Sprained Ankle

Here is Natalie with her sprained ankle. Last Tuesday she fell off the monkey bars at school. The school nurse put ice on it and it didn't seem bad by the time she came home. She would complain about it every once in a while, but she didn't seem to be limping too much or anything and was running around and playing.

Then yesterday we went to a friend's birthday picnic and she was running around outside. I guess she stressed her ankle because last night it started to swell and she was really limping around. She wasn't any better today. So I called the doctor. We got an appointment for this afternoon.

The doctor looked at it and she said she thinks it's just a very bad strain. She is concerned that Natalie said it hurt a little on the bone, but she doesn't think it needs x-rays just yet. So we are on the RICE plan. Rest, Ice/Ibuprofen, Compression, and Elevation. If in a couple of days of doing that there's no improvement then we'll think about x-rays. The doctor doesn't want to expose her to radiation if she doesn't need it though.

So now Natalie is gimpy. She's been complaining since we left the doctor's office, but in the doctor's office she was acting like it didn't really hurt. I think she's milking it, because this was another picture I got of her compressing and elevating today:

We got a call today that school is going to let out early again tomorrow because of the heat wave we're having. There's no P.M. Kindergarten which is what Kaitlyn is in. So I'm thinking with another short day and having no where to go perhaps it would be best to just keep Natalie home from school. I doubt she'll end up missing too much. She told me today with the shortened day they watched March of the Penguins. So if they are just watching movies that she's seen a million times already anyways then there's no need to send her to school in this heat with a hurting ankle.