Hello everyone! I am new and I am utterly sad, I am here because I can't share my health problem with my co-workers (it is personal and it is a work policy as well) plus I am not working last 11 weeks due to bone fracture thus have no ne to talk to at all and truly seeking some advise and support.
Here we go: fell forward at home and broke my left ankle on January 28th, Urgent Care Xray showed fracture but nurse practitioner on duty told me to rest/ice it 2-3 days and start bearing weight on it so that I go back to work on my feet in 5 days!!! I absolutely refused to leave until she pulled up my Xray image on her laptop just to be sure. At her glace on the monitor she giggled and said: "Oy boy, what do ya know, there is that tiny fracture hah! well you CAN go see one of the Ortho people if you'd like but it's upto you, cause we can wrap it here and give you crutches too"
I left and made appt to ortho clinic where on 4th day the cast was applied and stayed on 3 weeks (yes only 21 days in hard cast, but Xray showed bone was mended) 1-2 weeks boot and some PT, than started walking bit by bit.
I live alone, no relatives, plus new the this area. so was utterly alone, miserable, immobile, depressed dealing with all of this healing process. The worst time of my life and I m in my 50's now.
Anyways, TBH my Ortho Dr was beyond dismissive, uncaring simply put disinterested in me, my pain, my recovery. I saw him twice for 2 minutes each time, and spoke to his PA thank goodness, at least she listened to me for once and agreed to send me to get an MRI, because my pain went up 70% 9 weeks into healing after rough PT tech massaged my still sort of fresh hematoma near the heel, I moaned in agony, just to hear "Hey, that's what we do here lady, no pain no gain is our motto, let's push this stale blood up so it resolves faster" !!! Let me tell ya....I came home iced the foot, looked at it an hour later and nearly fainted, not only did it hurt severely, it was blowing up all over again. I iced it on/off all night , took Ibuprofen 800 and could not believe my eyes, ankle looked precisely the same as it did when I fell January 28th, fracturing lateral malleolus, spaying bunch of tendons, ligaments you name it. the edema was HUGE! I took Advil 3 more days, did the R.I.C.E. 3 days called the PT place left VM, no one bothered contacting me back so I went to the ER with enormous swelling and in pain. He triggered the CRPS! No doubt he triggered the nerves by forcefully massaging still "raw" area, assuring me it was for my own good! How do be I so stupid allowing him to touch my newly healed bone (barely healed) and the tender hematoma spot. But again, I TRUSTED him, he went to school to study this, and he knew more than I did (as this is my and I hope the only broken bone ever)..Long story short, I stopped going and treated the swelling myself, PT guy did not call me back nor did my Orth dr. No one cared. But doctors PA did show bit of sympathy and concern about
my slow progress thus MRI was completed a week later with still a ton of swelling and my verdict in finding was non other than: Patchy bone edema indicative of CRPS. I did not know of course till I went to follow up 6 days later after this imaging TO DISCUSS what the test showed. But only to see the head of my Dr peak into the exam room and swiftly hand me piece of paper with circled diagnosis, saying "This what you have, see a Neurologist, my job is done hear, good luck"
I had questions written down, I sat there waiting for him 40 minutes as usual, but that is what I got, not a word, not a second more of his time! Since he was so unconcerned with 4 words on that paper, I was upset since he just dumped me so to speak but could not for the life of me figure out WHY the Neurology. Call me primitive/uneducated but I honestly had no clue and googling medical topics isn't my cup of tea. So I called him next day seeking an explanation, he never called back. I asked MRI facility for a disk and went to get a second opinion, and this second Dr was very alarmed.
Here is the gig: she wasn't alarmed watching the MRI movie, she said soft tissue edema is visible, but ankle is OK,
When I actually showed her that paper with circled CRPS she was absolutely shocked. After her clinical exam and questioning she could not conclude that it was the CRPS, as I had 2 symptoms out of list of 6.
Well after crying, being terrified, having a major panic attack not knowing what in the world is actually wrong with my ankle that I really really need to function, what if it progresses, spreads, what if pain is unbearable, what If I won't be able to walk, what if I lose the insurance? I am alone and must survive somehow, I ended up researching this issue after all and got DEVASTATED. I came here dear people. Please share what you know about
CPRS. I have no clue who to believe, the radiologist or the foot ad ankle specialist who took my info, spend time with me and SAW my foot up close asking my 25 questions and telling she highly doubts that I have this condition.
Now swelling is resolved completely last week and I have great ROM because I exercise the ankle and the leg every single day at home, so no stiffness, no swelling, no constant pain.
Now my symptoms are:
1) Lower leg does turn kind of blue-ish only when it's down (however due to low BP extremities are blue all the time)
2) Pain is present yes, but still in one area where fracture was and kicks in mid day. It's intense at night, not going to lie. It is 3 AM and I am typing the "novel" and I am sorry it is longer than Tolstoy's War And Peace. I chose to be vivid, to include detail to draw the timeline and to describe all of the assurances, and hope at least some one took time to read it
Can this be the CRPS since MR Imaging pointed the bone change?
If yes, than I am not sure how will I deal with the aftermath and pain and treatment and worsening depression, I am barely holding it together so far. No one to talk to. Please advise if you can, as you can see my luck with med professionals was not anything to write home about
. Well that's about
it
I want to be okay, I want everyone to be okay. I hate pain and suffering. My life just begun at 50 really, I had such lonely, challenging, intense life until last year working 2 jobs, freezing in back in Midwest, always just working and working running around but it is not related to the trouble with ankle.
P.S. I wish you all the very best from the bottom of my broken heart. Be well.
Thank you in advance (also forgive grammar mistakes if you find any, this is my second language)
Post Edited (WillBeOkay) : 4/22/2021 4:29:44 AM (GMT-6)