ktgrok Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 And have NO idea why. How on earth does one injure an ankle in their sleep? I woke up and noticed as I was walking that it felt a bit unstable/stiff/sore....I was walking and it feels like it wants to collapse to the outside. Whatver, I'm obese and getting older and figured heck, I'm going to get some stiffness in the morning, whatever. I made breakfast, puttered on the computer, and cleaned the bathroom up. (ok, and was on the computer a bunch). I just happened to stretch my legs and put them up, and noticed it is quite swollen!! Ok, this is not in my head, it isn't normal stiffness...those wouldn't cause swelling! So, what on earth? The swelling is in front of my ankle bone, on the outside. Any thoughts? Anything to worry about? I took some advil, and honestly it doesn't hurt that bad. I have arthritis in my fingers and toes sometimes, and it is not as bad as those. Just a bit warm feeling at rest, and weak/sore when walking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down_the_Rabbit_Hole Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 My first guess is a spider bite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Blocked vein or artery? Probably worth having it checked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 My first guess is a spider bite. The skin isn't tender though..the soreness is more in the ligament or tendon area....but only in certain positions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 If this continues you need to seek medical help. It could be a blood clot and that is a fairly dangerous condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 If this continues you need to seek medical help. It could be a blood clot and that is a fairly dangerous condition. Yikes...would that happen in the ankle? It honestly seems like i sprained my ankle a bit, I just don't remember doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 Ok, after some ibuprofen it seems less swollen. I felt around, and there is a bit of a lump in front of the ankle bone, like a knot I guess? I do get up with the toddler during the night/early morning, so maybe I did something to it and just don't remember? Or, we moved the furniture around and I was nursing her last night in a different spot...I had my feet propped up on the ottoman and just now I did it again and that definitley puts strain on my ankle and isn't comfortable. Maybe doing that did something to it? Seriously didn't need to worry about this. I was up late with bad ovulation pain and cramping, now this! It honestly doesn't hurt that much, so I'm going to keep an eye on it, check to make sure circulation is good, and that it is not getting worse. If it gets worse I'll call the doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Yikes...would that happen in the ankle? It honestly seems like i sprained my ankle a bit, I just don't remember doing it. First, if it is improving with treatment and swelling is subsiding then is not a blood clot. So don't panic, but I was concerned that you be cautious with unexplained swelling. On the other hand I don't want you hanging around for days or weeks with unexplained swelling in your ankle because they symptom seems mild. If it is a blood clot the risk is a pulmonary embolism where the clot comes free of where it is now, in your leg, and goes to the lungs or heart. Death rate for that is 30%. You'd want to be treated with blood thinners. I'm told that sometimes the limb with the blood clot will feel colder than other limbs. (Note: you won't have embolism symptoms unless the clot has traveled.) Also, blood clots with no explanation will mean testing you for some forms of cancer as they are linked to that. SO if it gets better, I would not worry, but if it continues check in with a doctor. And if you start having shortness of breath, go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarymelon Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Gout? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Death rate for that is 30%. While blood clots are nothing to mess around with, that is way overestimated. Link Much of the literature on pulmonary embolism that is commonly referenced by emergencyphysicians begins with statistics concerning how often the diagnosis is missed and the lethality of pulmonary embolism if undiagnosed and untreated. It is likely that many emergency physicians continue to pursue an aggressive diagnostic strategy even in low-risk patients because of concerns about the potential for poor patient outcome and the medicolegal consequences of a missed diagnosis. The believed and often-quoted mortality and recurrence rates for untreated or missed pulmonary embolism are 26% to 30%. However, these figures originate from investigations that have little relevance to modern emergency medicine, which include studies dating to the 1940s, many of which have significant methodologic pitfalls. These data are also based primarily on either inpatient or autopsy populations, neither of which is representative of patients treated in the emergency department (ED). Analysis of untreated or missed pulmonary embolism in ambulatory patients reveals mortality and recurrence rates of less than 5%. This article discusses the background of commonly quoted pulmonary embolism statistics and highlights the need for future investigations enrolling ED patients that focus on disease outcome in this population. [Ann Emerg Med. 2005;45:302-310.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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