Injury report: day 1
Aug. 31st, 2005 01:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sauergeekI have torn, possibly completely, my left Achilles tendon. I did it playing volleyball this evening, in a pick-up game at work. I didn't know initially what was wrong.
I managed the tear by trying to dig a low ball, without going to my knees. I had had to run to get to the ball; knees were not an option. Instead, i had one foot well behind me, and as I went for the ball I felt something like someone tapped me from behind on my Achilles tendon. The tap was no harder than someone bumping into your foot with their shoe while walking. When I tried to get up, it hurt somewhat, and I couldn't walk very well.
I had no idea that I had damaged the tendon, so I tried walking it off, including some stretching. At the time I suspected I had a severe cramp. After several minutes of trying to walk it off, with no appreciable improvement, I hobbled toward the door. On the way, I accidentally stepped on a tree root. My foot went heel-flat-toe as I went over -- and that hurt. Something also felt as if it was tearing. I suspect that tree root made things distinctly worse, on top of all the misguided stretching. It was then I knew something was much more wrong than a cramp.
I went back inside and talked with various people, both in person and online. Meanwhile, my leg got a bit more painful as I sat at my desk. I finally decided to go to a local emergency room rather than try driving the ~30 miles home*. After a remarkably short ER delay -- I was in and out in the space of two hours, which I thought was excellent given that I was almost certainly triaged lower-third -- I got a diagnosis of a torn/severed Achilles tendon. The doctor told me to make an appointment with an orthopedist in the morning**.
I now have two double-strength ibuprofen pills, and a prescription for Vicodin. I'll take one of the pills tonight, and fill the prescription tomorrow. Right now I have remarkably little pain, though I have been warned that it may well hurt a lot more in the morning.
* My boss rocks, in that he drove me to the ER, waited the entire time I was there, and then drove me to my grandboss's house. My grandboss rocks, because he drove me home. I am currently prohibited from driving a stick shift, so my car is likely going to stay where it is now -- parked at work -- until I can arrange to retrieve it, or until I can drive it again.
** The medical instructions they gave me say that if a severed tendon is not repaired within five days, it will shrink. I don't know if this means it then becomes irreparable, or if it is merely much harder to fix. Needless to say, I have no desire to find out which is true.
I managed the tear by trying to dig a low ball, without going to my knees. I had had to run to get to the ball; knees were not an option. Instead, i had one foot well behind me, and as I went for the ball I felt something like someone tapped me from behind on my Achilles tendon. The tap was no harder than someone bumping into your foot with their shoe while walking. When I tried to get up, it hurt somewhat, and I couldn't walk very well.
I had no idea that I had damaged the tendon, so I tried walking it off, including some stretching. At the time I suspected I had a severe cramp. After several minutes of trying to walk it off, with no appreciable improvement, I hobbled toward the door. On the way, I accidentally stepped on a tree root. My foot went heel-flat-toe as I went over -- and that hurt. Something also felt as if it was tearing. I suspect that tree root made things distinctly worse, on top of all the misguided stretching. It was then I knew something was much more wrong than a cramp.
I went back inside and talked with various people, both in person and online. Meanwhile, my leg got a bit more painful as I sat at my desk. I finally decided to go to a local emergency room rather than try driving the ~30 miles home*. After a remarkably short ER delay -- I was in and out in the space of two hours, which I thought was excellent given that I was almost certainly triaged lower-third -- I got a diagnosis of a torn/severed Achilles tendon. The doctor told me to make an appointment with an orthopedist in the morning**.
I now have two double-strength ibuprofen pills, and a prescription for Vicodin. I'll take one of the pills tonight, and fill the prescription tomorrow. Right now I have remarkably little pain, though I have been warned that it may well hurt a lot more in the morning.
* My boss rocks, in that he drove me to the ER, waited the entire time I was there, and then drove me to my grandboss's house. My grandboss rocks, because he drove me home. I am currently prohibited from driving a stick shift, so my car is likely going to stay where it is now -- parked at work -- until I can arrange to retrieve it, or until I can drive it again.
** The medical instructions they gave me say that if a severed tendon is not repaired within five days, it will shrink. I don't know if this means it then becomes irreparable, or if it is merely much harder to fix. Needless to say, I have no desire to find out which is true.
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no subject
Date: 2005-08-31 05:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2005-08-31 11:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2005-08-31 11:59 am (UTC)I'm down here now so if there is anything I can do (drive you places, get you stuff while you're off your feet, etc.) please let me know!
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2005-08-31 01:02 pm (UTC)I am also very happy to find out I'm not the only freak who refers to their boss's boss as "grandboss!" I usually get weird looks when I say that.
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2005-08-31 01:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2005-08-31 01:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2005-08-31 02:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2005-08-31 05:28 pm (UTC)boss told everyone what happened to you today and we gave him hell. (All in fun of course.) Glad to hear that he was around to take care of you.
If you need anything please let me know.
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2005-08-31 10:05 pm (UTC)Don't wait to get it fixed, definitely. Shrinkage is never good.
(no subject)
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