To quote the fabulous Amy C = I got the mean reds!

Here goes yet another seemingly ridiculous post about my leg. I think that at this point I am not entirely opposed to simply cutting it off and feeding it to the lions. But that might possibly be a little drastic.

So I had yet another scan of my leg where they determined yet again that I had no breaks but some serious tears in the ligaments and a great deal of inflammation. That was on Monday. Tuesday I went back to see the Sports Doc and gave him the results. I told him that the swelling does go down with this orthopedic sock. And it is true that the pain is better when the swelling is down. He really did not give me a chance to tell him that when I take the sock off it swells back up. My goal of the appointment was for them to schedule the surgery so that at least there is a time frame on the end of this whole ordeal.

I am not by any means someone who wants surgery. I am however someone who is familiar with her own ankle and the amount of times that she has injured it. I also remember all the doctors in my past telling me that if I hurt it again I was going to need surgery to re-stabalize my ankle. I ALSO REMEMBER THE SAME MAN TELLING ME THAT JUST A WEEK AGO.

Well he has done an about face on his previous decision and is now saying that after 7 weeks in a boot cast I can just walk like its nothing and that he does not think that I will need surgery. But he will not decide for at least another month. ?!?!?! Which means that if I do end up needing surgery. My ENTIRE summer will be wasted instead of just the beginning. Talk about frustrating.

I have been able thus far to make jokes and find the lighter side of this whole ankle order but at this point I feel like I have wasted two months...IN FRANCE. I was not able to go to class, or to travel, heck I did not really get to spend much time with new friends other than those in the building. My life had to pause in this amazing place because of my leg.

Now the stubborn Katie in me wants to force her leg to be as miraculously better as the doc thinks and get out there and live life in France and her beautiful spring. But the scaredy cat Katie is all to aware of the fact that she hurt her ankle this badly by simply walking. What is to say that it wont happen all over again. Is there a term for having a phobia of walking...other than crazy.

Okay that is all out...I am going to try to stop talking about my ankle and its ensuing dramas unless there are valid..and scheduled for really real updates.

THE OTHER FRONT.

This week is the last week of classes and next week are finals, presentations and turning in of papers. I have to still write a paper and get a hold of the notes for a class that I was only able to attend like three times. Fortunately I can rely on the fact that I already have a degree in Political Science. This should help me to muddle through the final. As for the paper and the presentation we all know too well that i only really function in the ninth inning so I am confident that too will be done. Then I have the French final on Tuesday. That should run rather smoothly.

Once those things are done I will focus on getting my work done for my TTU classes. I am quite lucky that they are being so patient. I also need to figure out about scheduling my trip to the states to get my visa stuff taken care of. I was hoping to make it back for two weeks but at this point that might be hard. I think that it will be weird to be stateside after a few months here in France.

HAPPY SECTION

This past weekend Jane and I went to Paris for the weekend. We did not have much of a plan just a go and relax weekend. I think that I am getting the photos from her tomorrow and I will post them then.

Until then Have a wonderful day :)

Be Well
Katie

CCF = It is France

Well world out there it is official. I have to have surgery on my ankle. Of course though there is a catch. They cannot operate until the pain and the swelling are gone. Yes this basically means that I cannot have the needed surgery to fix my ankle until it is for all intents and purposes better. Then the surgery will be done. My ankle will be in a cast for 6 weeks and then I face 3 months of physical therapy. After that I should be good as new...which is better than it will have been since I was 13.

The doctor was trying to assess old injuries which apparently you can see in my scans. He asked me how many times I have seriously sprained my ankle. My best guess is that I have hurt it 12 times in the last 12 years. Which basically means that I am a gimp. But now I am a gimp who knows what the next few months will be like and strangley that is a bit freeing and empowering.

I have quite a few things that I need to get done in the next two weeks. None of them are particularly overwhelming but necessary nonetheless. My goal is to have the majority of these things done by the 24 of Avril. I know that I wont be able to get all of my TTU stuff done in that time but that is what respit is for. I have to read 11 books for that and write short papers on each. My goal is to have 5 of them done by the 24 of Avril. After that I can work on the others and get the 25 page paper done. As well as all the work for the other class i am taking.

TO DO:
CLT Class Work - 5 pages
CLT Presentation- 10 minutes + Power Point
Paper on the Schengen Treaty - 13 Pages
France into the EU - 5 pages
EU Integration -Final Exam
French- Worksheets
French -Final Exam
Book Review #1 - 2pages
Book Review #2 - 2pages
Book Review #3- 2 pages
Book Review #4 - 2pages
Book Review #5 - 2pages

I guess in reality I totally have my work cut out for me. But it will be a good diversion from the fact that I kinda feel like I moved all the way to France to have surgery. Hopefully next week I will have some kind of a date for the surgery. I have not decided if I will post the date mainly because I do not want people to worry. I do not know yet.

Have a great evening.
k8e

French doctors love their adjectives

While I have not been on any amazing adventures I figured I would give a so far update of the goings on in my life :). I am almost half way through the Avril break. I am trying to make the best of being stranded in Lyon by getting lots of French done and tons of reading for my courses back home.

I have made a new friend at Physical Therapy. His name is Ronny and he is from New Zealand. He plays Rugby for the Lyon team. I know very little about Rugby so I tend to be rather unimpressed but other people think it is pretty cool. He is a nice guy who has been kind enough to drive me around the city and get me out of the apartment once in a while. Last week we went up to the Fourviere and to the International City where the Zoo is. I also got a chance to make a few people in the building hamburgers. I think that they were a hit. I really do enjoy having people to cook for.

I have been kinda laying low this week and just taking a bit of time to reflect on the things that I am truly grateful for. As some of you know 2 Avril was the 1 year anniversary of my father dying. While there are times when I miss him terribly I almost feel that I need not worry because he is always here. Maybe that is my happy spin for it all. But there are so many things to be grateful for. I am here in France doing something that I love and meeting amazing people all the while having these amazing experiences.

There has been one interesting thing that I have learned lately. While the French do not often speak English. They are masters at adjectives. Well the doctors are at least. I had the MRI on my ankle on Lundi as well as the Cortisone injection. The injection was quite painful and you could literally see my foot swell up. I am supposed to be patient because supposedly in a few days it is going to feel loads better. So far 3 days later and I actually think it hurts more. Wait I digress. Once the scan and the shots were done I had to wait for the results. 130 Euros later I was ushered into a room where the oddly white haired doctor came in. In broken English he told me that I had no bone fragments or fractures. But I have HUGE tears in my ligaments and that my ankle is probably unstable. Keep in mind trusty leaders this scan was done almost 6 weeks after the original injury and they are still seeing HUGE (yes that was his word) tears. I have an appointment with the specialist again Mardi and hopefully we will come up with a course of action then. In the meantime I had to see him to get some pain medication to counter the inflatable foot I have since the injection. He looked at my scan and came out and said that I had a BAD BAD BAD BAD (yes he said bad 4 times) Sprain and that I would need a very thorough exam on Mardi.

See what I mean about the overwhelming adjectives. I am trying to remain optimistic and have been going to Physical Therapy, but it just does not seem to be getting much better. In the mornings my foot will look normal but by the evening it is swollen and funny looking again. I have taken a few pictures but I will go ahead and spare you the experience. What I am getting at is that I am coming to terms with the fact that I may well have to have surgery here in France. Maybe if I just embrace it then somehow it wont turn out that way at all. Who woulda thunk all this trouble just from tripping on a street in Prague. So the wait and see method is in full effect.

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter :)

K8E