The Healing Process

It has been a long two weeks, to say the least. I sustained an injury on Saturday, September 14th playing in a fun game of coed adult soccer. The irony is that after all these years of competitive sports I never really had a serious injury, and now...

There's not an interesting story, I didn't get into some sort of wild collision, I wasn't using my "jukes"...The first couple nights after the injury, it was like I was dreaming about this moment over and over and it was not fun to relive. I simply stretched my leg out for the ball while I was turning and jumping (more horizontally than vertically). I immediately heard several pops in my ankle and could tell right away something was wrong.

It was hard to tell what the damage really was at first because I had on cleats, shinguards and black socks. But I knew I needed to get it checked out right away. Later on, John told me that he thought I was being a bit dramatic at first, until we got to the emergency room and they cut off my sock and shinguard. We rushed to the San Dimas emergency room (they actually called paramedics to the field but we decided we didn't need the service to drive a few miles). Turns out I was the 4th soccer injury that evening! And, I would guess, the oldest!

After an examination and x-rays, the official diagnosis was a dislocated ankle and a broke fibula. The fibula is the smaller of the two leg bones, so it could have been worse! Along with that, all of the tendons and ligaments were torn, which is common when there is a dislocation. I won't post the pictures as they are quite graphic but let's just say, my foot was clearly dangling from my leg in an unnatural fashion. While I was in the emergency room they popped my ankle back into place, which was one of the most excruciating things I've ever felt. Unlike a simple dislocated finger, they do not numb the area before replacing the bone!!

Getting ready to go home with my new gift, Baby Frog

That week, I was overwhelmed with an outburst of love and good deeds from friends and family. I received flowers, we had meals delivered, offers to puppy sit, etc. It was SO helpful since I was stuck in bed in lots of pain and John was left to wait on me, do all of the work around the house, in addition to everything else he does on a daily basis.

I was scheduled to see the doctor the following week. We thought I'd get in and out with a cast and be done, however, after additional x-rays, we were told that my foot was not in the right position and I'd need surgery to fix it. Until then, I was stuck in bed in a soft splint, elevating at all times, and using crutches when I needed to get around.

I finally had surgery at an outpatient center in West Covina on Tuesday, September 24th. Coming out of surgery was another traumatizing experience. Instead of being loopy on anesthesia, I was in extreme pain. After several doses of different drugs, they flipped me onto my stomach and gave me a nerve block. It was so painful but numbed my leg entirely for six or seven hours. Since then I've been keeping a steady stream of meds in me. I've weaned myself down quite a bit and am feeling much, much better.

I will be on crutches for at least one more week, until I see the doctor again. I believe at that point he will put on a cast (hopefully a walking cast!). For now, I'm struggling with restlessness, crutches, and being stuck in bed. Even when I want to get up and do something, I am exhausted afterwards. So either way is no fun!

All of this has made me so thankful for all of the love that surrounds me. My injury is not fun but it could have been much worse. I am blessed to have great healthcare and a strong support system. This has made John and I even closer as a married couple and has given both of us a fresh perspective on life and how precious it is.