So, you have an incomplete fracture in your talus bone.

Treatment of a talar fracture is incredibly important and should not be taken lightly.  If you have fallen, been in a car accident, had a sports injury, etc that has even the slightest possibility of involving the talus bone - take it incredibly seriously.  I would even go as far to say, if you have any injury with any part of your foot, from any accident - do not mess around.

The first thing I'd do is see an orthopedic surgeon.  If possible, and time allows, do research and find one that focuses on foot injuries or one that specializes in sports injuries (even if yours is not sports related).  Even if neither of those is available, still go to an orthopedic surgeon.

The second thing I'd do is to get a MRI.  They are more expensive than an x-ray, but severe fractures can be missed on an x-ray based on the complicated shapes and close proximity of the foot bones.  Getting a MRI from the start will show the entire foot from all angles and expose any hidden fractures.

The third thing I'd do is to get a plaster cast, not a removable cast.  While a plaster cast is not as nice as a removable one, it is crucial for healing of a talar fracture to not move, even the slightest.  Since this bone is the hinge of your foot, it is a tricky task to hold still.

The fourth thing I'd do is NOT walk on it.  Just don't do it.  Wait a minimum of 6 weeks, if not a full 8.  Whatever you do, don't rush it.  Foot fractures are not simple to heal.  In the event of any fracture, blood is key in the healing process.  In a perfect body the amount of blood flowing to the foot is actually minor.  With one fracture in a foot bone it is going to take time due to normal limited blood.  In the event of multiple fractures, the healing process is even longer due to the limited about of blood available for healing.  Be patient.

Breaking one's foot is not fun but hopefully by taking the right steps (ha!), it will heal and never again will you take walking for granted.

Now, my friends are probably wondering why I wrote all this out.  OY!  Josh asked me to write this a long time ago as something that someone (specifically a patient) could find on the internet if they typed these issues (talar neck fracture, talar fracture, talus bone fractures) into a search engine: Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.  I had been putting it off for so long, it seemed fitting to write it on the 1-year anniversary of when I broke my talus bone.

His/our reason for writing this is so we can give direction (via the internet) to patients just starting their own broken foot adventure.  That way, whomever they are can learn from what I went through:

For those who don't know - I broke my foot falling onto concrete one year ago today. I went to the podiatrist first and got x-rays.  He saw 2 incomplete fractures to my talus bone, one on the right side and one on the left, with a tiny bit of bone holding it together.  After 2.5 weeks in a removable cast, the podiatrist let me walk on it, even though it hurt.  After 8 weeks and me still in intense pain, he said he thought I had a talar dome lesion, but to keep an eye on it.  After 12 weeks and me literally crying while walking, he had me get a MRI.  The MRI showed a 3rd fracture to the neck my talus bone that got missed on the x-rays.  The podiatrist sent me to non-load bearing PT, prescribed inflammatory medicine and put me back in the removable cast. 

Thankfully/Finally, after all we had been through up until this point, this wasn't good enough for my husband.  He had my MRI results sent to an orthopedic surgeon for a second opinion.  The orthopedic surgeon he found, who specialized in foot and sports medicine, said if I had gone to him when this first happened he would have immediately put me in a plaster cast and had me not walk on it for a minimum of 8 weeks.  He then prescribed me to immediately stop PT because due to my fracture being on the neck of the talus, any movement at all was re-breaking the bone, causing continual micro-fractures.  He also had me stop all inflammatory medicines.  Since the foot already has a limited blood supply, I needed all the extra swelling and blood I could get down there to help heal the fracture.  He would have put me in a plaster cast right then but since I had already been in this ordeal for 3.5 months, he took pity on me and let me remain in the removable cast if I made sure to not bend my foot or walk on it for (another) 8 weeks.  After that, it was finally deemed "healed" (with the promise of pain for up to a year.  And yes, it still hurts, 1 year later.  It is my "new normal.") and I was able to go to PT and learn how to walk all over again.  The whole ordeal (only) took 6 months.

Again, the first three months of this injury we had researched every possible which way on the internet, trying to find answers or direction for fractures in the talus bone, then for talar dome lesions, etc.  Hard to believe, but nothing on the internet was giving us any real information or helping my pain.  It wasn't until we met with the orthopedic surgeon and were given more direction that we were able to know what was really going on. 

I know, I know, this is old news to my friends, so sorry. I'll go back to something completely differenter soon.

A little while ago I told of Miriam and her blood covered alligator's mouth.  When I was typing her quote, I honestly did a double take at the word "ginormous."  I mean, it was actually the word she said, but I stopped because I was thinking, "What a silly word combo Miriam made up!"  Because believe-you-me, she has created some masterful name/word combinations in her little life.

Then a few days ago, Josh had written the word "ginormous" on something. I giggled and said, "You learned that from Miriam!  She totally made up that word."  To which he says, "No, it's a real word."

"ginormous

One entry found.

Main Entry: gi·nor·mous

Pronunciation: \ji-'n?r-m?s\

Function: adjective

Etymology: gigantic + enormous

Date: circa 1948

: extremely large : humongous"

From Merriam-Webster

Who would have guessed!  Turns out the word actually landed itself in the dictionary back in 2007.  According to this article from THE USA Today, it started showing up in print in 2000, even though it originates back to 1948.  

The first question in my mind is, "How did she know this was a real word and I didn't?"

My second question is, "How many more of what I think are Miriamisms, are truly words?"

One of the sights I have always really, really (and I mean, really!) wanted to see while in San Francisco was Chinatown.  Our first morning in the city we accidentally woke up at 5AM (7AM IA time), it was wet, it had been raining all night and was still lightly misting.  We grabbed 2 HUGE drinks from Starbucks and right across the street was the "main entrance" to Chinatown.

Maybe it was because I woke up at 5AM, maybe it was because it was now only 7AM, maybe it was because of the misting rain, maybe I was just undecided about everything, but standing there Josh asked me if I wanted to go in and I said, "Eh, no biggie either way."  Josh said, "We'll come back, you'll see."

After a round on the cable cars to the bay and back, it was now late morning and we jumped off near Chinatown.  This time we went in and I am SO, SO glad we did!  Everything about our visit there was PERFECT!  While I knew Chinese New Year was on the 14th, it turned out they started their celebrating this weekend.  The place was already hopping with stores busting out their front doors from the Saturday morning shoppers and now roads were being blocked off from traffic, and extra vendors were lining the narrow streets.

People, mostly elderly, were waiting in line for free containers of salt and boxes of pasta and coins.  Oranges, large and small, orchids, long leafy vegetables everywhere.  Smells of dried seafood, fresh seafood, even live seafood being sold from dripping suitcases on a street corner.  Delicious cooked food wafting out of every store we passed, not to forget the two huge, delicious smelling pigs walking down the street.  It was awesome! 

While in Chinatown we heard no English except when we happened into a non-Chinese place, this fancy, yet odd, little home decorations store.  We were wooed in by a huge, intricate carving out of an ivory tusk.  Two greasy looking guys sitting on a store couch greeted us, one in a suit and one with his hands in his pants.  They seemed annoyed that we were there but said we could go upstairs, after they said we couldn't.  Upstairs we found more carved ivory and mammoth tusks, ranging in price from $25K to $125K+.  We were heading down when a 3rd greasy guy approached us and aggressively said, "I'll give you a crazy deal on anything you like."  We're certain it was all a trick. ;)!

After that we wandered in and out of "grocery stores," the entrances to which were narrow, but they kept going back farther and farther.  One started off with an assortment of whole fish alive but out of water, chopped up bloody fish, intestines and the like.  A little further back there were frogs and large live fish swimming in tanks.  Further back, larger tanks with larger fish. Then a little stall that sold door locks.  Further still, live brown and white chickens  & quail in cages.  And then random storage, at which point we figured we should turn around.

One of the things I really wanted to do was eat something, anything, in Chinatown.  We passed countless places with whole roasted chickens and ducks hanging in windows, dim sum, and again, grocery stores filled with food, though nothing was written in English.  I finally opted for an incredibly crowded place selling dim sum.  People were crammed into this small space, everyone was shouting at everyone else in Mandarin/Cantonese, food was going this way and that.  Josh wanted to leave but I was determined.  While I wanted to try a Chinese tamale, I couldn't see them and I didn't want to lose my place by dilly-dallying, something I felt just wouldn't bode well there.  I opted for dumplings because they were closest to me behind the glass.  I made it out with 3 dumplings for $1.40 and I was mighty proud of myself.  They were amazing! 

I am so glad I didn't opt out of going to Chinatown!  I only wished I would've braved going back to the dim sum joint for seconds, or tried something else.  *Sigh*  I will have to save that for next time.

Can you think back where you were 10 years ago and at the same time imagine where you'd be 10 years from then?

Back on November 27th, 2009, Josh and I celebrated 10 years of married life.  While this is peanuts compared to G-Bob & G-Elaine's 60+, it is definitely a lot of years in our short lives.  Every anniversary I reflect on something(s) that for one reason or another has stood out during the last year of our married life.  A couple years ago I said I wouldn't barf on you regarding our marriage.  With this year's "things" I may barf, but I'll try not to.

Every day this last year, I have looked at my husband in awe of how much my life is blessed through him and his life.  Seriously, wow!

I have been truly struck by how everything keeps getting better.  And I mean everything.  This simply blows my mind, but it is entirely true.  I am not saying we or our marriage is perfect, things are definitely screwed up in our world, but our relating to each other and everything else involved keeps getting better.

I am in awe of how much now, more than ever, I pray for my husband.  Prayer for him as a person, as a husband, as a dad, in ministry, in work... I mean, I thought I used to pray for him a lot, but this last year, whoa-dawg!  I am so thankful to have the Creator of the universe to talk to for and on my husband's behalf.

I am amazed how intricately we understand each other in ways we didn't when we were first married.  From the little things of me understanding that Josh never packs his luggage until moments before leaving town to Josh knowing exactly how to respond to me when I am crying.  It is more than those examples, of course, it is a deep oneness, being in sync in so many areas, and it is a beautiful thing.

I have also been so thankful for our honesty and openness over the years.  While hanging at the bar in the O'hare airport, we met two retired (and drunk) Canadian men (they were starting pint #7).  One gent, a retired correctional officer, was in the "I love you, man" phase, not about us, but about his wife of 25 years.  She was his third wife and the one he "got it right" with.  He said he did one thing different with this wife, his soul mate, he didn't do with the others, he was be totally honest about everything, from his hopes and dreams to the nitty gritty.  I am so thankful that: 1 - We did get it right the first time (Thank you, God!) and 2 - We have been honest and open since the start.

Last weekend, we happily told whomever we met, that our cause for celebrating was our 10 year 2 month 9 days of married life.  Every time we were met with a "Wow! Really?" (Though my favorite was, "You look too young to be married 10 years." Aw schucks!)  But I can't stress enough that this is a drop in the bucket.  We are incredibly thankful we have so, SO many awesome examples of our family members and friends who have gone before us, breaking 10, 16, 20, 30, 35, 44, 60+ years.  (Not to forget all the great examples coming behind us, too!)  True, we are not rare compared to those close to us, but that won't stop us from celebrating!

We are looking forward to the exciting adventure that the next 10+ years hold, the joys and the sorrows, the exciting and the mundane.  Marriage is a roller coaster because life is a roller coaster but it is totally worth it hanging on for the bumpy ride firmly committed to the one you love.

I was blog-hopping on random strangers' blogs, jumping blogs and links faster than their blog trackers could catch me, when I was stopped by a sadly familiar photo. It wasn't that I recognized anyone, it was more that I knew what had happened in the photo I was looking at - a dear mother's newborn who was still born.

It was almost 3 years ago that a dear friend of ours lost her baby girl in the final week of her pregnancy and had to deliver her as a still born.  I remember getting the call and everything about that day.  I immediately grabbed our three and squeezed them tight, refusing to let go. I continued to weep and wail for days as I ached for her and her family. 

Upon seeing this dear mother's photo on her blog my heart broke again... memories of our friend going through the same thing, memories of dear mothers I know who lost their babies due to genetic complications, memories of so many, so many, dear mothers I have known over the years who have miscarried, some of them multiple times.  My first wave of emotion was a broken heart for this dear mother I don't know and all the dear mothers I do know.

My second wave of emotion was remembering the feeling I had when I held our three close in my arms that day as I was in awe of what an absolute miracle birth is - the most absolute, purest sense of thankfulness that I have been given three precious, living children to hold in my arms. 

My third wave of emotion was sadness.  Sadness that I had lost sight recently of that second wave of emotion - the most absolute, purest sense of thankfulness that I have been given three precious, living children to hold in my arms.

Don't misread my words, I love our three and treasure them deeply, more than words can express, but as a stay-at-home mom it seems like our world never stops spinning, it slows down or speeds up, but never stops.  My sadness was God holding the earth still, just for me, to remind what I had recently lost sight of during the hardness in our daily normal grind. 

Just as Jesus always had to explain His parables to His disciples, God had been giving me hints but I totally missed the punchline. For example, watching my husband play basketball at the gym with the boys, I was struck by how much they love each other and what an amazing team they are.  Or as Miriam was bouncing around her gymnastics class, she caught my eyes for a split second, stopped, smiled, waved, and then continued bouncing.  I was struck by how perfect she is for our family and what absolute joy she brings to our lives.  As everything was slowing down, I was struck by how thankful I am for the blessings they are in my life.

But the earth didn't stop then.

The earth stopped after a normal day, a tough day, where the world was spinning fast, things were flying out of orbit, we were wobbling off axis... everything stood still.  The earth stopped as God reminded me that even in the hard, sometimes daunting, daily task of raising our kids to be influential in their generations, I should not get blinded or discouraged by the "hardness" but be reminded that in raising children, the joys and the hardness are both part of the blessings of having children.  When Paul called us to "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say Rejoice," it includes times like these.  With a renewed sense of joy and peace, I have been finding myself rejoicing more than ever, as well as more thankful than ever that God has given us three amazing little people to love completely.  My soul as a mama is truly refreshed.  Praise God!!  :)!

For me, raising kids has always been as much about striving to shape and mold their characters, as it is God using them to shape and mold mine.  God knows we are all exactly what the other ones need. 

Thank you God, for stopping my world, to remind me once again to rejoice in all things and be encouraged for the new days ahead.  Thank you for these three amazing children, they are truly gifts from You, they are perfect for us, as we are perfect for them!