Snap Crackle Pop

First of all, this isn't about cereal. It's about a bone, a broken bone. Friday, I was going downstairs. Tippi, one of my cats had just gotten into some catnip (not on the steps) and was rolling around on one of the steps in pure bliss. As I was descending the stairs, I looked down at her and stepped to avoid her. I thought there was a step right below my foot. There wasn't. My foot slipped down to the next available step, turned suddenly sideways and I took a big tumble down about four steps and rolled onto the floor. It shook me up. I was mad at myself for being so clumsy. As I was falling down, I did hear something pop, but since my joints make little pops often, I thought it was just that, a joint sound. It hurt. You kind of expect to hurt a bit after a fall like that, so I didn't think anything of it. I even went upstairs and told my daughter what happened.

This was on a Friday. Why, oh why do these things always happen on a weekend!? I figured that I sprained my foot, so I kept it elevated and put ice on it. My husband and daughter went out and got me an Ace bandage and I wrapped my foot in it. I couldn't be on my feet on the weekend, so I called in to Kroger to tell them I couldn't be in. I felt bad because they are always busy on the weekend. Friday night, it really hurt, even when I held it still. Saturday, the pain was a little better and I could even put a little weight on my foot. Since it wasn't that painful, I figured that it had to be some sort of sprain.

By Sunday, a very colorful bruise started to blossom on top of my foot around the first toes. It was really quite a work of art, in various shades of a purplish blue. I was able to walk on it a little, and help with the barbecue that we had. I was even able to change out my hummingbird feeders. I had them inside while fixing the nectar. I was waiting for the nectar to cool off and was outside ready to toast a marshmallow on the grill when a  little female hummingbird flew right up to me, hovered and started chattering at me, as if to say, "Where's my food?" So I went inside and got the feeders ready. I was able to hang them up  with little pain to my foot and figured it was getting better.

The bruise was looking nastier and color was spreading to my toes. Jeff said, "You're going to the doctor tomorrow!" I didn't want to go to the ER because it is so expensive. Monday, Stacy filled in for me at the Heard museum.  After Jeff got home from work, he drove me to the doctor's. The doctor took one look at it and said that it looks broken. I was in complete denial. I said that it didn't hurt that bad. He sent me over for an x-ray. He looked at the film while I waited in the exam room and I heard him out in the hallway say, "...she broke it good!" Of course I hoped he was talking about someone else, but knew he wasn't. Then he walked into the room I was in and said, "You broke it good!"  I was crestfallen. I had never broken a bone before in my life. He showed me the film and right on a bone in my foot, I saw the fracture. There was no doubt about it, it was slanted and it was a definite break. The doctor said that I was tough.

He consulted with an orthopedic doctor from next door and he said that so far, no surgery was needed. I was grateful, I hate going under anesthesia. I had been using one crutch that was meant for a little kid (Jeff and Stacy had used them when they were little), the other crutch was broken, so I just used the one. The doctor loaned me a pair of adult-sized crutches, which took a lot of stress off of my foot.

Then Jeff took me to a nearby medical supply place on University Ave. to get me a "Short Walking Boot." Of course this place wasn't on our insurance. There was a place on the other side of town that was, but it was possible that the boot would be much more expensive and we would end up paying as much if not more even with insurance. After Jeff and I consulted with Steve on the phone, we decided to just go ahead and buy it there. Jeff was real sweet and paid for half of it. It's like fitting shoes, you have to try them on to see what a good fit is and a really nice lady there helped me out. Then I had to learn to walk with the boot on crutches. This is no easy task.

After I got home, I made Jeff a grocery list and he went an got groceries. With a broken foot in a big boot, you can't drive and walk around a grocery store. Jeff adjusted the crutches for me and I was trying to walk with them. That night, I "googled" how to walk with crutches and found out that I was doing it all wrong. The padded things at the top of them aren't supposed to touch the inside of your armpits. You have to lift with your arms. Lifting my entire body weight, plus a walking boot, is no easy task. My arms are not used to this. After about a day of this, my arms were sore to the point it was painful to walk with the crutches. I am supposed to use the crutches and only touch the toe of my broken foot to the ground, but I can't do that all the time. It hurts my arms too much. I have to build up muscle in my arms and that will take some time. The lady that helped me with the boot said I have to walk with it by gently rolling back to front and that's a lot easier with the crutches than totally lifting the foot off of the ground. I'm trying to walk with my foot off the ground as much as possible, but my arms can only take so much. I haven't even attempted steps yet. The kids don't want me to do that.

So, here I am, 48 hours later, off of my feet, thinking of all of the stuff that needs to be done. I am frustrated and angry at myself for being clumsy. My family tells me that it was just an accident. My family is taking excellent care of me, getting me stuff so I don't have to get on my feet. My arms are still throbbing from having to lift my entire body to get from point A to point B. It apparently takes from 4 to 6 weeks to heal. I am a diabetic and diabetics heal more slowly, especially in the feet. All I can do is pray for quick healing and take care of this thing so it doesn't take any longer than necessary to heal. Never take your feet for granted and always be careful going downstairs, especially when there's a cat who's high on catnip rolling around on one of the steps.

 On another note, I need to ask the kids to change out the hummingbird feeders for me. I don't want to disappoint our little hummingbird.