The following days...

Thursday 7th

That morning when I woke up I could still feel the throbbing, however if I left my foot still it didn't hurt much. After the morning ritual in the bathroom, which was done hopping along, which is really tiring if you're not used to it, I then realised that to get to the kitchen I needed to go up the stairs. No way was I going to hop 20 steps after getting pooped hopping to the bathroom just ten hops away.

So I sat down and used my arms and right leg to move up. It took me maybe 5 minutes but at least it didn't hurt and there was a temporary solution ;-) Taking the day easy I called in sick saying I sprained my ankle since I wasn't sure what was wrong with it as yet. I followed the RICE method; Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation which was helping. In fact at a point I did need to sleep and I passed out for some hours on the sofa.

My work colleague told me over Skype that ice helps at the beginning but then it's important to keep it warm and compact. So I wrapped up my foot in a bandage and wore my sisters bed slippers which somehow fit. That evening my GP came over and said the swelling was too big and that I should go to the clinic for an x-ray, especially after he pressed the ankle and I squealed. However it was 5.30pm and I had no lift there. So I made a plan to go the following day with my mum.

Friday 8th
Once again I called in at work to deliver my update that it was more serious than expected and that I'd need an x-ray. So after a make-shift shower of sorts I wore leggings and shirt and headed out. The bumps on the road felt worst than before and I begged for my mum to avoid them, however this is not really possible on roads like ours, so it was quite torturous exiting our street!

The bumps and breaking then also felt bad but we made it to the clinic in Mosta (the closest clinic to home). There I had my mum as my crutch and we hopped to the main entrance took the lift up and waited. We got registered and were told to wait. For some odd reason the machine was down, or so we were told together with the one at the main hospital, which seems highly unlikely but there wasn't much to dispute. The nurse told us to come in the afternoon.

Sure enough that afternoon we called, and yes the machine was working, so off we went. Got three x-rays done, one with the foot flexed, another with it turned and one where it was turned out (those turnings killed) and the girl said yes it's broken! About 30 mins later the doctor saw us and showed us the pictures - the fibula was broken and we were to go to hospital to get a cast done.

We exited the building, mummy is still my crutch and we headed straight to hospital which is quite close. Parking was a breeze and registering was too (apart form the fact that a lady came in crying and shouting with a child in her arms, which took us out of the room in no time) then it was simply a matter of waiting for who had the most immediate need of a doctor. At 6.30 in the evening there weren't many people waiting and funnily enough 75% seemed to be foreigners in Malta's Emergency unit. From stage 1 where they take your details we happened to exit with a paper describing what I had, many people entered and left who didn't seem to be in any more of an emergenc as me, so I asked my mum to go enquire while I rested my leg on the seats. The lady said that in stage 1 that paper should have been kept and given to the doc and that's why my name hadn't been called yet.

Sure enough 10 mins later my name was called and we went in. The first nurse said we might have to operate or get a cast done. I was beginning to get concerned, but after some time he told us that a cast will do. So we waited and waited until "hello" nurse no.2 walked in. He wasn't bad looking and we were hoping for a handsome ER doctor to come by so for now we had to do with the nurse. Small talk over, and he prepared the cast for the back of the leg, and explianed the procedure!

• 6 weeks in a cast
• Physio and gym after that to restore the muscle
• Slow training after that to get back in shape

He said work is possible if you can get to it, and as long the leg is kept elevated. Made an appointment for the following week to check it out and get a whole cast done. I concluded that I would be walking again by the end of November and might be playing Rugby again early 2011; that work was going to be done mainly from home unless I got lifts; and more importantly a pretty limited social life outside social media. That is when I thought about it and considered making a blog. Five days later here I am creating one to share with you,