The last night of SXSW Interactive, we were on the prowl for food when the Austin sidewalks attacked me, my left ankle rolled under me, my right knee hit the pavement, and the searing pain began. And then? Well, then I got really queasy and felt like I was going to pass out. And THEN? Well, I started shaking.
Luckily, I had the ROI Community crew with me and people went into the bar I collapsed in front of, got ice, a first-aid kid, and a cold, wet towel. In no time, our driver was there, and two of the burly fellows (thank you Micah and David!) lifted me up off the sidewalk, deposited me in the car, and I was off with Jen (our fearless leader, the unicorn) to the Emergency Room.
You know, I'd thought -- my entire life -- that I'd never end up in an ER, and if I did, it would be because of my 80-year-old man knees. When I started physical therapy for my knees years ago, the PT commented on how strong my ankles were, so this took me as a surprise, of course.
Luckily, the South Austin Hospital ER was pretty slow, so I got in and out in two hours. The verdict? A badly sprained ankle. "But, there could be a hairline fracture, it's hard to say," said the Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure-style doctor. (Seriously, he didn't really help me feel confident about what was happening with my swollen, pained ankle.
I got a brace and was sent on my way; crutches would have cost extra and the entire thing was Out of Network ... so ... expenses? No thanks. I might have to take up a collection, so, prepare your wallets.
The only nice thing about the entire experience was getting to spend some awesome bonding time with Jen and getting to zip through security and nab a bulk-head seat on the plane. Yes, I hopped into a wheelchair and Jen wheeled me around the airport until her plane took off (seriously, thank you Jen). Then, I was on my own. I now know why wheelchair-using folks have such big guns -- it hurts, badly, to roll around in a wheelchair.
Luckily, I had a doctor's visit already scheduled today and during that visit I asked my new doc what she thought of the ankle situation. Her response shocked me: Stop limping around, put on a shoe with good support, and start moving around on it. Why? So that my muscles don't seize up and not heal right. I still need to ice and elevate when I'm resting, however.
Sigh.
This is good for the impatient side of me, but for the fear-of-medical-stuff side of me, it makes me super nervous.
Have you had a bad sprain? What was your treatment like?
I did like what Jen had to say about the entire experience. In a nutshell, she said that perhaps this was a sign from HaShem that I need to slow down. I'll admit, the past two years of my life have been a whirlwind of exhaustion emotionally and physically, recent events included. Maybe I do need to chill out, take a break, and stop rushing.
Now, if only I could fund a one-month trip to the mountains of Colorado to work on a book and really chill out, right?
