My foot is broken. That will teach me to do Bhangra! The worst is that, when driving to Deano's, I thought to myself that I should be careful because, given how exhausted I was, I could easily hurt myself.
So it broke and it was a good thing that we went to the ER because they would have had a hard time seeing the fracture later, as my foot became more and more swollen. The trip to the ER was... well... a trip. Man, there were people far worse than me! And so many weird things/people!!!
There was the one dude who had a bandage on his leg and one on his arm and he said to his girlfriend, "I swear, I shot myself." In my giddy state, later, I tried the angle that would be needed to shoot yourself in the arm and in the leg at the same time. Interesting angle...
There were lots of other interesting things but I will spare the details.
So I'm using crutches. Man, never take walking for granted... crutches are eeeeeeeevil. Although I'm getting better with them. Due to dancing, I broke my foot but thanks to dancing (and yoga), I'm somewhat used to have most of my weight on one foot and doing crazy things so it makes it slightly easier. Silly things like going to the bathroom are hard. You never measure how long your house is if you can walk. You can grab a glass of water from the kitchen and drink it in the living room.
My poor husband is doing a very good job of helping me. But, man, I find it hard to ask him for every single thing. I feel so helpless!
I was supposed to see a doctor today to know the course of treatment for my foot. The ER indicated that I just had to call the clinic's number and say that I would come by and all would be fine. Well, when I called, a very snobby woman condescendingly (is that a word?) informed me I couldn't just show up... I needed an appointment. So I sounded very pissy but, heck, I don't know the exact situation for my foot (I don't even know exactly which bone is broken) and it's stressing me a little. Anyway, the lady said that she would talk to the doctor.
I am working from home because the trek from the parking lot to my desk would be way too hard. Given that I have a laptop, I can easily work from home, which is a blessing. Anyway, the lady from the doctor's office called right when I was on a conference call. So I couldn't answer my cell... but the message said that, if I could swing by within 30 minutes, the doctor would see me. Hell, I live 21 minutes from the doctor's office (per Mapquest) and am still in my jammies. So it may have to wait until Thursday. *beep beep beep beep* (expletives have been "beeped" lol)
I didn't realize how nice it was to just do nothing on the couch... until this morning... I'm working but I'm tired. Sheesh! The thing that is sad is that I have a note from the ER saying that I should be off work for 1 to 2 days but, unfortunately, I can't take the time off because I have so many urgent projects to wrap up. I'm just grateful that I have a desk job!
Among the questions that have popped in my head over the weekend:
- When will I be able to take a shower?
- When will I be able to wash my hair? (Now it suddenly seems like having short hair would be a good idea)
- When will I dance again?
- Will I be healed by Gencon?
Thanks to everyone who helped me this weekend. And thanks also to all those that I will call upon to help me in the coming weeks.
Comments I had received
From Elisabeth:
aww hun... that sucks! I've totally done the crutches thing so let me just say: Be careful on wet surfaces! Especially like if it's raining and you walk into a dry building. The bottom of the crutches are still wet so wipe them on a rug really well. I didn't get that memo and that's how I landed flat on my ass... Also be careful on stairs. Go slowly. And watch out for bags on the floor. Like grocery bags or anything really with a handle or something looped that sticks out. Crutches like to catch on them too. Good luck!! and get better soon so you can dance again :)
From Anthea:
So sorry to hear that! Be sure to take as much time to heal as you can - you'll dance better later. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
From Heather:
ARRRGH!!I am so, so sorry to hear about this! Good for you for having it looked at right away and give them a hearty thwack from me when they stop giving you the run-around and finally get off their fat butts to help you! You have my every sympathy about the ambulatory issues and "how much should I pester my husband" thing. If it's any help - I think they are more worried we'll do something to hurt ourselves worse than they are about getting up to get us something. :D As for healing - here's what I know: Breaks are easier to heal than dislocations and soft tissue damage. You might have soft tissue damage along with your break - the doctor will be able to tell you. If you don't want to wait, you might be able to figure out a little on your own (like a detective story). You know how you broke it? If you were twisting or pushing at the time? How your foot landed? Any kind of torque might indicate some soft tissue damage as well, I'm thinking - so that will add a little bit of time onto your healing and recovery. For my foot, I figured I'd need to stay off of it for about two weeks with anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks for soft tissue recovery. I did fairly well here - and I used a cane for support. Again, I had a dislocation vs. break so all I had to worry about was the bone slipping out of place. I'd guess about 6 to 8 weeks with a broken bone? After you get off crutches you'll have to factor in building back up to normal usage - your muscles and ligaments and things will tighten up as you're healing. This is the hard part because you'll (as I) want to leap back into things but you'll have to take it slowly so you don't re-injury yourself. I'd allow another six to 8 weeks of stretching and gradually building back strength. (I'm looking at 8 to 10 or longer weeks as I'm pretty sure my foundation is not right and I need to build up some areas - like quads.) In regards to performance, I'm not planning on being in a performance until maybe after October - probably more like January. I have gotten to the point where I can last through my dance classes (6:30 - 9pm for both) but I'm not yet "sound" - going up on my toes still hurts and it's distracting so I wouldn't be able to give a good performance. This is just me personally - I'm also trying to relearn posture and correct my foundations. Of course whatever doctor you'll end up working with will be able to tell you more and probably have some additional resources for you. If I could give you any advise, it would be this: stay off of it as much as you can and be as gentle and patient as you can in your healing. It will be frustrating as hell, but the work now will pay off big later. Much better to be slow right not vs. rush into things and get hurt worse later. Best of all possible luck in your healing and in getting a good doctor you can work with! As for Gencon - can you borrow a wheel chair? That would let you attend and see all the stuff without worrying about crutches and fatigue.
From Heather:
oh no! You have my every sympathy! It's a good thing you can work from home, 'cause negotiating crutches long distances is just awful.
From Akilah:
I am so glad to see a post from you! The husband unit wishes you well, too.
From Carenza:
No More Lightbulb Bhangra! Poor Celeste, I am glad you went to the ER...and even more grateful that Kate washed your feet! lol >:~) Take care of yourself, xo, C
From Adriane:
ERs are crazy, huh? I was in one once, and it was quite a trip! Take care of yourself, dear!
From me:
Thank everyone for the nice messages! It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. รจ
Heather, Thanks for the timeline for your recovery. That broke my heart a little but gave me an idea of what is coming up. I will know more on Thursday, after I finally meet the orthopedist. One thing that's for sure is that I want to dance (and do yoga and other stuff) for a loooooong time so I will need to take all the time that it takes to do a good recovery. I know that it will be hard at the point where I will start to feel better and will want to do everything as I used to do. I asked my tribe sister to tell me to slow down if they see me do that. :D So. I can't do yoga. But I can do meditation and breath work and relaxation. So. I can't belly dance. Well, I can still coach from the sideline, I can learn to play zills in a stationary manner (not ideal but that way, should I not be able to perform at the RenFaire, I may be able to zill for the troupe), I can still move my upper body so I can work on that, and Suri reminded me that I can do the Suhaila glutes squeeze!
From Heather:
"that broke my heart a little" - I so, so know what you mean. And I think you're right - there are a lot of things you can focus on now vs. performing or standing. There are lots of yoga poses that one can do from the ground; sun salutation can be modified that way fairly easily if you replace all the standing forward bends with hamstring stretches from the ground. And sitting in a chair practicing rib cadge lifts and snake arms while keeping the abs engaged will do wonders later. Not to mention you can still do leg lifts from a chair or from the ground - just as long as you stay off the foot. ;D And seriously - every body is unique and every problem will have it's own solution. Your doctor might have a totally different time line for you. If it *is* the long haul though - know you're not alone and that there are a lot of ways this time can be used and not "waisted". Even just going to class and *watching* everyone will help - I am amazed at all the details I'm noticing now that I've been required to slow down. Best of all possible luck, and an easy recovery!
From Carrie:
So glad you went to the ER...I am so sorry that your foot is broken--I broke an ankle once, and it was so hard to be patient during the time I healed. I am glad you are going to be ok. Even though I only know you thru Deano's nights, I was concerned about you. Blessings, Happy Thoughts, and Hugs, Carrie
From Kat:
I missed the bottom step at my brother's house back in 1997 and twisted my leg so hard it fractured the shin bone (Tibia? Femur? whatever!) *vertically* up it. I walked around on it for a week insisting it was a bad sprain b/c I had just moved here for a Kelly job and had no insurance or $$. When the urgent care center doc showed me the x-ray I about fainted! Needless to say, i got to go to a ortho guy who put me in a cast and told me gruesome stories about what happens if you insist on walking on a broken bone. I spent over 8 weeks in a cast and boy, oh boy .... do I ever sympathize with the helpless feeling! My worst moments involved getting out of the bath, falling over when I undressed or dressed (cast entangled in my undies) and those *BLEEPING* rotating doors at work. Hang in there!
From Paula:
How is it going?I have not really been watching the bolg much this summer as I've been working so much so it is sort of news to me about your foot I hope you are healing well. Hope you recovery soon !! I'll be painting faces at the market this weekend if there is no rain. Heres to feeling better. Paula
No comments:
Post a Comment