%)$*&%_#( again

slipped in the shower this morning and clobbered my ankle. Not sure if I did any real additional damage to it but it hurts so I called of work. Actually called COMB* in FL on his cell to let him know and to give him his e-mail info, since I STILL don't have clear instructions as to who and how to do this.



*COMB = Crazy Old Man Boss

an awesome "Daily Bunny"

"Uh, hello ? Sir, you all right down there?? Well, rollerblades aren't for everyone, are they... at least it's quite mossy there, that's good. Um. ...would you like a mint? My person usually has some in her bag here..."

adventures in pain - on purpose

Today I skipped my pain meds for about 12 hours so that I could get an inventory of exactly how bad the damage is and where.

In addition to the ankle, I'm feeling a constant ache in my knee and my hip from limping, so I need to be more careful about that. I think I need to slow down and walk closer to "normally" than gimping faster. The ankle itself is about where I expected - it really only hurts when I move it. When I sit still it's only a low-grade ache. But it does feel warm so there is still swelling/bruising going on.

When I used to do stage combat and I would get injured, I would usually not take anything for it except in the earliest stages or when sleeping. I figure that pain is the body's way of telling you that something is WRONG and that you ought to back off on what you're doing or you'll damage it more.

I've been staying on the high dosage of ibuprofen that my doctor gave me partly for the pain but partly for the anti-inflammatory aspect of things. I think tomorrow I will try dropping back to an OTC dosage of ibuprofen during the day, and save the big ones for night-time. I've also passed the point where ice is going to do much good, so I can go back to long hot baths to soothe out the abuse of the knee and hip.

I've also been starting to mobilize things - slowly pointing and flexing my foot without weight on it, being careful to stay in one plane and not twist things. It's not comfortable, but doesn't actually HURT if I'm slow and careful. I plan to talk to the doc next week about doing some formal physical therapy as I recover. This is the third time (granted, 3rd time in 21 years but still) that I've sprained the same ankle, so I want to maximize recovery and strength in an already compromised joint.

I know i've been whining a lot on here. I don't deal well with long-term pain. It's tiring and I get even crankier than usual, so I try to stay away from people. Not being able to DO stuff is also terribly frustrating - there's nothing wrong with my brain, just my leg! Writing about this stuff helps me quantify things and look at it objectively.