In July of 2016, while on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, I suffered a relatively gruesome foot injury. While walking backward as I carried a mattress that would be used for a bunk bed we were building for a family in the village of Quisqueya, I slipped. As I attempted to plant my other foot, it caught on a large rock and I ended up rolling my entire leg underneath my body as I fell. It’s a miracle nothing broke, but the pain was intense nonetheless.
The initial prognosis by the doctor at our mission facility was ligament tears on the top of my foot. When I returned home, my podiatrist confirmed the diagnosis. He said my injury was a good news-bad news situation. The good news is I suffered no fractures. The bad news is with injuries to ligaments, the recovery time is more than double that of fractures.
In January of this year, I went in for an MRI on my foot. More than a year and a half after the initial injury, I am still experiencing pain and swelling in my foot, especially on days when I’d be on my feet for long periods of time. I did not know what to expect, but I knew I did not want to eventually move to the D.R. with lingering pains for which I had no explanation.
I met with my doctor today to discuss the results of the MRI. The good news (again) is there is no nerve damage and the ligaments appear to have healed well. What I am experiencing, however, is a result of inflammation of the tissue at the base of my toes (I forget the name of the tissue but it’s something in Latin). This inflammation is a result of the injury I sustained in 2016 and will heal with the passing of time.
The Yay God moment is all of this, however, is twofold. First, Yay God I have access to quality healthcare as well as the means to have an MRI and see my physician. The second is there is no long-term damage to my foot. I was concerned the MRI would show injury to the nerves which could mean they would never truly heal. Rather, I continue to manage the discomfort with Ibuprofen and ice, activities that are now a habit for me since the injury in 2016.
I am relieved my foot is not something I’ll have to worry about once we move, and it’s such a blessing to have this situation resolved.
Now I just need to make sure I watch my step going forward (and backward).
Gil Gonzalez 