I didn't break my toe. Apparently.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

But it hurts like a son-of-a-beach.

So, Saturday night (and there was no drinking involved, I swear to god. I did that Thursday night) I was on the bed, cuddling the dog, watching some TV. I decided that it would be snugglier and warmer to be under the covers. So, I flopped gracefully onto my belly, and launched myself off the bed, backwards. In order to re-enter under the covers.

I forgot about the laundry basket that I’d moved off the bed.

I landed on it; the side. The rim. The top edge of the sides. My foot, rapidly followed by the rest of my body. And I’m not light-weight. I went down, laundry basket side rim jamming upwards, thrusting between my big toe and the next one. There was rigid plastic, and there was gravity, and my toe lost in the middle. It all happened so fast. The next thing I knew I was writhing in pain, and back on the bed. My second toe was pushed in a distressingly strange manner against the third toe in line, and it was afire with pain.

No, I couldn’t step INTO the soft, pillowy clean laundry. I had to attempt to become cloven-footed, backwards, with the full assistance of gravity.

There was ice. There were Tylenol 3s. There was much misery and limping. There was my toe, turning blackish purple, and swelling.

Sunday it felt better, but I’d rested quite a bit after the Laundry Basket Incident. It hurt so much, even with the Tylenol 3s, that I just went to sleep early to get away from it. Which rested and kept it level with my body, a good thing, I suppose.

I’m not walking, I’m hobbling in a most amusing manner. I can’t put any weight on it; it’s excruciating. Can’t move the toe and I don’t want to. Can’t flex. Move the wrong way, and I screech.

On the way into the office this morning, I thought I’d stop in a walk-in medical clinic. Just to make sure it wasn’t broken, and to make sure I was treating it right. But they weren’t open yet, so to work I continued. I left for a visit to the nearest clinic after 8:00 a.m., and the doc said it didn’t seem to be broken. I just wanted to know what I should be doing for healing, and to ensure that at some point in the future I will walk normally again.

Ice, taping, Tylenol and time seem to be about the only things, according to the doctor. Elevation, the internet helpfully adds.

Alas, it’s now Monday night, and it’s still very, very painful. I can’t believe I did such a stupid thing, and I can’t believe how much it hurts.

2

OUCH!

If it’s still this painful, it might be time to see another doctor. Breaks can go undiagnosed (my last broken elbow was missed by the folks at the ER, but caught on repeat X-rays 2 weeks later).

3

I broke my pinky toe a few weekends ago by whacking it on furniture. That was one of the most painful things ever (and unexpected- I was just walking to my kitchen and clipped my toe mid-stride).

What was really bad is that I’ve been having issues with that toe since the Spring (stepped on a nail, messing up the joint). So between those two things walking has been very unpleasant. Thankfully everything is beginning to settle down after two weeks.

Hopefully yours will heal quickly.

4

ow, ow, ow!

did you damage the big toe at all? the big toe is all about your weight distribution and balance and you definitely do not want to let that go untreated if it was involved.

if it escaped unscathed, then you’re doing about all you can for the other toe. it sounds like the second one took all the punishment and - speaking with experience - oh yeah, it hurts like a mo-fo.

personally, i’d say you broke it, despite what the doc in the box says. **mama **is right. breaks can be missed.

i’m no md, but if it doesn’t start calming down this week, i’d go back and have it looked at again. definitely ice it and keep it elevated as much as possible. hope it feels better soon!

5

I have broken my toe(s) so many times I don’t count anymore. I feel your pain.

Unfortunately, unless you did something so bad it needs surgery, there is nothing to be done about a broken toe other than buddy taping it to the next toe. Ice and elevation, tylenol or ibuprofen, time…those are the cures for a broken toe.

I have found that whining helps somewhat…

6

Thank you for the sympathy! Because it still hurts like a mother… Luckily, it was not my big toe, and it was my left foot, so I can drive. I heard a broken toe vs. just a badly wrenched toe is much the same regarding pain and the treatment. I’ve been elevating, icing, and pain-killing. Now, for the time part!

Just don’t want to be walking funny forever. :frowning:

I’m definitely going back to the doc in the box if it doesn’t show signs of healing.

Funny thing is another woman in my office fell on the same weekend, and banged up her face dreadfully. We’re attending a meeting tonight together. We will be a fine-looking pair, bruised and battered!