It was ridiculous, really. I was at church and slipped on some wet bricks outside, and I almost fell but I was able to roll it and stay on my feet. It just felt like a dull ache, until I put my weight on it and YOW!!!! But, thinking I'd only sprained it, I bought an ankle brace and limped around miserably for a couple of weeks.

I kept waiting for it to get better, as sprains usually do, but it just kept getting worse and worse. It felt like somebody was drilling through the bone with a white-hot icepick. My NP sent me for X-rays, which didn't show a break but did show some bone spurs. Then I went to urgent care because I couldn't stand it any longer, but of course nobody would give me pain meds because I happen to have Klonopin on my med list. (Check out my rant on bpnurse.com.) But I did get a nice walking cast and a referral to a podiatrist, and with the help of the boot and eating Aleve and Tylenol like Skittles, I managed to make it to my appointment without losing my mind.

Podiatrist is a nice guy, and the first thing he wanted to do was to get another set of X-rays. Sure enough, the break was obvious on this second round of imaging...even I could see it when the doc showed me. He was going to cast it but thought the walking boot would suffice if I kept it on 24/7 and didn't put my full weight on the ankle. He didn't give me narcotics either, of course, but the pain has gotten somewhat better (it's down to a dull roar most of the time) and I'm to keep the boot on at least for another five weeks if not longer.

My history of healing lower-extremity injuries isn't good because I have poor circulation, so I'm not optimistic about it fixing itself quickly. It's getting to be a real drag, and I am not patient when it comes to my own medical calamities. (I'm great with others who are hurting, though, which is why I was a good nurse.) But I'll do what I have to do, even if I'm out of sorts and hating life on the sofa. Thanks for passing me a little cheese with my whine.