It's official!

Last Friday I received the official verdict: I indeed have a stress fracture of the third metatarsal (not the fifth, as the doctor originally thought). Sunday August 9th, on the third day of power walking in the Buttes Chaumont, I developed excruciating pain in the foot whenenver I put my weight on it. Spend the rest of the day in bed with the foot elevated and ice packs on it. Monday I still could not walk so I hobbled to the doctor who told me to stay home from work for a week, massage the foot with anti-inflammatory gel, wrap it in an elastic bandage and use crutches to get around...no weight bearing.

A week later the rest had done some good, the pain was still there but no longer excruciating. The x-rays did not show anything but then, stress fractures are not often visible on regular x-rays. Monday August 17th I returned to the doctor and said that I was going back to work, on crutched, if necessary. He prescribed a bone scintigraphy (scan) which is more effective in revealing stress fractures. All last week I went to the office with crutches. Friday morning August 21st Jacky accompanied me to the Lariboisière hospital next to the Gare du Nord, an elegant mid-19th century structure fitted out with all the latest modern equipment.










After initial x-rays I received an injection of some kind of radioactive product and was told to return in two and a half, three hours, so I went for coffee, read, visited the hospital gardens and spent some time in the hospital chapel, an elegant 19th interpretation of the Baroque. Upon my return, scans were taken and I almost fell asleep listening to the hum of the scanner. Finally the doctor came out and showed me the scans: positive for stress fracture of the third metatarsal. The results will be sent to my treating physician. However, I called right away to find out if there is anything I should do other than what I am already doing and he said no. So now I'm stuck on crutches for another month or so.