Diagnosis: relax and get over it.

So, went to the doctor this morning.
Because, like, on Tuesday I was standing at my cutting table, you know, not lifting a heavy costume or anything, just standing, explaining a project to a stitcher and, like, I just shifted my weight onto my right foot and suddenly:
pa-POW!
pain spike in the back of ankle/ side of ankle/ entire formerly-sprained supposedly-recovered ankle department.
Decided to wait and see what happened.
What happened was lots of big fat swollen ankle and limping.
So, two days later, at the doctor’s with visions of, like, torn ligaments and traveling bone shards dancing in my head,
the doctor held my stupid foot in his hand and turned it every which-a-way, and then pinched all along the Achilles area, and then had me press on his hand, “like a gas pedal” and then said tendons and ligaments are inflamed and overworked, want rest, but otherwise fine. No x-rays needed.
Come back if it’s not feeling better in a week
Lay off the jogging. Maybe elliptical instead.
And I was like, “ok, but, like, my Achilles is ok? It’s ok really? I mean, the pain at the back, I didn’t feel that when I sprained it last summer and, I mean, I’m just worried because I didn’t fall or anything, just shifted weight, what happened, did something tear or something?”
And he patted my calf and said, “see how the muscle is rounded here? And between your ankle and calf, you leg is flat, right? Where your tendon is stretched? Well, when the Achilles breaks, this muscle, uh, moves. You wouldn’t see it here, it would be released from its tether and it would be a visible bulge much higher, like, up here near the back of your knee. People say it feels like they’ve been shot. You’re ok. Quit your whining and get up outta my office.”
Ok that last bit might be paraphrased a little.
And, I mean, I knew I hadn’t snapped an Achilles, because, like, I could still point my foot downward and I know how the calf muscle works. But, you know, just wanted reassurance. Didn’t expect to get the Grossest Reassurance Evar. Ew. Calf muscle visibly relocates. Gross. Bleh.
Really happy with the doctors diagnosis.
Was seriously worried I might have to re-title the blog:
Adult Beginner; A Cautionary Tale
So anyway, skipping ballet class until next week, then focus on upper body, not so much plié and relevé.
Smirnoff will be happy with that anyway, he tries to remind us that ballet resides in the expressive upper body, but all we wanna do is spin and brush our ears with our feet in developé.

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