Enforced quiet

Some people wake up in the morning and jump out of bed with a glad cry.  I have to confess that I am not one of them.  Sometimes I move only because I know it's necessary.  When I have slept well, it's much easier, and I can be reasonably awake right off the bat, but good sleep is hard to come by most of the time, because of pain issues.

Right now I am forced to have a quiet day because my right ankle has decided to be the trouble spot.  On Monday, for the first time in quite a while, I was able to get through both of my water exercise classes, all the way to the end of the second one.  I have been coming close, but not all the way; on Monday and Friday I have a water yoga class before the M-W-F water aerobics class that I have been doing for years since my back surgeries.  So, yay! for Monday.  I came out of the YMCA hungry and suddenly ready to fall over, but that's okay, there was food and a nap at home.  Tuesday I caught a break in the rain and got a good walk--I didn't get totally, maximally  fast and fluid in my stride, but I went an extra two blocks, thinking good thoughts, and it was fine.

So at 4 o'clock on Tuesday  I went walking, and at 5 o'clock I went 'ow' as I walked from the front hall to the kitchen.  At 6 I knew I wasn't standing on that foot and fixing anything that might serve as dinner.

Now, this is the same type of pain, the same pattern of complaint, that I went through last May.  Then as now, I didn't do anything that I could identify--I didn't stumble, I didn't twist, I didn't whatever.  Last time it calmed right down until I had to drive for two hours in an emergency situation, after which it refused to calm down for more than two weeks.  I cannot remember for the life of me what directions the doctor told me to stretch and not stretch when I gave up and went in.

There is no visible swelling, and I don't need to find crutches somewhere.  I know the rest, ice, compression, elevation drill.  I'm doing it. I can walk on it a little if I don't put any flexion on that inside/midpoint part of my foot and I take little slow steps. (Until I take too many of them.)

But on Monday, I was feeling full speed ahead!  (For me.)  Anything that changes how I walk will affect the movement from my back, and will set off all those troubles to some extent.  Getting in the water on a noodle so that I can move my body but be kept off the floor would help, but won't do me any good if I can't walk into the building. Or drive to get there.

So, I guess I get to be patient over something else and use the time to try to study and think.  Make some phone calls to people I haven't talked to for too long.  There's always some use to anything, or at least some way around.  I'm grateful for the kind sister who picked me up so I could teach yesterday, and for the tall chair in the building so I could sit to do it.  Class was powerful.  Yesterday was, in fact, very blessed.

That's the thing, I guess.  You can be snarky and grumpy, or you can be aware of your blessings and compensations.  Your ankle will get better at the same pace, I suspect, either way, but waiting the process out is a lot more pleasant the second way.