Well.... I am back on crutches

Thankfully this time it isn't surgery, femur, or knee related.

Over the past month I have been trying to get out of the house on the weekends with the kids to do a bit of hiking. In San Antonio it's more like taking nature walk, but at least we still get outside and spend some time together. There is no shortage of places to explore and we try a new park every weekend so no one gets bored. Yesterday we went to Eisenhower Park which has a nice trail system and a observation tower that the kids really enjoy. We had a really good time.

And then "it" happened. .We had just finished the most strenuous part of the hike, coming down a hill with some loose rocks. I was walking on flat ground and talking to my kids about the picnic lunch waiting for us in the cooler in the back of the van when I lost footing/or slipped on a rock and I fell. Right onto the my right knee and shin. Thankfully, even while in pain, I was able to keep my head and had one son run to get the people that had just passed us on the trail and I had my other son call my husband. When I finally stood up I almost threw up from the pain coming from my calf and hip. I managed to walk, with some assistance, the longest mile EVER back to the parking lot. A big THANK-YOU to Roger and his wife for coming to my aid. By the time I made it to the parking lot my shin and calf were completely swollen and extremely painful.

My husband took me straight to the ER, but, unfortunately, radiology was backed up so it took forever to get films. The ER doctor didn't let me suffer too long. Once he palpated my leg and saw me jump out of the wheelchair in pain he ordered some Narco, which made me feel SOOOO much better. When I finally had my films done, the x-rays of the femur, knee, and tibia looked great and there were no signs of a fracture or broken implant. That was my primary concern, especially with the lower leg swelling.

I was discharged with a diagnosis of contusion to my knee and shin with orders of NSAIDS and RICE. I was given another set of crutches (yay) and a leg brace. I was also instructed to call my ortho oncologist just to let him know what what going on, because of my abnormal anatomy the ER doctor wanted to make sure that he didn't miss anything in his diagnosis.

At first I was pretty upset, but now I'm feeling okay with the situation. I realize that stupid freak accidents happen to normal people too (I was asked several times on my hobble back to the parking lot if I had sprained my ankle). Falling, getting a contusion, and recovering is just par for course for someone who leads an active lifestyle. My mom suggested that I look into purchasing some trekking poles and since I have some extra time on my hands I am researching a pair to purchase. I think they will be well worth the money, especially since I plan on doing more hikes with the kids once I recover.