Update: Lemurita has not chiseled off my toe. It may be worth saving.
Welp, I saw my regular doc as the followup to the “I”m tired of this” urgent care visit last weekend.
See, every morning I got up and it would seem better, and I’d think “What was I thinking last night? This clearly isn’t as bad as it seemed then” and then I’d be glad I didn’t see anyone. But by the end of each day I’d be sucking wind and it would be swollen as bad as the day before and I would think “What was I thinking? Was I brain dead?”
Long story short I saw a doc Saturday who said my toe was broken and who was ok with me asking for the lesser pain med route because Tylenol was amazingly inadequate. The other stuff was also amazingly inadequate. It was about as effective as an ear massage. I followed up Monday with my doc and she opted for sending me to the ortho guy.
She said “Look, I know you don’t want to take heavier pain meds but you are clammy and sweaty and you obviously are in pain… you have a broken foot. You are walking on it.”
I didn’t struggle as hard as I would have last week. I obviously can’t work effectively in a medicated state but it helps in the evening.
The ortho guy said there was nothing to be done for it. Totally unsurprised by his statement because it was pretty much what I said to his nurse: I don’t know why I am here because you cannot do much for this… I said, “Great, I am happy about that. What I could use is something that is not a cast that can immobilize my foot so I can walk on it.”
Entertheboot. $80 got me something far better than the paddle flip flop thing, which isn’t saying a whole lot because a piece of McDonald’s breakfast sausage is a step up from the flip-flop. And it has these pumpy-ports to clamp on the heel and support it.
I won’t lie, it isn’t the answer to a pain-free hobbling because it does clamp down on the toes. But it is far far far far far far better than the buddy taping I tried last week, and it keeps the toes from flexing back and forth as you walk. That is a huge step.
Hey…you toughed it out far longer than most could. Sometimes ya gotta take the heavy meds.
Look on the bright side: you have a really high-tech shoe-thingy to wear.
You have my deepest sympathy, LK!
The boot is awesome. I did something wrong to my foot this morning and it was sucking pretty majorly. I put the boot on and strapping it tight sucked more, but on the other hand a friend and I then moved a few double sheets of sheetrock. Smarted like a sonofabitch, but I was able to successfully do it. Amazing what support can do. I don’t mind pain if I can function.
Heh. I would recommend elective surgery to repair the toe faster. Just elect to go the “bionic” route and have a 9mm or something bionic (now with wifi hotspot!) implanted. Cuz….its the future, after all.
Broke my toe a few years ago, pinkie toe on my right foot. It got into an argument with the bathroom door frame, ended up sticking out at a 45-degree angle. Not-so-urgent care x-rayed, pronounced it broken (the only reason I went in, so that I would have an official excuse for walking slower than your average inebriated inbred sloth), and then taped it to its neighbor (which I’d gone in expecting to happen anyway). I got the slipper-of-shame, wore it one day, and then threw on sneakers for the next two weeks.
Slipper of shame. I like the title. I’d even feel some shame if it didn’t actually work.
“Slipper of shame”? The only thing shameful about your toe is that it didn’t happen to someone else!
I can think of a bunch of elected officials, pundits, and assorted loudmouths I would happily bestow it upon. Twice.
This is why Lowes stocks a supply of duct-tape on the same aisle as the sledgehammers.
But I love the name, McGoo! It was stupid stupid stupid to run into that floor edge like that. And it is self mockery (self defecation a friend calls it) that makes it fun.