Broken Ouches
On the heels of "No More Excuses"...
I entertained the ER last night. It's the perfect way to usher in the July 4th week. It was also my birthday.
I fell in the kitchen, staggering around to keep my balance but the left foot finally gave out. I dislocated the 4th digit and snapped the pinky in half. The skin along the dislocation tore, though I was able to tug and snap the dislocated bones in place. Blood and more blood. I called 911.
Dr. C at the ER knows me well. Perhaps too well. "Can you give us those birdies?" I'm sure the intern beside him wondered if he'd smoked crack. I nodded and curled the toes on my right foot, leaving the middle one high, but it was very difficult. He laughed and said, "No left birds?" Nope.
I appreciated him also explaining to the resident and nurses that I will never make a sound or grimace when in pain, that I put on a plastic smile and pretend to be chipper. He knows why. He knows the backstory. He's treated me when my pain hits a 9 → 10.
They lit me up with r-rays and a CT. No damage to my pelvis or knee, no damage to my neck. The foot x-ray revealed a nasty break in the fifth digit (pinky toe). The 4th digit showed perfect alignment. I was loaded up on two oxy and then a heavy dose of dilauded. The pain in both toes cut right through that when it was time to suture the ripped tissue. My doc gave that foot with several lidocaine and epinephrine combo injections. Four stitches and some crutches later, they released me.
It hurts so bad as I type this. It's about a 6 on my pain scale whenever I put any pressure on that area of the foot. Bear in mind that my hysterectomy recovery pain was a 6.
I think it's best to show what the foot looked like after the EMTs did their thing. The un-bandaged photos are too gory for comfort.