navygreen | Update on my ankle.

I went to the clinic on Thursday morning. I woke at 7am to call in and try to get a same-day appointment (it's the only way to get into our hospital for an appointment, and it stinks), but I was told that anything at all that had happened in less than 24 hours had to be first seen at the Urgent Care Clinic, which didn't open until 10am.

My friend Ann was already scheduled to pick the boys up for VBS, and she came just a little before 9am. Shortly after they left, I gingerly hauled myself up off the couch and began getting dressed. I left around 9:30, giving myself to drive carefully to the clinic, as well as hobble inside from where I'd had to park.

I drove two-footed, very slowly, and I squeezed shut tears as I went. I parked in about the middle of the parking lot, and I started on my way in. I was moving along at a very slow pace, and I gritted my teeth the whole time. When I jarred my ankle on the first of two curbs I had to traverse, I started to cry silent tears. Finally, I made it in the doors. Once inside, a tech jumped to my aid, seated me in a chair and gave me paperwork to begin. After I finished filling it out, he was nice enough to come back out and retrieve it from me, and I was seen first (there had been about five patients waiting inside for the clinic to open when I arrived). I had my vitals taken and my x-rays completed by 10:30 - so quick!

The diagnosis at this time is that I have a very badly sprained ankle, and suspected tendon damage. The techs were able to see "massive soft tissue swelling" on the x-ray, and that's not normal when they usually just see bones (or so I was told). The doctor told me they will have to wait until the swelling goes down to be able to test for range-of-motion or feel for the tendons, as it would do nothing but really hurt me to try it right now. So she wrapped it up well, and I left the clinic.

Wow, what a difference a well-wrapped ankle already made in my hobbling! Yes, it still hurt, but at least there was some support for it then. However, even with putting ice on it regularly, I can't keep it wrapped for more than about three hours at a time - it swells up and turns blue/purple by then. But I wrap it each time I'm going to need to walk on it again.

When we returned home yesterday afternoon, my foot was throbbing from being wrapped once again, and I unbandaged it while sitting in the office. I didn't think anything about it, really, until the boys came in to ask me a question. They stopped short, and Jack covered his mouth in a gasp, "Mom! Your foot is bleeding!"

I looked down and noticed the outside of my ankle for the first time. As it hurt to try and twist around, I'd just been watching the inside/top of my ankle, and I truly hadn't noticed the outside, and even I was surprised to see all the bruising. Of course, I took pictures.

And yet, it's even purtier today. ;-)

And that's where things stand at the moment. I'm taking ibuprofen on a schedule, and I'm using ice regularly (and I hate it - it makes my toes so cold, even though the ice isn't touching them). The swelling doesn't seem to be going down yet; rather, the left/inside side of my ankle is now swollen as well. There is no distinction between the "ankle bone" (the bone that usually sticks out to the right) and the rest of my foot/leg - that's how swollen everything is. And my toes are ridiculously chubby, too. Good thing it's sandal season, as there's no way I could fit into a pair of my shoes right now.