I managed to sprain my ankle today.

[KitSileya]

It's been snowing here, and I ended up stepping on the edge of the pavement while getting off the bus to work - only I didn't realize I was stepping on the edge, and not the pavement itself. I had to go to the emergency room, and take a lot of x-rays as my foot swelled so quickly and so much it was difficult for the doctor to feel if I had a broken bone. The verdict is a bad sprain, with the ligaments on both sides of the foot over-stretched. I also ended up getting a week sick leave (I am a teacher, and going from classroom to classroom, and building to building on crutches is pretty hard.)

Anyway, for the visit to the emergency room, and for the pair of crutches, I paid NOK715 (250,- for the crutches.) That's about 2 hours worth of work before taxes as a teacher with a master's degree, and most likely I'll get it refunded because it's a work-related accident (we're insured while at work, as well as getting to and going from job.) I can't tell you how happy I am I live in Norway with socialized health care.

I'm not very happy about the pain in my foot, tho'. Getting around on crutches is such a hassle - I I still need to figure out how to transport liquids from one room to another, or even to the kitchen table. I guess I have to scrounge up some suitable bottles I can fill with water and juice, otherwise I have to drink at the kitchen counter.

[soleft]

1. make sure you check into possible physical therapy

Most people I know who've had bad sprains go to pt afterward to strenghten their ligaments.

Good luck!

[KitSileya]

2. Thanks for the tip.

I've never sprained my ankle before, only the blade of my foot (it got twisted by some rope I got it caught in) and there's not much to do about that. The ankle's trickier, I guess. But I was luckier than my student who had a mud slide in the basement, and ended up with four broken bones in his foot, 3 surgeries (so far) and crutches for the foreseable future.

One good thing is that I get to see DU burst into flames because of SOTU - I wouldn't ordinarily have time to surf as much. And I get to rewatch all my Supernatural eps (Jensen Ackles...yum!)

[underpants]

3. Apply directly where it hurts

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x6096621

Sorry to hear that. I didn't wrench mine near as bad apparently

[KitSileya]

4. What's ActivOn?

I don't think we have that here in Norway. Regardless, I'm not able to get to the drugstore up the road anyway, so I guess home remedies and Ibux is the thing. I live alone, and I just hope I have enough food to last me until I can go outside again (the ground is all ice covered with snow - I'm not venturing out until I can step on the foot.)

[underpants]

5. It is a running joke over here but it does work

they started with these commercials for the HeadOn for headaches in which a women is seen rubbing it on her forehead (like a roll on deodorant) and the voice over just keeps saying "Apply directly to the forehead apply directly to the forehead...." So when I hurt my ankle I had to check out the ActivOn.

It works.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

7. "head on- your commercials are annoying.."

The headon stuff has some nasty chemicals in it.

[KitSileya]

8. Perhaps that's why they don't sell it here?

We're a lot more careful about medicine here in Norway than in the US - a lot of American over the counter medicine is prescribed here, especially painkillers. We do have ibuprofen as a gel to rub into the skin, tho - is that something similar?

[ncrainbowgrrl]

6. Ouch! I hope you start feeling better soon!

It's amazing how much ankles can hurt when you mess them up... and how much pain they can leave you with even when they heal- I agree on the PT if your doc thinks it's a good idea. sure wish i had done so...

[KitSileya]

9. I dug around in my box of medicine and found the painkillers I got last time

I sprained my foot - they were still good, so I've started taking them. They work much better than ibuprofen.

One of the major drawbacks with a sprained ankle is that I can't go outside and enjoy the sunshine. On Sunday, we had the first precipitation-free day since Oct. 29th - everything outside is just screaming to get out and play in the snow.

[eppur_se_muova]

10. In larger doses, Ibuprofen is an antiflammatory as well as a painkiller.

I learned that when I strained a ligament on my coccyx (no, really). They gave me these big horse-size Ibuprofen capsules by prescription, to take for x number of days, not just until pain goes away.

(I just now learned antiflammatory is the correct term, not anti-inflammatory! Browsing the Lounge is educational!)

[KitSileya]

11. Yeah, that is what the doctor recommended this time.

However, I was taking 400mg (two ordinary pills) and it didn't help as much as the diclofenac I got last time, and which I'm taking now. I have about 4 days worth of diclofenac, and I'll take that until I run out, then switch to ibuprofen. I also got an over the counter ointment with ketoprofen from my landlady, which has the same effect. I don't want to mix the diclofenac with anything, so I'll wait until I'm no longer taking it before I start with anyhting else, tho'.

Your coccyx? That's your tailbone, right? I once managed to bruise my tailbone when I was a kid, and I crawled on all fours for days rather than walk up straight because it hurt so much (my Mom thought I was exaggerating the pain.) My feet simply slid from under me at the top of a sledding hill, and I sat right down on my bottom, or rather, right down on my tailbone. I don't know how you managed to strain a ligament in there - that must have been difficult. I've never heard about that before.

Antiflammatory...hmmm...well, I guess if somethings flammatory, it can be infected, if it's inflammatory it causes infection, so antiflammatory sounds right. I do believe most of the rest of us are dunces enough to use anti-inflammatory still.

[eppur_se_muova]

12. I was trying to catch a falling sheet of paper, believe it or not.

Just jerked to the side too fast, and pulled a ligament. I think the prescription was 600 mg Ibuprofen, several times a day.

Hope you get a chance to play in the snow while it lasts!

[KitSileya]

13. LOL That actually sounds credible.

It's amazing how strong yet fragile these bodies of ours are.

I am actually hoping the snow will disappear asap. Doesn't mean I don't want it back, of course, but while I'm on crutches, snow and ice are the worst possible alternatives. I'm going to try to get back to work on Tuesday, and I don't fancy jumping from snow pile to snow pile.

[VenusRising]

14. That sucks.

I actually broke my ankle in 6th grade. I slipped on a patch of ice on the sidewalk getting off the school bus at school. The worse thing was the high school kids laughing at me out the window as the bus drove away. One of the kids in my class went to the office, and a teacher came out and carried me in. I now have a fear of stepping or walking on ice on the concrete. It freaks me out. I hope that doesn't happen to you, too. But crutches in the cold.....:hug::hug::hug:

Feel better soon.

[951-Riverside]

15. About 3 years ago I mananged to slam my pinky finger in a sliding door...

AND I DIDN'T HAVE MEDICAL INSURANCE. *cues dramatic music*

Anyway to make a long story short I bled alot, felt weak from the massive blood lost but recovered. :)