bluekarin Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Any doctors/nurses able to help/make suggestions please My ED sprained the ankle on her 'good' foot 7 days ago tomorrow (her 'bad' foot has RSD/CRPS in it). She fell down some steps at school and we took her to A&E just in case she had broken anything - which the xray showed she hadn't. She has had to sleep downstairs for the past week as getting up and down the stairs is very hard work, and her bed is raised so that would be impossible for her to get into. She has her foot up all day long as if its down for a short period of time, it goes purple and swells up. She has numbness in her toes and on the outside of her ankle. She takes Diclofenac and Amitriptyline for her RSD and is also taking paracetamol for the sprain. She is using ice-packs and we are also using ice sprays to help with pain relief. My question is, should she still be unable to weight bear on the sprained ankle a week on, and still be in so much pain trying to move her toes and foot with her foot up? She is using crutches and balancing on the toes and ball of her good foot to get around, which is incredibly painful. I tried with two good feet and it was very difficult. Thank goodness for sofa beds and downstairs loos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 um I think I'd be going back for a 2nd opinion. she could have a hairline fracture, and depending on the ability of the doc you saw in A&E first time round something could easily have been missed (and I say this from experience, having had very good luck with the right orthopaedic guy just happening to be on A&E when I broke my ankle 18 months ago). from what you say, she is still in significant pain after quite a long time - I'd go back and nag nag nag til you get a proper diagnosis. good luck, and bless her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 Well, that was what I was thinking, but thought I'd better check I wasn't being an overzealous mother. I shall phone her GP tomorrow and go from there. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 no, I dont think over zealous mum at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchick Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Sounds terrible. Please go back and don't feel like you are being over protective at all. When my niece was tiny her mum took her to the doctor with suspected meningitis. The Dr sent her home. She did have meningitis and ended up in hospital very poorly. Thankfully she fully recovered with no lasting damage. I'm not knocking all health professionals, I've had some very good experiences too. Just saying, they can make mistakes. Hope your daughter's ankle gets better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola O Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Is it possible that she has ruptered her tendons?? I did this in me left ankle last August after slipping of the back doorstep, as I fell my left foot shot out and impacted against the wall of the brick shed just outside the door. The pain was excrutiating!! After half and hour of sobbing with the pain I realised I would need to go to hospital so phoned parents (I live alone). The A&E doctor wasn't really sure if there was a break, so i was plastered up and went back to the fracture clinic a few days later who re-x-rayed and said def no break so took the plaster off and gave me some sort of strappy on brace thingy. I had to use crutches for a few weeks and the pain lasted quite a while, so saw my own GP who thought I had ruptured the tendons and said it would just take time and I needed to do 'foot exercises' to strengthen and lengthen the tendons as they re-attach (they can apparently be really tight when they first re-attach) . Even now I still get an ache mainly at the back of the ankle, but it doesn't really cause me any bother. Don't know if this helps you but it may be another this to get the doctor to check for. Good job you are there for her and I hope she feels better soon (my parents stayed for a few days then went home so I was on my own - and no downstairs toilet for me !) Nicola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 I went over on mine a couple of years ago and literally heard everything go I was able to bear weight on in reasonably quickly although I continued to rest and support it. It doesn't sound at all right to me. I would definitely go back for another exam. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted May 7, 2011 Author Share Posted May 7, 2011 I took her to our GP yesterday and she agreed that she should be weight bearing much more than she can at almost 10 days and has referred her for an xray, which will happen on Tuesday. I am hoping it won't show a fracture, as if it does, lord know how she is going to get about due to the ongoing condition in her bad foot. But then again, it will explain why she is still in so much pain. Before I got her appointment to see the GP, I spoke to one over the phone who suggested she try taking co-codimol for the pain. I'm not too sure as I've heard it can be addictive. Am I right? So, thank you all for your support. I always feel like an overprotective mother about these sort of things, so it is good to know that I might have been right to be concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 oh poor her and you. co-codamol can be addictive, but a few days should not be a problem - how old is she though? whenever I've taken it it has made me feel really quite woozy (in a weird way, as if my upper arms have turned to cotton wool!), so she should not drive etc if she does take it. as far as I'm aware it is prescription only anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchick Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 I have some Co-codamol here as it happens. It is 500mg of paracetamol and 8mg of Codeine. Maximum 8 tablets in any 24 hour period. The packaging says not to take for more than 3 days unless otherwise directed by a doctor (can cause addiction) and do not give to children under 12. It sounds nasty whether it's tendons or fractured or whatever. Hope it mends quickly. Edited to add - Pain relief is no substitute for rest. You can do more damage if the pain is masked. Also I'm not a medically qualified person (just for the record!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted May 7, 2011 Author Share Posted May 7, 2011 She is 13 (14 next month) and is resting all day long. We have two sofas in our living room, and she is taking up one all the time. I can't believe how much she drinks during the day. It feels like we are constantly getting her water/milk/tea/coffee etc etc. I know its because she is bored, but it can be a bit frustrating. I'd never make a nurse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchick Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Get her a flask! or a travel mug. Make a jug of fruit juice up. I drink constantly. I finish one drink and start on the next. Sometimes when I get in from work I make myself 3 drinks and line them up, a coffee, a fruit juice or cordial, and something like a glass of wine or a G&T. When do you get the x ray results? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted May 11, 2011 Author Share Posted May 11, 2011 Right, she had her xray yesterday, but as it was a GP referral, we won't find out until tomorrow when I phone for the results. But the receptionist did say, when I asked what were did after the xray as no one said, that if there was a sign of a break, she'd have been sent straight to A&E, so we take it that there isn't one and that it's, I say just, but just a very bad sprain. But at least we sort of know now and she can start trying to weight bear. Still hurts a lot, but she is trying. And she went back to school today woohoo! Love her and everything, but three weeks of kids home! Its not the summer hols yet! Redhotchick - that is an excellent idea. I suddenly realised the reason she was so thirsty is due to one of the side affects of the amitriptyline she is on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchick Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I confess Bluekarin, that my OH fell over more than 2 weeks ago and (still) thinks that he may have broken his arm. We have been to the hospital but they did not x-ray and said it is *just* a bad sprain. So I have some empathy with what you are going through with your daughter. My OH has not cooked a meal or do any dishes or tidying up for weeks. It is very tiring. He is on the mend though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiggy Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 oooh ouch Ive sprained my ankle so many times it can hurt for several weeks, eventually the surgeons had a go at it , hope she feels better soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
