Steven was running to answer the phone the other day, and as he rounded the corner, he went one way and his ankle went another. He heard a loud "snap!" and felt an agonizing pain. Right away I instantly utilized a bit of trivia that I learned eons ago, in Guides, the RICE method. Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. I threw in an Aleve as well. It's like spelling Mississippi backwards. I learned how to, and no one ever asked me (it doesn't come up in everyday conversation often) But one day my dad wondered if I could spell Mississippi, and I quickly rattled it off and then he said, slyly, "But can you spell it backwards?" And to my long awaited joy, I could! And still can, it only takes about a 1/2 second. However, as they say, I digress. The following day, his ankle was no better, so at 9 AM he decided to go to the hospital. Now, this is where living in a small town really has its perks. You would not find this in a city.
Sunday AM, we go to emerg. We are actually out of triage and in a bed within 4 minutes. The Dr. is there almost right away and examines his leg, shows me how to do the Thompson test, a method of determining if the achilles tendon has torn right off. She determines that the ankle isn't broken, and the achilles tendon is still attatched, although it may be torn. She says she will set up an appointment for an ultrasound as soon as a spot is available, and to continue the RICE treatment for now. Off we go, the whole thing taking about an hour. (plus, we live a 2 minute drive from the hospital, so it took less time than watching an episode of Survivor, and I can now do the Thompson test, so if you ever twist your ankle while around me, rest assured that I can let you know if your achilles tendon has been torn loose.
We now figured we'd wait at least a few days, if not longer, and this is awful news as Stevenhas a long awaited hunting trip planned, one he waited almost 20 years to go on. Talk about depressed. Next morning, his ankle felt a bit better and the phone rang at 8:30 telling him he could come in for his ultrasound that afternoon. Hooray! He had that done, and they said they would then phone the orthopeadic surgeon to review the results. Hmmm....we wondered, how long will THIS take? Next day, before noon, the surgeon phoned and asked if we can be there in 15 minutes, needless to say, we were there in about 3. Dr. Terry told us that the achilles tendon was about 50% torn, and if casted, it should heal in 4-6 weeks.
A cast is free, but has the drawbacks of not being able to bath or shower (well, not easily I mean) are rather large.It itches, smells, gets dirty, has to be changed in 2 weeks (because of swelling decreasing) and takes a few hours to do. The alternative is an air cast, which takes 5 minutes to fit, is really comfy, but is removable and adjustable. However, it costs $129. But really, what a simple choice. So they fitted him up, and off he went, on the hunt. Bonus? He gets to ride the quad instead of hiking, and his three hunting buddies are thrilled that he is there.
You'll see that small blue bulb? I didn't know how these casts work, but there are air pockest inside and you pump them up to make a snug fit, and as your leg heals you can release the air pressure. Pretty nifty. Our little neighbour kiddies were over with huge eyes and homemade get well cards, the little boy touched it gently and asked Steven if he were turning into a robot.
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