I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T do you know what that means?

It means I can walk! Woot! So let me fill all of you in on what has happened this week. I'm back at my apartment, up 17 stairs to my bedroom. My GINORMOUS arm bruise is healing, although still ugly after two weeks. What else is there? Oh yeah. So my ankle. I went to the doctor on Monday, and he didn't even show up to my appointment. Some lousy excuse about "emergency surgery" and whatnot. Him not being there just meant that I needed to take control of the appointment. I know what we had discussed last week, so I informed the nurse that she needed to order my bloodwork (a full Rheumatoid Panel), start me on steroids (RAAAAAWWWWRR), get a prescription written for physical therapy in the water, and have my stitches taken out. I also told her I would be starting a calcium and vitamin D regimen. Since I wasn't really giving her options here, she paged the doctor and verified everything, so I was good to go. Oh, and the stitches coming out? Which had been a panic attack inducing thought for the last year? It was no big thang. She probably took out about 15 sutures, and there were 2 or 3 that just didn't look ready to come out. They are dissolving, so it doesn't really matter that they are there. We were chatting the entire time. I don't know what kind of butcher they sent in last year, but I no longer fear suture removal. This is a good thing. Perhaps I'll stop taking my own stitches out now. Maybe. So after I was de-stitched, I had to go to ANOTHER facility to get my blood work done. Lame. But the cute guy who took my blood and patiently listened to my story about how this was the place I had come the first time I was diagnosed with a sprained ankle told me that now that I have a boot I should wander around and put it up someone's rear end for the way I was treated. Thanks for the laugh Cute Blood Taking Boy. After that was over, I had to go pick up my steroids from the pharmacy. Came home, removed boot and proceed to take a few steps boot-less. I'm "transitioning out of the boot". Meaning, I wear some kind of support (from my wide array of fashionable ankle braces) when I leave the house, but inside I go free as a bird. Other things you should know: I had my first physical therapy appointment (well, for this round of PT) this morning, I took 12 pills (!) yesterday, and I'm currently going back and forth between being so tired that I fall asleep in inappropriate places to so wired that I sweat like crazy, my heart rate increases and my blood pressure goes up and I wake up at 4:45 in the morning. And also consume twenty 8oz glasses of water a day. But these are all stories for a different day. Stay tuned!