My First Time on Crutches

I guess there's a first time for everything and that includes walking on crutches. Not having been an athlete in school I'd never broken a leg or sprained an ankle. Nor did I ever do any other sort of activity that might cause this. I'd seen many others at school going through this.

But this past Tuesday night I was walking around the house between 7 and 8 PM and felt a strange pull in my right leg. No clue what caused it then and still no clue now. I could barely walk and had to tiptoe on my right foot. It hurt a lot. and if I tried to put my right foot flat down, I'd fall over on my other end. Really. I was glad to be off work the next day so I could see a doctor. My mom had to take me because I would not be able to drive with my leg. Ironically I was supposed to get my car serviced that day but had to cancel that, since I wouldn't be able to get it to the mechanics and back.

After waiting an hour and 15 minutes for the next available slot at the clinic, I was still trying to walk tiptoed and it hurt a lot with this long of a wait. Mom and I drove around town while we waited, first to the donut shop (I'd been unable to get up to get some cereal that morning and was hungry). Then I waited in her car as she went to look in some thrift stores and into Kmart to get cat food. It was definitely no fun having to wait like this on a hot day in June. I made the mistake of not taking the book I was reading with me. Finally it was 11:15, time for my appointment. Once I got to see the doctor, he determined I'd need an ultrasound to determine what was wrong with my leg. As I exited my appointment trying to tiptoe, the doctor asked if I wanted to use crutches. He went to get some and adjusted them according to my height.

This being my first time, it was totally new to me. Needless to say, I nearly slipped a few times as I started walking. I tend to move a little fast sometimes so I had to get used to going a little slow and get used to being on crutches for a while. Getting in and out of the car was only the first difficulty I endured once I got out of the doctor's office.

The next available time for a ultrasound at the hospital was at 2:30PM, so another long wait was ahead of me. I waited at Mom's house and watched reruns of "The Office" and "Friends" on TBS and enjoyed some lunch from Subway while waiting. At last time it was time, and the wait was even longer. Several other people waiting for x-rays or ultrasounds got called ahead of me and they had arrived after I did! When I was finally called, I learned I had to go to the room all the way at the end of the hallway! I did not think I could make it all that way on the crutches so the ultrasonographer offered to get a wheelchair.

The stuff they squirted on my leg to do the ultrasound was quite warm and funny-feeling. The doctor had been worried I might have had a blood clot in my leg, but thankfully that turned out not to be true. I'd torn a muscle or something. I had to return to the doctor the next morning so I had to call in sick at work for Thursday (and again for Friday). The doctor repeated that info that there was no blood clot and that I'd torn a muscle. He than said that I must keep my leg elevated and on ice, and practice flexing my foot so I can get it back into walking mode. Been doing this for the last three days.

I watched DVDs and read books while laid up on the first two days and did not get on my

computer for two days!

Getting to and from the mailbox was a challenge at first. I got a Netflix movie on Wednesday and left it in the box for pickup on Thursday. No mail came that day. Friday I paid my VISA bill and waited for the mail carrier to come. When she arrived she asked me what happened, upon seeing my crutches.

Saturday I needed to get groceries and Mom took me to Target where I got some food, a new book to read, and some bathroom supplies. I practiced walking by pushing the cart. I left my crutches in the cart and my purse in the child seat and as best as I could pushed the cart throughout the store. When I got home and put away the groceries away slowly I settled down for the rest of the night to watch another movie from Netflix.

Another thing that's been something of challenge is making dinner. When I got home on Wednesday, I was lazy and ate some cereal. But the next tow night I fished the rice I'd cooked on Tuesday night before hurting my leg. For lunches, I made the microwavable pizza slices I had in the freezer.

Today I'm still practicing flexing my feet and walking without my crutches, but my leg is still sore and my ankle is swollen, so it looks like I have to call out sick again tomorrow. Sadly it's not ever yet and a lot has been happening the last few days, hence this really long blog post! pardon the lack of images, but there just wasn't time to photograph everything. And I was in too much pain to even think of that! Though I new I was going to blog about my experience.

More to come on this story later.