February is Jinxed!

Last year I injured my leg when a truck door slammed into my shin resulting in a huge heamatoma that saw me on crutches for two and a half weeks.  The healing process has been slow and now I still have a bit of a lump with discolouration around the injury.  Last weekend I mentioned to my husband that it had been a year.  Well, don't you know I jinxed it!  Last Tuesday night I took a nasty fall down the stairs.  We have a bi-level home so thankfully it was only down the last two steps of the first level. 

What happened was I was moving rather gingerly due to a stain while playing volleyball the previous Friday night.  I had just had a nice soak in an epsoms salt bath then before settling on the couch to rest had to get something from the lower level.  I had my hard soled slippers on hoping they would help relieve my back.  My slipper caught on the stair tread, sending me crashing down onto the landing while giving my ankle one heck of a twist.  It took me a good 10 minutes to get my bearings!  I literally crawled back upstairs, grabbed an ice pack then sunk into the couch.  The swelling was bad!  When my husband got home he wanted me to go to ER but I could move my toes so reasoned it couldn't be broke.  I have emergency first aid training certification so knew the signs to look for.  Early in the morning hours I got up to go to the washroom and while in the process of leaving the washroom fainted.  My husband insisted I had to have it checked.  A family member came over the next morning.  She insisted on having it checked also. 

Sitting in the ER was beyond excruciating!  My back hurt bad enough I could barely walk as it was.  My ankles hurt something fierce to the point I was gritting my teeth but still refusing to take the pain killers the triage nurse offered.  The good news is despite the looks, nothing is broken but it is a very, nasty stage 3 sprain.  The prognosis is a full recovery in 6 to 8 weeks providing I follow RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) for the first week as well as using crutches to get around for one to two weeks and support shoes when I start putting pressure back on my ankle.

In comparison to last February's injury, I am a bit more mobile with this injury and in a lot less pain after only a couple of days.  I'm using one of the custom made drink trays on wheels to get things around on the upper level.  I manage to get up and down the stairs, not often but I can do it.  So, mobility while hindered is not at a full stop.  I'm telling you though, February is a jinxed month for me.  Next February, I'm going to wrap myself in bubble wrap!

Garden Gnome
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