A year and a half ago, I fractured my left foot in multiple places. You might ask how I did this—walking. Yes, it appears I do not know how to walk, a point my physical therapist did note during my recent assessment for therapy for my spine. It took a year for the foot to heal, at least I thought it had healed. An added bonus was 6 months into the fracture, my other foot fractured. It took so long to heal and I’m too scary of a patient for surgery they opted to prescribe a bone-stimulator for me. Fast forward…
Sunday, December 10… I stepped on a dog toy. Within seconds, I heard a crack and snap and felt pain shooting through my foot and leg. Off to the ER I went. After a surprisingly short wait, the physician assistant came in with her cell phone and proceeded to show me the lovely skeletal image of my foot. And there it was, the fourth metatarsal snapped almost entirely in half. She gave me some Tylenol and told me to see my orthopedist.
Two days later I sat grinning in my orthopedist’s office and he asked why. I said for some reason I found it funny that I stepped on a dog toy and cracked my foot again, while my dogs gnaw on these things without any impact on their teeth. My orthopedist looked at my chart and said, well you did it again in the same spot. 3 months, he said. At least 3 months of a walking boot and a broken foot. Then if it’s still not healed it’s some kind of surgery—either a bone graft or pins and screws.
The million dollar question everyone is asking: why are my bones weak? I don’t appear to have a form of bone cancer. My bone density scans are normal so far. My calcium levels are on the normal side. And I haven’t had corticosteroids in 7 months. Nevertheless, my bones appear to be weak… What it all means is the zebra returns. If you forgot what a medical zebra is it’s a person with a medical problem of know known cause.
This is an all too familiar scene.
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