On the 16th of December I worked, teaching 7th grade math, reading and language arts. It was the last day of school before the long Christmas vacation. Many call that school break "winter break." I will have no such nonsense.
In the evening I gathered with four of my table tennis buddies at Sigfried's house to play ping pong in his basement. There is food, sport, camaraderie and beer. What more could a guy want?
All was going well until I stepped wrong on my left foot and twisted my ankle in a severe way. I went down to the floor.
Siggy got a zip lock bag with ice in it and I put that on the ankle. I knew that I was in trouble. My foot had stayed flat on the floor and my ankle had twisted a lot.
I stayed awhile longer with the ice on it and then put my sock and shoe back on and limped to my car. When I got home I woke Sarah and told her what had happened. She took Siggy's ice bag and filled it with fresh ice. I kept that on the ankle for most of the night.
By the next day I could barely put any weight on it. I had trouble getting to the bathroom which is only 8 feet from my bed.
I spent the next 3 days in bed or lying on the couch. I came down the stairs by sitting down and slowly slipping from one step to the next. By Christmas I could walk but it hurt and I limped.
It is now Jan. 15th. Most of the swelling has disappeared as has most of the pain. I can stand and walk. It still hurts.
I know, I should have gone to the hospital and had it x rayed. I had done the same thing to the other ankle 23 years ago. So I had some experience. And the fact that it has gotten better every day gave me confidence. I don't like the exposure to radiation. Those are my excuses.
