Yes I'm still alive

I've been gone from my blog for a while, but not without due cause. It's mostly been due to me not wanting to use this forum to whine about my current health issue. After today I'm hoping that I'll be on the mend soon. *Caution the below photos might not be for the faint of heart. You've been warned*.

I wish there was a more epic story to share. You'd think so after all the random adventures that I enjoy. Think about it I've been bungee jumping...sky diving...whitewater rafting...horseback riding...hiking on Mt. Etna...and at the time of this event I was training for my first 5K. Well all that came to a halt and all those events happened without any major harm coming too me, well I did fall out of the raft but I didn't drown...but that's another story. However, this injury happened simply because I was walking. Go figure. Gravity held me down that day, but it pulled me far lower than I wanted to go.

I had to park my car up the hill from where I work because it's been tourist season where I live and the parking lot was all full. I got out of my car...started walking towards my office...took a drink from my water bottle...stepped down on the asphalt and BAM!!! Rolled my left ankle and then subsequently fell in the opposite direction turning my right knee into "knee pizza" (it wasn't pretty).

Here is my ankle right after the fall...

Brutal right?! I can't even explain how painful it was. And since I don't have insurance I tried just getting the necessary rest and elevation for a week, until my Dad, who was visiting the following week, told me to go to the Dr. & that he would pay for it. Well it's a blessing that he did because the night before I went I was in the most wretched pain that I'd ever experienced. It's really indescribable. Lets just say it's been the only time that I've ever cried solely because of pain, no other emotions were coming from me just pain. So the following Monday I was in the ER and they gave me this stirrup brace (as seen below). Which felt good because of the compression taking place, but really didn't do a whole lot to keep it from moving. But I was headed to MD for a wedding and I needed something to help make it better. Ironically a few days after my 

I was watching the Doctors TV show and Dr. Travis Stork said that the #1 reason for ER trips were people falling...go figure.

So the ER docs orders were wear it for 2 weeks (I actually wore it longer) and then it would be OK to start wearing tennis shoes and try to start walking around. Well that wasn't going so well. My ankle was popping, yeah not fun, and when I came home on Wednesday night from church my ankle had re-swollen up to the size of a tennis ball. That really concerned me, as well as my other friends, that thought the joint might have actually gotten infected. After a month the swelling should have subsided more than it had. And I knew that, but was chicken to find out that my ankle could be worse off than I thought. But yesterday, after a lot of coaxing, I went to the ankle doc in town after work and was able to get into see her today...at 930 in the morning...because someone had cancelled just 5mins before I came in. Yeah...that's kind of a sign right?! So here is what the doc said as she was showing me how to tape my ankle up for compression purposes. But what she also told me was that when I sprained my ankle all 3 of my ligaments were involved, making it a class 3 sprain and that the ER should have put me in a boot to begin with. She also reiterated what everyone has been say, which is that this is going to be a long recovery and that my ankle may not ever be the same again.

I'm not sure this type of compression is working for me at the moment, but it was nice to hear, and more importantly I know I can't do this taping on my own because of the angle that my foot needs to be taped at. I need someone else to do it for me and at this moment in time that person isn't in my life that can tape it up at 7 in the morning. So I'm going to probably just wrap it in an ace bandage before I put it in my boot. And below is finally the boot that I had to go and get today. It's not the ankle size boot, I have to go and get that on Monday when they get more in, but this is better for now.

So here are a few things that I have been thankful for during this time...
First, that I have a friend that has been allowing me to use his car while he's on deployment. Seriously....I can't say it enough. I would be in such trouble if I didn't have a car right now since my vehicle is a stick shift and his is an automatic. So if you're reading this a thousand times thank you!!!! I'm taking it in for an oil change soon since I noticed on your window that it's due for one.

Second, that my friends have been available for me to call on for all kinds of help. They've helped with everything from dinner making, to dog walking, to yard work and house cleaning, and making me go to the doctor. I truly would not have been able to get through this past month without you.

And three that the Lord has used this to slow me down, a little bit. Even if this injury is irritating. I'm sure that there will be a clearing through this forest at some point.

So that's the update, hopefully as I start to get better I will feel like writing more.

P.S. As I was dealing with a leg injury Riley got a Hot Spot behind his ear and had to get a cone put on him. Don't we make quite the pair?!

Riley is all better now and no scaring from
his Hot Spot. Thanks Susan for taking care of him!