Tuesday, June 21, 2011

anatomy of ankleland

Some of you may recall this story from about a year ago:

You can click the picture for a link if you haven't heard the tale, but about a year ago, I hurt my ankle pretty badly. I haven't really recovered. In fact, from favoring the initial ligature/tendon injury which was never properly diagnosed, I developed tarsal tunnel syndrome.
TarsalTunnel
Click pic to read about it.

Then from not dealing with the tarsal tunnel syndrome, I developed tendonitis on the posterior blah blah, a tendon sheathe along a muscle that runs from the knee down behind the calf muscle, close to the tibia. I lost track when the doctor was talking yesterday as he gave me a cortisone injection for tarsal tunnel syndrome. I left the doctor's office and drove in circles (yes folks, it is my driving ankle) to find the place where I was supposed to pick up a boot to wear for the next month, and found it just time for it to be closed, thanks to it's lack of signage. By the time I got home, my foot was on fire up to my knee, and felt dead and asleep, like it was trying to wake up, but never did except partially sometime around five o'clock this morning. Needless to say, it was a sleepless night.  Before I went to bed, I asked a medical friend if my foot/ankle/leg should still feel like this several hours after injection, and she replied that it sounds like I had a classic steroid flare. Yay me and my weird anatomy.

So this morning, I got to drive all the way back across Newport News to find this boot place again and now my fashion statement is this:


May I pass this lesson onto you?

Listen to your body when it is giving you clear signals to see a doctor and take care of yourself, for goodness sake, because if you don't put yourself high 'on the list', this is the sort of thing that can happen to you.

Ironically, in the waiting room, my reading was Hot (Sweaty) Mamas, by Kara Douglas Thom and Laurie Lethert Kocanda, an enthusiastic book about making personal fitness a priority in your hectic life as a mother.

I neglected to mention previously that this book was a win from Kate Hopper's blog, Mother Words:Mothers Who Write. I am incredibly grateful, Kate, thank you. Once I can get back on both feet, I am so on this!

In fact, even before I am back on both feet, I am starting a belly dancing class next Monday. :)

8 comments:

  1. Classic, Cath. Why is it that we put ourselves on the very bottom of the priority list?
    A big thank you for your last comment on my blog, about recovery time after surgery. I'd love to hear more but don't have your e-mail. If you feel like it, here's mine: carbartz (at) gmail (dot) com. Get better soon - because you'll need both legs for the belly dance!

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  2. oh good, take care, carola, really.

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  3. just making sure my comment made through... blogger just spat an error at me :-) just in case it didn't, wanted to say how sorry i am about all this! good for you for the belly dance class. hope it's great fun! i took a beginner's class about a decade ago and had a great time. would love to get back to it!

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  4. thanks, jen, the original didn't make it to my email, even, just the above one.

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  5. Oh Cath, I'm so sorry about all your leg troubles! But I'm really glad you're enjoying Hot (Sweaty) Mamas. As soon as you're healed you can get out there. Until then, take it easy!!

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  6. oh my....
    I've just started physical therapy after being in a boot for five months. Of course, we had different issues (I broke the 5th metatarsal - also called a Jones Fracture) but nevertheless, recuperation has been difficult & depressing at times.
    hang in there! do whatever you have to do to get back on your feet.
    "da boot" is stunning - at least you have a black boot - mine was ugly gray...
    I'll check back with you....
    chris

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  7. 5 months, christine? oh no! i hope you're feeling better now.

    the nurse who fitted the boot said, 'black, it'll go with everything.' first thing i thought was it's summer in virginia....and yes, that boot absorbs the heat. oy.

    hopefully, i won't have to be in it for too long.

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