The toe is nominally better today. Though several people have strongly suggested I seek medical attention, I won’t be doing so. The only real options are a hospital emergency room or one of the emergency clinics, and quite frankly, I can tell that at the worst it may be a small fracture, and I don’t need to spend that kind of money to have a medical professional tell me to stay off of it for a while. That’s really the only thing to be done, and the only benefit of seeking out a doctor would be getting some real painkillers. I’m not shelling out a thousand bucks or so for painkillers. Generic analgesics will do. Welcome to the American health care system.
Anyway, it’s no worse today and seems to be slightly less painful, except when trying to walk or when something touches it. I’ve put on a pair of sneakers with firm soles, and that helps somewhat. Otherwise, I’m just going to keep the walking and standing to a minimum, keep using the cane, take analgesics as needed, and push on with life. Though I do expect to be very, very cranky for a while, because truly, it’s about the worst pain ever, and you know I hate being forced to sit around and not putter around the house and yard whenever I feel like it. Sure, I like being lazy, but not when it is thrust upon me without any choice!
Lin is off at the farmers market. I’m grumpy about not being able to go, and I guess I could have, but I would have been a slow moving object. Just one person (or large dog) stepping on my foot by accident, or bumping into me, and I’d have been on the ground wailing. I miss not getting to go, because I like seeing our farmer friends, looking at what interesting veggies are available, and seeing the cool arts and crafts. Oh well, I’m sure I’ll be able to go next time. My toe better be a whole lot better in two weeks! I’m hoping it shows vast improvement in a few days, because I might like to drive somewhere. This is the first time I find myself grouchy about having a manual transmission in the truck. Why did it have to be my clutch foot that got injured?!
Anyway, I’m going to be stuck sitting for a while. I imagine that may lead to a lot of babbling on my blog … and a lot of little crafty things getting done and books being read (not a bad thing really). Speaking of which, I think I will try again to work on the jewelry idea I had last night that I was about to work on when I found myself on the floor writhing in pain. Nothing kills the desire to create quite like tripping on a cat and busting up a toe.
And the cats have been trying to kill each other all morning. All I can do is make loud noises in their general direction and shake my cane at them. Shaking the cane seems to work. The cats fear the cane, which is good. It’s been keeping them out of my way. I really don’t want to see any cats in my way for a while.
I am not sure I would go to the doctor. You’ll get your toe x-rayed and then hear either “Yes it is broken” or “No, it isn’t broken”. If it is broken they will “buddy tape” it to the toe next to it and that will be it. You can buddy tape your toe at home without losing several hours from your life and spending hundreds of dollars.
Unless you have cause to believe the bone is shattered, and from what you’ve described, that possibility is remote.
And can you imagine an emergency room on the 4th of July? I’m sure you can. Soooo not going there.
As soon as it happened and before there was any swelling at all, I checked it all out and the parts are all where they are supposed to be, and it wiggled just fine (though painfully, obviously). It’d be a waste of time to pay someone to tell me what I already know. I pretty much would have to see things pointing in the wrong direction or evidence of serious blood seepage before I’d bother seeing as doctor about it.
But my gods, the twitching my toes apparently do all day long when I am not paying attention to them? It’s driving me crazy, now that I have reason to notice.