Over two months ago, I injured my foot while out hiking with my son and his daughters. The x-rays were negative, and I was told it was a sprain. However, the injury has returned with little provocation several times since then.
Finally I asked Jack (a retired physician) about it, and he pointed out that stress fractures of the foot do not usually show up on an x-ray; he also said that if it was a sprain, the injury would not likely seem to be recurring.
So yesterday I went to see my family physician (what a way to spend one's 87th birthday, eh? -- oh, and thanks to everyone here and on Facebook who sent their greetings!). He agreed that it sounds as if I have a stress fracture. He said that we'd have to do a bone scan to make sure.
Yeah, sure. By the time I get scheduled to have that done in this amazing Canadian medical system, I'll have re-injured my foot several more times. So we (he's a good, collaborative sort of guy) decided to treat it presumptively. He prescribed an Aircast:
It's a neat sort of cast that I can easily remove at night, when showering, and other times, if necessary, and it should help immobilize the foot while it heals. It has little air things on each side that I can inflate to adjust the fit. This is the closest I will ever come to wearing "Air" Nikes.
Meanwhile, getting around with it is quite easy. .... except it thumps a bit on the hardwood floors.
Hmmm. Thumping around a darkened house on Halloween. That has possibilities.
Posted by: Fred | October 21, 2008 at 01:17 AM
That's what you get for acting like and 86 year-old.
Happy belated birthday!
Posted by: Phil | October 21, 2008 at 07:52 AM
We can rebuild him. We have the technology.
Posted by: Brian | October 21, 2008 at 08:14 AM
Reminds me of a grade-school riddle: Q: What goes 99-thump, 99-thump...?
A: A centipede with a wooden leg.
Posted by: Rebekah K | October 21, 2008 at 10:41 AM