MY ANKLE STORY CONTINUED

Continued from Wednesday Hodgepodge.....

2. What's something recently that made you 'come to attention'? 

Leave well enough alone!! Mark had painted our bedroom about 2 months ago and left an old vacuum cleaner next to his counter in our bathroom area. It should have gone back into the garage. I kept seeing the handle sticking out and was afraid I was going bump into it. So I turned it around to the handle was against the wall. 

Next day I stubbed my toe on the front of the vacuum cleaner! Why did I have to move it? Some of you already know this from Facebook. I was in the ER on Monday morning, the pain was unbearable. Now I tell you this because I have never yet gone to the ER without showering, doing my hair and putting on make-up, all I wanted was to be free of the pain. 

The toe doesn't hurt but I must have come down funny on my foot and wouldn't you know it is my bad ankle from an injury 20 years ago. After I had that injury I started wearing Birkenstock sandals. Never bothered me until 4 years ago when I tripped in the show which brought out the fact that my left knee was bone on bone. It had never hurt me before that. Couldn't wear Birkenstock anymore, made the knee hurt and I ended up having my knee replacement. 

Now the foot with the ankle issue is my right leg. I actually saw a podiatrist and ended up having an ugly brace made which I wore for awhile. Then the ankle stopped hurting. 

Now when I had to stop wearing the Birkenstock I started wearing Tom's shoes and have been wearing them ever since. I just never got back to the Birkenstock but I probably should try again. The rubber sole on the shoe caught the rubber edge protector on the step at the show. It became a fear of mine. 

Anyway the ankle has been good. Started to give me some issues when I returned home from the hospital in February. So last month I got a steroid shot in this ankle. Had one years ago but it didn't work which is when I saw the podiatrist. I was just sitting around the other day thinking how great the ankle felt and then I stubbed my toe! 

Thankfully the ER wasn't very crowed. Didn't have to wait 8 hours like I did back in February. I think I was there for maybe 2 1/2 hours. We are about 45 minutes from this hospital that we love and last time Mark waited in the parking lot that whole time and finally went home after I was admitted. We decided it was best for him to go back home just in case something like that happened again. 

They took me for an x-ray pretty quickly. Then I waited. Then I saw a woman who took more information from me and went over my medications, did my blood pressure, etc. Then I was back out in the waiting room to be seen. 

I was taken back to a room and waited for a doctor to see me. The x-ray showed that I have arthritis and a lot of bone spurs. They think maybe a bone spur may have moved but otherwise all was well. My concern was my Achilles tendon because the back of my ankle has never hurt like this. Literally I can not drive a car at this time. Pushing for forward on a gas pedal would sent shooting pains up the back of my ankle. 

So I was sent home with some pain medication and instructions to lay low, keep on a compression sock, ice it and keep it elevated. They wanted to give me crutches but I know that I could not do the with my COPD. Upper body things get you winded easily. So we pulled out my walker from my knee surgery to give me stability. Actually I don't feel like I am going to fall at all, it just hurts when I walk. 

So today is Thursday and I am finishing up these last 2 paragraphs. The ankle is better. The pain medication did help. It hurts with a forward motion like pushing a gas pedal so Mark had to drive me to my cardiologist appointment which went well. 

Only disappointment today was that if I drove myself I was going to go get a pedicure afterwards. Haven't had one in 15 months and doing my own is no picnic!