So, I gardened for an hour and a half (btw, didn't even touch the backyard) and, on my way to return the tools to the shed, I managed to pull my calf?! I actually heard a sickening pop. Holy cow (no pun intended), that is painful. And how I managed it, walking steadily after merely gardening is beyond me. (Yeah, gardening can be intense but it's just bending and crouching and leaning and pulling.) I've been elevating and icing and using arnica pellets and my arnica salve and walking carefully and stretching etc. Alas, I don't think this bodes well for a long weekend of errands - and whipping the back garden into an impressive state. Mind you, having lived through the terror of pertussis, I choose not to fuss overly. This is unlikely to kill me via suffocation and, if I have to lie on the couch and knit for a couple of days (between bouts of limited, conscious movement), so be it.
On the plus side, my front garden kicks ass. The outside water tap is broken on the inside of the house (as we discovered this week, needing for the first time this season to set up the soaker hose), and my newly planted things are struggling extensively. I finally borrowed the hose/water from my neighbours (our taps and gardens are within 5 feet of each other) but it might be a while before the plumber can come for our pipe and this long period of heat without rain has gone on for almost 2 weeks. It's crazy by Toronto standards. FWIW, by my standards it's awesome and could persist indefinitely (if I had a working soaker hose).
So, I've decided to content myself with a bottle of Rioja, a glass of iced tea and some brie with gluten-free crackers (they actually don't taste offensive). And the newly corrected cowl-neck sweater. The sun is shining and I have the house to myself. It could be worse.
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It's funny how that sort of thing can happen, isn't it? I am fairly certain I sprained my ankle walking in flip flops on pavement, so the body does weird stuff sometimes. Hope you get to feeling better soon!
ReplyDeleteI hope it's brief too! Very weird how these things happen.
DeleteUgg! That's awful. In the 90s we had a Navy Master Chief (ex-cab driver) crack his neck hitting his head while getting in a minivan. Household accidents are no joke (nor garden accidents). He was okay but a long recovery.
ReplyDeleteIt's unpleasant, that's for sure. But the poor driver - that's crazy. I suppose this is a sign to pay attention.
DeleteA colleague of mine had this happen a couple years ago. He thought he'd been hit by a car, but it turned out he popped his calk muscle all by himself. Six weeks in a cast.. Much will depend how much you ripped, but if you heard a pop it's a bad sign. I'd go see someone on Monday if you're not significantly better :-(
ReplyDeleteThere are degrees of tear (or so I've learned in my hour of internet research). Your friend had a 3rd degree tear. I don't sense that's where I'm at. The swelling isn't visible externally and I am more mobile now than I was 5 hours ago. I think rest, hydration, elevation and stretching are going to go a long way. But I'm definitely paying attention. If it's not getting better, I will definitely go to the doctor.
DeleteTotally agree that audible pop indicates a tear. Nursing experience telling me this and unfortunately, personal experience does as well. I'm sorry it happened, but I would have it evaluated.
ReplyDeleteI love having a medical opinion! Thanks so much for your comment. What I'll say is that I have been fairly constant in my attention to it for the last 20 hours (since it happened). The pain is much decreased (I have a pretty high pain threshold and I haven't taken a painkiller yet - I want to note what's going on.) I've been stretching and elevating and icing and resting (and not walking) since it occurred. I can now flex my foot with no weight and no pain (but the tightness and tension are observable). I can walk on it for short distances with full range of motion.
DeleteI'm not suggesting that I won't have to have it evaluated - I'm VERY into evaluation. But I'm not going to assume this is a long-term injury. Won't help my attitude and it's not supported by my experience over the last few hours. I'll keep you posted though and I really appreciate your reaching out.
Oh good luck with healing! Those soft tissue injuries can really linger.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm very focused on the healing. With very tasty foods to assist!
DeleteYikes! Sending sympathy and healing your way. Hope your calf continues to improve--Rioja and knitting and Brie seems a credible protocol to me...
ReplyDelete