Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Do you have any children?

I've been asked this twice so far this week. The first time was by one of my Brownies - they seem to have just cottoned on to the fact that I am an adult with an independent life (though she did also ask me if I was a student...) and keep asking me if I'm married, "is that a wedding ring", etc. When I said no, she asked "why not?"

I was a bit flustered, and didn't know what to say - to an adult you can just say "it hasn't happened for us" or even (though it's been three years) "give us a chance, we've only just got married", but neither of those will work for a child. Thankfully the other leader saw I was a bit flustered and told her "She's got lots of students" which then meant I could explain that the students kept me really busy, and then of course explain what students were and what I do, and then have an argument with her about whether I would know her cousin, who probably isn't at my institution (there is another, more vocational, university in town too).

The second time was yesterday when I was attempting to find out if my foot was broken. The shower head fell off the wall onto my left foot on Sunday morning and after the swelling went down a bit yesterday morning, it was still very painful (except if I sit on the sofa and elevate it, which is nice), and had a lump in a place where I don't think there should be a lump, and where there isn't one on the other foot. I can't really walk any distance (especially not in shoes) and I can't drive.

Note that I haven't told my GP practice that I'm pregnant yet - I was planning to book in with them next week, if the scan is OK on Friday. The nurse practicioner at the GP practice said that as A&E have a 48 hour cutoff, I should head over there, where in a miraculous five minutes I was seen by a doctor who said "I haven't got X-ray eyes" and since the foot is a long way from the uterus and the dose is low, I should be OK. The radiographer, however, said that she personally would not have an X-ray in the first trimester, and that there were risks, and I told her I'd had miscarriages before (I didn't mention how many); she asked if I had children. When I said no, she replied "Hang on to this one". Which seemed unnecessarily dramatic.

The upshot was that the doctor refused to do anything, and said he couldn't feel a lump. Now I know he probably sees more broken bones in a week than I have, er, hot dinners, but I couldn't help feeling that someone who is an actual broken bone specialist might have been able to find some way round this. I got the impression that if I had pushed them to treat it as if it was broken, they might have put it in plaster. But I've also been told by friends that when they cracked something in their foot, they were just told to strap it up. Mr. Spouse asked if they could ultrasound my foot, but even in my ignorant state I don't think that would work. I am now paranoid that I'm making my foot worse by walking on it, even if it's just round the house. Anyway, assuming all goes well on Friday, we're going to ask about the risks. Unless of course it is magically better by then.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mostly (note I use a term which gets me out of any fixes should they arise...) if a bone in your foot is broken without any rotational component to the injury - which there doesn't sound like there was here - then straightforward RICE (rest, compression - though not too much -, ice and elevation) should do the trick. I wouldn't have had an xray and I think the advice was unsound - fair enough if someone's been in a car accident and we're suspecting major trauma - but otherwise I think they should be avoided as much as possible in pregnancy. It would hardly have added to his management. (And I'm not sure an orthopaedic specialist would have been so much better in all honesty). Likely length of pain? - if just bruising? - about 2-4 weeks (getting better and better though). if actually broken? - about 2-4 weeks (getting better and better though). Enjoy the enforced rest!

DrSpouse said...

I think he was just a bit annoyed with me that I hadn't taken his advice. He just suggested rest, but a tubigrip and a bit of ice is also helping, so for the moment I'm doing that.

Perhaps I was a bit optimistic swapping duties from this week with a colleague, for next week??!

Thalia said...

I twisted my foot badly a couple of years ago and rarely have I been in so much pain. It turned out I'd pulled the ligament away from the bone on teh top of my foot, taking a bone fragment with it. It swelled up like a balloon. They did x-ray it and they just strapped it up. You're doing the right thing staying off it, see if you can get a pressure bandage to put on it (one of those elastic ones). If it's still bloody agony by Friday I'd go back and demand more treatment - do you have a 'minor injuries' unit? I've found they are MUCH more helpful than A&E.

TeamWinks said...

So sorry about the foot!