My Volunteer Experience So Far, by jonathan in Esopus

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My volunteer experience so far has been very good. I’ve been getting a feel for the schedule, learning where things are, and what most of my responsibilities are going to be for the year. The brothers I’m working with are easy going and I’ve felt very comfortable in the community from day one. We had a very busy September with a lot of high school retreat groups both during the week and over the weekends. I was even a member of the retreat team for the Marist (Bayonne) freshmen and ended up giving a talk. I haven’t been able to get down to the city yet, but I was able to go to Washington DC for a weekend with a friend from college to visit some of our other friends there. Overall I can’t complain much.

The only bad part of my time so far happened about three weeks ago when I broke my left foot. I had broken my left foot at the gym last February and had to wear this huge walking boot for two months so it would heal correctly. Apparently it did not heal correctly, and when I rolled my ankle three weeks ago it broke at that weak spot.

When I went to Benedictine Hospital in Kingston to have x-rays taken I figured it would be pretty clear what had happened since the pain I was feeling was worse than last February. Unfortunately the podiatrists (foot doctors) who were on call that morning could not see the fracture very clearly and told me that they really couldn’t tell one way or the other, but to make an appointment at their office for that next week. This lack of news was a big letdown considering that I had spent close to two hours in a room with one WWII veteran who kept telling the doctors about the number of other doctors he was seeing that week for his various heart and diabetes related problems (very depressing) and one women who could not be pleased (annoying). Apparently she did not like anyone (especially area podiatrists), and at one point informed our doctor that he was a “typical mid-Hudson podiatrist”, which I guess is the kind you want to avoid. She was also an expert in most everything and made sure everyone in the room knew it.

Anyways, I went back to the doctor’s office on Tuesday with the soft cast and walking shoe I’d received at the hospital for some more x-rays. This time the x-rays were taken correctly because it was obvious that there was a break. With that he put me in a new soft cast and told me to see him in two weeks. Two weeks later (last Wednesday) I went back for some more x-rays. They showed that my foot was not healing like he had wanted, so the doctor now wants a CT scan to get a better picture of what is happening. Right now I am waiting to hear if the insurance company will approve the scan. The doctor believes that I could have a non-union fracture (non-union means the fracture did not heal correctly), and if that were the case the only option for fixing it would be surgery. That is where we are at right now, hopefully I will be able to get the CT scan this next week and, if needed, surgery soon after.
I hope everyone else is having a good year in both their ministry and community.

take care,

jonathan

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