EXTRAY! TTL falls into ravine, sprains ankle..

so there I was walking back from a visit to a friend down the highway, walking because the doc said to excercise, took a short cut which involved going down into and then up to cross a ravine on the way home...

the rains washed away all the old trails I remembered that led down, and the wood planks I had placed there years ago were gone..I walked up and down, found the most likely spot to head down, and pretty much twised my ankle (left outer) right before I did a superman to the bottom.. belly flopped onto a big bunch of branches and bushes.. knew I had torn ligaments, (felt 'em go) knew I'd better get up and out while I could still walk.

strange, right in the middle of life and civilisation I suddenly found myself in a potentially lethal situation, out of sight and sound of everyone..

found the up and out path -- luckily I left my car at the bottom of the hill my house is on..drove up the hill, looked up sprains on the internet, while i was reading about torn ligaments I started sweating and felt I would faint, had no idea why, felt panicky..breathed deeply, it passed..called dr.. going tomorrow..he felt the sweat was anxiety related and not concerned..

I'm icing and elevating and all that good stuff, and now the ankle is bound up in strips of bedsheet.

so I'll be bored and on pain killers for a couple days, and not able to go far from the computer..just wanted to warn ya all.

..so as Judy Tenuta would say "...so start dancin' ! " ow. ow.

Serves you right. The doc told you to exercise to save your sorry a$$ and you try to take shortcuts!

Ice it/elevate it, and get yourself to the doctor (or ER) is what you should be doing. Especially the doctor part to confirm that the damage isn't any worse.

Sorry to hear of your mishap, how you feel better soon.

thanks.I'm feeling better already.

Glad you made it out ok, and that it was just a sprain/torn ligaments!

Cheers. :buddies:

Keep up the excercise though TTL ... moderate exercise is protective against many many disorders. I'm sorry to hear of your misfortune!

Hope it gets better soon TTL...

I am deeply appreciative of all the well-wishes. Thank you.

I bet the doc $2 (he scoffed at $1) that I didn't have broken bones. He slapped the x-rays up on the wall and I lost. It was a fractured 5th wachamacalit -- always accompanied by torn ligaments..

te pain of which the doc informed me caused the sweating and near passing-out -- it's called a "vasovagal reaction" -- evidently even if you don't feel the pain conciously, your body feels it and has this reaction. I almost called 911, not knowing what was causing me to feel like passing out, and not being so sure I'd come to -- but the doc said nah you don't have to call 911, just pust your head between your knees..

1,100MG Naproxen Sodium (Aleve) to start has made it possible to walk a little on it without the crutch..the effect of this rx is mainly to reduce pain through inflamation reduction..

I sure was lucky to have not hit a rock, I coulda been one of those bodies they pull out of the ravines around here a year or two after the people go missing (sometimes mistaken as Chumash Indian bones.. )

so I am humbled somewhat, and have a new appreciation for life and the ability to merely walk about -- you don't know how good what you got is till it goes..

got some Chinese food on the way home, and Tom the proprietor (at Point Dume Chinese Restaurant) gave me car window service! What a great guy!

be careful and watch your step everyone -- and never go near a ravine without your tall boots on!

That's 'cause he didn't want to get sued if you fell and made your injury worse, or fell on one of his customers and hurt them

Glad to hear that you're on the way to recovery.

TedTheLed said:

got some Chinese food on the way home, and Tom the proprietor (at Point Dume Chinese Restaurant) gave me car window service! What a great guy!

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heh, maybe --

tomorrow I go to the orthopedist for a cast. (doc doesn't 'do' plaster) my first one. yay.

5th metatarsal was the word I was looking for...for the fractured bone in the foot..

the Aleve is quite effective...

what would I do if I were poor? couldn't buy crutches, couldn't afford care,
the Aleve was $36 for a weeks worth.. guess I would score some smack and call it a day... (not that I would know where to get it.. )

If you were poor, you'd get Medical and go to a county ER where the rates might be considerably higher, but you get to stick it to the taxpayers. While in your shape, you wouldn't be up to the task, but you can get generic 200 mg naproxen sodium in pretty good sized bottles for about 12 bucks at Costco (probably about the same at Wal*Mart.) And Aleve is just a lower dose generic version of naproxen sodium from the brand name prescription Naporsyn medication. 1100 mg is a pretty hefty dose, the prescription strength used to be dispensed in 600 mg tabs. Surprised that the doc didn't prescribe something for pain, but if you're not in pain using the Aleve, then there's no reason to go to anything stronger.

TedTheLed said:

what would I do if I were poor? couldn't buy crutches, couldn't afford care,
the Aleve was $36 for a weeks worth.. guess I would score some smack and call it a day... (not that I would know where to get it.. )

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yeah, the doc said he had called in a scrip for an 'inflamation reducer' I didn't know it was Aleve till the druggist handed it to me. I specifically asked him if this was a cost effective way to take it' if buying otc alleve would be cheaper and he said it was about the same..probably at his prices this was true..I haven't been a member of costco in years. I looked into joining a few weeks ago but they wouldn't let me share a membership with a friend like I used to -- it has to be a family member who lives with yopu and they want proof.
They won't even let a non-member use his credit card to pay for a member's purchases any more (like they used to) ..

Been there, done that with the ankle. Actually, I managed to sorta crush mine with a nearly two ton piece of equipment. Walked on it for several minutes until I figured out that, yep, it just wasn't workin' quite right. As for rehabing it, the pain was moderate -- the boredome incredible. Wanna guess which one I could deal with easier?

Do what the physical therapist tells you and you'll be a whole lot better off a whole lot quicker and for a whole lot longer. Screw around with it and you'll feel it for a loooooooooooonnnnggggg time. Your mantra should be, "Rehab is a short term thing. Poorly meshed bones can be a pain forever."

thanks Chmsam.
sure wish I knew this stuff before it happened to me:
Vasovagal reaction:

A vasovagal reaction (also called vasovagal syncope) is sudden dizziness or fainting that can be triggered by pain, fright, or trauma. The person may sweat, feel lightheaded, nauseated, or tingly, and may pass out if the reaction continues.

A vasovagal reaction can happen without serious cause. However, vasovagal reactions may be caused by heart problems, epilepsy, or other conditions that require treatment.

A vasovagal reaction can usually be relieved by lying down with the legs elevated. However, treatment is necessary if a medical condition is causing the vasovagal reaction.

Definition of Vasovagal reaction:

Vasovagal reaction: A reflex of the involuntary nervous system that causes the heart to slow down (bradycardia) and that, at the same time, affects the nerves to the blood vessels in the legs permitting those vessels to dilate (widen). As a result the heart puts out less blood, the blood pressure drops, and what blood is circulating tends to go into the legs rather than to the head. The brain is deprived of oxygen and the fainting episode occurs. The vasovagal reaction is also called a vasovagal attack. The resultant fainting is synonymous with situational syncope, vasovagal syncope, vasodepressor syncope, and Gower syndrome which is named for Sir William Richard Gower (1845-1915), a famous English neurologist. See also: Syncope.

Sure they will, as long as it's an American Express card, it's the only credit card that Costco takes now. They'll also let you use an ATM card as long as they have a membership number to process the sale.

But aside from that, that was also the reason that I mentioned Wal*Mart. You should be able to find comparibly priced generics there as well, and it's going to cost you a lot less than generic versions of prescription Naporsyn.

TedTheLed said:

They won't even let a non-member use his credit card to pay for a member's purchases any more (like they used to) ..

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well, look, I owed someone money and I was going to go to costco with him and do just that, and thought I'd save a trip by buying him a gift certificate over the phone. or online. No could do. On the phone they said it was their new policy. Maybe I remember them saying each store sets it's own policy on gift certificates and you had to go there in person to buy it...I'm not sure. I am sure they said credit cards belonging to non-members could not be used...

flash : update :
went to the orthopedist, since bone was broken, to get a cast..but all I got was this big ski boot held on with 5 big velcro straps..in 6 weeks it should be healed.
I'm able to walk in the boot without a crutch, but the boot leg is longer than the non-boot leg so walking is off balance. why not a thick temporary stick-on sole for the 'short' leg? Maybe because it makes you too top heavy - and liable to topple over?
The blood in the foot is pooling now and turning my toes a lovely shade of blue.. :green: :shakehead

"normal," says orthopedist nurse about aching pain/discomfort and fleeting shooting pains that are occuring now a week after the injury.. this is what happens during healing..she says..

boot is supposed to stay on for all load-bearing walking, she says, even when I go to the bathroom 3 times a night? yup. I can't do that, it takes too long to strap up that thing..crutches better be good enough.. hope I'm not crippling meself..

Ah, I thought you were in the store using someone else's number and going through the front registers. I've done that many a time and let the other person use their AMEX or ATM card to pay. Insofar as buying stuff over the phone or online, I can certainly see where they might not want to accept a credit card that doesn't match the member number. That's a bit different, and they don't really know where you may have gotten the membership number from (some people lose their receipts, with their membership numbers, in the parking lots.)

TedTheLed said:

well, look, I owed someone money and I was going to go to costco with him and do just that, and thought I'd save a trip by buying him a gift certificate over the phone. or online. No could do. On the phone they said it was their new policy. Maybe I remember them saying each store sets it's own policy on gift certificates and you had to go there in person to buy it...I'm not sure. I am sure they said credit cards belonging to non-members could not be used...

Click to expand...

Sorry about your accident. I hope it heals without any problems.
My broken left ankle is the same ankle that I broke 2 tendons in playing basketball 17 years ago. It has been weak ever since and the Doctor warned me that I could hurt it again more easily. Well at least it took me 17 years to hurt it again, even though it was much worse this time. My cast should come off in a couple of weeks hopefully. Don't be suprised if your other leg starts getting sore because you are using it so much now.

somehow I missed that happening to you, what a coincidence. ouch, right?
I was reading about ankle injuries and it's often said these injuries occur when the "athlete" suddenly increased the work load, causing a stress fracture..which is pretty much true in my case; I had started walking around more on dr's orders, and promptly fell in a hole. (remember to always wear your high boots when venturing in the great outdoors..)

odd thing is how the 'discomfort' was delayed for a good week or so, just like the delay of the onset of pain when I first broke it-- took half an hour or so..then faded, for a week, as I said. So now so far I've taken a Tylenol3 (yesterday) and half a 7.5 vicodin this morning..

I'm not getting around much with this boot on one foot, so I doubt the other leg'll get sore, also..

how long have you had your cast on? it goes well up your calf right? why didn't you get a boot? guess they didn't want you taking it off for any reason..? I heard if it itches you can blow a hair dryed set on 'cool' in there..

good luck with the removal -- how'd you break it the second time? be careful. me too. :thumbsup: