how vacations in the future will be different after my surgery. I hate having pain, but I expect it. Recovering from surgery, I will have to relearn how to walk because my bones will be in different positions. Was walking during vacation only going to get harder from here?
I don’t know the answer. I was disappointed that I had to be in pain throughout this vacation. Fear of the unknown is scary, but sometimes being stuck in a continuous cycle is even harder. I knew the pain wasn’t going to go away on this vacation, and that was frustrating.
Most kids don’t have to pace themselves through their vacation because they know they’ll be in pain by the end of the day. I don’t think it’s fair that I have to. But even though it’s unfair, there is nothing I can do about it, so I have to just roll with the punches.
In the end, though, I tried to focus on the present because the future will come later. The beach was beautiful and peaceful, and it was nice to get away from everyday life. I loved spending time with my family, and all that mattered was I got to share a beautiful trip with them before undergoing surgery.