Broken

As I’m sure many of you have heard by now, I have broken my left foot. The story behind the whole thing is pretty anti-climatic and uneventful because I wasn’t falling out of a bunk bed or hopping around trying to put pants on. I also wasn’t drinking, camping, and racing down to the Columbia River to go skinny dipping... With that said, I had motivated myself to sign up for another half marathon and work myself back into shape with spring and summer fast approaching. Something about the idea of running a half marathon on the beach in the South of Spain seemed very appealing. Unfortunately maybe I was over zealous and my foot couldn't handle the pressure or maybe it was those darn authentic Spanish cobble stone streets that are in my town. Either way, I’m done running for a while.
I don’t remember a specific step I took that was wrong and I didn’t roll my ankle, but 6 miles into a run I all of a sudden had a pain so badly in my foot that I literally couldn’t take another step. I hobbled home and did the usual ice and elevation ritual I have done so many times before with sprained ankles.
I went to work the next day and barely made it through the day because every step I was taking sent shooting pains throughout my foot and up to my calf. I knew something was wrong with my foot and it was unnerving not knowing exactly what happened. After limping around for 2 days and realizing that Ice and Elevation wasn’t going to cut it I went to the doctor. At this point my foot was pretty swollen and my toes looked like sausages. The doctor felt around my foot and focused on the areas I showed her were the most painful. She concluded that she though it was bruised and with some rest and relaxation it should heal right up.
After three days of no walking, the R&R just wasn’t cutting it. I was in even more pain if that was possible. I was also missing out on teaching and giving my private tutoring lessons because I needed to stay off the foot. I decided to go back to the doctor and this time Guadalupe came with me so make sure the doctor and I were understanding each other. This doctor felt around my foot and concluded that I had arthritis.... She prescribed a creme? I’m thinking “What the hell? This is not arthritis.”
The next day after my arthritis creme gives me absolutely no relief I call Guadalupe and tell her I want an x-ray. During all of these doctor visits I am trying to figure out my insurance that I have here. I knew I paid for it, I just didn’t know how it worked because Spain has universal healthcare, but I was never given an insurance card.
So we go back to the doctor for the third time. I finally get my x-ray and sure enough my foot is broken. Good lord that took forever! Now, Guadalupe drove me into the city because there is no hospital in my small town. I get another x-ray because obviously at this point one is not enough. They set my foot and put a cast on it all the way up to my knee...now this seems a little excessive. I find out I have broken my Fifth Metatarsal. This is the long bone on the outside of the foot that connects to the little toe. Such a small bone but apparently really important. I have a Jones Fracture, which after doing some research this is what I have learned: The Jones Fracture occurs in a small area of the bone that receives less blood and is therefore more difficult to heal. They are caused by overuse, repetitive stress, or trauma and are less common and difficult to treat. Oh Great! Not only did I break a bone but I broke a difficult one to get better.

The non-surgical treatment is Immobilization, where the foot is kept in a cast and absolutely no pressure or support is put on the foot or the cast. The doctor really stressed the importance of this matter to Guadalupe and myself. I went home and began my first week of immobilization. To give you an idea of how immobile I am suppose to be I get an injection in my stomach everyday for my circulation. I guess it thins my blood and prevents blood clotting.
As soon as I return home from the hospital I am still in a lot of pain. Now i’ve never been in a cast before so I didn’t know if this was normal or not. I asked some friends online and they told me that I should not be in so much pain. After 2 days of sleepless nights I finally decided I can’t take it anymore. Guadalupe takes me back to the hospital. Turns out the cast wasn’t put on properly so they took that one off and put a new one on that feels much better. After all this drama and the stress of making sure my foot heals properly, Guadalupe insists that I come and stay with her and her family during my recovery.
So now I am staying with Guadalupe and her family has been so good to me. I am propped up on their couch and served delicious spanish meals that would otherwise be PB&J or soup if I was staying in my own apartment.
Now on week two of immobilization I am getting better at maneuvering around on the crutches (from the bathroom to the couch) and I have going back to work next week to look forward to. I get the cast off in another week and a half and from there the doctors will decide how the healing is going and if I will need another cast of if I can begin rehabilitating my foot.
Trying to look at this positively I am learning a lot of new and different Spanish vocabulary that I otherwise would not have needed to learn. I have some free time on my hands to catch up on updates and talk to people online. I’ve also now experienced talking to doctors and needing medical assistance in both Costa Rica and Spain (I doubt many people can say that..). I have also been getting adorable “Get Well Soon” cards from my students at school. The English is all wrong and now I have a new lesson to think about on how to correct their phrases, but its the thought that counts!