By the end of May my pain still persisted, and I was at my wits end. I went to another orthopedic doctor in hopes they would figure out what all others failed at. Two words… déjà vu. This doctor referred me to get another MRI, which I cringed at paying for but thought this could once and for all show the doctors what was going on. I got my third MRI in 13 months the first week of June. Went back to my first orthopedic doctor (yes I know confusing) who told me that the MRI showed bone marrow edema in my first tarso-metatarsal joint. These MRI results were very similar to those back in November. Considering all the conservative treatment options I had gone through up until that point (e.g. boot, injections, orthotics, more boot time, more orthotics, and of course rest), she decided to put a hard non-weight bearing cast on me. I kind of felt like this was going to come at some point, so I wasn’t too surprised. However, I was in no way prepared to go home that day with a cast and crutches. The doctors logic was that with a non-weight bearing boot I would completely rest my foot and the bone marrow edema would be able to dissipate. I was not totally convinced a cast would solve my problem. Mainly because I still believed my injury was of the Lisfranc variety, and the only way to heal that injury was surgery. But as with most things human, hope can be a powerful tool. What little hope I had left, I placed in my doctor and my cast.
For anyone who has never had a cast and crutches, be aware that the first few days to week is extremely awkward, frustrating, and at times dangerous. Crutches make everyday tasks 20 times more difficult or in some cases down right impossible. After about a day of having my cast, I realized that it was put on too tight. It was so tight in fact that it cut off my circulation in my foot. Luckily, I was able to go back to the doctors to fix my cast. In some of the most unnerving 10 minutes of my life, I watched as the nurse (who was clearly ill trained for the job) sawed away at certain pieces of my cast. There were numerous times when her unsteady hand sawed too deep or drifted nipping my foot. With my cast loosened, I continued adapting to crutch and cast life. Making food, carrying things, taking a shower, and laundry were a challenge. Taking a shower on one leg may be one of the most difficult things ever. Especially if done without slipping or falling over (which did happen).
I find that nothing I do can ever be just straightforward. I somehow usually make things harder then they need to be for myself, and being on crutches was not spared. In an ironic series of events, I ended up hurting my right foot while on crutches (remember it is my left foot with the cast). It happened because I thought it was an ok idea to hop on one leg across my kitchen. I did this because I wanted a fast way to carry my plate from the counter to table. Hopping on my foot is never a smart choice, as it puts all the force through the bones and ligaments of your one foot. This is of course what happened to me. The top of my right foot began to hurt shortly after my little stunt. Like my left foot, the pain began slowly and then progressed into a deep throbbing pain after a few hours. The injury to my right foot nearly put me over the edge. I almost lost my mind. The thought of having injured my right foot similar to my left could have easily given me a stressed induced heart attack. What I feared most was happening…both of my feet were in pain. At first, I could hardly handle the anxiety, but fortunately I had (have) a great girlfriend who helped me out. For about one week, I just laid up in bed and prayed that my right foot would get better. I eventually went to the doctor who referred me to get a bone scan. The bone scan results showed that I had soft tissue damage on the top of my foot and a possible bone contusion on my heel. My right foot did start to feel better after about a week. However, the pain would come and go for months to come. Additionally, my stunt caused me to have plantar fasciitis.
For anyone who has never had a cast and crutches, be aware that the first few days to week is extremely awkward, frustrating, and at times dangerous. Crutches make everyday tasks 20 times more difficult or in some cases down right impossible. After about a day of having my cast, I realized that it was put on too tight. It was so tight in fact that it cut off my circulation in my foot. Luckily, I was able to go back to the doctors to fix my cast. In some of the most unnerving 10 minutes of my life, I watched as the nurse (who was clearly ill trained for the job) sawed away at certain pieces of my cast. There were numerous times when her unsteady hand sawed too deep or drifted nipping my foot. With my cast loosened, I continued adapting to crutch and cast life. Making food, carrying things, taking a shower, and laundry were a challenge. Taking a shower on one leg may be one of the most difficult things ever. Especially if done without slipping or falling over (which did happen).
I find that nothing I do can ever be just straightforward. I somehow usually make things harder then they need to be for myself, and being on crutches was not spared. In an ironic series of events, I ended up hurting my right foot while on crutches (remember it is my left foot with the cast). It happened because I thought it was an ok idea to hop on one leg across my kitchen. I did this because I wanted a fast way to carry my plate from the counter to table. Hopping on my foot is never a smart choice, as it puts all the force through the bones and ligaments of your one foot. This is of course what happened to me. The top of my right foot began to hurt shortly after my little stunt. Like my left foot, the pain began slowly and then progressed into a deep throbbing pain after a few hours. The injury to my right foot nearly put me over the edge. I almost lost my mind. The thought of having injured my right foot similar to my left could have easily given me a stressed induced heart attack. What I feared most was happening…both of my feet were in pain. At first, I could hardly handle the anxiety, but fortunately I had (have) a great girlfriend who helped me out. For about one week, I just laid up in bed and prayed that my right foot would get better. I eventually went to the doctor who referred me to get a bone scan. The bone scan results showed that I had soft tissue damage on the top of my foot and a possible bone contusion on my heel. My right foot did start to feel better after about a week. However, the pain would come and go for months to come. Additionally, my stunt caused me to have plantar fasciitis.
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