I'm not really a doctor, but I play one on a webcomic.

[dolari]

After one night off my feet, I don't think I've broken my ankle. The bones don't hurt and the swelling is mostly centered around the area under and behind my ankle. It's (yet again) an incredibly bad sprain.

I've always had bad ankles since middle school. While running a race called horses (you run 1/4 of the way cross the gym and back, then 1/2, then 3/4, then all the way), I severely broke my ankle when I stopped wrong. Because I'm big and male bodied and obviously some kind of athletic superstar who is lazy in the eyes of middle school football coaches, despite me rolling around on the floor in agony, they made me get up and play soccer anyway.

That was the second hour of school. I walked the entire rest of the day on a broken ankle, walked a two mile walk home on a broken ankle then got home, changed into shorts, and saw a grapefruit growing out of my ankle.

One trip to the ER later, and we knew it was broken. I was off that leg for two month. Once it was healed, I was good to go, and started walking home and doing excersizes again...

...till I broke it again, just a few days after getting the cast off.

Did I mention I broke it again, a few months after that?

Sice then, I simply ghave no rigth ankle anymore. There's just no support from any of the ligaments or muscles on that side of my foot, and if I don't plant my foot carefully when I walk, it'll try and break again.

I've been lucky...about once a month, I'll plant my foot wrong, on a wrong, or an uneve surface or something that gives way under it. I'll end up putting too much weight too much to the side of my foot, and it folds inward. I've gotten REALLY REALLY REALLY good at catching that, by immeditately putting my left foot down and slamming all my weight on it. I usually just end up with a small ache that goes away in a few minutes.

But sometimes, I just don't have that option. About two or three times a year, I'll be somewhere where that happens, and there's nowhere to plant that left foot. Sometimes, my right foot will get caught in a small pothole on the street, which happened the last time this happened. Yesterday, it was exploring some railroad ties (my foot got caught in some ties when it "rolled"). In PA, it was ice on the street.

When these happen, I usually hear a few snaps, and literally collapse since nothing has my weight on it anymore. A lot of times, I'm out for an hour or two off my feet. LAst night was the worse where I'm still swollen, and couldn't walk on the foot all night, which is why I thought it might be broken.

We were going to do walking tours of caves today, and try to hit as many as we can before the sun goes down. I think today, it'll be "as many as we can before my ankle starts yelling at me." If it gets as bad as it was last night, we'll jump into a minor emergency clinic. It may not be broken, but then, I'm not really a doctor.

Which brings me to one little point. I actually considered going into the doctor today...Dr. Arcinega cant' see me till tomorrow afternoon, and Dr. Chase is closed today. I remember when I was kid, mom'd haul me into a doctor's office with no notice, and they'd see me.

And one more thing. Remember when I mentioned I had to play soccer on that broken ankle? One of the things that angered the hell out of me gender wise was little Dana [LASTNAME] twisted her ankle ever so slightly, and had a group of six beefy guys carry her to the nurse. Pissed. Me. Off.

Comments

[says-simon.livejournal.com]

In the last two years, I've started falling down a lot. I have to be very careful when venturing off the sidewalk.

I hope your ankle isn't broken and that it doesn't impact too much on your fun.

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

You know, if that had happened to you nowdays instead of back then, your parents could have sued that teacher and your school for a mint. They were obviously incompetent to look after you. And that doesn't even count the sexist display of and around little Dana [lastname]. Grrrrrrr.

What does not kill you doesn't always make you stronger. Sometimes it makes you vulnerable. Do you have an ankle brace?

[jenndolari.livejournal.com]

>Do you have an ankle brace?

I will soon. :)

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

It should be really funky. Perhaps red-anodized metal and lots of Texas-style leatherwork on the straps : )
Who needs boring medical-style stuff?

[amw.livejournal.com]

You know i have a really similar thing with my ankle. When i was little it always used to "give" underneath me and i'd either fall and sprain it, or i'd just catch myself with the other foot like you described. My parents always called it "growing pains" and said it'd go away when i was older. But it still happens to me now. It's embarrassing because it's not just on a weird uneven ground - i can be walking on perfectly flat pavement in the middle of the city and then wham! My ankle gives out on me. I've never broken it as a result, thankfully, but it still really fucking sucks.

[jenndolari.livejournal.com]

This was GREAT when I broke my leg the frist time. I'm thinking it might help me keep my ankle a bit more stable on rough surfaces. Maybe you can give it a go, too?

[amw.livejournal.com]

Mmm i guess it's worth a shot :) I'm always scared if you use something like that you'll actually weaken your muscles further, though, because it just expects to be supported always. Dunno...

[jenndolari.livejournal.com]

Well, I wouldn't use it ALL the time. Only when I know I'm going out hiking, climbing, or walking around uneven surfaces like...I dunno...pavement. :D

[jenndolari.livejournal.com]

BTW, loving the new pic. :)

[amw.livejournal.com]

Thanks :) I'm enjoying reading about your travels around Texas this week. Keep having fun!

Know the feeling

[laura-seabrook.livejournal.com]

I used to walk Pegasus a lot down bush tracks until I twisted my right ankle while wearing jungle boots. Then I had problems with the other foot. And nowadays Peggy's just a little slower at the walking bit.

Then again, my joints and bones "crack" - they always have. Apparently I have a future of rhuematism to look forward to.

So - can you get better supportive shoes, that will support your ankles?

Re: Know the feeling

[jenndolari.livejournal.com]

You know, I didn't think of that. When I broke my ankle the first time, they gave me an air-cast to wear for a few months after the cast came off. They still make them, and they're available from Amazon. I think I'll get me a pair for wearing when I KNOW I'll be tromping through some rough places.

[http://users.livejournal.com/strangelv__/]

A Coach at what would be my Jr High School maybe circa 1980 kept demanding that a student keep running until she literally dropped dead. Does that compensate? 8(

He wasn't the brutal hardcase his reputation made him out to be when I had him (and was a paragon or reason compared to our governor at the time (why did I bother giving Ross Perot, the governor's partner in mismicromanaging education, a break when he ran for President not that the main adult opponents of no-pass-no-play were any more useful -- take your pick -- an authoritarian who wants to turn everyone into robots or 'educators' who only care about football)? I already knew what a deceiving tyrant he really was), but there was a too-steep price to pay for that attitude adjustment.

P.E. -- add that to my list of reasons to homeschool if I ever I ever manage to have kids.

SL, who needs to find a topic less prone to sending him ballistic

[kireishojo.livejournal.com]

i have a bad knee on the same leg i have an ankle that will occasionaly give out. they are prolly related. i sprained it recently stepping off a curb. that was... interesting so i can really symphasize