Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Just Another Whiny Blog Post


My dear readers, I realize that my blog entries lately have trended toward incredibly whiny. They have been less about the gratifying trials and tribulations of motherhood and more about my own surly grumblings. I am aware of this trend. I plan to change course soon and tap into my inner Pollyanna. I promise. Soon. Unfortunately, today is not that day. Please stop reading now if you wish to avoid another sullen glimpse into my monotonous affairs. You've been warned.

As I wrote about on Monday, my physician referred me to see a podiatrist for the ongoing pain in my foot. To my delight, my foot was swollen and tender when I went in to see the podiatrist yesterday. Yes, I said "delight." Seeing that it was swollen excited me because I thought the podiatrist would be inclined to believe there really was a problem rather than chalking it up to my simple whininess. Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about because the podiatrist was very thorough and incredibly nice. He initially suspected a stress fracture, but could not find one on the x-rays. He finally concluded that, in addition to a bit of arthritis, I have capsulitis in my foot. Capsulitis is apparently an inflammation of the capsule that surrounds a joint. In my case, an inflammation of the base joint of my second toe. The physician explained that I have a structural deformity of my foot (figures!) that causes my big toe to roll outwards when I bear weight. This puts additional pressure on the joints of my second toe, causing the swelling and the pain that radiates down the top of my foot. After years of wear and tear, that joint has become irritated and inflamed. The fix? Resting the foot. OK, I thought, I can do that. I can rest. I can sit with my foot propped up. Ummm....no. That is not what the doctor had in mind. He explained that I need to totally rest the joint....immobilize it for a long period of time to give it proper rest and recovery time. Then I was blind-sided. I heard the words that I hadn't even seen coming. "Mary (the nurse), can you get me a boot?" That's right, he prescribed an air cast. A big, bulky, HOT, walking air cast for my foot. I have to wear it for two weeks and then come back to see him to re-evaluate. I can take the cast off to sleep and shower, but any time that I am weight-bearing at all, he wants me to be wearing the cast. For two long weeks!! Ugh.

After the physician left, as the nurse was instructing me on how to wear the boot, she leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "You know...most people average six weeks in one of these boots."


Freaking great.

1 comments:

Angie Rehnelt said...

I had a stress fracture in my sesamoid bones in my foot last year, it was also an over-use/wear n tear type deal. I wore a boot for about 6 weeks and it was amazing how much it helped. Take advantage and get temporary handicap parking. I did! Good luck!!

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