So, I'm still sick, can't speak a full sentence without coughing, and ache al over. I called in sick, because it's awkward to break out into a coughing fit while trying to lift someone. Not to mention, they might fall, and people call into question your infection control capabilities. thank goodness there are other PTs where I work, who can pick up the slack. for years I had no choice but to drag myself in, no matter how sick I was.

And now, for the interesting part. Yesterday, Christie broke out in a chorus of "Owie!"s and tears shortly before lunch. She told me her right ankle hurt, but when I asked her what happened, she said, "I won't tell you." That usually means she did something she knew she shouldn't. I checked out her ankle, no swelling, no redness, no point tenderness, full motion, nothing major, right? But she wanted me to do something, so I ACE wrapped it and talked her into taking a Children's Tylenol, since it did appear to be sore, even if there was nothing permanent going on. and she had a less severe version of what I have, so she was already achy.

After her father got home, she admitted to him that she had jumped off her chair and turned her ankle on landing, but she still had nothing visible or palpable going on at the ankle at that time, 3 hours later. And she had been walking on it, when she felt like it, limping sometimes, and on differing feet each time, as well as asking me to carry her when she didn't feel like walking.

By bedtime, there was still nothing visible going on at the ankle, and we intended her to go to school in the morning. Gene was to be off, and I wasn't sure at that point. So, I took the wrap off, and put her to bed. She slept poorly, but wouldn't tell me why when she was waking up in the night. She sometimes has nightmares, and I was hoping the ankle would be forgotten by morning.

In the morning, after I had called off, we woke her up. Again, she was limping, but alternating feet, so we made her go to school. She didn't want to, but we told her the alternative was to go to the hospital for an Xray, which she didn't want to do. She walked fine, but slowly, to the bus stop, with the most put-upon look ever. She climbed the steps into the bus, and she was on her way.

Until my husband gets the call to come get her, she needed to be carried off the bus.

So, then it's time to go to the hospital and get an Xray, just in case, even though she's walking just fine, we can't send her back to school without her seeing a doctor.

Of course, we couldn't find her insurance card, which started a fight that we're both still stinging from. Insurance companies really should issue 2 cards for minors, just so each parent can have one and not need to trade the same card off. I mean, if grocery stores can be nice enough to give 2 of their club cards.... it can't be that expensive, I mean we pay through the nose for that insurance.

By 9:30, I'm on the road to the hospital, when we got there she was playing shy with the ER staff and being a general pain, as well as walking just fine.

In the middle of all the waiting, coincidentally, the doctor shows up at the same time one of my assistant from work texts me with an important question, so he got all snarky, 'if you could stop texting for a moment' since my head had been down and I didn't see him walk in. But he came out looking like a fool too, since he didn't know the Xrays had already been taken more than an hour previous, and he was checking out her knee. He proceeds to tell me he's checking it out because when a child turns their ankle, the bone can pull from the top of the fibula, to which I replied, 'Yes, the bone can avulse on either end of the peroneal muscles', to which he gave me such a look, probably because I was completely unimpressed by him and knew what I was talking about, then walked out and sent the nurse in. I can't help it, I was cranky to even be there.

We didn't get out of there till 12:30. Xrays were negative, the doctor says it was  a strain/sprain, which I already knew, and gave her Motrin. Her ankle got freshly ACE wrapped, badly, by the ER nurse. I couldn't even get her shoe on and had to rewrap it. They gave us a pair of crutches(well, I'm sure we'll get a bill, but for right now it was 'gave') which she refuses to use.

All I really needed was the Xray machine, everything else I could have done myself, and in the end, they didn't actually do anything I hadn't already done(can't count the crutches, they're gathering dust in the corner of her room right now).

So, when we got home, Gene left for his doctor's appointment, as he hadn't come with us on account of the usual extraordinarily long waits in ERs, for fear he would miss his appointment. I went to bed, and she watched Disney Jr. He got home and woke me for lunch, and after lunch I went back to bed and didn't get up till 6. On the bright side, my cold feels much better.

My phone had a tweet on it about praying for Oklahoma City, but no details. Is it a sign of my twisted mind, or general shock at all the bad news lately, that I hoped it was a natural disaster and not terrorism? I don't know, but it was a tornado, and I hope the best for those affected.

Now, back to arting.. I've got kaaring to make up, and a show to judge.