Scarey... then Better

I'm a terrible patient. I make no excuses, reasons, nor lies about it: I hate being sick and/or injured.

Yesterday I decided to unwrap my knee and get some air on the gashes. I unwound the ace bandage, unwound the slightly bloody gauze and allowed some oxygen to the kneecap. This was also my first sight of it post-ER. Yep, it's still bruised. Yep, the gash still is there. Yep, my knee is slightly swollen.

While allowing oxygen (and whatever noxious fumes gather into houses from the outside) caress my wound, I decided to also walk on it, post-wrap. Not bad at all. I realized that the pain does indeed come from the bruises and the gashes because without the padding and pressure, it does feel better. After about an hour, I happened to look down at my legs. Upon looking at my right leg, my first thought was "Damn, I've really gained weight; my leg is fatter." Then I compared the two. Holy cow! What the hell is happening down there???!!! My right ankle and foot were so swollen that the ankle bone was not protruding as usual. And I realized that my leg was also tingling. My mom's explanation was that the binding was too tight and finally the blood is flowing more properly down my leg and that the swelling would fix itself.

Hours later, it did. Thank God.

I re-wrapped my knee, but left the gauze out. The steri-strips are starting to loosen, so I'm keeping the Ace bandage on it for protection. No pressure pain, only surface pain. I think I'll be out jogging sooner than expected. I don't want to rip open the gashes again, so I'll still take some time off, but I don't think the damage is as bad as the ER doc, my mom and I thought.

Relief!