aibu to feel so fucking pissed off and upset over this?

[trashcanjunkie]

will try not to drip feed. I run my own dog day care business. In May while out walking with dogs on uneven ground, I wobbled on my right foot ever so slightly and sprained my ankle. It never healed. In july (having suffered a lot of sprained ankles over the years due to hypermobile joints, and therefore understanding a sprain can take up to twelve weeks to fully recover) I saw the gp and was told to give it more time. In September the ankle was still not healed. I kept going over on it and it would re-ignite the swelling and pain etc.
In October I wobbled it again on a titchy little bit of uneven ground, and felt something 'pop' in my foot, as well as a burning sensation. That night my foot was green due to bruising where the pop had happened. Next morning went to a and e. They x-rayed my foot, but as the bone wasn't broken, said couldn't help. I got crutches and told to keep off it until I could get a referral from gp to the fracture clinic. waited a week, keeping off foot and cancelling work, really struggled with dc's and upstairs flat. Seen at fracture clinic and given a 'moon boot' sent home and told to wean self off it.
During this time I was back and forth on the telephone to a different gp at the practice, who agreed to refer me to a foot and ankle orthapeadic specialist. Gp lovely and also referred me on for testing for obscure genetic disorder to do with connective tissue problems,which is happening in January. So I finally got the appointment for the foot and ankle specialist, and hobbled along there today. He looked at my foot for about five minutes, and said he could see that I have so much damage to my tendon and ligament that my heel bone is no longer attached to my fucking leg bone on one side, hence my heel is 'turned in' (or something much more technical) and no longer correctly forming the tripod it should, meaning my ankle is 'unstable'

He was utterly brilliant and clearly knew his stuff. I still have to wait until after christmas for an mri scan, and then will have to have surgeries with the prospect of 12 more months until I'm healed properly. Until I have the surgery I have to wear the fucking moon boot full time.

I'm so annoyed this wasn't picked up sooner by the first and second gp or by the a and e, and I also just feel really pissed of upset and anxious about what the surgery will mean for my family and my business.

sorry, I probably am BU.... rant over

Next morning went to a and e. They x-rayed my foot, but as the bone wasn't broken, said couldn't help. I got crutches and told to keep off it until I could get a referral from gp to the fracture clinic

This is the bit I would complain about.

How are you doing?

Hell no YANBU. How frustrating

In similar fashion I have also recently found out that I've had an illness since my teens and realising just how many times I was fobbed off by one doctor in particular who insisted my issues were nothing more than a normal 'head rush' - I have now been diagnosed with POTS which is actually pretty bloody horrible and it makes me so mad to think I wasn't taken seriously - not just because I could've got specialist help sooner, but also because of my entire teenage years being spent feeling like a useless unfit freak, instead of understanding why I couldn't manage everything my friends could.

Incidentally this was the same GP who, when I'd started self harming, said "I know you're just doing it for attention" yeah, fuck off you useless twat, of course it's got nothing to do with the abuse I finally disclosed, course not...

Sorry, went off on a bit of a rant there

YANBU - No one would not be pissed off!

Did you ask the specialist if this could have been spotted by A&E or the GP? It could be that your condition does require a specialist to spot it....

However, rather than stewing on this, channel your anger energy into working out how you can run your business whilst your foot recovers!

Bet they are testing you for Ehlers Danlos.

A and e will not spot this. Tbh he also can only tell as he is a specialist. With an mri it won't be seen otherwise.

Xrays do not show tendons/ligament only bone.

To show these you need an mri. A and e do not have the time/resources for this.

Agree with holidays, A and E are not to blame directly but you should've been referred quickly to the specialist.

People shouldn't be ping-ponged within different parts of the NHS, without referral letters/notes. It's wasteful.

oh thanks you guys. Linerunner I am very weepy. I'm sure it's relief that I now know I'm not insane or a massive pussy. I am well aggravated at it being missed in A and E

fuzzpig I could have written your post except my weirdness is undiagnosed but possible Ehlers-Danlos, which has brought so many things rushing back from my whole life where I was told I was imagining pain etc

boardingblues damn you and your positivity!

eeh powerpants I'm very impressed!! linerunner I agree totally, I feel like there was no care co-ordination at all. I don't blame anyone particularly, but the fact that you need tendon shit looking at really quickly (within 48 hours) should be something that's able to be dealt with or at least flagged up with a n e surely.

trashcan - if you do have EDS, feel free to PM me or there are lots of us on here, just start a thread. I had the whole 'the pain is psychosomatic' thing too and even thinking about it now I get furious.

YADNBU

I broke my ankle, had it put in a cast. My whole leg was in agony, but was told it would get better over time. I hobbled around for weeks in pain, when my cast was finally taken off they X-rayed to see if it had healed properly and was told "oh, you've got a broken knee as well"

YANBU. They should have investigated further, as to why it was so painful if it wasn't broken- especially as your foot was bruised and there was clear evidence (as opposed to you just reporting pain).

beastly am slapping my forehead in exasperation for you. Crohnically yeah that's one of the things irking me. I guess on the one hand, it's obviously unusual for it to happen.... I mean, it must be, cos the guy in A&E was so baffled and just kept saying so. On the other hand, I'm not a fucking raving twat, I'm lucidly explaining myself again and again, and getting nowhere.

Part of my upset is just about the fact my foot doesn't work. End of. I'm also quite elated that I'm not imagining things or pschcotic, and then we're back to the fury again.... although I've taken all the painkillers today (had to stop routinely scoffing them as it feels terrible on my guts after a week or so) so I'm floating about on a mix of paracetamol, neproxene and codeine

Powerpant I'm so gonna pm you. It's nice to know there are actual peeps I can prod and question about this

Ooh what's EDS? Reason I ask my doc has been waiting 13mths for same thing they have no diagnosis although talking about OCD of talus. Got another MRI booked in Jan then in Feb see consultant again:(

Oh, I know what you mean about the elation.

I went backwards and forwards to the doctors over the course of around 18 months, with various non specific complaints (tiredness, muscle fatigue, pins and needles, strange sensations, memory problems). There was never any physical evidence, they were all subjective things. I was either dismissed with 'that's strange, come back if it doesn't clear up' or 'you sound depressed, try anti ds' (and later, 'try upping your dosage')

Eventually I got a referral to a neurologist on the basis of the pins and needles. He insisted that there could be nothing seriously wrong and offered to do a nerve conduction study and MRI to prove it.

The MRI came back showing brain lesions and I now have a diagnosis of CIS, which is a one-off neurological event that can be a precursor to MS.

Obviously I'd rather I didn't have the diagnosis, but at least I know I wasn't going nuts!

Yanbu to feel the way you do,
health professionals get it wrong from time to time seriously fuck up .

Not my story to tell but I have a Df who has been repeatedly let down by gp's and the likes throughout her life and could have died in one case if she hadn't kept going back to doctors to get a proper diagnosis,they did find the cause but only in the nick of time.
They fob any ailments she has on a chronic condition she has,big mistake to make.

Careful if you're wearing the moon boot for weeks and weeks. Because one leg is effectively longer than the other, you may have back problems. So, you know, stretches and whatnot are a good idea.

Hope you get it sorted.

ChronicallySick that is really interesting, I have been having pins and needles in feet, legs as well as fatigue and muscle pain, just been to gp to see if this is another thing related to hypothyroid or something else and was offered anti depressant after he had done some checking of reflexes.... Really wasn't getting me when I said I wasn't depressed but exhausted.

oh chronic your poor bloody brain

bragmatic I had not thought of that, although I am not wearing it constantly (even though I'm meant to) cos I bruise like a peach, and my shin was getting really sore from the pressure as I strode. I'm doing very little at the moment, and dp is a proper hero, really, but I will bear that in mind thanks

quietbatperson that's terrible! I can't quite get why tendons and ligaments are seemingly over looked so much.... Can somebody more knowledgeable please come along and tell me!

Ruby- could well be related to your hypothyroidism. They thought I might have peripheral neuropathy (a problem with the nerve signals to the hands and feet), hence the referral to a neurologist. Peripheral neuropathy has many different causes, apparently hypothyroidism can contribute to it. Another common cause is a b12 deficiency, has this been ruled out?

Trashcan- thanks, but it doesn't really bother me any more. I'm used to feeling like this now! I can't even remember what it feels like to not have pins and needles. And my neurologist thinks I'm one of the ones who won't go on to develop MS which is good!

They hand out medical degrees in Christmas crackers I think

YANBU I suffered from a injured wrist for 7 years before it was sorted! The gp was useless and made out I was lying (only in my teens at the time), had very painful unnecessary cortisone injections, painful physio, my parents bought me numerous supports but I wasn't diagnosed until my parents paid for me to go private. Hey presto, torn ligaments and tendons plus bubbled cartilage diagnosed followed swiftly by corrective op and no problems since!

I always advise anyone now with on going problems to push to the point of being annoying to get anywhere with nhs!

Thanks Crohnically I will look into it more, thyroid or b12, I also have coeliac disease so annual appt checks b12 etc, it was on the low side of the range last time..... glad to hear it isn't progressing to MS.

trashcan sounds like things are going in the right direction for you now, hope it all gets sorted.

Ah yes, with coeliac and a lowish b12 I'd ask for a trial of b12 injections. You might be deficient even if your blood levels are above the recommended level, here's a link about it in terms of Crohn's disease, I suspect it is similar in coeliac disease. www.crohnsforum.com/wiki/Vitamin-and-Mineral-Deficiencies