They didn't re-x-ray my foot, as they could see what was wrong from Sunday's x-rays. A ligament attaching the lateral ankle bone to the bottom of my foot tore out its lower attachment point. The doctor thinks it will scar back together on its own if I protect it with the boot for four weeks, so that's the plan. We'll x-ray again in four weeks to see if it worked, and if so, I can switch to a lighter splint, worn with a sneaker, which may allow me to drive. He wants to avoid foot surgery if possible, since the risk of complications (mainly infection) is very high.
In the meantime:
- No driving (it's illegal with a boot on my right foot).
- No ibuprofen (NSAIDs interfere with the inflammatory response and thus with parts of healing).
- Tylenol and pain pills are okay, but not at the same time to avoid acetaminophen overdose (I'm allowed up to 3800 mg per day).
- I should bear some weight on the foot for parts of every day -- starting with just a little, and gauging my tolerance by whether I'm in significantly more pain the next day. The knee scooter is okay, but I shouldn't rely on it too much, especially if it keeps me from bearing weight regularly.
- I can ice periodically, especially for the first 7-10 days. After that, it doesn't affect things as much, but it might help with pain.
- I should keep the foot elevated as much as possible, to minimize swelling.
- I should stay out of hot water -- baths, hot tubs, etc. -- and shower with water just warm enough, not too hot.
I forgot to ask if I should be doing any rehab exercises yet, so I emailed that question and hope to hear back. I also asked if the doc could tell me the names of the ligament that tore the bone, and the bone that got torn. This feels important to know, for reasons that are hard to explain. I guess the more I know about the injury, the more information about it is available to me about it, and that may help somewhere along the way with rehab, or even future injuries or choices of things like footwear. But besides those practical considerations, I'm pretty fascinated with biomechanics and anatomy, and I'm a lifelong learner. This is the sort of curiosity and learning that frequently leads doctors to ask me, the first time they meet with me, if I work in health care myself. The same thing happens with other professionals, like the state geologist who helped me figure out if our new house was on top of a coal mine in danger of collapsing (yes, it's on top of a mine, but one that appears already to have collapsed fully). That geology conversation was very enjoyable for both of us! I took a two-semester class in geology in college, and coal mine subsidence/collapse was one of the instructor's pet issues, so we learned a lot about it.
A month of no driving is new for me. We got two rides today, to get us to a class for one of the kids and back. We can get there on a bus in future if we're up for it. At times like this I feel very grateful to live near four bus lines. They go most places I need to go regularly, except my church, but there are many people willing to help with rides to and from church, since we live so close to it. Being involved with groups there, like choirs and small group ministries, really rocks at times like this, because there are lots of people who know me pretty well, have compatible schedules, and are willing to help. But I've had help from more casual acquaintances, too, called in by the Neighborhood Connectors program, which hooks people who need help up with neighbors who can give it. I used to be a neighborhood connector myself, so I've been on both ends of this.
Time to get the kiddos to bed and get on with my first post-injury shower, now that I know how to do it safely and am properly equipped!
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