Why I went to the Emergency Room

Hi friends, have you ever had a bad injury or been so sick you felt helpless?  That's how I felt yesterday.  Our bodies are a precious commodity & when something goes wrong it can turn your whole world upside down.

If you've been following my posts the last couple days, you know I started having Heel Pain while working out on the elliptical Friday morning.  Late Friday night I had a Visit to Urgent Care where they told me it was probably bursitis of the foot (inflammation in the foot).  I was skeptical of their diagnosis, but was trying to be optimistic that my pain would quickly subside.  I was wrong.  Very wrong.

Sunday morning I felt good when I woke up.  I told you about my Mom staying in Arizona another week & that I was going to the gym to bike.  So the little walking I did to get to & from the gym was enough to aggravate my foot.  When I got home, I was in tears.  I was in severe pain with each step I took.  I felt crippled & helpless.  I had Mom take me to the emergency room. 

Why did I to go to the ER and not wait until Monday to make an Orthopedic appointment?  I realized while on the bike at the gym that I had no pain in my foot when I wasn't on my feet.  The pain was isolated to weight-bearing activities - i.e. walking, climbing, running, elliptical, etc.  Seated activities like driving or biking didn't aggravate my foot.  The weight-bearing symptom is usually an indication of stress fracture.  Something I know all too well. 

Fourteen years ago, I suffered a femur fracture as the result of a stress fracture.  It was the same deal back then - went to urgent care, had x-rays done, nothing showed on the x-rays, went home & a 2-3 days later the femur fractured completely.  I had emergency surgery to pin my femur back together. 

A stress fracture, in my opinion, feels worse than a break.  The affected extremity feels tight, stressed like a knife jabbing through it & the pain is crippling often debilitating.  The pain can feel so severe, you almost wish the bone would break to give you relief. 

When I started thinking through my previous experience on the bike with my femur breaking, the surgery, the recovery & years of painful rehabilitation, I decided I wasn't going to risk fracturing my foot or injuring it more.  I needed my foot immobilized immediately & I needed meds to control the pain. 

Mom drove me to the hospital & I couldn't walk into the ER.  A medic had to get a wheelchair to get me inside.  The wait was relatively short (for ER standards).  They brought me back to an evaluation room where a doctor met me right away.  She examined my foot then ordered pain meds & x-rays.  A cool thing about the ER....the x-ray technicians have an x-ray cart they roll around to patient's rooms to take the x-rays. 

The prognosis?  Well, the x-rays showed nothing which I expected.  However, the doctor confirmed stress fractures don't show on x-rays and an MRI or bone scan was needed.  This was the case with my femur too.  

The treatment?  Immobilize the joint with a boot & crutches as if it were a calcaneus (heel) stress fracture.  Follow-up with an orthopedic specialist.  I have an appointment to see one Wednesday.

After leaving the hospital, I felt much better.  The meds kicked in & I could walk without pain.  I stayed home from work today to rest & get my bearings together, figure out how to get around this way.  I will be faced with new challenges the next few weeks.  I'm so glad Mom is here to help or things would be even more difficult & I might temporarily, go crazy!

As for working out?  I'm planning to stay active by biking & swimming every morning.  I A few months ago, a guy in my spin class told me I should do a Triathalon (he's done several Ironman competitions).  My response to him?  "I don't like to swim."  Guess that remark has bit me in the you know what....  😉

Questions - When was a time you felt helpless by an injury or sickness?  How did you know you needed it checked right away?  Any interesting emergency room experiences?

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xoxo,

Megan

About Megan

Megan is a certified nutrition practitioner, author, freelance food photographer and fitness instructor living in Phoenix, Arizona. On her blog, Skinny Fitalicious she shares EASY, gluten free recipes for weight loss. Follow Megan on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates.