State of our medical system...
It's been 150 days since my last post and for the most part it has been my life has been a bit crazy. I spend every summer in New Mexico. I take my kids to camp and also am the camp mom. My duties range from doing all the laundry, giving hugs, walking campers from place to place. I answer the phones and manage frantic parents whom have left their little ones at camp for the first time. I get my weekends to go into Santa Fe and visit the galleries, stop and have a massage or two and its a fabulous time. This year, I was standing on the porch and was correcting some boy campers when my foot slipped and down I fell into a huge mud puddle. My foot twisted upwards and a popping and grinding sound, I was sure it was broken. I had never broken a bone in my life which exceeds 40 years by the way. I remember starting to shake and my body was moving quickly into shock. I was quickly scooped up and taken to the hospital, which I shall not name, but only because I am still upset with them. The hospital x-rayed my foot and I was told ice the foot for swelling, no breaks, and its a mild strain. Start bearing weight on the ankle in two days. I am a social person, I love to travel, I love to be out adventuring, so to be down for any amount of time was not acceptable. I went back to the camp and iced my foot the whole next day, I laid in bed listening to the bustle outside my window. That night, I was determined to walk, and I did. I cried, bit down hard, and breathed my way through the night. I am very thankful no for all those breathing exercises we mom's used during childbirth. I meditated and prayed God would just take this pain away. I am good at getting through a crisis and personal pain afterall I have survived cancer, brain surgery and have learned to walk afterwards. This was 'just' a strain and to be honest, if it were my kids and the doctor said not to 'baby' the injury, I would be all over them to get up and going. I believe in the 'do as you say principles' and do it. This pain was unbelievable. I was successful by morning my foot was purple but the pain was gone. I elevated and iced each night and limped my way through the remainder of the 2 weeks. I drove 2000 miles home and called an orthopedist to see if they could help with my mobility issues. I learned that day after an x-ray and MRI I had 3 non displaced fractures, ruptured 2 ligaments and the third was questionable but most likely ruptured, the nerves were severed which accounts for the lack of pain, and significant severe bone marrow edema. He said, it was considered a third degree sprain, and that a surgery within 48 hours would have been the directive however it has been 4 weeks and the damage had already began to heal. It gets even better. I was in a boot but the edema was not improving and the fear was the bone was dying. A dying bone means amputation of the foot. I almost fell off the table in my mind I am thinking 'are you kidding me??? I fell off a porch, not a war injury, or farming accident...lose my foot'? I realized i had to get off my foot for every hour I am up I would go down 2 hours. The doctors were going to drill my bone if the swelling did not begin to decrease. It has finally and no drilling but really scary stuff. I am in a half aircast instead of the boot now. I am thankful but have got to listen to my body. I am way to good at rationalizing my own pain and downgrading my own needs. I don't want to be stopped life is so short, and I don't want to be on the sidelines of life.
Comments