keeping up with Beckham and Rooney ; the joys of a metatarsal injury

my right foot

The week has started well. Other half is in India for the week, and my youngest has just left home to be near the Farrow and Ball shop in Islington, where life is so much trendier, and he can maintain a social life fit for one of his age.

I meanwhile, having been hobbling around for a week after tripping on the driveway carrying a newly repaired PC, decided to do the right thing and try out the local urgent care centre to find out whether I had broken any bones in my still bruised and tender foot.

Off I drove and was 'triaged', seen by a very kind nurse practitioner and then X-rayed all in the space of an hour, as most of the local populace had yet to wake up and realise that they needed to see a doctor urgently.

We looked at the x-ray, hummed and ha-aahed a little, and then decided that there may well be a crack in the 5th metatarsal. Kindly nurse ran off to check with a couple of doctors, and before I knew what was happening, I was prone on a couch having said foot encased in plaster up to the knee.

'Aren't you going to put a rubber thing on the bottom that I can walk on?' said I hopefully. 'Oh no' said she 'you are going to have crutches and be non weight bearing for at least 6 weeks'.

Reality loomed.

Going to have an Xray now seemed like a really big mistake. I had imagined a walking boot or bulky bandage, but crutches? No thanks.

Within the next two hours I discovered how difficult things are going to be. A friendly taxi driver dropped me home, and I hobbled to the front door. I had been advised to sit on my bottom to go up and down stairs; but the two concrete steps to the door weren't softly carpeted or dry. I stood there for a while, wondering how on earth to get up two steps. I can see I am going to learn a lot about disability in the next few weeks.

So now I am unable to

• drive
• walk the dog
• carry a cup of tea or coffee
• carry a plate of food from worktop to table
• shower
• bath

I won't bore you with any more, but the list is getting longer as I write. 

Other half rang from India -  'you've got the footballers fracture' - he gaily announced. 

And he is right. Beckham and Rooney are just two footballers to have suffered a similar plight. If I spend a large sum I could get an inflatable boot like they had, that allows some sort of normal walking. But I don't have access to the kind of advice that they do, and so will dutifully sit out a two week wait for my fracture clinic appointment at the hospital that is about to be declared bankrupt.

I have already ordered my plastic tube to keep my foot dry in the shower. I was tempted by the paints above from the same website , but decided to remain a dignified shade of off-white for professional purposes.

Dog has been shipped off to a friend for a few days, as there is no way I can walk her with both arms attached to crutches.

And I am spending my time sitting in front of the computer waiting for a very long day to end so that tomorrow I can go to work and see how difficult that is. At least I have a wheely chair in my office, so will be able to scoot around my room taking in the door, the cupboard and the desk as I go.

I have armed myself , as advised by wise individuals on the internet, with a shoulder bag for carrying essential items. The only problem is that I keep taking things out of the bag and forgetting to put them back in before I make my way from one room to another. I proudly hopped across the kitchen with a sandwich, and then sat down, only to discover that I had left my cutlery the other side of the room.

It is going to be a long week. 

I am investigating the merits of Pinterest as a means to pass the time when I would normally be doing all sorts of things that involve walking; check out my 'boards' and see what I have found if you are bored and have nothing better to do!