Toe, Drat

Dear Rachel, PLEASE let me have some rest, I'm doing my best down here, but your constant walking and wiggling your toes is not helping. Immobilize means 'don't move'! Love, your little toe.

Regardless of what that annoying little appendage thinks, I had one of those busy days when you get a load of errands done - kids dispatched to Baachan's, PO, pay Lena's swimming fee, visit two doctors - feeling the need for my sister's ER nursing skills as the bandage today came off within a few hours. I can only conclude that they spend the greater part of their time there involved in rehabilitation that they are majorly out of practice with a measly toe bandage. I do a better job! Verdict was another week in the splint, as the major break is still not showing signs of healing, though the smaller crack seems to have come together. Yes, there's more than one fracture! I am now quite sure I added an extra break when I hit my toe on the Wednesday, 3 days after the first break.

Doctor Two was one of those wonderful Thank God I'm In Japan moments in the medical field. Often out-numbered by the God Why Can't These People Grow a Brain and Realize That The Whole World Does It Differently Now moments, but when they do happen, it makes for a very gratifying experience.

The receptionist, a friend of mine, seemed to think I would be a bit put out by the upstairs downstairs - up for an eye check, down to try on the contacts, up again to check the eyes WITH contacts, down again to actually order the contacts. That's because while the eye checks are covered by insurance, contacts are not, and for some mysterious reason the optometrist was on the second floor, while the contact shop was on the first.

But I was too pleased by the \810 (no, no missing zeroes) cost for one session of 'left, right, up, down' at the chart and THREE fancy machines, including one that blew wind in my eye, and one with the balloon thingy (when you can see a road with a hot air balloon at the end). She wondered if in America, we can just buy contacts at the pharmacy, so of course I told her I have no idea, but in NEW ZEALAND we have to pay up big bucks for the whole things, as it's all private, so I was chuffed, as it means I have money leftover to buy new shoes!

What? What do you mean, NEW SHOES? You know I can hardly haul my poor wounded self through the strap of your jandal, you sadist.

Ah, but dear Toe: the true measure of a shoe nut is the ability to find ANY excuse to buy new shoes, including a broken toe!