11.08.2011

I'm a PT Graduate!!

I'm pleased to announce that I have graduated from Physical Therapy. Not only that...I'm walking stronger...and I'm a believer in PT. Four weeks ago, I really didn't know what PT would do for me. On the last Monday of school in June....mid June....I was jogging home from a friend's house. She passed me on the road and I waved. Only I was sort of turned over my shoulder, ran off the sidewalk into the grass. That grass was actually an incline and I came down wrong...very wrong. Luckily, my friend saw me in her rear view mirror and stopped and came back to check on me. At first, it really just felt like I had hit my funny bone....but in my ankle. I humbly accepted a ride to my house which was nearly a mile away. Although I kept off my foot that first day...kept my shoe on and iced it (oh my first aid training...thanks to past leaders!), it still wasn't that great. And wowee...it hurt. After 2 weeks....I still didn't have the radius of movement that I should have had and went to the doctor's office. The Physician's assistant said...oh it'll take another week...or 2. So I waited 2 more weeks....and my knee was hurting. So I went to see a doctor. Yes...that doctor took xrays...of my knee. (I inquired about that ankle...and he waved it off.) Prescribed all these expensive braces for my knee and ankle. (I hated wearing them out in public...hated it.) Well, time kept marching on...but my ankle wasn't what it should have been. I was stiff each time I got up from sitting or lying down. So, in October, I went back to the doctor's office and saw yet another doctor. This "third time's the charm" doctor xrayed my ankle...thought it had been fractured and healed...sent me to PT. All this time, I had this "slack" in my ankle that wasn't right in my mind. Although all the doctor's didn't see a swelling. I saw it, felt it...knew it was there. (Even longer story is that I had to find out from the original PA that I needed to go to an Ortho consult as well.) Well... To sum it up...I had no idea how helpful PT would be. So very, very helpful. I had the most wonderful team that worked on me, taught me, encouraged me, laughed with me and yes...made me strong and able again. The ortho surgeon saw no arthritis that the first doctor marked down...and saw no fracture in any xray. Whew.... and double whew... I continued to attend Physical Therapy sessions...3 x a week for 4 weeks...(and yes I got out one session early due to a field trip). If I were a little younger, I might have gone back to school to get a degree in physical therapy. I'm amazed and enlightened. I even joked around that Ken would have to find more money so I continue with my appointments! About a week ago, that odd slack in my ankle was gone! Yes, I'll keep stretching...exercising....and hopefully...keep this ankle strong.

5 comments:

Starla said...

Congrats! And you are never too old to go back to school! My MIL went back to college when DH was in college. In my PT class, the ages ranged from 17 to mid 40's.

Glad the therapy helped!!

Michelle VP said...

I so agree! I did PT for my neck and upper back a few years ago and it helped so much. Glad to hear your ankle is stronger. :)

Great Grandma Lin said...

wow, makes you wary of doctors and their diagnosis. glad it turned out well. That's what my son Frank does pt with children in santa fe.

http://blog.timetocreate.com.au/ said...

So glad that yiu are healing and feeling stronger Dawn.

Jocelyn Christensen said...

I love pt too...its the best!!!