Good Evening. I am a 60 year old female in good health. I recently fell down a few steps. The stairwell was dimly lit and I misjudged where the bottom stair was located. My initial fall occurred on Wed., of last week. I was in severe pain and my ankle was swollen. I was subsequently seen at a Patient s First clinic and X-Rays were taken. Their staff then examined my ankle and informed me that I had suffered a trilateral break. The Ortho staff then placed me in a splint to mitigate further swelling and I was given crutches. Unfortunately, I had difficulty using the crutches properly and fell again on the same ankle the next day. My foot was now bruised and my toes so swollen I couldn t bend them. I was admitted to John Hopkins ER with bruising and pain in the same foot. I was placed in another more sturdy splint and released. I am to follow up with an Ortho specialist tomorrow to seek a prognosis for either casting or surgery. My question is whether too much time has passed since the initial injury last week. Should this injury have been diagnosed earlier instead of later?