Not-really-gory photos

[rachelmanija]

Do not click unless you are in the mood for "Wanna see my broken foot?" Cut for photos of bruised foot (and a cat).

The photos don't really do it justice, especially of the top of the foot - there's very dark bruising at the base of my toes that didn't show up well. On the bottom, the bruise is actually darker and extends to the side of the foot. However, you can see how it's swollen so all the wrinkles have vanished. The red marks are from pre-existing blisters, not blood poisoning. ;)

Comments

[mme_hardy]

Oh, you poor *pumpkin*! That looks painful.

[rachelmanija]

It is. If the doctor tells me I have to sleep with the boot I'm going to demand painkillers, because that hurt so much that I've been taking it off before bed.

[mme_hardy]

Huh. When I sprained my ankle last fall the doctor wanted me on continuous NSAIDs to keep the swelling down. Different doctors, different methods.

[rachelmanija]

I haven't seen my actual doctor (a podiatrist) yet. He may well advise that.

[feldman]

Oh ouch! The only bone I've ever broken was a foot bone, that truly sucks, I hope you recover speedily!

[mme_hardy]

You've experienced this far, far more than I, but isn't the doctor-to-doctor handoff maddening?

[pameladean]

Ow ow FUCKING ow.

Erin seems justifiably concerned.

Did they tell you to ice it?

P.

[oracne]

Owww!

[rachelmanija]

Yep. This is the amount of swelling WITH icing/elevation.

[rachelmanija]

How was your recovery? Did you use crutches?

[rachelmanija]

Yep. I'm bringing an older white man along as backup as there's three things I want to flat out demand even if he doesn't want to do them.

1. Forearm crutches. NOW.

2. Check ankle and knee, do more detailed scan of foot.

3. Better boot or cast for foot.

4. Referral to PT as soon as it's medically possible.

[mme_hardy]

Those sound like excellent things to insist on.

[feldman]

My recovery was complicated by a dismissive ER doc telling me I'd only broken a toe, so I taped my toes together and hobbled on it for a week, because what else do you do for a broken toe? My working class upbringing and ability to ignore pain overrode my medical knowledge.

Which is dumb, because my foot looked like a rainbow balloon animal.

The podiatrist I saw when it got worse after a week told me I'd broken a metatarsal in the body of the foot, so there was a walking boot, cortisone shots, physical therapy for the foot, and then again later for the hip because I'd been limping speedily in the FrankenFoot instead of using a normal gait.

Don't do that. I don't recommend that at all.

[pameladean]

Holy shit. You don't do things by halves, do you?
P.

[graydon]

You did that up proper, you did.

That's by-no-means-excessive swelling for the type of injury. If the camera-shy purple bits are not spreading and it's been a day or two, that's good, too; not much internal bleeding. (You know about aspirin being Right Out under the circumstances?) Still going to be severely miserable; sympathy!

Ibuprofen can be a big help. Last time I was in the ER for a muscle tear, I got given naproxen, which was nigh-miraculous at reducing the swelling. If you can get it, that might be an idea.

I so hope none of your cats like to sleep on your feet!

[movingfinger]

You can just get the crutches, you don't need a prescription or anything from a doctor. They're on Amazon. Height of the adjustable part should be such that you do not hunch shoulders when using them. If you're going to be on them awhile or walking on them a lot, it can be good to have spare tips on hand.

[movingfinger]

Ibuprofen gel would be good for this.

[rachelmanija]

Thanks! I will order some. I just now tripped over a curb, went sprawling, and landed on it. AGAIN.

[rachelmanija]

Oh, yeah, naproxen is over the counter here. I'll try some.

The cats have been shoved off my foot with great prejudice and have now learned to avoid it. I am still having to repeatedly evict them from the chair I'm using as a wheelchair.

[movingfinger]

omg, just saw that, ow, ow, no don't do that

Using the topical ibuprofen is really really helpful for bruising/local swelling. I think you can get up to 10% without a prescription?

Massaging the lower leg (non injured area) gently to help keep circulation going may help with the swelling. Stroke upward, not hard pressure.

You are doing a lot on a fresh injury. Also, it's possible that the evil shoulder crutches are up a little high, people (generic medical professionals, I'm looking at you) tend to adjust those too high in the pits, so there's a hunch in the shoulders and even poorer control than the crappy design dictates. Your weight shouldn't hang on them.

Thinking of you, wish I were close enough to help out.

[rachelmanija]

Thanks! I do have nearby friends helping out. It's just that this is so recent that I don't yet know what I can do, what I can't do, and what's not worth doing until I actually try it. I could have called an uber to the farmers market, for instance, and will do that next time.

The crutches are too high, yeah, and they can't be adjusted further down - they're already at max.

[graydon]

I am glad they figured out the foot is now a no-go area.

[mtbc]

Yeah, my doctor told me it was probably just a soft tissue injury so I ended up just buying stuff myself that felt like it helped: I was walking strapped firmly into one of those big aluminum-frame boots for weeks because it felt too bad otherwise, weird though it was to learn to do staircases in one. It was some time later when I was still suffering that they decided maybe it hadn't been a soft tissue injury after all: the guy working the MRI machine was very much ah yes, that's the issue when he saw inside my foot and then I had cortisone shots and stuff but it's never been quite right since. Fine for walking and running at least. So best of luck to people in getting sufficient timely treatment!

[minoanmiss]

Dramatic foot comparison! And a cat.

[julian]

That's quite impressive swelling. (Also: Ow!)