The Diagnosis is In

Called my PCP yesterday to get a recommendation on someone to see about my ankle. (remember my Grace Kelly moment?) It seemed to be getting worse as the week wore on instead of better. Not the usual sprained ankle pain - no swelling, no bruising, hurt on the inside of my ankle instead of the outside, etc. Called the person she recommended and couldn't get an appointment until Friday. I finally decided bollocks to that and went to the UCSF Ambulatory Clinic yesterday.

The joy of the ambulatory clinic is you don't have an appointment so you get to sit there and wait with everyone else. Everyone else generally being those hacking up a lung without covering their mouths. I was lucky yesterday and got to wait with a cute boy. Makes you feel somewhat better.

Anyway, the process worked something like this: You hobble into the desk and check-in. Then you hobble to the chair and wait. A nurse eventually calls you and you hobble back to a room. She asks you what happened as she takes your blood pressure and your temperature. Then you get to hobble back to your chair and wait for the doctor. The doctor eventually calls you and you hobble back to another room. You get to tell your story yet again as he inflicts pain by feeling around on your ankle. He decides he needs x-rays. Of course the radiology clinic in that building is closed. Instead I get to hobble across the street and up to the 3rd floor to the radiology clinic.

Crossing the street was an adventure. As soon as I hobble out of the building I get stopped by a guy on the street. He tells me that he has just been diagnosed with HIV, his roommate found out, beat him up and kicked him out on the street. He didn't have any luck at the shelters. His friend was going to let him stay with him (the friend was standing there), but the university had a guest fee. He (in his words) had to resort to asking the public for help since he hadn't had any luck with the shelters. Unfortunately for him I had used the last of my cash for my copayment. Then again, part of me was wondering if this guy could afford rent in San Francisco, how on earth could he not pull $20 to pay a guest fee. But maybe that's just the cynical side of me.

I then carried on hobbling. Saw this total hottie as I was crossing the street. My ego was a bit deflated as I didn't even warrant a second glance from him. Then I realized I probably look like Quasimoto (sic?) dressed in work clothes hobbling across the street and I understood a bit more.

So, I hobbled up to the radiology clinic, checked in and hobbled to a chair to wait. Then I had to hobble down a very long hallway to the x-ray room. The nurse helping me was a sweetie. Took 3 x-rays and then got to hobble back across the street, hobble to the desk to let them know I was back and then hobble back to my usual chair. I'd spent so much time there at this point I now considered that chair "mine." Twenty minutes later the doctor calls my name and I hobbled back to a different exam room. He said he had good news and bad news. Good news is nothing is broken. Bad news is the x-ray showed that I have the beginnings of arthritis in my ankle. Ummm...hello?! I'm 28 freaking years old. Are you kidding me?

So anyway, he gave me some pills for pain and swelling and an air cast. Then he said, "I don't think you need full blown crutches, but I think you should get a cane." I asked him if he was sure he couldn't just give me the crutches. Crutches are cool. A cane makes me feel like I'm 80. Somehow he didn't appreciate my sense of style. I now have to use the air cast, cane and pills for two weeks. The arthritis bit means it may not heal quite like we expect so if it still hurts in 3-4 weeks I will have to do physical therapy.

Had a bit of a pity party for myself last night. Pain, combined with arthritis news, combined with being tired, combined with it being that time of the month, combined with having had dreams about my mother the night before led to a total chick moment and just generally feeling down. The great thing about pity parties - you're guaranteed to have at least one person attend!

I'm over it.

Oh well, at least I met The Plimsouls.