# Sprained Ankle...Maybe Broke....



## Courtney Guthrie (Oct 30, 2007)

So, 

Friday morning, EARLY like 2:00 AM. I was getting out of my friends truck and turned, caught my foot on the running board and fell, spraining my ankle or so I thought. I don't have health insurance and don't want to pay a hospital bill, so I haven't went yet, but I'm going here in a little bit as it freaking hurts BAD. Worse today than yesterday and it is swollen and bruised WAY up my leg. I've been doing RICE(Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) with it as was sugessted by a friend with a sports medicine major but oh man, it hurts. I've been taking Aleve every 6 hours to try and help the swelling and stuff. 

Anyone got any home remedies, they want to share? I'll post pics of it after I go get my camera. 

Courtney


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## jamie lind (Feb 19, 2009)

go buy a brace. once you do it that bad it will continue to happen.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

jamie lind said:


> go buy a brace. .


I sure would want to immobilize it, too. But x-rays are really important there. I might be tempted to let a left-hand finger heal wrong if I had guessed incorrectly and it was broken, but not an ankle. 

Home remedies are for after x-rays have shown that there is no break. JMO.

I'm sorry this happened. How is the Aleve?


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Ok, DID you get nauseated? I got queasy when I broke my ankle and I understand from others that is one sign of a broken bone. 

------

I agree though.....you should go and have it x-rayed. If it is broken, or even significant soft tissue damage, you don't want to mess with the damage you may cause for the rest of your life.....Just do your best to negotiate a payment plan.


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## jamie lind (Feb 19, 2009)

i figured she didnt want a hospital bill meant "i'm waiting till after the weekend so i can go to the doctor". i throw up every time i sprain my ankle. to me it hurts more than anything i've ever had happen and i've been hitinthe balls with a splatball gun and continued playing for the rest of the day. by the end of the day it was the size of a tennis ball though. really if its not broke protect it with a brace when you know you are going to be real active. it will keep happening and will happen easier each time.


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## Courtney Guthrie (Oct 30, 2007)

Yeah, I'm going to go have it checked out. I didn't get queasy when it happened but after it happened I kinda did. I have it wrapped up and immobilized. I'm just going to go get freaking x-rays, damn it all to hell. I'd rather know for sure than keep guessing and have a bigger problem later on. 

I'll wait for my little sister to get home and take me, I can't drive as it hurts to push my foot down like I'd have to, to drive my car. I've tried calling my friend all day and she has either been ignoring my calls or is busy whatever. I'll let everyone know what they say.

I broke my knee and it didn't hurt this bad EVER. Not when I first did it or after.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Courtney Guthrie said:


> Yeah, I'm going to go have it checked out. I didn't get queasy when it happened but after it happened I kinda did. I have it wrapped up and immobilized. I'm just going to go get freaking x-rays, damn it all to hell. I'd rather know for sure than keep guessing and have a bigger problem later on.
> 
> I'll wait for my little sister to get home and take me, I can't drive as it hurts to push my foot down like I'd have to, to drive my car. I've tried calling my friend all day and she has either been ignoring my calls or is busy whatever. I'll let everyone know what they say.
> 
> I broke my knee and it didn't hurt this bad EVER. Not when I first did it or after.


I'm very relieved that you're going for x-rays. You can mess us a limb for the rest of your life by ignoring what you think is strictly a soft-tissue injury. (I know this first-hand. :lol: )

Let us know!


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

We will cross our fingers for you. I understand a sprain can actually hurt a lot worse than a break. My break which resulted in a 5 inch long plate really was not that painful....


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## Courtney Guthrie (Oct 30, 2007)

I know, that's why i decided to just go ahead and go. I really don't want to but I definetely need to, I'l let you know what they say.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Nancy Jocoy said:


> We will cross our fingers for you. I understand a sprain can actually hurt a lot worse than a break. ...


That was what made me screw up. I didn't think it hurt bad enough to be broken, but turned out I had two broken bones. 

It's a lot worse after it heals any old way it wants to.


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## Denise Picicci (Sep 9, 2007)

I am a surgical tech and have seen many broken ankles, and sprains and I will say sprains can hurt as much as a broken one but with your symtoms I would for sure have x-rays taken to rule out something broken. A sprain needs ice, wrap and or a splint of some sort but a brake NEEDS to be fixed. Also make sure you have the foot elevated. Hope all is well and it is not broken.

Denise


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

I broke my ankle out tracking - I heard it crack but didn't feel too queasy. Finished off the track (I had to get off the field anway). And waved to a chap talking into his cell phone. He took me and the dog home. X-rays showed a clean break which healed very well. 

With sprains, if you're wearing good shoes or boots, I found you have about 30 minutes in which you can walk pretty easily before the pain and swelling start in. I agree, they are far more painful. But once had shortwave treatment allowing me to go to work the next day without hardly any pain.

Good luck Courtney, hope it's not broken.


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## mike suttle (Feb 19, 2008)

Anytime that I fall out of a truck at 2 am on Friday night it is because I am drunk. Go to your vet for an x ray, take a few rimadyl and drink another beer.


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

> Anytime that I fall out of a truck at 2 am on Friday night it is because I am drunk. Go to your vet for an x ray, take a few rimadyl and drink another beer.


:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

I prefer Dermaxx, myself.....


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

I can tell you that Banamine (normally for horses) kills migraines.....


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Gillian Schuler said:


> I broke my ankle out tracking - I heard it crack but didn't feel too queasy. Finished off the track (I had to get off the field anway). And waved to a chap talking into his cell phone. He took me and the dog home. X-rays showed a clean break which healed very well.


Mine was teasing up an on-lead trailing dog and throwing the toy for a reward. line got wrapped around my ankle and took off after the ball with the dog-not a clean break, but with plating and about 2 months off of it and a lot of PT, it healed up just fine.

Courteny, be prepared for the hospital trying to ascribe "Fault" so they can get paid quicker. My own insurance company tried several times to get me to say my friend was at fault because it happened at her house; I imagine the hospitals will be the same way.


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Nancy Jocoy said:


> Mine was teasing up an on-lead trailing dog and throwing the toy for a reward. line got wrapped around my ankle and took off after the ball with the dog-not a clean break, but with plating and about 2 months off of it and a lot of PT, it healed up just fine.


Yikes.....

I broke my elbow a couple years ago running with a bloodhound pup back to the car....I was at a dead run and Jiggs cut in front of me and I went flying, did the best "slide into home plate" on a hard packed gravel road.....felt like I was gonna puke, started to sweat....and then worked dogs for three days until the pediatrician that was training with us finally couldn't stand it and made me go to the urgent care clinic....8-[:mrgreen:

Then Ajay spiral fractured my middle finger last year, $5K worth of surgey and pins and it it still messed up.....

I don't think I have broken anything that did not involve some kind of animal....(hunting or training) 

I have slipped off NERF bars on the pick up......and if anything would have snapped it would have been my Tib-Fib (lower leg) since it went between the bar and the pick up and I fell backwards......the bars got changed to full boards after that.....LOL


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

courtney, i hope it's a baad sprain and not broken bones.

i have to say that a few years ago i had a yearling colt rear up on me then come down on my leg. i laid out in the lot for a while screaming, then hauled my poor hurt butt into the house. didn't go to the doc for 10 days, and when i did, well, i had a fractured tibia that i'd been walking on all that time. 

he offered to put me in a cast from my foot to my hip, which i declined (it was my "go-pedal" leg after all). but when i got back to work and told one of our customers what the results were, all he said was "there's a difference between tough and stupid, ann". point kind of taken....

i'm glad you're going in for xrays!! you at least evidently know the difference


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Got a bullet with your name on it for you if it is broken.

I usually reserve it for my dog in case he doesn't pass his yearly re-cert. We're good for this year so I can spare it.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Anyone heard x-ray results? Courtney?


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## Anna Kasho (Jan 16, 2008)

I think after Jennifer's offer, it's preferable to keep quiet? :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Anna Kasho said:


> I think after Jennifer's offer, it's preferable to keep quiet? :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:



I had to go back and find that. :lol:


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

I sure wouldn't have wanted to meet you Jennifer while tracking with a broken ankle!!!!


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## Courtney Guthrie (Oct 30, 2007)

Just to let everyone know, I did it 2 AM friday morning which was LATE thursday night. I was not drunk but had, had a few beers. I had a bad day and decided to go out with the girls....shoulda waited till Friday night. 

I had x-rays, it's a Grade 3 sprain with a hairline fracture. I've took pics of the bruising I'll post later. 

Thank god it's just a sprain. Otherwise, I would've been talking to Jennifer about her offer. lol lol 

I'm tough, I've broken my knee(resulted in a wheelchair for 6 months), rolled over on by a horrid mare, thrown, cut, whatever. Sometimes, I'm not as smart as I should be but I learn from my mistakes.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Courtney Guthrie said:


> Just to let everyone know, I did it 2 AM friday morning which was LATE thursday night. I was not drunk but had, had a few beers. I had a bad day and decided to go out with the girls....shoulda waited till Friday night.
> 
> I had x-rays, it's a Grade 3 sprain with a hairline fracture. I've took pics of the bruising I'll post later.
> 
> ...


Is it immobilized?


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

I don't know what the different grades of sprains mean, but since you do have a frature, it sounds like it was a good idea you got it checked, and, (I presume) treated and hopefully were sent home with some lovely parting gifts (good drugs). Anyway, keep that puppy elevated, (higher than your heart), watch the game (or something else if you don't like football), and get some much needed rest. I sure hope you feel better soon.


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## Courtney Guthrie (Oct 30, 2007)

Yeah, they told me to keep it wrapped and then gave me a brace to help keep it immobilized. I had crutches at home and have been using them. They said I should see a difference in 4-5 days and to keep doing RICE with it for 3-4 weeks. From lookign online, grade 3 is the worst sprain and my ankle looks just like the pictures they show of them. 

I didn't take their drugs offered as they make me extremely ill. So, it's just Aleve and Ibuprofen. 

Thanks for everyone's advice and stories!! I'm glad I had it checked definetely.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

susan tuck said:


> ... lovely parting gifts ....



OK, that provided a great laugh out loud. :lol:
_
"Lovely parting gifts" _ -- I will remember that one!!!


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Glad you had it checked. 4-5 days on crutches beats a break. Too bad you can't enjoy the lala land pills - I sure did not mind the oxycodone during my break, if for nothing else, they got me through daytime tv


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Nancy Jocoy said:


> Glad you had it checked. 4-5 days on crutches beats a break. Too bad you can't enjoy the lala land pills - I sure did not mind the oxycodone during my break, if for nothing else, they got me through daytime tv


yeah......about lala land pills: I had to have my ankle fused. So I was on a lot of heavy duty pain meds when I first came home from the hospital. One day I was very frustrated because the damn remote control stopped working. I was pointing that thing and pushing it's buttons every which way I could for a couple hours to no avail. Then I realized I did not even actually have the remote in my hand I was just was pointing and wiggling my fingers at the TV.:-o


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

susan tuck said:


> I was on a lot of heavy duty pain meds when I first came home from the hospital.



And what was the name of those again?


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Connie Sutherland said:


> And what was the name of those again?


Percocet or Percodan, I don't remember which. But that's nothing, I was in the hospital for about a week & on morphine. I completely halucinated the whole time that I was actually in hell waiting on a bus stop.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

susan tuck said:


> Percocet or Percodan, I don't remember which. But that's nothing, I was in the hospital for about a week & on morphine. I completely halucinated the whole time that I was actually in hell waiting on a bus stop.


Ah yes. Demerol is in that lala-land category, too. :lol: I almost wrote _"I remember the time I had a Demerol pump in the hospital_ ... " -- but I really don't remember it all that much. :lol:


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## Chris Michalek (Feb 13, 2008)

Connie Sutherland said:


> Ah yes. Demerol is in that lala-land category, too. :lol: I almost wrote _"I remember the time I had a Demerol pump in the hospital_ ... " -- but I really don't remember it all that much. :lol:



Over 15 years ago I was in the hospital and noticed the pump was manufactured by the company I worked for at the time. I assumed all of the engineering codes were the same and indeed they were! Long story short, I upped the number of times I would receive and injection and nearly killed myself because it was WAY WAY too much.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

susan tuck said:


> Percocet or Percodan, I don't remember which. But that's nothing, I was in the hospital for about a week & on morphine. I completely halucinated the whole time that I was actually in hell waiting on a bus stop.


Of course, I paid the price when I had a full hysterectomy and part of my intestines removed due to severe endometriosis. Kept BEGGING for tylenol and they kept pointing at the morphine pump. Was not until two days into it someone figured out the pump was broken and had not delivered ANY morphine. Same hospital left the IV in for 4 days and I wound up with a 106 degree fever. Think I would rather have been in hell on the bus stop.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Nancy Jocoy said:


> Kept BEGGING for tylenol and they kept pointing at the morphine pump. Was not until two days into it someone figured out the pump was broken and had not delivered ANY morphine.


I could feel sympathetic post-surgical agony just reading this.


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## Julie Ann Alvarez (Aug 4, 2007)

\\/


Courtney Guthrie said:


> Just to let everyone know, I did it 2 AM friday morning which was LATE thursday night. I was not drunk but had, had a few beers. I had a bad day and decided to go out with the girls....shoulda waited till Friday night.
> 
> I had x-rays, it's a Grade 3 sprain with a hairline fracture. I've took pics of the bruising I'll post later.
> 
> ...



Courtney- I am glad you've seen a doctor and happy for you that it isn't as bad a recovery as it could be (not to mention the expense it might have been). Rest that leg and be careful. 

I am waiting to have my neck fused C5-6-7 (very soon) this is my second spinal fusion in less than 2 years. It is not fun being in pain and not being able to train the dogs. Pain meds are a necessary part of my daily life (at least since July when the neck went sideways). I don't like having my intelligence impaired nor my energy levels knocked down, however the good thing about having your energy levels knocked down is that you are less likely to further injure ones self (it is hard to get hurt if you are sitting on the couch)...

Julie


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

I got a right and a left aircast if you need one...those things are great...

And it is true, once it happens, it does happen again....thats why I kept mine..


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## Courtney Guthrie (Oct 30, 2007)

I was on Percocets when I broke my knee and Hydrocodones. I just can't handle them, they make me so ill. My ankle hurts so bad, it's not even funny. I'll be on crutches for at least a week. I've been resting it, thinking of all the stuff I need to get done. 

Judge learned how to bring me the TV remote and my shoes last night though in right about an hour. My friend is going to go to training with me saturday and help me out. Looks like we'll be doing more off leash bitework stuff than we have been. So frustrating....I hate being hurt.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Glad you got it fixed. It's a bind I know, especially with those crutches. I felt muscles twinge afterwards that I never knew I had.

Have you got an office stool. I had two of them, one on the terrace and one in the house when I broke my ankle. Got quite fast on them, so fast that I missed a jutting up tile on the terrace and all but fell off.


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## Courtney Guthrie (Oct 30, 2007)

here are some pics of it. No office stools and I've been kinda hobbling around on it a little. I spent almost a year on crutches when I broke my knee so I'm pretty fast and good on them! lol lol 
Saturday second day...









Third day...









Fourth day-Yesterday









It feels a little better today and I haven't gotten a pic of it yet, but as of last night the swelling and bruising had went down. 

Courtney


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

WHOA! :-o

You weren't gonna go get that x-rayed?!

What were you drinking that night, anyway? :lol:


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## Julie Blanding (Mar 12, 2008)

ouch! Hope you heal quickly.

Julie


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## Courtney Guthrie (Oct 30, 2007)

Connie Sutherland said:


> WHOA! :-o
> 
> You weren't gonna go get that x-rayed?!
> 
> What were you drinking that night, anyway? :lol:


Something called an "All Jacked Up"....It's Jack Daniels, Sloe Gin, Midori and Pineapple Juice but the bad thing is that I wasn't even drunk. ;0 Wish I would've been it might have hurt less. 

Courtney


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Oh jeeez that's a wince and groan out loud just looking at the pictures kind of injury, totally righteously disgustingly nasty ugly and excruciatingly painful looking :-& .......but at least your fancy technicolor ankle in no way clashes with your stars....


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

owwwwwwwwwwwwww


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Oh..sorry after looking at the pictures... you need to be put down.


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## Courtney Guthrie (Oct 30, 2007)

lol lol Thanks Jennifer!


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## Julie Ann Alvarez (Aug 4, 2007)

"*DAMN*" that looks painful.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Stars and Stripes!!


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## Candy Eggert (Oct 28, 2008)

Love the colors but damn Courtney :smile: What part of all that swelling, pain and coloration made you think you didn't need to see a doctor and/or have x-rays?! Makes me cringe just to see those pictures :-& Hope you're feeling a bit better now ;-)


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## Courtney Guthrie (Oct 30, 2007)

It is getting better. I just figured, it'd heal, whether it was sprained or broke, it wasn't too obivously displaced so I wasn't too worried about it really. It did swell up and turn lots of pretty colors which are just now dissapating, kind of. Eh....That's what happens when you're young and don't have health insurance and don't want to add to a myriad of bills you already have. 

I AM VERY glad that I did go in for this though as it got really bruised and swollen and hurt pretty good. It definetely eased my mind a bit.


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## James Downey (Oct 27, 2008)

Courtney Guthrie said:


> Just to let everyone know, I did it 2 AM friday morning which was LATE thursday night. I was not drunk but had, had a few beers. I had a bad day and decided to go out with the girls....shoulda waited till Friday night.
> 
> I had x-rays, it's a Grade 3 sprain with a hairline fracture. I've took pics of the bruising I'll post later.
> 
> ...


 
It's that Hairline fracture that's killing you. The sprain would be aching, but hairlines can be crippling with pain. every little bounce will send you through the roof. It's been a few days, some heat will aid blood flow to it, and aid heeling.


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## Courtney Guthrie (Oct 30, 2007)

Thanks for that tip!!!


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