Doggone It

This morning, Mia would not go for our daily walk. As she approached the nearby corner, she stopped, turned to look back at the house, and refused to move forward. Twice I took her back, then tried the walk again after adjusting her harness, but it became obvious that she was not going to walk today, so I took her back home, then resumed the walk with Daisy. All day, I've wondered what was happening back at the house that had Mia on high alert, but I have confidence that when Mia digs her heels in, she has a reason, andI pay attention.

Walking two dogs is easier than walking one, once the walking pattern is established. Leaving Mia home this morning meant that Daisy walked alone, and she really wasn't sure how to do this. She went behind me, then crossed in front of me, which concerned me as I really don't need another fall to deal with as the new semester starts next week -- and I want to be firmly on both feet for a change!

Anyhoo, as we walked, Daisy finally took her place to the right (Mia walks on the left), which put me on the edge of the asphalt roadway. Sure enough, Daisy faltered, which destabilized my balance, and I rolled my left foot on the uneven surface between desert sand and asphalt roadway. Yes, it hurt, but I didn't fall, so I kept walking. My philosophy is to see first if I can "walk it off" because going into crisis management mode is never my first response. When we returned home, it was time for the cleaning ladies to arrive and for me to hit the shower, so I didn't sit down for close to an hour after rolling my ankle.

At first, no big deal, but as the day wore on, my left ankle began to hurt more and started swelling. I've used ice, elevated, alternated heat, and massaged the area, but the bottom line is that I turned my ankle and I'm going to guess that tomorrow it will feel a lot worse than it does tonight. Perhaps there will be a bruise, which is good because that usually means no serious damage -- just a rolled ankle and a few days of discomfort.

For almost 2 years now, I've lived with 24/7 pain, primarily from my waist down: both hips, both knees, and lumbar spine. Pain pills make the world rosier, but do little to relieve the pain and nothing to help me with basic mobility. I am tired of dealing with this, but there is no changing what it. I do my best to avoid situations that could potentially lead to a fall, but the road bested me this morning. Ice pack, pain pill, and some really boring TV show tonight and we'll see how things are in the morning.

UPDATING: Ankle is fine, so no excuses not to walk the dogs daily!!Doggone it :-)