[ThunderPoit]

so its a nice, but odd, 40 degree day in minneapolis, and I'm out enjoying the unseasonable weather while cleaning out my car.
I had to rearrange all of the stuff in my trunk to get my speaker box to fit back in, i turn around, slip on the ice, and down i go.
Unfortunately, when i slipped, my right foot managed to stay firmly planted in place and I managed to twist the hell out of my ankle in the process.

It has been a long time since I've felt pain like that. I would have rather gone down right on my ass in front of the world than have to feel this pain.
At the moment, i have it wrapped up and soaking in a bucket of ice water, but i can still barely walk on it. I still don't know if its broken or not, I'll let the doc. tell me that one in the morning.

Anyway, just needed a place to vent on how I managed to ruin my beautiful 3 day weekend, feel free to let this thread drop if you wish.

[NosferaDrew]

Pain is an interesting thing - it really lets you know quickly that something has gone wrong.

Like you, it had been a while since I had felt real physical pain.
I was riding my bicycle in the bike lane along Venice Blvd. when a woman decided to pull into the bike lane in order to make a right turn at the upcoming light.
She hit the back of my bike, it shot out of my hands, out from underneath me and I went flying.

I guess I tried to "stick" the landing because all I remember is sliding on my back until I hit the curb, but my knee still isn't right after a month (I had it checked out. Nothing torn or broken, just stretched).

Anyway, get some meds, ice and elevate that ankle.
I feel your pain.

[ast3r3x]

What is it...15min on ice, 10 min off? You want to keep going with it on and off, as it warms up the rush of blood help remove away stuff causing swelling.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by ast3r3x What is it...15min on ice, 10 min off? You want to keep going with it on and off, as it warms up the rush of blood help remove away stuff causing swelling.

Blood *is* what causes swelling. Your body senses injury and increases blood flow to the area to help repair the damage faster.

[ghoti]

I think you should go see a doctor now, not wait until tomorrow. If it really is broken, you're not going to get much rest, and it's not going to get better from being moved around. And in any case, the doctor will know better what to do about the swelling and pain. Ice water doesn't sound like the latest development in treating a sprained ankle to me ...

[ThunderPoit]

im sure if it was broken, i'd be feeling it more
i just got my own health insurance a few months ago, gotta call the company up and find out what i have to do/where i can go

[Kickaha]

Actually, ghoti, alternating ice and heat *is* still state of the art for most joint injuries, for the first 24 hrs at least. If the ankle is broken, the only thing extra they would do is put it in a cast - it's damned hard to 'set' one of the small internal ankle bones.

Odds are he just sprained the hell out of it, in which case ice and heat is what the doctor will recommend, with perhaps an anti-inflammatory, many of which are available over the counter without a prescription. (Most analgesics are also anti-inflammatory, such as Naproxen.) Not much else to do, really.

[ghoti]

Well if the doctor says so ...

[Kickaha]

*laugh*

Well, just passing along the advice I've gotten repeatedly from docs when I've had sprains. If it's broken, that's another story, as the cast is important, but it's not going to be critical to get in to the ER *tonight* or anything.

[SKMDC]

RICE

REST

ICE

COMPRESSION (wrap it in an ace bandage)

ELEVATE


no heat!!!!


Take the ice off every hour and a half or so.

Sprains are far more painful than breaks in the ankle area, unless you have a compound fracture or something horrid.

[macgeek2006]

Pain is a thought. When you go to sleep, your thoughts go to sleep, and the pain goes away, along with your awareness, because the thought that we exist is also a thought, therefore when you go to sleep you don't exist while you are asleep.

You wake up in the morning, your mind turns on, and it says "Pain", and you feel "pain".

[Kickaha]

Oh god, not this again.

[ghoti]

macgeek, tell that to the people who can't sleep because of migraine, a toothache, or some other pain. Or better don't, or the painkiller mafia will send their hitmen after you ... such a lucrative business, and all people would need to do is sleep ...

[RowdyScot]

RICE would be correct. Had one hell of an ankle break round this time last year thanks to hockey. Never heard of the break spiraling in a helix up through the lower half of the shin, but that's what it did :/ But yeah, that sounds like a sprain if you can put some pressure on it, even if it is only a tiny bit.

[ThunderPoit]

you are so full of it macgeek
crap, i cannot sleep.
i tried elevating my leg, but that just seems to put more strain on my ankle.
i cant keep an icepack to stay on it w/o it falling off.
i just wish the swelling would go down, and that i knew how to wrap my foot w/o making my toes turn purple.
Soaking in a bucket of ice water for now....

[alcimedes]

Originally Posted by macgeek2006 Bannination is a thought. When you go to sleep, your thoughts go to sleep, and the Bannination goes away, along with your awareness, because the thought that we can log into applenova is also a thought, therefore when you go to sleep you don't have a username while you are asleep. You wake up in the morning, your mind turns on, and it says "I'm banned", and you feel "pain".

You are wise.

[ThunderPoit]

just got back from the doctor, they said as far as they can see, it isnt broken, but there was too much swelling to be 100% certain. they said they want me to stay off of it till wed. and gave me some crutches and a note for work. they wanna xray it again in a week when the swelling goes down.

[ThunderPoit]

good news is, the swelling is going down, bad news is, its starting to look really ugly. I think ill be able to walk on it better tomorrow. Later all.

[RowdyScot]

Hope ya feel better :/ Looks ugly, but not as bad as I thought. Prolly be sore for a week or two tho.

[ThunderPoit]

ok, so the swelling bit decided to pull a 180 on me and now my whole lower leg is puffy and stiff. i ice it every chance i get, ive tried elevating it w/ blankets and pillows and cushions while i sleep, but it only makes it more painfull and i have to wake up every 30 min to move my foot because it has fallen asleep. does anyone know any other ways to reduce swelling like this? im almost tempted to find a needle and go "pop"

[DMBand0026]

Uhhh, the popping thing would fall into the "really bad idea spectrum" somewhere between driving a car with your eyes closed and screwing a hooker with no rubber.

In my professional opinion, this is the time where you might want to go see a doctor about that cankle you've got going on there. If you're not ready to take that step, take the recommended dosage of ibuprofen (check the bottle for specifics), and take it until the swelling goes down. Ibuprofen is a great anti-inflamatory and will help with not only the swelling, but the pain as well.

[Kickaha]

Yeeeeeah. Doc time if it's getting worse.

You may end up with a compression sock.

[ThunderPoit]

i saw the doc on monday,(points up a few posts), they snapped some xrays, said it wasnt broken, said to ice it and elevate it and sent me on my way w/ a pair of crutches. i know that sticking myself w/ a needle is a bad idea, it was meant more as a joke. i did not konw that ibuprofen helped with swelling, i will defiantly give that a try.

[DMBand0026]

I figured you were joking, which is why I followed up with another joke.

Make sure you get ibuprofen, that's the best for swelling. Many people think that acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin, and ibuprofen do the exact same things, but they do not. Acetaminophen and aspirin will have the same intrinsic analgesic properties, but will not do nearly as much for the swelling as the ibuprofen will.

Edit: Be careful to only take the recommended dosage that is printed on the bottle, especially if you're planning on taking it for more than a day or two, and always take it with some sort of food in you.

[ThunderPoit]

wait, so im not supposed to down the whole bottle? why do they give advil such a tasty candy coating if it can harm you!?!?!

[DMBand0026]

My apologies if it seemed like I was insulting you, that wasn't my intent. But you'd be surprised how many intelligent people don't realize that you're not supposed to take 10 at a time.

[Maciej]

They're pretty addicting, I know a handful of people who are midly-addicted to over-the-counter pain killers.

[ThunderPoit]

Originally Posted by DMBand0026 My apologies if it seemed like I was insulting you, that wasn't my intent. But you'd be surprised how many intelligent people don't realize that you're not supposed to take 10 at a time.

i gotta use the :P face more often. i was making a joke to that as stong a pain killer as they are, they have a very sweet tasting coating.
anyhoo, since taking them, my ankle has been doing much much better, bruise is getting uglier, but i only need 1 crutch now if im going to walk more than 50'

[DMBand0026]

I figured you were joking, I just didn't want to set off some sort of intergalactic war.

Glad the ankle is doing better. A reduction in swelling = reduced healing time. Glad the advil is working for you.

[Banana]

If it's any consolation to you, Thunderpoit, I am typing on one hand because I hurted my hand while working on a lathe.

Big owie.