A tale of two “foots”

It was bound to happen. I had to leave the house. And not just to go to work. I was low on toilet paper and also needed to eat something. 

I feel I mastered the getting to and from work part — driving left footed is now just a part of my routine. I just need to make sure I am sitting at the right angle. And that I adjusted my mirrors. And that I don’t take any calls. Most days I reach the pedals just fine, although sometimes, I give The Tank a little too much gas and my head whips back. 

After three weeks together, I think it’s safe to say my crutches and I won’t be friends. We can work together, we’re civil. But there won’t be any lunch dates in our near future, that’s for sure. 

The latest news on this severe ankle sprain of mine is that I will likely be scheduling an MRI to see what exactly I tore when I crashed into the tree that is my older brother during a volleyball game. I lost my balance after bumping or running into him at an alumni volleyball tournament at my former elementary school on April 6. I then fell awkwardly on my ankle.

It is a challenge to move my toes, but there is more movement than before. And I’m a little more mobile. I don’t have to rely solely on my crutches to get around the house or the office. I can use my right leg as a kickstand to get me short distances.

My latest adventure was at Whole Foods. I figured late morning on a weekday wouldn’t be as busy as a Sunday evening — which was the first time I ventured out for non-work related driving. For some reason, I was able to balance on the crutches with the grocery bag on my shoulder just fine on Sunday.

But when I tried it today, I felt the weight of the bag was throwing off my balance, and thrusting me forward after I had stopped.

I didn’t want to fall in front of a crowd (I’ve already done that, thank you very much). I could just hear someone relaying the incident to a friend later: “The funniest thing happened at Whole Foods in the snack and cookie aisle. This girl on crutches suddenly just fell forward, after trying to grab three bags of Pirate’s Booty.”

Have you had the Pirate’s Booty white cheddar popcorn? No? Then don’t judge me.  

I decided to use my crutches as a walking cane and put the bag on my shoulder. The right hand supported the crutches and the left shoulder had the bag on it.

Balance, Danielson, as Mr. Miyagi, the karate master, might have said. 

But my foot gets tired of me using its heel to quasi-walk. And after a while the ankle starts to complain as well. Holding my foot at that ankle is painful after a while. But I managed to pick up what I needed for another week and an employee with a wrist injury helped me to my car. She apparently hurt her wrist after so much repetitive motion at work and was wearing a black brace. We exchanged horror stories about the difficulty of small, everyday things — like putting make up on, going to the bathroom, showering, getting in and out of the car, etc. 

I had another acupuncture session this week and I am pleased to report that my foot looks a lot closer to normal. I took some photos this time. The swelling continues to recede and the bruising is less. My brother said the photos show it could be a high ankle sprain, whatever that means.

Cupping therapy may be in store for the ankle next week. The last time I sprained an ankle, my acupuncturist performed cupping on the ankle and made it bleed. It wasn’t exactly painless and I was a bit grossed out at the sight of dark, stagnant blood. But that, coupled with an herbal paste and acupuncture, helped me walk almost immediately. I wore a thick brace, but I did not need crutches. I thought we might do the cupping on the first visit, but my acupuncturist thought the injury was still too raw.

For the uninitiated, cupping therapy helps the blood flow to promote healing and while it can leave bruises that look like hickeys, it was very effective on my ankle. Here’s what WebMD has to say about cupping.

My father is Chinese so this notion of helping your body help itself isn’t new to me. Smelly herbs, acupuncture, cupping, and a smelly fridge with smelly foods from a smelly grocery store were common in my house. When I was younger, I was cynical about why my father would get acupuncture treatments or use herbs. But I’ve seen results.

And call me crazy, but I like my medical care to come without side effects.