I had an accident Friday night.

Stock image (my nails aren't this nice)

I tripped over the stair-gate near the bottom of the stairs (stupid I know), landed awkwardly on my left foot rolling my ankle completely outwards (ouch!) and severely spraining it.

Cotswold Dad and I had just put the kid to bed at 7.45pm. He'd bathed and dressed him and I brought up his bottle. We were walking downstairs to spend a rare evening together and maybe watch some netflix when I had my stumble.

I landed in a heap in the bottom of the stairs but had 'flicked' out my legs as I fell so that my legs weren't tangled (I'm tall so I have time to think as I fall). I swore loudly when it happened and then somehow got onto the sofa but it hurt like hell.

I thought it was a sprain - chucked on some ice, reclined the sofa foot rest and hoped it would be ok. It was really uncomfortable and after a bit we turned in and I stupidly put on a compression sock (which also hurt to put on).

By 1.30am I was still wide awake and the pain was awful. I tried to go to the bathroom and couldn't put weight on my foot without screaming. I somehow made it to the bathroom and removed the sock and also took paracetamol before crawling back to bed (no joke).

Half an hour later the pain was still awful and I was close to tears. Cotswold Dad and I talked about what to do and we decided to ring the NHS helpline who told me to go to hospital within the next hour.

We got dressed and I crawled down stairs, hopped through the conservatory and CD helped me into the garden and to the car. He then got CK and put him in the car (in his vest) who was not happy about the late night wake up call.

We got to the hospital at 2.50am and CD got me a wheelchair and wheeled me in with the kid on my lap. It was quiet and we were seen quickly by triage and a doctor who sent me for an x-ray.

I just want to add here that I am a serial ankle-sprainer (if such a thing exists), but this pain was the worst I'd ever encountered I was literally screaming in pain everytime I put any weight on my foot which made me think I had broken something.

The x ray showed no broken bones. The doctor thinks it is just a severe sprain for which I am very relieved and I have been given co-codomol. She also told me the "R.I.C.E" (Rest, Ice, Compress & Elevate) advice for treating a sprain has now changed. No compressing and heat is more effective. Also that I should be as active as possible (so no crutches then?). Home we went and I've been doing my best to follow the advice ever since.

Almost 2 days later I can now walk on my left foot although the pain is still not great (thank you co-codomol) and my foot is really swollen. Really hoping I'll be ok to drive tomorrow (for work) and I'm probably going to do a quick test tonight although the real test will be the 1 hour (min) commute to work tomorrow morning.

The worst effect of all this is that CK is really confused bless him. He doesn't understand why Mummy can't chase him around the house and garden, can't carry him up the stairs, is crawling up the stairs and takes ages to get anywhere. He doesn't understand why I'm limping everywhere and why I cried out in pain yesterday when he grabbed my ankle and had to be extracted by his godmother because it was too painful to shake him off myself. Service has also gone downhill in his eyes as it takes ages to get food and drink (when Dada's not here) and mummy doesn't have the patience when he tries to play the 'I'm not letting you have my nappy game'.

I'm really hoping that I can be fully 'operational' in the next day or so. The timing is awful, I'm going on a dancing weekend in under a fortnight, I'm running errands (shopping, prescriptions etc.) for my Nan whilst my Mum (her carer) is on holiday for 2 weeks and I was supposed to be seeing my friend with the new baby (from my FB post the other day) today for a playdate with CK and her oldest now postponed :-(

Oh well... these things are sent to try us.