Dem Damn Bones

More than a decade ago I broke my kneecap. I was running, tripped and hit my kneecap straight on the sidewalk. It was rush hour and I fell behind some shrubs. I remember not wanting to get up because I was embarrassed. I wanted anyone that may have seen me to keep on driving by. I got up and hobbled home. What would normally have been a 10 minute walk took me about an hour. It was my right knee, and I knew I probably couldn't drive myself. I called a friend to take me to the emergency room and while I waited for her my knee doubled in size. It wasn't until the doctor told me that my knee was broken that I realized how seriously I'd hurt myself.

So, of course, six weeks ago when I rolled my right ankle I thought it was just a nasty sprain. I immediately went with Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation: RICE. I already had two drugstore ankle braces from previous sprains. I took some naproxen and called it a day.

Yes, I have sprained my right ankle several times. My feet turn out naturally, and combined with my clumsiness it is just a recipe for disaster. Typically though, the RICE method is a sure fix. This last time I took a week off from working out and when I did go back to the gym I started back with water aerobics. I didn't go back to Zumba because I didn't want to do all of that side-to-side motion. My ankle still felt vulnerable.

So, why did I finally go to the doctor? I had a deep pain in my foot that just never went away. See, I didn't connect this with the initial sprain because I thought that only involved my ankle. The pain I've been experiencing was more on the top of my foot and down by my heel. It wasn't even a constant pain. It would flair up when I was walking barefoot on the concrete at the pool, and the few times I pulled myself up the pool ladder with my right foot first. That last one there made me want to cry. I'm no waif, and hauling myself up by my injured foot (pretty much putting ALL of my weight right over the exact spot that hurt) practically made me pass out.

So, earlier last week I made an appointment to see a podiatrist. The night before my appointment I took a spin class. Even when the doctor was examining me I had a hard time pinpointing where my foot hurt the worst. Then she looked at the x-rays and said, "Hmm, does it hurt here?" She wrapped her hand around my foot and placed her thumb directly over the spot where I'd felt the most pain: then she squeezed.

HOLY SHIT! I may, or may not, have said that loud enough to be heard in the lobby.

Diagnosis: chipped bone in my heel.

I'm not sure how I was able to go six weeks before deciding to see a doctor. It might be that I have a high tolerance for pain (See walking home, albeit slowly, on a broken kneecap.) It also could be that the chip is in a location that is tucked up a little high and not always flexing like the toes. I know for sure that I've been favoring my left leg and making small adjustments to compensate for the injury.

Anyway, now I'm in an air cast that I have to wear for two weeks. I can take it off to sleep, shower and drive. Oddly, my foot seems to hurt more now. Is it because now I KNOW there is a chipped bone?