I hope you all had an amazing holiday season! I ended up dealing with a few health hiccups over the holidays, here's an overview:
Dec. 23rd - Found a lump in my right breast. We have a huge family history of breast cancer. I panic.
Dec. 24th - Went to my GP, she said she didn't think it was cancer, but one of the symptoms other than the lump, raised a red flag. She said I could possibly have a brain tumor. Scheduling person was out of office, had to wait until the 26th to schedule an MRI and a breast ultrasound.
The ultrasound came back clean, no cancer. The MRI, on the other hand, showed a "fullness" in my pituitary. I have to see an endocrinologist, because I probably have a microadenoma. Lovely.
Fast forward to 10 days ago. I was walking down the stairs to go outside and get the mail, when Codi, my mum's Dachshund, got underfoot. I managed to miss the last two steps and land full weight on my left foot, and my ankle rolled. I felt things snap. My ankle immediately began to swell and I was in terrible pain. I called my stepdad to take me to hospital, but he was busy picking up my siblings, so I had to drive myself! At the ED, I was seen by a doc who thinks I'm a drug seeker. They only gave me Percocet and Vistaril, which barely took the edge off. After x-rays, a questionable visual exam, and medication, they discharged me with nothing more than a bag of ice.
I spent the weekend in agony, walking on my horribly mangled foot/ankle. On Monday morning I saw my GP and told her of my miserable hospital treatment, and she pulled up the records from my ED trip. Turns out I was supposed to be discharged in a splint and on crutches! I agreed to the splint, but since I'd been walking on it, I said to hell with the crutches. Over the rest of the week, the bruising began to fade, but the swelling persisted. Finally, this morning my mum called every orthopaedist she could find, to try and get someone to see me. She found one, and I went to my appointment right after she picked up my x-rays from the hospital. Turns out that the splint my GP had given me was insufficient in stabilizing my ankle. I am now stuck in a fancy Aircast until they tell me I can take it off. Joy. I will post an update soon with pictures of the evolution of my ankle, from right after the injury to whatever day I post.
As for why I was MIA for almost 8 months:
Basically, I was used by a money grubbing idiot to scam an insurance company.
I got into a car accident in July of 2010. Some woman tried to beat a red light, I happened to be making a left turn, cars collided. About a year and a half later, someone shows up at our door and serves my mum and I a summons. The woman who hit me was suing us for $75,000. Because of this, I had to make my Facebook private, keep my Twitter posts vague, and shut down my blog. It sucked, I wanted to vent about this horrible woman and what she was doing to me and my family, but I had to keep quiet. She claimed she was disabled now, was owed emotional damages and back pay, etc. When we asked for her medical records, it showed she had a TON of pre-existing conditions. She had ignored the doctor's suggestion of PT and went to a chiropractor instead. She was on hardcore narcotics, like Fentanyl and Suboxone PRIOR to the accident! I was livid, she was making up lies! My theory is that she saw the new car (a gift for graduating high school from my parents) and that I was young (22 at the time of the accident) and saw easy money.
In November, the woman agreed to settle. She got $12,500. The law failed me. As for her inability to work and permanent disability? She now works in a coffee shop, which requires standing all day, and she attended/worked the 2012 Renaissance Festival. Basically, she flat out lied...And they paid her for it. Honestly, I'm just glad it's over. I want to forget.
New things in store for Falling Apart At The Seams this year:
- Product reviews! I'm going to try to find companies with useful products for those of us with limitations.
- Giveaways! I'll be trying to get companies to donate products for me to give away. All will be geared towards disability, comfort, and assistance items.
So, in the famous words of Porky Pig; "Th-Th-Th- That's All Folks!"
-Jess
