Self-diagnosis
In Which a librarian in training uses her research skills to diagnose her injury--correctly, as it turns out.
After falling into the drainage ditch I limped into the house, and put a bag of frozen peas on my foot. Then I went back to writing papers. A couple hours later, there was a lump on the outside of the foot, like half an egg cut lengthwise. I could no longer put any weight on the foot without intense pain, though the pain when I didn't have weight on it was barely noticable.
I went on Google and searched for foot anatomy, to find out what the internal bone structure was under the lump. I found the following two sites most useful:
http://www.drfoot.co.uk/anatomy.htm
http://www.physioroom.com/injuries/ankle_and_foot/metatarsal_fracture_full.phpI then did a tentative self-diagnosis. I wrote a good friend who is a doctor, "my best guess based on the location of the swelling is the fifth metatarsal bone, near the ankle end, or else supportive soft tissue in that area." I wanted to know if I was taking any risks if I didn't bother going to the doctor because of the expense. (I don't currently have health insurance.) She encouraged me to go to a doctor because if it was broken, and the bones weren't lined up correctly, I could have chronic pain in that foot for the rest of my life. That was convincing. Then another friend pointed out that as a student of a large state university I could probably get medical care at their clinic at very low cost. Right she was. Three meetings with doctors and three x-rays later, I have only had to pay for the boot that protects my foot.
Here is a picture of the boot:
http://www.donjoy.com/index.asp/fuseaction/products.detail/cat/6/id/162
Oh, and the diagnosis? Multiple fractures of the fifth metatarsal, proximal base. Proximal base means near
the ankle end. So Google skills pay off yet again!
After falling into the drainage ditch I limped into the house, and put a bag of frozen peas on my foot. Then I went back to writing papers. A couple hours later, there was a lump on the outside of the foot, like half an egg cut lengthwise. I could no longer put any weight on the foot without intense pain, though the pain when I didn't have weight on it was barely noticable.
I went on Google and searched for foot anatomy, to find out what the internal bone structure was under the lump. I found the following two sites most useful:
http://www.drfoot.co.uk/anatomy.htm
http://www.physioroom.com/injuries/ankle_and_foot/metatarsal_fracture_full.phpI then did a tentative self-diagnosis. I wrote a good friend who is a doctor, "my best guess based on the location of the swelling is the fifth metatarsal bone, near the ankle end, or else supportive soft tissue in that area." I wanted to know if I was taking any risks if I didn't bother going to the doctor because of the expense. (I don't currently have health insurance.) She encouraged me to go to a doctor because if it was broken, and the bones weren't lined up correctly, I could have chronic pain in that foot for the rest of my life. That was convincing. Then another friend pointed out that as a student of a large state university I could probably get medical care at their clinic at very low cost. Right she was. Three meetings with doctors and three x-rays later, I have only had to pay for the boot that protects my foot.
Here is a picture of the boot:
http://www.donjoy.com/index.asp/fuseaction/products.detail/cat/6/id/162
Oh, and the diagnosis? Multiple fractures of the fifth metatarsal, proximal base. Proximal base means near
the ankle end. So Google skills pay off yet again!