New Leg Resolution #1 August 22, 2006
Posted by ouchmyleg in Advice, Personal Experience.trackback
I am the High Priestess of Never Keeping New Years Resolutions. If I’d kept every resolution I’ve ever made over the years, I’d be a 110 pound Rhodes Scholar who never eats carbs or meat, speaks four languages, plays five instruments, reads latin and enjoys a fulfilling romantic life with my husband, Scott Wolfe. Who is this woman? Clearly, she’s insane.
However; in light of recent events I have made one firm resolution. On the night of my accident, I very clearly remember standing in the door of my apartment and looking at the bereft faces of my cats as I closed the door. To ease their worry, I said “Don’t worry guys, I won’t be gone long!” and gaily skipped down the hall and into internet history. I didn’t come home again (aside from a few quick visits) for another three and a half weeks.
Obviously, this was my first mistake. My statement of promise was like the dippy-but-slutty girl in a horror movie saying “Ohmigod! What’s that sound coming from the dark, creepy barn? I’d better climb off my passed-out drunk boyfriend, wrap my nubile form in this half-size beach towel and go off to investigate! No, I don’t need a flashlight, there’s still some light from the abandoned mental institution on the hill! Don’t worry y’all, I’ll be right back!”
Ouch, my leg! (the broken ankle blog) 
Ah, the famous last words. “I won’t be long.” “I’ll check it out.” “I’ll be right back.” “I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Scott Wolfe? The dude from Party of Five? Nice choice. I would be a brilliant writer who can play bass like Bootsy Collins, with tons of cash and Seth Green in my bed. Instead I’m a public servant. Le sigh…
Funny, my last thoughts before I fell on my front porch were, “I’ll take this one last box to the curb before I go to bed.” 90 minutes later my dad took the box to the curb so he and mom could get in my apartment and take my to the emergency room.
I had my leg surgically broken in two places on Monday of last week as part of an ankle reconstruction surgery. I expected there to be a lot of pain, but not nearly this much. Anyone have a decent estimate on when the pain starts to subside? Also, this whole one leg, must wear flats thing is killing me. I can’t even put my cute jeans on now and am confined to leggings and warm-up pants (oh so attractive!). Does anyone have advice on other clothing options to try?
What a delight it is to find a kindred-sister-in-broken-anklehood. Broke my ankle in 3 places on August long weekend, now 70-plus days I am now waiting for physio therapy appt. Not too many people can understand my fear of walking. Luckily, my boss broke his ankle 1 year ago so he is very sympathetic and understanding; and I’m still employed. I think I lost my sense of humour at about week 9 and am working to get it back. Here’s hoping I’m walking half-way normal by Christmas. I enjoy your posts. Topic for discussion: You never know who NOT to give a house key to until AFTER you’ve given them one. I awoke one day last week in my bed with my mother’s face 10 inches from mine! I’m still not recovered from that one!
Joining the broken ankle sisterhood, thanks for starting this blog.
I hope your lack of recent posts mean that you are totally back to normal by now, and have almost forgotten about the whole sordid ankle breaking experience. If not, sending extra healing vibes your way!
Karen
I’m not sure that my last message came through, so I’m trying again. On 28 Oct. I fell and broke my right ankle. Guess I’ll be in a cast for the next five to six weeks. I am doing pretty well, but have a problem with going up and down stairs. In the hospital I had one short practice with a walker, but I’m not comfortable with using it on stairs, so I “scooch” up and down stairs on my bottom. This is not pretty. Does anyone have a suggestions? I would really appreciate any help.
Elaine,
Nothing you can do to get up and down stairs except practice your butt lifts. I know how uncomfortable it is and how odd feels, but it is the only way to get up and down stairs. I too had a walker (way better than crutches) and a wheel chair. I used the walker downstairs and the wheelchair was kept at the top of the stairs (I live in a bi-level house). It sucks, but it does get better. I broke my right ankle on Aug 4th and I’m finally now in physiotherapy and it is coming along. I’ve been looking for someone to correspond with about recovery so if you want, please E-mail me at: luluchigger@hotmail.com
Deb,
That’s what I was afraid of. I have another question maybe you can answer. Since I’m on my butt when I finally get up stairs, what is an easy way to get back up on my feet (or at least onto a chair or something)? I have been turning over onto my knees and crawling to a sturdy piece of furniture. I push off with my right hand on the furniture and my husband grabs me on my left side and pulls. It’s clumsy. I am turning around at the same time so I can sit on the chair/couch. Please tell me there’s a better way to get up!
Elaine, I use my bath tub and toilet (seat closed) to get up. It works! I will only use crutches on stairs if there is three or less and go up and down the stairs in my house on my bottom.
I was so afraid of stairs at first (especially because that’s how I broke my ankle) but I watched a YouTube video where the man explained that it is all in your head and once you do it a few times it not so scary. He was right! Just make sure you are steady before making a move on stairs.
Hi, I fell outside my house on September 7th while on my way to put my seven year-old son on the bus.needless to say it wasn’t pretty .I broke my ankle in three-places had to be rushed to surgery I now have a metal plate and ten-screws in my left ankle.I had a cast on for eight weeks ,got the cast taking off and found out my incission wound had opened back up now I have an infection on top of everything. Now I have to have the visiting nurses come in everyday to clean it and pack it .It’s now been three weeks and it still has’t closed which is postbounding me from starting physical therapy.How do you keep the back of your legs from becoming irratated by the wheel chair. Damn!!!!! I can’t wait until I can walk again
Hi Elaine and Sarah
Elaine,
The easiest thing to do is to have a small step stool with good rubber ‘stay put’ type feet about 8 inches highPlace the stool near the top of the stairs so you can grab it easily as you get to the top step and move it inot position top of the stairs and use it as one more step.I used an ordinary Rubbermaid step stool that is about 8 inches high, has four sturdy legs with non-slip pads and the top surface of the stool is wide enough to accomodate my butt for a few seconds until I pull myself up onto the seat of the chair or wheelchair. Place the step stool at the top of the stairs in front of the chair or wheelchair and as you bum it up to the top step you just bum up the step stool and then onto the chair. The step stool should be about 1/2 the height of the seat of the chair. Clear as mud? I thought so. It really works though. and the bonus is that you can usually do this all by yourself granting you a tiny bit of independence. Hooray!
Hi Sarah, I too had wheelchair chaffing. I Used a soft blanket or towel the hung over the front of the chair so that my legs didn’t have to touch the hard seat when I sat it in.
Ladies,
May I make a suggestion? If at all possible, see if you can rent a walker instead of crutches. It is so much easier to use and your confidence level is so much higher. I tried to use crutches a couple of times and I almost fell both times. I have never had that trouble with the walker, plus it folds up for easy transportation and can sit at your bedside/sofa side and helps you get up and down easier.
I was so happy to find this website because it relieved a lot of fears that I had on how to cope and it helps going through it with others.
I lived in Alberta, Canada and it is winter now with snow on the ground. I bought a pair of ankle boots with good gripping rubber souls and a 1″ solid heel and they give me ankile support and a sure grip on the floor and sidewalks. I am still scared to death to walk in shoes. I am going to sunny California soon so I need some shoes and my ankle boots aren’t going to cut it. I found some ballet flat-type shoes in a sassy bright red today. The challenge with walking now is to retrain your brain to remind you that you need to glance down at your feet every few seconds so you don’t collide with anything dangerous, such as uneven payment – my nemesis! Harder to do than it sounds but this old dog is learning some new tricks!
Deb,
DUH!! I guess I just didn’t think of getting into that chair as being just another “step” or two up. We don’t have one of those step stools right now, but my husband is going out to get one today. ( I think he’s just tired of trying to hoist me to my feet (foot) after we get into the house.) Thank you for your advice.
I, too, am happy I found this website. It’s not a good thing to be laid up like this, but finding others who have had the same experience, helps me keep a good perspective on things.
Hi Elaine,
Thank heavens for willing husbands. I am now nearing the end of month four and I can tell you that recovery is all about the relationships you have in your life. I have come to firmly believe that it is almost as difficult to be the care-giver as it is to be the patient.
I hope you are feeling better and more positive with every passing day.
Good luck.
Hey…My name is Christin and I broke 2 ankle bones on the day before Thanksgiving. I live in North Carolina. I am getting around fairly well on my walker but am scared to death of my crutches. My dad keeps saying I would go faster on my crutches but that just isn’t for my. I’m pretty quick on the walker. I am supposed to get back on my feet in six weeks, I pray that is true. I am 26 and work at a sit down job now. I plan to go back to work. But my new job starts in just 3 wks. I don’t know whether to tell them to post pone it or try to get around with my walker. Need advise
Hi, Christin.
I’m not the expert about broken ankles even though I have one. But I never asked for crutches when I was offered them. I’m glad I didn’t. With a walker you have four points of contact with the floor – five with your good foot. In my opinion that beats three points of contact with crutches.
Lucky for me, I’m retired, but I think that going back to work might be ok for you. My doctor told me that I would have to elevate my foot as high as possible for as long as possible. I’m not too sure how I would have done that at work. If you have to keep the foot elevated, that might be the only thing you’d have to figure out. You might want to get together with your boss and talk things through.
As for the six weeks recovery, that sounds about right. I broke my ankle on 28 Oct. while I was visiting my Mom in Washington State. The doctor there told me it would take six to eight weeks to heal. After I got back home, the doctor here said I may graduate to one of those crazy boot things in two weeks. That would make it about 6 weeks or so total.
Good luck with your healing. It’s a bummer, but you’ll get through it OK.
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for this blog. I broke my right ankle stepping off of a porch and missing the step, breaking the fibula with a hairline fracture of the lower tiba. Then I had to wait 10 days in a cast for the swelling to go down enough for the surgery to take place. The longest 10 days of my life, I swear.
The surgery to put in a plate and fix the fibula took place on Nov 2. Two weeks later they took off the cast and put on a removable boot with instructions to not put any weight on the leg and to keep it elevated. I have taken to marking the days off on the calendar. In 11 days I go back to see the doctor and I am assuming I will be able to walk after a fashion.
I have been able to get about on crutches much easier than the walker which I haven taken to using in the shower instead. My son taught me how to use the crutches, where I support myself with my arms, becoming a pendulum between the two crutches. It took me some days work and supervision, but I can do it pretty well now – the only thing that hurts is the palm of my hands, just for a bit when I first start. However I live in a split level house which although it’s charming in restrospect is not as convenient as one would hope. I have to go down 4 stairs to the living room from the bedrooms and then up 2 to the diningroom and kitchen. When I came home from the emergency room that 1st night those stairs were like Mount Everst, I swear and all those deep knee bends I had promised myself I would do, came back to haunt me.
I agree that you will find out who your friends are and that your relationships are your life-line. Luckily, my adult son has committed himself to making sure I have food and the comforts of life and friends who bring by food,movies and company.
I think that designing someway to transport items while your hands are busy maintaining your balance is key. Most days I hunger for a simple cup of tea, no way to carry a cup of tea.
I have been putting neosporin ointment on the surgery scar and it has helped to heal the wound and seems to be lessing the scar somewhat.
I also do upper body weight lifting exercises daily to help with upper body strength, it’s done wonders,absolute wonders – I recommend it.
I have really enjoyed reading this blog and all the comments. It has made me feel as though there is hope and although I feel really isolated, I know there are people out there right now going through the exactly the same isolation, some of you much worse off than I am. Sometimes I have the impression from people around me that I need to be doing more about getting up and walking already even though it’s been just 4 weeks. I am a bit terrified of walking once again and worried about injuring myself. So I do hope that those of you who are in the rehab phase will write about your experiences.
pssssst heather I think the people want more. . . you know you wanna
Look! I posted something new! And there’s more coming, I promise!
Hi.
Wanted to catch people up on my so-called recovery.
A little over six weeks in a cast and I was ready for a fancy boot. And, I thought, ready for walking once more. But no.
I saw the doc on 14 Dec. and got a boot alright. Also got the news that he wanted me to stay off my foot for another six weeks. It was upsetting, but I certainly don’t want to rush anything. I sure am looking forward to being able to stand and walk across a room without planning out the whole thing first.
I did decide that my husband and I are going to take ballroom dancing lessons just as soon as I’m able. He doesn’t know about this yet. I’m waiting for just the right moment to spring it on him.
Anyway, I’m still on a walker and bouncing up and down stairs on my rear, only now I’m wearing an ugly Frankenstein-looking boot when I do it. Only 4 weeks and 6 days to go (I hope).
I also hope that everyone else is doing well and that you all have a wonderful holiday season.
I’m 17 and a national level gymnast in canada. I broke my leg yesterday, just above my ankle, clean break in my tibia and the doctor says im in this cast for about 6weeks, plus i have a visit twice a week with the orthapedic surgeon. oh joy:-( , I’ve never broken anything before and the doctors arent answering my questions do any of you have an idea how long it will be once the cast comes off before i’ll be able to walk and run and stuff again?
If anyone has any idea please let me know!
I fractured and dislocated my left ankle Nov 29,2006. Two weeks later I had surgery, with a plate and 7 screws. We rented a roll-a-bout so instead of crutches or a walker I just bend the bad leg onto the stroller and push off with the good leg. Sooooo much better than crutches and my husband can hardly keep up with me at the grocery store. It folds up easily to fit in the back seat.
I will be 12 weeks non-weight bearing and this device makes it bearable. A 3/4 inch thick piece of plywood lets me get down our 2 steps to the driveway.
Hi
I am 15 years old and I recently experienced an open fracture. I fractured my Tibia and Fibula a few days before Christmas. Does anyone know how long it will take for my bones to heal before I get back into my sports?
The doctor says that I am going to be wearing a cast for a total of 3 months, but I have read on different websites, that fractures like this could take up to nine months or more to heal. Is this true?!
Thank You!
I’ve been reading this site since soon after breaking (shattering) my ankle on Boxing Day but have been too spent to make any comment. First of all, for Diane the party girl…you need to get a shower chair to take your baths with the shower head on the hose that can reach a few more places. I am 54 and have taken more to the crutches than the walker. Slowly it builds up your upper arms. I got all my equipment on loan from an equipment loan place, but the Red Cross also loans equipment. Get a reacher, so you can get things nearby without gettin out of bed.
Doing the stairs is much easier with the crutches, too. Since some of you always have someone at home to help hoist you up, just keep them nearby when you use the stairs. The physio at the hospital showed me on some fake stairs, and it took a few deep breaths before I got the courage to try.
For the person lookin for a gym near Royal Oak, there is a physiotherapist in Royal Oak, Christine McCreath, who has a gym in her physio clinic. I enquired a few years ago and she said I could use it even if I was not getting treatment there. When it is time for me to get physio I will see if they will refer me to her, as it is in my neighbourhood.
Advice that I got from friends in medical profession: take lots of Vitamin C….it is necessary for healing. Nobody told me HOW much, so I am taking about 3000 i.u. a day. I am also taking charcoal capsules and when the wounds are healed and can be washed I will start doing hydrotherapy with charcoal in hot then cold water. You can google charcoal for more information about what it is good for, i.e. infection. Arnica cream is good for the swelling….I stopped the pain killers after getting the aircast (two weeks after surgery). I too look forward to wearing heels again and dressing up. I am running out of sick-time at my job.
Speedy healing to everyone…the other day when it snowed my doctor said he’d be getting a lot more patients, so be careful, anyone who is going out!!!
Hello everyone! I’m Kat, short for Kathleen. I broke my right ankle on Dec. 22nd, 2006. I broke it in 2 places, and splintering my tibia alittle bit. Resulting in 8 screws and 1 plate. I prefer the walker to the crutches, as well. I tried the crutches too, and almost fell. Felt comfortable w/the walker. I also have a wheelchair for when I’m traveling, but only my childrens’ rooms are upstairs, so no fighting with them. I’m finishing my fourth week of recovery, and very anxious to get to walking. One thing that bothers me alot is the back pain I am suffering from. Any suggestions? I’m a very active person physically, and this sitting around is killing me. I don’t start any physical therapy until after Feb. 4th. And yes, thank God for great spouses!! Mine is just a peach, couldn’t ask for anything sweeter. Well, I hope to hear some responses, and btw, I’m from central indiana. Ciao for now!
Kat
whoops! I start therapy after Feb. 14th. not the 4th, as i stated previously. Anyone use bag balm for their incisions?
Kat
Wow, glad to find this web-site. I fell on Monday the 15th of January–just walking out into the garage to run and errand and twisted my L ankle off the edge of one of those BAD outdoor mats! Bad Matt!!!
Anyway, after an ambulance ride the the Emergency Room (I couldn’t imagine getting myself out to the car or enduring the ride as my husband drove. . .) the ER Doc told me I had a fractured fibula and had a fiberglass splint put on it. I was taught the fine art of crutching and discharged. I was told that I would be non-weight bearing for about 4 weeks.
I was scheduled to be out of work for two weeks due to surgery (unrelated) that I was supposed to be having on Tuesday the 16th (which, of course, now has to be rescheduled. So I did stay out of work all last week.
On Wednesday, 17 Jan., I went and saw my ortho Doc who informed my that I had a “stable ankle fracture” which meant that I could bear weight as tolerated and he gave me a lovely moon boot. so I have been hobbling around sometimes with the boot, sometimes without. I’m obviously blessed to be suffering from a lesser injury than many of you!
However, I do have some questions
— I seem to be getting new areas of bruising? Any explanations?
— my foot/ankle/calf area occasionally experiences a sort of “electric shock” sensation
— my foot/ankle/calf area always feels icy cold, (to my brain but not necessary to the touch).
In response to the crutch/walker/scooter discussion — I crutched for about a day and a half before I got my boot and one week later my “pecs” are still sore! I didn’t know a walker was even an option for a “one-legged animal”! And, my friend had one of those scooters after major foot surgery — what a godsend!!!
I will be watching this blog! Hope you all heal well, quickly, and with at least a laugh a day! (Just close your eyes and picture yourself “butting” up the stairs! There is a laugh for you! Speaking of which — I had to butt up the stairs — I have fourteen of them thanks to my New England Colonial-style house — I did try crutching up the three steps from the garage — not easy and i’m sure i would have taken a header on my long flight!!!) (WOW, that was a long sign-off. . .)
Karen your injury sounds very similair to mine. After jogging about 4 miles, I slipped off a curb, and broke my ankle, the fibula about 4 inches up from the ankle. Thank Heavens, no surgery is necessary, but the inconvenience is huge. I, too, have the moon boot, and was told to use the crutches for 3 more weeks, despite my Dr.’s warning, I “heel walk”, on the bad leg sometimes without the crutches. Then, I feel guilty, when I take a peek and see the swelling. After 3 weeks, my leg still looks like Hilary Clintons’. That is my biggest concern. (ah vanity). Can anyone out there give me some hope as to when my leg will be ready for short skirts and heels? It is an awful thought to think, it will never return to normal. As far as the bruising is concerned, I too, noticed some shortly after the accident. I am not a Dr. of course, but I guessed, maybe it could be some minor internal bleeding from the broken bones against some tissue? The electic shock business, also sounds familiar, but I can handle that, and the icy cold? hmm got me. I refuse to use anything with a wheel, and my husband will not allow me to use my car, left foot wise. That is probabley a good idea, as I would not want to hurt another innocent person. So I am going nuts, but fortunately, I live in a one level house in Florida, so the stair issue isn’t there. I do sympthize with you, tho, having been a former New Englander myself. Again, if anyone can give me a timetable on when the ugly swelling will be gone, I would appreciate it. I am grateful, it could be worse, as some of describe, and I shouldn’t be complaining so much. Well take care, as we try to have a sense of humor about this. Cathy
Hello to all, My name is Jenn and on my first day back to work after a year on maternity leave I decided to get a coffee to start the day off. Walking with caution , due to the icy parking lot, back to my car, I slipped and heard the bones in my ankle break as I fell. I layed in the parking lot screaming until people came to my aid and called an ambulance. When I got to the hospital and had my exrays I found out I broke both the tibia and fibula in my ankle and needed sugery. This happened January 9/07 and I had surgery that Saturday. I have been very uncomfrotable but the worst part has been the lack of things I can do for my family. I have a 1 year old daughter and a 7 year old son. My daughter had been going to the babysitters from 7 am -5:30 pm while my husband’s at work because I couldn’t look after her. I can put my son on the bus to school, he’s a great help. Finally I got tired of things, I thought of things I could do to make things easier, to look after my daughter for part of the day. I got rid of the highchair and use a booster seat, she sleeps in a playpen for her afternoon nap down stairs. This is all done with me using crutches. I make sure I sit on the chair when I lift her. I have also figured out how to make the beds, putting on fresh sheets etc. My point is where there’s a will there’s a way. I will take this crisis and make it into a learning experience. I will also thank God for being blessed with being able to walk with 2 legs.
This is in response to Kat, who broke her ankle on Dec.22. I broke my ankle (tibia) and my fibula a few inches below the knee on Christmas Day. I had surgery on Dec. 29th that included several screws and plates, they left the fibula to heal on it’s own. I’m to put no weight on it for 8 weeks. I went back to work 24 hours/wk after 3 weeks and found crutching and the wheelchair a hassle, especially when I had underarm chaffing so bad that it bled. My ortho told me about something called a “Roll-a-bout”, it’s like a raised scooter that you can rest your knee on, it’s only for injuries below the knee. It can be adjusted for height and side of injury. I can speed around now faster than walking and have one hand free for shopping. I’m able to stand at work when needed because my injured leg is resting on the Roll-a-bout. It also has a hand brake that can be used to keep the device in place when you are using it to stand. I’m renting it for $30/week and it’s worth every cent and more. Between it and the temp handicapped placard I have I can function almost as well as before, including picking up my school-age daughter at school and continuing with my Girl Scout Troop without needing extra help. I highly recommend getting one if you need to maintain an active lifestyle, they even have a “heavy-duty” version with big wheels that can be used on gravel or dirt if you like to garden. Website is: http://www.roll-a-bout.com.
I fell going downstairs at work on 3/1/06 and broke by tibia/fibia in my left leg. It was an open fracture and I had to have two surgeries. I have rods and screws in my leg now. I was off of work for 6 months because infection slowed down the healing process. I went through 6 months of physical therapy. Today is 2/1/07 and I still have pain in my leg everyday! Most days I come home from work, I have to elevate my leg and put ice on it. Some days at work, I have to loosen my shoestrings because the swelling gets so bad. Cold, wet days are the worst!! How long until the pain stops? Or will this be a constant struggle and what do you guys do for the pain on a daily basis?
Wahoo…I’m so glad I find this site. I too fell downstairs and broke my ankle and I have 8 weeks of non-weight bearing. I was wondering if anyone had any other advice for getting up and down off the floor (once up the stairs) besides Deb. I tried the stepstool and I’m still not able to get up and down without help. Thanks.
Hi,
I fell Oct 11th, broke my left ankle in 3 places, have a plate and 6 screws on one side and 2 screws on the other side. I was in a splint for about 2 weeks to make sure the incisions were healed, then a hard cast for about 5 weeks, then the moon boot, still non weight bearing until Dec 27th. I used a walker and wheel chair as my right knee really hurt from hopping on the walker. I’m 63 and was active (notice was) but overweight. I was given permission to use a shoe on Jan 24th. Funny the terrible swelling in the foot diminished when I took off the moon boot and started using a tennis shoe. My ankle is badly swollen and the orthopedist indicates it will be that way the rest of my life even if they take the equipment out of the ankle. I did the alphabet with my toes as a form of therapy while non-weight bearing in both block and cursive which helps range of motion and flexiblity. Now he has me standing up and down on my tip toes to build strength. I don;’t think I will ever walk fast again.
Hi, Judy.
I am pretty much in the same situation as you, except that I’m still in the boot. My husband says it looks like I should be riding a Harley. However, my leather jacket is in the wash.
Seriously, though, I’m 61 and also overweight. I have 7 screws and a plate in my ankle and the doctors think they will stay there. My thought is that this right ankle will probably wind up being even stronger than the “healthy” one because of all the hardware in there. I might even be able to predict the weather! Unfortunately we live in Hawaii where it’s always possible to predict the weather. I won’t be able to impress anyone over here with my new skill!
I know I sound flippant here about the injuries. A lot of it comes from trying to keep my spirits up, and the spirits of my family and friends. My goal right now is to just be able to walk without an appliance of any kind. If I can find things to laugh about, it helps me to cope with little set-backs along the way.
To let you know, I, too, have been doing the alphabet thing. I tried capital letters at first, but had to go to lower case. Cursive is out of the question. ( It’s the same with my handwriting.)
I have had two physical therapy sessions which have helped me a lot. Also, the therapist gave me some exercises I can do at home on my stability ball. They’re nothing spectacular, but simple things to help strengthen my “hurt” leg. I’m hoping to move on to a cane in the near future and put the walker away. I think that I should be walking pretty normally by October when my husband and I are planning a trip to Mexico. I sure don’t want to be trying to get around down there on a walker! I don’t even want to have a cane. But we’ll see. For now I just take a day at a time.
It’s hard to know just what lies in my future as far as walking/pain, etc. is concerned. That’s why I look at any improvements I make each day as God-given blessings. For instance, I am able to stand at the stove for about 5 minutes at a time now and can help my husband with the cooking. (He’s more thankful for that than I am, by the way).
Slowly but surely I’m regaining my normal life. I have also learned a valuable lesson with this injury. No load of laundry is worth running downstairs for.
Hey everyone!
What a good website. I am very struck by how different everyone’s experiences are in terms of treatment, time spent in plaster, advice from doctors, etc. I guess we are all different and live all over the world but it is interesting nonetheless. Surely broken bones take roughly the same time to heal, barring complications of course? Speaking of which, I really feel for those of you who have had such complications (surgery, pins) – what a complete bummer (in the UK sense not in the getting up and down the stairs sense) to cope with more than one thing going on in your leg The other thing I’m struck by is how ordinary the accidents are, including my own though it did have a certain element of “Touching the Void” about it. My broken fibula happened when me and a stupid friend were trying to get down a steep wet Welsh hillside as it was getting dark. The famous short cut was not really a short cut, or indeed a path. And did I mention it was steep? Before I knew it I just slipped on the grass. Luckily nothing else got hurt. My friend and eventually my partner (sensibly sitting in the car at the bottom with the paper) dragged me down the hill in the dark, at some risk to their own fibulae and tibiae. I am 45 and should have known better. Friday 29 Dec and it feels like a bloody lifetime. I hate feeling frightened of moving anywhere, hate crutches, fell out of a wheelchair etc, and I am so pleased that I am not alone in this. The thought of travelling into central London on the tube feels like going to the Moon. I am off work until the end of the month – and guess what – then we are moving house to a place where the bathroom is UPSTAIRS. Aaarrgh – at least the bedrooms are too. I have been able to work from home and I have cats for (somewhat scornful) company. They can’t believe I move about less than they do.
Anyway – let’s all keep smiling ladies. There are good days and better days. I am supposed to be out of plaster next Weds and then it’s the next really scary phase. I’m quite attached to the dumb plaster now.
Love to you all.
Kim
Well, I enjoyed reading these comments so much I thought I would add a bit!
I broke my fibula way, way back (some 3-4 odd years ago) a week out of eighth grade. I dont know exactly how it happened, because I dont remember anything much out of that day except for waking up in a hospital with a broken leg! Anyway, I had a plate and screws put in and a week or so later I had a cast put on. The cast was only on for about a month before I got one of those cam-walkers (the boot things you all were referring to earlier). I was on that for a few weeks and then I was done with the treatment at that point in time and could begin physical therapy. The one thing I would like to note is to make sure you massage your incisions if you get surgery or else the scar tissue will start sticking to the bone and it will have to be manually “broken down” which can be quite painful. The physical therapy lasted about 6 weeks, twice a week.
After the physical therapy I was left alone until about three months later when my ortho surgeon removed a long screw that held together my tibia and fibula- it wasnt a big deal, a simple outpatient procedure with relatively little pain.
About four months later I noticed that my ankle seemed to be popping and painful quite a bit. It turns out the break had caused a piece of bone to grow in between the fibula and tibia so, a little over a year after the original break I had another surgery to remove the plate, screws, and the excess bone. There was definetly some pain involved, mainly because they have to move the tissue that has grown around the plate.
However, even after they removed the excess bone I was still having problems. My ortho surgeon tried various braces and did a few MRI’s and finally referred me to my current orthopaedic dr. My current ortho has concluded that based on all of the MRI’s and such that I have traumatic arthritis in that ankle. He did an arthroscopy on it this past year to remove what was apparently an abundance of scar tissue from that ankle. I still have some problems but the arthroscopy did help somewhat. So, at 18 years old I have had to date on the ankle that was broken: 4 surgeries, 2 MRI’s, and a CT scan, 6 weeks of physical therapy.
Anyway, I guess the best advice I can give you all is to take it easy. Dont try to rush back into activities because although you may not feel it now, it will come back to haunt you in the future. Especially if you are planning on pursuing a sports career. Be sure to elevate your leg to reduce swelling and follow all of your doctors instructions. This will help you heal as best as you possibly can.
If you guys have any questions about crutches, surgery, etc. and so on, feel free to ask!
Hi Guys
First of all, I’m so glad to have found this site. It is an eyeopener.
My name is Gayna and I broke my fibia and tibia on 7 January 2007 whilst skiing. I was in France where I was treated wonderfully. I had surgery the following day including a plate and screws and was told that, if there were no complications, the brace would be ready to come off after 7 weeks.
I spent an enjoyable and comfortable week in the hospital before being flown home. Since being at home, where I am on the one level so no stairs to deal with, I have become more and more uncomfortable. My leg hardly hurts but my hips, lower back and bottom ache horribly. I do exercise but, obviously, I’m not doing the right thing. I do not like my crutches and the wheel chair, though a lifesaver in some ways, is equally uncomfortable, after a while.
Has anyone found a remedy for this? I have asked the district nurses who come in daily to give me an anticoagulant injection, but as none of them has broken anything, they don’t have any suggestions.
I can’t wait to start physiotherapy.
In the meantime, I wish you all a speedy and healthy recovery.
Hi everyone, i just though I would update you on the progress. On Jan 25 I had my cast removed even tough my leg was still fractured, just so that i could start phyio, and massage therapy, and i was put into an aircast stirup brace, its like a plastic blow up thing. and i started going to physio 5days a week for 2hrs a day. this along with swimming and training in my gymnastics club with zero impact was the plan for a couple of weeks. Then on tuesday i went back to the ortho, which we thought would be the last time ,and that i would be okay to start training again, well after x-rays it turns out it is still not healed, only about 50%heald actually, and the other ortho missed something i have a bone chip floating in my ankle, which is about the size of a penney and 11/2cm thick… so the ortho said i could start doing light impact and keep going to physio five days aweek as i am, but that i will have to come back in a month to see if it is healing better, and then see if i can compete or even train this year. Then in the off season i will have to have surgery to remove the floating bone chunk. Not the kind of news i was hoping for, but then again i guess it could be worse, they could have said my chances of going to national level again are zero..but so far everyone seems to be pretty positive i will eventually be back up to where i was..and since i have a high pain threshhold i guess that helps. Anyway i hope everyone else is having better luck then me.
Oh yes and i too had the problem of bleeding sides from crutches, you can get foam wrap meant for going under braces and stuff to wrap aroun dthem and it makes it MUCh more comfortable.
This message is for Gayna. My name is Jenn I told my story on this website January 26 2007. I too ski, winter is my favorite time of year, but this winter sure is a write off. Any ways , my hips have been hurting me also, especially my right hip, or I call it my good leg. What I do is I have a walker with wheels and breaks and I put my left knee up on the seat of the walker and push with my right foot (my good foot). I’m sure it’s a big “no, no”, but I needed to do something for getting around in the house, other than my crutches, because my hip was so sore. Goodluck, hope this helps.
can someone tell me, when someone has a broken ankle, and they have screws put in it, do they also have the screws taken out again? or do they only take the scews out if something has gone wrong?
To answer Cameron’s question about hardware in the ankle: In my case, the doctor said that if I started having a lot of pain or other problems, we might consider surgery to remove the stuff. Otherwise, it stays put. .
I do think that each situation is different. Maybe there are times when screws and/or plates are put in just for a temporary measure. A doctor would be able to answer for sure.
As for me, I’m 62 years old and not very brave, so it would take a lot for me to consent to another surgery on this ankle! Besides, when I recover, I hope to put this out of my mind completely and forget it ever happened.
Here’s my story: On January 15th at 39 weeks pregnant, I was craving McDonnald’s so, I went out to get some lunch and on my way back into the house I slipped and fell on some ice!!! I was in a TON of pain… my husband helped me up and into the house. Then we decided to go to the hospital. Once they did X-Rays we found out that I broke my tibia and fibia at the ankle. They couldn’t really give me much for the pain… they “reduced the fracture” and told me to talk to my ob/gyn about inducing me so I could have surgery and sent me home. The next day I saw my ob/gyn and decided to induce me on the 18th of January… Labor and delivery was ok… and at 4:42pm we had a baby girl… perfectly healthy! On the 22nd of January I went in to have ORIF on my broken bones… They put a plate in along with 6 screws… Now I am at my mom’s recovering from the surgery since I have a newborn to take care of along with my 16 month old, and can’t walk w/o crutches!!!
My orthopedic surgion said at my last appointment that he wants me to do all of the therapy on my own… I am worried that I will no push myself hard enough because of the pain!
This message is for Elaine: Thanks for the tip! =)~ But I’m hoping not to be on crutches/walker/wheelchair for long. (maybe niave of me to think I would heal so quickly, but that’s me-think positive!). Update: My appointment was Feb. 13th, btw I recieved a puppy for Valentine’s day from hubby, someone to keep me company while I was alone all day, I was allowed weight bearing on it, but still in need of assistance w/cruthches/walker/wheelchair. But in 2 months, i should be walking without assistance. Just still in boot. My doctor gave me an estimation of about another 8-10 months of rehabilation. I’m not allowed to go back to work, Elaine =( …. I was hurt at work. And I found out I had got 9 screws and 2 plates, was really out of it when hubby was telling me details. Caught up by reading operative report.
Yep, Cameron my screws stay in unless they are causing trouble. I will beep through every metal detector. or Elaine will we? will i have to get a note from doc when i travel for easier traveling time?
Karen, the “electric” feeling- my xray tech and my doctor’s head nurse said it was due to our nerve endings reattaching, or healing. The new bruising I have too. I’m gonna ask my next appointment.
I have been using all three the walker, the crutches, and the wheelchair. I have a two story home, but just the children’s rooms are upstairs. Bathroom, kitchen, computer room, living room, and my room is all downstairs. My husband and my mom has been helping me make sure the kid keep up on their rooms, so no need to go upstairs. I use the wheelchair when I’m home alone, I need those hands to take care of myself. I have my lap as well. But since I’ve been allowed to put weight on it, I’ve been trying to refrain from using the wheelchair. It’s hard when your alone. The crutches and walker I’m not able to carry pitcher of tea to table, take tea to living room, etc…..I use the walker when I’m out for doctor appointments, eating dinner out,etc….with winter here the walker seems more stable in the snow than crutches, and more manuverable than the wheelchair. Crutches, I haven’t been using a whole lot. Been practicing around the house. Gettin’ ready for that nicer weather!! lol…..okay, this was my book for the month!! Hope everyone out there heals and stays well! Oh btw, Gayna, contact me and I have some excerises that a physical therapist gave me for upper and lower back pain. They worked well for me and I can email them to you. Hopefully they can help you. Ciao for now!
Kat
I broke & dislocated my right ankle on January 26, 2007. I found this blog, thanks be to the internet Gods. I have laughed and been enlighted by all of your stories, thank you so much for sharing. I only have one tip for those of you with stairs. I found it much easier to crawl up the stairs, get both knees on the landing then stand up on your good leg on the top step. I then turn around and hop backwards onto the landing. For some reason, I can’t hop forward except on the way down. I blame it on being totally right-legged, my left leg just doesn’t follow directions well. I’m now at the point where the Dr. wants me to start putting weight on my foot. I have a screw all the way through the tibia and the fibula, and have seen some people say they aren’t suppose to put weight on until that screw is removed. I’m going to follow his orders, but he didn’t tell me how to take that first scarey step. I have been concentrating so much on keeping my right foot off the ground, that now I don’t know how to take a step. I have crutches, but it seems that when I use them, I don’t really get any weight on my foot. The other problem I have is that the boot I’m in has like a 3″ heel and none of my shoes have a heel that high. I’m getting tired of standing and thinking, “Okay, take a step.” Someone please help!!
HELLO Everyone!
I also broke my ankle on Feb 1 this year! I have had 2 weeks of elevation, surgery, plates, screws, more weeks of elevation, 4 soft casts/splints, 1 fiberglass cast, and am heading for my second. I’m currently waiting for the boot, then the shoe, & some therapy.
But mostly I’m Wanting for the days of heels and club-hop’in.
Things have been BORING and CRAZY! I originally saved my rants for my myspace page but after the kindred spirit of this blog, I have posted all my ummmm “experiences” on blogger.com. You can find me here: http://pinkdetroithiphop.blogspot.com
Please check it out….and comment!
Thanks for all the advice and candid info!
Sunshine and Healing to you all!!
PS…I also live in a “Stairy” house, have crutches (on which i have fallen-outside!) and have mastered the booty scoot stair walk!
Greetings ladies! I broke my ankle March 7,07, while taking a group of customers from out of town out to lunch. I was chatting as we were walking to the cars, stepped in a pothole and went down. It stung when I got up, but I was able to hobble to the car, and we went out anyway. After our nice business lunch, however, my boot was full of swollen ankle, and I couldn’t walk, so my boss had to drop off the customers, and take me to the hospital. Verdict-broken.,in an aircast for 7 weeks, with crutches. The good news is, that I’ll have no arm-jiggle, and a flat tummy for summer. My son is a body-builder, so I tease him that I’m lifting more weight than he does.Oh to be petite, rather than “big-boned”. The worst part for me is that I’m a control freak, and I have had to give up control at home, and at work, which is very difficult. It’s hard to let people do things for you. At work, they moved my office downstairs for me, but it’s disconcerting to have to announce to the plant to stop the towmotors etc, and clear a path so that I can hobble through the plant to the bathroom. They’ve been good to me though, which is very humbling. Practically, I’m pretty good at crutches now, and I roll around backwards on my office chair, using the crutches as oars. I have tried bumming the stairs, but I have too many landings , and I seem to be too uncoordinated to get off the landing, turned around, and not fall face first down the stairs. I’ll try the stool suggestion. Next project- bathtub…. any suggestions how to get in and out etc. I’m getting pretty sick of sponge baths. Somebody should write a book on all of this. You just never have any idea what you use your hands for, until you can’t carry anything, and the brochure they give you at the hospital is obviously written by someone who has never broken anything. Anyway… I’m famous for being longwinded, so I’ll stop now…. good healing to everyone… and it’s nice to discover kindred gimps with the same practical problems.
Hello, I am glad to meet you all under such dire circumstances. I fell on 2/25 and had surgery that afternoon and received plate and 2 screws. I am now in boot after hard cast for 5 weeks. I am PWB for a couple of weeks and hope to be FWB by 4/16. I use a roll a bout that my husband rented off internet. It has been great. I bump down steps and he takes it to bottom for me and then I roll to car and do the reverse back in. I have a rolling stool at top of steps that I can lift onto and then stand and get on my rollabout. I have to have someone hold the stool so as not to roll. I took my first bath tonight in 5 weeks. I got in first and then ran the water. I sat there the whole time wondering how I was gonna get out . To get in I used my rollabout up to side and then put good leg in and then brought my bad leg in and put my hands on sides of tub to lower me down. To get out I threw my bad leg over side and then lifted up until I could get my hiney onto side of tub and then stood up and hobbled on one leg to toilet.. Be very careful of wet floor. Lynda, I hope this helps on taking a bath. I was able to scrub some of the nasty skin off my leg. It also helps in limbering up my foot. Mine is quite stiff. Hope everyone keeps posting. Annette
I bought a bath stool at a pharmacy. I have it even height with the side of the tub, and I just back up and sit down on it, then swivel my feet into the tub. We also bought a hand-held shower attachment, so I do most of my bath sitting down with the shower attachment, then stand up to do the bottom half. I put a towel down on the stool so that I can sit there and get mostly dried off. I totally agree with the book. Something funny but with good information. One of the hardest things is to learn how to improvise on doing everyday chores, letting others help when you can’t do something, knowing what to expect and keeping your spirits up. The doctors and nurses act like you should know what they are doing. Luckily, I’ve started physical therapy and my therapist is very good about telling mw how things work. Hope your healing goes quickly. I’m on my 10th week and am ready to be walking. I have one more surgery to go, they are going to take the fixation screw out the middle of May. Now I can truly say that I’m all screwed up. LOL
Thanks Annette and Jacque for your suggestions. I am happy to say that , after making 2 more steps at the top of the stairs with a stool and chair, I succeeded in having my first shower/bath in a month! Yee-ha! I put a chair beside the bathtub, and slid from it to the bath-stool in the tub. .My shower=head is handheld, so it worked fine. The only part I forgot in advance was to have clean clothes in the bathroom already.( note to self for next time- get husband to get clean clothes ready ahead of time, so I’m not trying to keep a towel on at the same time as using crutches). Next project- I’m going to sew a carry bag that will hang from the adjustable holes in the crutch so I can carry papers around work. I have been using a plastic shopping bag secured with twist ties, but they’re calling me the bag-lady, so I’ll make one, and be stylin’ Cheers everyone-hoppy heeling- sorry I couldn’t resist the pun
I would like to say how nice it is to read all these tales of woe (if you know what I mean) – I think that sometimes you can feel you’re the only one when your in this situation.
I broke my ankle on a snowboard “taster” in Andorra in February (bitter is answer) . Made a good job of it – an unstable fracture of the fib. The miracle was I avoided an op even though I hobbled back to the Hotel (wishfully thinking maybe just a sprain). It was interesting trying to negotiate the wonderful laminate flooring to the hotel room hopping on one leg – made use of a luggage trolley to get to reception. Anyway – after and interesting coach and plane journey got home – got slapped in a cast and told that I would be back once a week to have an X-ray and so on, to check the beggar didn’t slip (had a wobble on when I slipped onto it trying to straighten the throw on my sofa, due to being a control freak). On Monday – 5 weeks in – they took off my cast and bad me walk (not quite but strange going from “do not put that foot down at any cost (cast?)” to start putting that foot down – no cast. My foot and ankle resembles a Cumberland sausage (uncooked). They cheerfully informed me that it could be like this for 3 more months. My son is still calling to me “there’s a boy in a well, there’s a boy in a well” (Skippy the Bush Kangaroo). I’m just glad I live in a bungalow – I still got vertigo the first time I stood on my step trying to work out how to get out to the hospital appointment (rotated on a stool). I can’t imagine walking without the crutches and wonder if I will ever put on another pair of heels (in husbands trainers at moment). It’s the longest I’ve been off work in 20 years – make the best of it say my colleagues, and I’ve tried to (have watched no daytime TV so far, I’m so proud).
Thanks folks, hope you are all back on your feet soon.
PS It’s surprising what you can do with a well aimed crutch – so don’t discount them entirely.
I won’t ever be able to watch an action film again and believe the lack of injuries sustained (although they never wear flip- flops, so maybe that’s it)
My husband had broke his ankle at an Orioles baseball game, they did surgery and 2 days later he came home, He then had to see another Dr. (insurance purposes) The foot took for EVER to heal. The new Dr. took the plate out and all but one of the screws out . It was not closing up properly, the scar that is, so then he had to go for weeks of p.t. to close the gash from the surgery. We thought he was going to loose the foot from infection. The p.t.s worked miracles. Well now, three years later he says he feels the screw backing out—ouch!! He has such pain at times, but is now afraid of the bone Doctors. Does he need to get help? He is really afraid from all he has been through!
Hi,to all of you. I love this site. I broke my ankle,three bones
four years ago. Of and on I have pain. MY QUESTION IS,DO THE
SREWS AND PLATES SLOWLY LOSE THERE POSITION AND ‘SLIDE
OUT’? I do not want to go through surgery again. Thank for
any advice. Also, if one has not experienced this horrible
injury they should not give advice. I have 9 screws and 2
plates.
Cindy,
If the screw is backing out, I would suggest him getting it taken care of as quickly as possible. I would think the longer he goes with that going on, the worse it will get and the more surgury and problems might come up. Maybe he can contact the p.t.’s and ask them if they have an orthopedic surgeon they recommend. Tell him the sooner the better to fix this, especially since he had a hard time healing to begin with.
Judy, I was told you could leave the plates and screws in with no problem. I have read on some blog site about a lady who said her screws came out, but other than her, I haven’t heard of it happening. My Dr. told me that unless they bothered me, for instance rubbing on a boot if you wear boots, that they can stay in. He also said that he wouldn’t suggest taking them out for at least 1-1 1/2 years. I totally agree with you about the advice. The sad thing is, unless you break an ankle or other bone, you don’t do research on it. Then when you do the research, you’ve probably already had everything done to your foot. I’m starting to have problems with the top of my foot. It hurts alot, especially after pt. My pt is wondering if I have cartiledge that has siezed up. Good grief all the stuff that can go wrong.
Jacque
I broke my tibia when I slipped on the ice on Jan 22, 2007. I had a metal plate and seven screws inserted. Recovery was hard, but I have just returned to work, but I am still experiencing a great deal of discomfort and significant swelling. It is a work related injury, so I don’t know if that figures into this, but the orthopedic surgeon said, I should not have any pain at this point, and closed the subject. I see him again in a couple of weeks. I want to ask when the pain, discomfort and swelling will improve. But since he doesn’t belive I “should be” experiencing any pain, I am not sure he will be open to any discussion.
Marilyn,
Are you going through any physical therapy? If so, the physical therapist should be addressing the pain. I do know how you feel though. When I complain about the pain, I get the feeling that they think I’m just being a baby. I have been told that the swelling could last up to a year. I was told by my PT to elevate my foot above the heart and use ice when I experience pain and swelling. He also told me I could use a muscle rub to help with the pain. I’ve still got a screw attaching my fibula to my tibia that is going to be removed on May 23rd. I’m hoping that some of my pain will be alleviated once that is done.
I say stick to your guns and tell the Dr you are in pain. It is your leg, not his. If there is going to be some pain, he should tell you what kind of pain to expect that is normal. They all act like we get broken bones all the time and know what to expect.
Well folks… after 8 weeks, the aircast is off, and I have 2 shoes on. This is my second day. My foot is still swollen, so I’m trying out my loosest shoes. Today I picked the wrong ones. They are slip on runners (like clogs) but with a stretchy part at the top (too tight as the day wears on) Any suggestions on shoes? I work in a big plant,(although I’m in the office most of the time) so I can’t wear slippers, and the floors are cement. The biggest problem I have is not so much with the ankle, but with the bottom of the foot, especially the heel. So much skin has come off the bottom of my foot that there is no callous left, so my heel hurts when I step on a hard floor. I wish I could transfer the callous on my hands (from the crutches) to my foot. Does anyone know how to build the callous back up on your heel? I guess I wear heel cushions in the meantime
Good luck to you all… it’s been nice sharing the misery. One of these days in the future, it will be like on Startrek, where you break a bone, go to the lab, and they zap it with a laser, and voila… it’s all fixed. Course then strangers with similar experiences won’t correspond like on this blog, and make each other feel better
I broke my leg Nov. 06 and was in a cast until early January. My biggest problem was dealing with the cold, ice and snow. I found a great internet company that sold LARGE socks to fit over the cast and cast boots that are so much more comfortable, better fitting and more attractive than the one from the ortho. Try http://www.drycast.com for the socks and boots and other wonderful items to make the time on crutches a lot easier. The boot is especially nice when you are permitted to put weight on your cast. I also bougt a cast cover for my leg which kept the cast dry while showering or bathing.
As you all know (or will learn), the process of healing a broken ankle can seem very long and be very depressing. I have been lucky in that I’ve reached the point where I can pretty much walk without help. I still carry my cane along just in case, but usually I don’t need it. There is still some stiffness and occasional aching in my foot/ankle, but not all the time. I can be on my foot for quite a while now before it even starts.
If an over-weight, 62-year-old can get to this point, so can all of you. It is a long process (I broke my ankle last October), but it seems that once you can start walking again, the healing goes faster. I was non weight bearing until the middle of February. Since then I’ve gotten rid of my wheelchair, my walker, my boot, and (almost) my cane. I promise that you all will get to this point, too. You’ll probably do even better than I have.
I also want to add my thanks for this site. I found it by accident, but am very glad I did. It helped a lot just to know that there were others who were experiencing the same things I was. Some great advice here, too!
Elaine is 100% correct. One important thing I learned was to use my crutches for the first 2 weeks after the cast was removed. The third week I went down to using just one crutch. As much as you want to be able to walk without them, it really helps with your recovery in the long run to continue to use the crutches (or any other supportive device). Also, I was lucky enough to receive 6 weeks of PT to help with the stiffness and learned show to walk down steps and curbs again by doing a few exercises learned in PT. Six moths post break I am able to walk normally and with just a little discomfort in the ankle after a long walk.
hi there, i broke my ankle from two place 5 days ago, i am in temp. cast and will be in fiberglass cast in day or so. i was wondering that with that will i be able to walk, or move and will i able to drvive automatic car. its a stable frature, no surgery requierd, just cast.
I am currently 33 weeks pregnant and on April 27th at 29 weeks pregnant I was going down the basement stairs to open the door for my hubby and his friend to bring in the baby’s crib when I slipped and fell down the stairs. Needless to say I fell and broke my right ankle breaking both the tibia and the fibula. I had to have surgery and have a plate on the left side with 5 screws and 2 screws on the right side. The baby was fine thank God!!!!! I somehow unconsciously managed to avoid falling on my stomach and just sacrifice the ankle. It has been a difficult process to hop around with this walker and use the wheelchair, take showers, you name it on top of being pregnant in the 3rd trimester. I have a fiberglass cast on now and get it off in 2 weeks not sure what will happen after that most likely a boot. It was really depressing and a humbling experience but I know I will make it through and hopefully have the cast off before the baby is born. My husband has been very supportive. So, to all of us who have had this unfortunate accident I just want to say we can make it and will be fine. I am glad I found this site it has been very helpful. I’m waiting for someone to say if they have had the issue with the foot randomnly jerking from time to time on its own? It seems to have happened to me quite a few times. Also, what helps to get over the fear of doing what you did just before the accident occurred? For me I am a bit scared to think about going down those stairs again? Any ideas for how to get over it? Thanks!
Sorry, that was April 7th the incident occured not the 27th.
Hey Monique,
So glad your baby was okay, sounds like you took quite a spill. As for getting over that fear of going down the stairs, you just have to do it. I would wait, if you can, till after the baby is born and have your hubby around for support. I would be willing to bet that you will be over the fear in one go around. I fell down our stairs after I had broken my ankle. I was going down them and that stupid heel on the air cast didn’t clear the step I was stepping off of and down I went, head first. I was scared to death to go down those stairs again, but after making it down them once, I was fine.
My foot did the jerk also. I asked my dr about it and he just said it was probably either nerves or muscle spasms. I decided to do what I always did for charly horses. I started eating a banana every day. After about 2 days, it stopped. If you don’t like bananas, find something else that is high in potassium. Also, be sure you are drinking enough water.
Good luck with the healing all.
Peter
I didn’t need surgery either. I took one week off because of pain and lack of sleep and then returned to work the second week. Mine was a simple fracture that did not need surgery. Since it was the left ankle that was broke I was able to drive by the second week ( I didn’t want to drive while on the pain meds.). I was walking om ny cast the second week too…just wore a cast boot over the cast. Getting in and out of the car took a little practice with the cast and crutches but I was able to do it.
Ааану-ка ребятки голосуем!!!
Признавайтесь проказники и владельцы сайта ouchmyleg.wordpress.com ))))
ЧТО вы будетеа делать этим лтомп!?
Thanks for that advice Jacque. I love bananas and have noticed that what you said was right on point. It has been a few days since the last “foot jerk” and I have not had it happen since. Thanks alot!!! 🙂
As for the fear of going downstairs you are right, I just have to do it. I will wait until after the baby is born though (don’t want any more accidents that’s for sure).
Thanks again!
Backstory: 10/23/05 broke my ankle. They tell me my ankle was compromised, because my talis bone is deteriorating, thus the break. On 6/6/06 (oh yeah) Dr. DeAsla, of Massachusetts General Hospital, performed surgery where the took two pieces of bone from the unused portion of my knee…..(place your comments here)…..and put them in my ankle. They needed to cut the ankle inorder to get to the talis. I required 2 screws. Was off my feet for essentially 6 weeks. I have more crutches, air casts, and x-rays.
But I learned a thing or two. Hope this helps:
Bathing:
You all know there are “sleves” you can put over your cast, right? Loved those. Thought they were sheer genius. You can also use a garbage bag and tape it closed. I found that hair stylist’s plastic wrap (like saran wrap) is even better than tape.
Getting in and out of a bathtub or even shower is simply just plain hard. Period. Gotta take it slow. But a chair and a hand held device is the best.
Getting around:
Yes you can get one of those roll arounds. You can rent or purchase. I used my desk chair. But you have to have rather good inner thigh muscles to control it.
To the lady afraid of going down the stairs to the basement. Yes, stairs are tricky and can feel down right scary, even if you didn’t fall down them. Once you get use to the crutches going up and down is a breeze. But when I was in the cast I got two sets of crutches. One for upstairs – one for down. And “rode” the stairs, one step at a time, on my butt. My arms really got buff. Oh, and you gotta put a kitchen towel, or bath wash cloth on your crutches. No under arm rashes that way. You can anchor them with hair ties or rubber bands.
But I’d say unless you HAVE TO to go back down those stairs I’d get someone else to do it for you.
For the man who has never heard of anyone who’s hardware popping out? It is very true. However, it doesn’t happen to everyone. Mine are not, butI am going in next month to take mine out. I cannot wait. I am convinced that it is a source of pain.
So this leads me to my question. What is that like? Did anyone here have this stuff taken out? What’s the down time.
Love the site. Who thought of this?
Janet,
Do you have a plate on your ankle? I have a plate on my tibia with 5 screws in it and the area on top of it is very tender. I can put my leg on my knee to put my shoes on because of the pain. I had asked about having it removed, I’m having a fixation screw (one that goes through both the tibia and fibula) removed and was hoping they could take that plate out also. The doctor told me I would have to wait at least another year before that one could come out. If you have a plate, what type of pain do you have? I guess I’m just trying to find out what is normal.
Plus, I’m a girl. hehe
Hi
Really great to find a site where people have gone through the same thing as me. I broke my ankle in 3 places after a fall on Feb 24th and am still a long way from being back to normal. I had an open cast for a few days and then had an operation and a metal plate and screws inserted. I was in a non weight bearing cast for nearly 8 wks and then had the dreaded frankenstein boot aswell. Luckily I did manage to use the crutches but at first had to rely on people pushing me in a wheelchair to get around. I’ve had all the problems you guys have had such as not being able to get up or down stairs, not being able to get in and out of the bath and the worst, not being able to drive!!! I’ve now been out of the boot for a few weeks and have managed to go down to one crutch but that’s as far as I’ve got. My ankle still hurts every day, it still swells up and because of the metal in it the right ankle is much bigger than the left and I don’t have nearly enough movement in it. I’ve had to do the flat shoes aswell and for a gal who always wore heels that has been a killer!! I’ve been told that I’m doing ok but apart from that there doesn’t seem to be a lot of info. I’m 12 wks down the line and still can’t walk unaided and after a while of being out walking my foot swells to Professor Clump proportions and looks really attractive!! Is there anyone out there who can tell me how much longer this will go on for and how many wks it takes to get over this, it feels never ending as I’m sure some of you know!!! I’m only having 20mins of physio once a wk and wonder if it’s worth trying to organise something more than that? Does any body have any advice? I feel like I will never be back to normal!!!
I fell down a few steps on Dec3/06. I broke both my fib & tib and I am now being held together with 2 plates and 7 screws. I was in a cast for seven weeks with no weight bearing. It was hell. I had no idea that a broken ankle was such a long, painful journey! The best thing I did for myself was to find, blog.healbrokenbone.com It was a TOTAL LIFESAVER! Everyday I would go to that site and learn so much and receive so much support. My doctor didn’t say much. I felt so isolated and frightened until I found that site. I quickly found out that the electric shock feelings were normal. I got tons of information. It was great to know that what I was going through was “normal”. I could vent and complain and everyone truly understood! I hope that if you are reading this now, you will go to Olga’s site. blog.healbrokenbone.com Good luck and happy healing.
I’m so glad I found this page. I fell on May 10th and broke my tibia. I didn’t require surgery, just a cast. I go back on July second, hopefully to get the cast off. I wish I knew. I got excellent care at the emergency room and the doctor I saw after that was useless so I really don’t know what to expect!
Wow, I wish I would have found this site sooner! Hey Tricia. I feel your pain! July second sounds good to me, since you didnt need surgery your cast should be off by your next visit, which is, im guessing 8-9 weeks since ur cast was put on? It should be off by then. Just remember to stay off your feet, try to keep it elevated 2-3 hours a day, and it should heal in to time.
I’m 18 years old and fractured my fibula/lateral malleolus about 7 weeks ago, April 20th 2007. I was placed into a fiber glass cast, and I did not need surgery; it was a simple fracture. My cast was removed about 5 days ago, but my doctor said that I could not put weight on it for another 2 weeks! It has only been 5 days since it was removed, and I am supposed to see a physical therapist in 2 days. So far Ive been exercising my foot by myself. I’ve been rotating it, doing that whole “alphabet” excersise and even trying to put a little weight on it while walking with my crutches. I’ve been soaking it in the whole “warm water with epsem salt” thingy…I feel fine, and I’m hoping to start walking after seeing the physical therapist this week. My swelling has gone down, but now and then when im walking with my crutches my foot will turn red, im guessing because of the blood rushing to my foot, since I haven’t really used it in weeks.
Does anyone, possibly those with experience, think that I can start walking on it in a few days? I work as a waitress, which requires me to be on my feet {obviously} and I need to go back to work. I’m in college and I need that money for next semester. Is it possible for me to start working in a week? I know I should listen to the doctor, blah blah blah, but I believe I can do it, I just need some reassurance from people who have had previous experience with a broken ankle.
Oh yea, for those of you who are having trouble with going up and down stairs, I did it on my crutches; when going down the stairs put ur crutches on the stair ur about to go on first, then ur non-broken foot. When going up the stairs, hop up the first stair with ur non-broken foot while ur crutches are still on the floor, then bring ur crutches up, and continue by hoping with ur foot first then ur crutches. You’ll be afraid of falling at first, but after a few tries you should feel more confident.
You’re already doing better than me Melinda. I was way too unsteady on the crutches. I had to go the walker/wheelchair route. I felt far too wobbly on the crutches. I think it may have been more of a mental thing there. I’d only ever torn ligaments before this and was able to work with the crutches because torn ligaments, you can put your foot down with. You just can’t do it in certain ways. I was told no weight on this at all, which meant if I started to fall I was scared to put that foot down. I thought I’d eventually be able to walk on this cast but the way it’s made, I’m at too wonky of an angle to do that.
I fell on May 10 and got the cast on May 18. So it will be 7 weeks all together from the break and 6 weeks and a couple of days when I go to the doctor again. The emergency room doc had initially told me to expect about 6-8 weeks to heal so that tracks. But if I do get the cast off then, will they re-x-ray? Will I be able to walk again starting that day? Will I need physical therapy? Like I said, I haven’t been told anything. So I’ve got all these ideas in my head. Every time I feel sore under my cast I wonder if I’ve messed something up under there by trying to move my foot around, slowly, as much as possible in an attempt to keep the muscles somewhat working. I also have stupid paranoid thoughts of feeling like I can’t trust my own leg, like anything I do when I get the cast off is going to break it again because it broke over such a stupid thing in the first place. I don’t know. I’m hoping it’s all just cabin fever and the fact that I’ve never broken a bone before ( and my doctors haven’t been fonts of information or anything) just playing with my head. I’m also rather plus sized and have been concerned that that’s going to play a part in having to stay off of it longer.
This has been the biggest suckfest of my life.
PLEASE anyone who can HELP!!!! I fell down 4 small steps in my home 12/24/06 as I was preparing to do the last bit of Christmas prep. The next thing I know is I have an 8 inch plate, 22 staples,4 breaks in fibula, 11 screws, broken heel, and all ligaments in my right foot torn. PT for 16 weeks, 3 times a week…combo of land and pool. Today I went back for regular check with Ortho and he says at bend of my foot apparently there is bone on bone and that after I saw another Ortho have now been set for scope on June 22. Clean, remove debris smooth bone ends and REMOVE long screw that connects fibula to tibia. I might be looking at another surg that will remove plate and remaining 10 screws. And may have to rebreak and insert bone graft with new plate and screws.
Living in the deep south of southern Mississippi and having already been through heel hell with this ordeal does anyone have ADVICE!!!! PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THIS SOUNDS RIGHT…..
Hi Guys, Great Site, what a Nightmare this whole Broken Ankle thing has been! I cant walk, do nothing, but I have been trying to keep my mind off of it..I broke my Ankle Exactly 5 weeks ago May(forgot the exact date), and I take my Cast off in exactly one week. I had surgery and had 6 screws and a metal plate on one side and tore liagment on the other side. The doctor said, I will be starting PHYSICAL THERAPY the following week. I just have one question, Will I be able to Walk and put some Weight on that week? How long after the cast has been removed, will i be able to put some weight on it???
Thanks Everyone!
It’s been 3 long days since I decided to assemble my new bbq…in my living room. I had all 7000 pieces laid out according to the diagram in the manual. Everything was going fine, when I decided to hop across the room carrying one ot the pieces. My left foot went down into the lid of the bbq, instead of the little tiny space on the floor that I was aiming for….and the lid starting sliding!…taking me with it! As a result, my ankle twisted horribly, and down I went….onto all those lovely sharp pieces of bbq. I knew immediately that it was fractured.
It’s only the fibula that’s broken. Thank goodness…no surgery!
I was given the option of a cast or an Aircast, which is the ‘boot’ that most of you are referring to, I believe. Only catch was that I had to pay $159.00 for the Aircast, which I willing handed over. I’m going to Cancun on July 6/07. No way am I staying out of the pools and ocean!
I’m getting quite adept with the crutches, but I find that later in the day it gets harder, and my muscles get sorer, so I also end up ‘bumming it’ up and down the stairs at times, also. Lucky for me, I was already working out regularly at the gym, and have been building up lots of muscles.
So anyway, all in all, I think I’m really lucky compared to most people.
One question….did anyone else spend their first days crying a lot?
I don’t mean from pain…I can tolerate that….just because of the frustration?
Nikki – June 25, 2007
I broke my ankle on Friday April 13 2007. It was the most painful feeling I’ve ever felt. I broke my right ankle in three places and dislocated it. Two long screws on one side and a plate with five screws on the other side. They said its as bad as a football injury. The hardest part was not being able to move around and take care of my five kids and my husband. I am very independent and having to depend on my husband was very difficult. I felt as if no one could do things the way I could. I finally got the aircast on two weeks ago. Finally a little relief, I can move around. I still have spasms in my foot. My leg swells up so bad that when you push on it you can see a half an inch indent in my leg. It feels as if when I’m laying in bed I can feel the metal plate and screws when I move my foot around. My fear is that I’m not going to be able to get out and play sports and games with my family again. Is anyone back to normal and doing the thins they did before? Please tell me there is hope.
Hi there, I am going on 10 weeks since my foot decided to see what the back of my ass looked like. I broke my fibula in 8 places which now has half of the Home Depot hardware section which runs up my manly 9 inch scar. I also dislocated my ankle severely in this freak softball injury. I did not know that trying to stop yourself could look like a motocycle accident. I know the pain associated with this injury and what it takes to get back on your feet. Remember that ice and elevation is your two best friends for the first two months. If you are lucky enough not to have it cast-up, ice it and stretch your foot with a rolled up towel to speed up the process. Give your fracture the necessary 4-6 weeks to mend and then start to work on that damaged soft tissue which is now ready to be exercised. Good luck, we all will need it.
Whats up Tommy,
To answer your question about the weight bearing, it’s all up to you. I do have some advice for you in your recovery. If you are given a walking boot just remember that these things will produce a limp. I would use your regular athletic shoe with (2) crutches, then 1, and finally without it. While using the walking boot, you are just lifting and placing your foot on the ground. This is not the natural heel to toe walking that normal people do everyday. I am now in the stage of recovery of walking fairly quickly, but do experience some discomfort in my feet. This is expected as the muscles in my foot has not been stimulated/worked in over 2 months. So I would say if you just want to get around, use the boot, but if you what to do it right (little more pain) try it this way.
hi, i broke and dislocated my ankle 2 wks ago, docs still to decide if i need surgery (the beauty of the nhs) i live with my 10 yr old daughter and unfortunately she’s not strong enough to lift me up when im stranded at the top of the stairs, i too am using the old “bum up the stairs routine” its driving me crazy, i’m hoping that in scotland we have our usual scottish summer ie wet and cold as i dont think i can cope with my leg feeling like its wrapped in tin foil. ive been told a few horror stories from people( who say that they’re my friends) that when my cast comes off my leg will be smelly, is this true?
Got my cast off on Monday finally. Karen, my leg and foot were not smelly but I did have dead skin flaking off of my leg and peeling off of my foot in huge potato chip size chunks. I had a delusion in my head that I’d be able to get around on it pretty good once the cast was off, but I can’t. I’m still having to use the walker and the wheelchair. My leg has forgotten how to be a leg and it just won’t hold me. My foot/ankle was also hella swollen when the cast came off. It’s only today that it has started looking actual foot size again. Still very sore. Still wont hold me up. I’m supposed to do phys therapy for 4 weeks, 3 times a week but I can’t even get in for the evaluation until the 13th (the medical care in my area is not the best). I’m hoping I can get to walking with a limp, or a cane and a limp by then but so far that seems to be overambitious. Very frustrated right now.
Hey All,
Just thought I would lend my bits of learned wisdom, before I ask another question. I found that the best thing for dealing with the pain after it has been in the cast is to touch it. I also use a tennis ball and roll my foot around on it. This seems to have helped me more that anything. If you have a rocking chair, it is also good to use your foot to push off. You don’t have much weight on it, but it gets it ready for putting your weight on it.
I’m finished with physical therapy as my therapist told me that I have the exercises to do and at this point it is just a matter of time. I have no balance on my foot and that is driving me nuts. It is kinda hard to do the exercises I have when I can’t even balance long enough to do them. Anyone have any suggestions as to how I can improve my balance. I had a fixation screw all the way through the tibia and fibula, because of the dislocation, and my ankle seems to be way to stiff. Has anyone else had that done and was your outcome the same? I can feel the talus bumping on the bones when I try to flex or bend my foot. It is grossing me out.
hi docs decided i dont need to have op, so now i’m worried that my ankle is always going to be weak. should get cast off in 3 wks time, can any1 tell me if i’ll still have to use crutches to get about, and when should i be able to drive (manual car)
cheers!
I broke my left ankle, the fibula and was given a cast in the emergency room. I went for a follow up after 3 days with the orthopedist and was told I could wear an aircast, a boot instead of the cast. I do not feel so comfortable with the decision. My ankle still hurts. Any suggestions?
I fell and broke both of my ankles on June 19. I have a hard cast on my left ankle and a walking cast on my left ankle. I am now allowed to put some weight on my left ankle but no weight on my left. I tried the crutches and kept falling with this HUGE boot as my “good foot” so I went back to the wheelchair. I’m pretty stuck in the house this summer as my husband works long hours. It wouldn’t be too bad but the kids – 1, 4, and 6 and starting to drive me crazy. I think I’m starting to get depressed and am wondering if I re-injured my left ankle in one of my falls. Thanks for listening.
Well i screwed that message up big time. I’ll try to blame it on the drugs. My left ankle is in the hard cast and my right ankle is in the walking cast or frankenstein boot. it’s pretty hard when you have both broken. I’m trying to take everyone’s advice though and elevate more. It seems to be helping with the pain. I’m not able to just veg all day though because I’m trying to roll around to take care of my kids needs. Thanks for the advice. I may be looking for PT advice in the future. My dr. thinks I may be in the hard cast (left ankle) for 8 – 12 weeks. I think the boot (right) will come off in the next 2 weeks though.
Like everybody else, I am THRILLED to have found this site. Six weeks ago, I managed to slip off my flip flops and fall down a couple of stairs. I broke my right foot and left ankle – I guess if you’re going to do it, you should do it big. I was misdiagnosed in the ER – they said I just had a sprain, so I was given the Frankenstein boot and an ace bandage. It took a week before they realized that my left ankle was broken – demoralizing news when I was hoping to ditch the crutches after only a few weeks.
The crutches are getting easier – but it’s exhausting to go very far. I’ve perfected the butt-scoot going down the stairs – and the knee climb going up. A shower stool is a lifesaver – and I’m lucky only to have a splint rather than a hard cast. Somebody suggested putting sheepskin on the crutches – I got some at a pet store and rubberbanded it to the under-arm part. It reduces the rubbing a lot.
My boyfriend and I just move in together three weeks before it happened – so needless to say it’s been something of a challenge. Especially since I’m very independent – so having to ask for something as simple as a glass of water is really hard. I wish somebody would invent a holder that attaches to one of the crutches so you can at least carry around a bottle of water. You really don’t appreciate little things like hands until you can’t use them anymore.
Monday I’m getting my next x-rays to see if the bones have healed yet. My foot is still a little sore – but I ditched the boot and am just wearing a sneaker. It helps my balance and isn’t nearly as heavy. I’m getting worried that my ankle won’t be healed enough to walk on – part of the bone nearly chipped off so I’ve had to be really careful not to put any weight on it or risk a chip. I feel like everything I want to do is on hold until I can walk again – so I’m not sure how many more weeks of this I can face. But reading everybody’s posts has helped me realize I’m not alone. And I think keeping your spirits up is key – I’ve been able to joke about this most of the time. Somehow, now that I’m hopefully facing my last week, it seems harder. Did other people find that?
Amanda, I thought I was the only one crazy enough to hurt both ankles/feet. I’m glad you are getting around on crutches. I couldn’t handle them and after three falls I went back to the wheelchair. I just got a walker tonight after advice from this website. Thanks! That will get me up more but I know the wheelchair is good so that I can grab my one year old and just put him on my lap. I hope your x-rays come out good for you. I keep hearing not to take the cast/boot off too early or you will feel it later in life. I hope to get rid of the boot soon also so I can at least balance a little better. How do you manage? You seem like your spirits have been fairly good overall. I’m really struggling. I was pretty hard on my kids today and know I need to lift my spirits up. Thanks for letting me know that I am also not alone. Good luck to you and please keep me posted.
I can’t imagine having kids and having to deal with this whole ordeal. Reading the posts on this site have made me realize how easy I have it! I just have to go to work and come home and boss my boyfriend around:)
Nobody at my doctor’s suggested the walker – I wonder if that would have been easier. Good luck to you as well Tina – I hope the kids aren’t running you ragged!
So heres my story! well i was cutting a branch out of a tree about 6inch round and it swung down and knocked the ladder out from under me . i fell straight down 20 feet and broke my right ankle . the first doctor told me there was spliters of bone that drove up into my ankle and that i may need to get it operated on .they gave me a splint and ace bandages for the weekend .i broke my ankle on sat and did not see the orthopedist until monday . i went to the orthopedist on monday was told oh yea its broke the doctor said we can cast it or you can keep the split if your comfortable with it . he also said i can take off the split to wash . then he said i’ll see you back in 2 weeks . i went back after 2 weeks and he said it looks good its not seperating and looks like its healing , i’ll see you back in 4 weeks . i have a week and a half left and i am a little worried because it does still swell up when i’m up and about on my crutches. i know its fluid but does anyone know how to get the swelling down. it does look real good in the morning when i get up but thats it .
joe, My left swells a lot as well (I broke both the right and left). My dr. says thats totally normal and may swell for an entire year. Keep it elevated through out the day whenever possible. I even occassionally still ice too and that helps so it doesn’t get too tight in the cast. I’m at 6 1/2 weeks and still going. I took my boot off a little today just to test it out. I’m supposed to wear it another 1 -2 weeks. My hard cast (left ) will be a bit longer than that but at least I’ll be able to drive when the right boot is off. It’s really helped to hear from others and know I’m not a total baby about this whole thing.
Thanks to Amanda as well.
I’ve noticed that certain things that seemed harmless in two-legged life have a whole new implication in the one-legged (or in my case, half legged) world.
I want to curse the person who invented swinging doors to an eternity of crutching through them endlessly. First, you have to force the thing open hard enough to get through, but not so hard that you lose your balance and fall off the crutches altogether. Then, you have to jam the crutch against the door to hold it open while you swing yourself through. The best is when the foot of the crutch gets jammed between the bottom of the door and the floor and you almost fall over trying to wrench it out in order to take your next hop.
I have also found that drive-thrus – something I NEVER use in normal life because it is very polluting to sit with your car idling while waiting in line for food – have become my saviors. There is absolutely no way to carry a decaf soy latte from Starbucks while on crutches. I considered creating some sort of harness to strap my latte to my chest, but ditched that plan as I didn’t want to add third degree chest burns to my list of current issues. So now I know where all of the local drive-thru Starbucks are, and I frequent them on an almost daily basis. I figure that I deserve the treat, considering the fact that I’ve spent all summer (and my 30th birthday) hobbling around on a broken foot and ankle.
Even curbs were a huge obsticle – until I realized that you have to lift your leg onto the curb while the crutches stay in the street. I never had any crutch guidance, so I’ve had to figure this whole thing out myself from scratch. The thing that worries me is that I’m getting a little over-confident on the crutches now. That’s the danger time – when you could wind up falling down the stairs. (Again.) It’s like when you first learn to drive. You’re really cautious for the first few months – then you get careless and back into somebody at a gas station. (I still maintain that she pulled behind me while I was backing up.)
The thing I wonder – and can’t wait to test out – is whether I will forget these, and a million other humbling lessons, once I rejoin the two-legged world. For a brief time I considered becoming a disabled activist – or a medical products designer. (Why can’t they strap a water bottle holder on crutches? Or have transforming crutches that become a little table for you to elevate your leg?) But, like so many other lessons learned during brief, traumatic times, these are probably things that will fade with time, until I can no longer see what the big deal is about opening swinging doors. Won’t that be great?
Hi
I’ve just looked at this site again and thought I would do an update.
I broke my ankle on 24th Feb and it’s only been the last week or so that I’ve managed to walk without a pronounced limp. I went back to work part time a month ago and at first everything was awkward and my ankle was just painful and swollen every day, but gradually as every day has gone by things have started to improve. It’s a long hard process and I’ve learnt that nothing you do will speed things up it will just heal in it’s own good time! My physio was rubbish so I started swimming twice a week and that was a lot better than the physio and definitely seemed to help. I also went from 2 crutches to 1 and then didn’t use them at all, believe me you have to be determined to get back to normal, everyone around me wanted me to keep using them but the more you rely on them the longer it will take to return to normality! As I said I’ve only really started walking properly (without the dreaded limp!) in the last week or so and that’s only wearing flats my next ambition is to be wearing heels by Xmas! My consultant said that it can take up to a year for a break such as mine (ankle broken in 3 places and plate and screws inserted) to heal properly and that even then you might be left with a slight limp. But this is just to let you all know that things do get better, every day your ankle is healing and even though the process is excrutiatingly slow you will all get there. You might be a little bit fatter (as I have found out!!) from weeks of inactivity and boredom and you might be nervous of everything around you but you will get there. Good luck to you all, hang on in there, and I will let you know if I ever get back into my beloved heels!!
thanks for the words of encouragement. I go to the dr. tomorrow. I hope to have my soft cast off but I know the hard cast will stay on longer. I’m at almost 8 weeks and feeling like I’m just getting used to being lazy because I can’t do a 1/4 of what I want to. My kids are beginning to think it’s okay to have the house a complete disaster. I’m going crazy always being in the house. I can’t even go outside without help because of the stairs. I sure hope for good news tomorrow. Maybe I can even start driving. That would be nice with my son’s school starting in 1 1/2 weeks.
I hope your doctor’s appointment goes well, Tina. I saw mine on Monday and the news was the best it could be:) I am walking without the crutches – well limping would be more accurate – but at least I’m able to carry water myself!! My ankle is really sore and stiff – this isn’t going to be easy – but I’m seeing progress. I’m sure you will too!
Amanda I’m happy you are doing well. A limp is sure better that the crutches. It’s funny how carrying a glass of water could bring so much joy. I do hope we remember how lucky we are that this is not permanent. My Dr. appt. didn’t go so well. I already allowed myself too many depressed days. After 8 weeks in the casts the right ankle is doing good, but the left is worst. I either re-broke it when I fell trying to use crutches or my bones aren’t doing what they should. The bone on the left is actually separated and not fusing. So here’s where I need everyone’s advice. the dr. said I could either put some weight on it for a couple of weeks and hope the bone goes together on its own OR go to an orthopedic specialist now. I have to admit I do not have insurance and know surgery would be expensive. Has anyone heard of someone’s bone going together on it’s own? I did make an appointment with a specialist on Thursday to get his opinion. this is somthing that I don’t want to bother me the rest of my life. I’m only 38 now. Any advice would be appreciated!! i know there are some people that might be able to help me.
How is Joe doing?
Hi all!!
I am soooo excited to have found this site for a few reasons. 1. i am bored out of my mind at home, 2. i feel like i am a hyper chondriact, 3. i dont feel i have been given enough information.
This is my sob story.
I am originally from South Africa, but due to the increase in crime, my partner and i decided we should move to New Zealand. We got her on 11 june 2007, and by 2 July 2007 i had found a job and started working. Not 2 weeks later – the day the final Harry Potter was released, I fell down 2 concrete steps outside the house, and fractured my ankle.
The hard part is that we are living with my partners parents in titirangi which is a forest area. Everything is very steep and the house is split levels, every single room has at least a few stairs connecting it to the next room. I think there are approx 50 steps between the bottom (where i am) and the top (where the shower is).
My break ended up to be quite bad with 3 fractures including one on the tibia and one on the fibia – i have the plates , screws, and wires. The doctor has informed me that the wire will have to be removed in 3 months or so as it is on the actual ankle joint so i wont be mobile til its removed.
It has now been 5 long and stressful weeks. I mean imagine telling your new company where you have only been for 2 weeks, that you are off for 6 weeks minimum?? My partners parents feel that i just have a broken leg, and due to the fact that my work is in an office , that i should just go back to work. Nevermind the fact that to get to the car is a mission on its own…
My fibre glass cast is due to be removed on 31 August, and then i pray i go into the moon boot, and begin physio. I am quite overweight and am battling terribly with getting around on crutches and putting all my weight on my other ankle – which i must mention that i managed to sprain as well, when i fell.
Before i fell i had started a gym and diet routine, and was really getting into my cycling. How long do u think it will be before i can cycle again?
Thanks for listening.. and i wish you all a speedy recovery
hi all
i will give you my short story of my broken ankle
i broke my fibula on 14th July 2007 (just messing around kicking a soccer ball around in the garden)
went to the hospital the day after,as it was late in the evening!
sat night as well (usually full of drunks and fighting club goers)
so decided to sleep on it (thought i had sprained it)
any ways after getting the x rays done, it was broke.
i was put in a back slab (half plaster of Paris half bandage)
and was told to come back to the hospital on Monday,(16/7/07)
was then informed due to the swelling that i was to return to the hospital 1 week later (23/7/07)to have a fibreglass cast fitted, and was then told to start putting a little weight on it after 14 days (6/8/07)
now i never had any screws or plates fitted
and five weeks and 2 days later i have had the cast removed.(20/8/07)
i can walk a little with out my crutches, but it is still swollen up a bit
the other little downer is i am unable to get any foot wear on my foot including socks
but hey i am getting there
good luck to all, hope u all heal quick
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sorry to hear about your accident.
I’ve heard some complain about the smell or cast getting dirty. Here is a suggestion. If the cast gets dirty why not change it or put another roll of take over top to change the color. You can get cast tape at
http://www.suppliescentral.net
wow, seems like a pretty popular blog…
anyways, my name is Lee. I fractured my left ankle’s fibula and medial malleolus while I was in a Tae kwan do tournement in China. Got the surgery done in china (they put in 7 screws), haha, the refused to give me any pain medication after the surgery, stating that I was a man and should be able to take the pain… I’m back in Canada now, took off my cast a few weeks ago (probably 5 after the surgery), and I’m just chilling and slowly working the strength back into my leg. I find that every walk that I push myself on, I can walk a little firther the next time… I’m not sure if physio is even necessary, but considering the severity of my injury i guess i should go… my question is; anyone here get their metal taken out? I want to get the one screw out of the malleolus…
I broke my ankle 4 weeks ago and couldn’t have surgery until last week because of swelling and big ugly blisters.
It’s a bimalleor fracture and I have a plste with 8 scews and 3 long screws to hold tibia.
On my postsurgical appt, the OS put an aircast walker thing, and he started me on physical therapy right away.
I’m little bit insecure about that as I thoughgt it’s a bit early? did anyone had a similar experience? my ankle is still very bruised? is that normal
btw, thank you for this site, very helpful and good luck to everyone in their recovery!
Elaine-I too suffered with the stairs thing. I cried many a day doing that. Getting up was really bad.
Believe it or not I learned to walk up stairs when I was watching Little People Big World on TLC. The father scooted up stairs with his crutches with ease. You put one crutch on the step above in the corner. The other supports you on the step you are on and you step up with the good foot. The crutch that goes above would be on the same side with the good foot.
Dear all,
Can anyone tell me if with a broken Tib and Fibula, after 4 months, am still experiencing pain and swelling. Is this normal ? There are two plates and some 20 screws inside the ankle.
My ankle was extremely swollen for the first couple of months, even aftet 3 months when I was cleared to start excersises. But, the pain wasn’t as intense after about 2 months. 4 months seems like a long time for pain. I would defintly follow up w/ the doc.
***********
I broke my the fibula bone of ankle about a year and 1/2 ago while training in brazilian jiu-jitsu, a sort of submission wrestling. I waited over the weekend before getting surgury to “install” a plate and several screws. They put a removable boot and asked me to elevate as much as possible and not to weight bear for “THREE MONTHS”. but The SWELLING was THE WORST pain I have ever felt, like a knife was puncturing out of my ankle. The pain killers were neccessary but made me nauseas.
The GOOD news, after those 3 months (and no earlier) they romved 1 screw but kept the plate in there. I was back on my feet but was limping for a good month/ but it just felt good to be independent again. The doctor didn’t advise me to go to therapy but showd me a few excersises to do.
My advice, STRETCH your achilles every day, and do stength excersises on a regular basis. It won’t get better by resting it. Take therapy serious. As soon as you can, RUN. Since I’ve started running my ankle has improved ten fold. I’m close to back to normal but I don’t like the fact that I have a plate lodged in my leg.
Do any of you have any advice on whether or not I should keep the plate in there? It just seems like it weighs me down and my leg doesn’t quite feel the same. Overall I feel great and now active again. But, i wonder if the plate is preventing my ankle from fully healing. Any Thoughts?
Good luck everyone! It will be hard work but I feel we all can reach 100% again!
Ruben
Hi All
Just my final update as promised! Short recap… I broke my ankle in 3 places on 24th Feb this year and had 2 metal plates and several screws put in, after a long hard struggle I am finally well on the way to being fully mended!! In answer to one of the questions above my ankle stayed swollen for several months and even in August it was still swelling up if I had done a lot of walking and was still quite painful so I think depending on the severity of your break it is quite normal to still have swelling and pain even 6 or 7 months later. I now am walking without any limp and have finally managed to be back in my faithful heels!! Yes! I gave myself til Xmas and I’ve managed it early! I still won’t ever be able to run and I haven’t tried any kind of dancing yet! but I am walking normally and am able to keep up with the people I’m out with now instead of trailing miles behind! So all in all it’s been a tough year, the pain at times has been excrutiating, the boredom and frustration of not being able to do even the simplest of things was a nightmare and there is still weight needing to be lost!! but in the end I survived as you all will and hopefully like me you will all realise what fantastic friends and family you have!! So good luck and best wishes to you all and I hope that you all get back to normal soon. I also hope that by reading this blog it will make you feel a bit better (like it did me!) to realise that other people have been through it all already and come out the other side relatively sane!!
Good luck to you all.
Angela
Hey there! I am new to all of this. Not new to broken bones, but talking to other people in general about it. I have broken my left ankle numerous times and weathered the storm. This time, trying to do yard work in a dangerous part of the yard that the landlord is supposed to do and never does, I fractured the fibula on my right leg. A neighbor, who is a nurse, saw me trying to drag myself back up the hill and came to the rescue. The ER doctor showed me my x-ray and I have done some research…it most closely resembles an oblique fracture. Meaning it is at a diagonal slant. And it went through the entire bone. The swelling was so bad that I couldn’t have a cast for 5 weeks. Then I finally got one and I had to shove socks down inside of it to keep it from rattling around on my leg. The doctor cut it off after two weeks and told me I was fine and to be doing at least 30 toe-ups per day on the edge of my stairs. I couldn’t even do 3 and knew I had hurt something trying it right away. He told me I was perfectly fine and that there is no way for it to still hurt, but ordered more x-rays to prove his case. After waiting for two weeks for the results of the x-rays, he called me to tell me that my fracture has not healed. NOW he tells me that I should have only extremely limited weight bearing and never less than at least one crutch. I am only 44 and otherwise healthy. This happened 3 months ago and now he is telling me that my pain is due to a bunion that I never even knew I had or complained about in my life. And he wants me to go to physical therapy and have them report back to him in 2 weeks. Is it me? Is this standard procedure? I wish I had been referred to someone else a long time ago. I’m a single mother….I can’t work….I can’t drive (right leg fractures suck) I can’t keep my house up….I can’t do anything but see if I am the only one who has had this difficult a time.
Oh, P.S.
The doctor and the hospital won’t let me see my recent x-rays.
Hi.
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IRELANDhi.im kevin 25 irish.i broke me leg in thailand off a motorbike.silly accident.there was a nasty puncture wound on my shin and a bad one on the inside of my foot too where the bike bounced off my foot between the tarmac…loads of blood and skin..i had to wait a while in thailand for the swelling to go down, about 7 days in hospital there to prepare for the long flight back home.hospitals in thailand are very good by the way..!The ankle was broken..fibula pushed out by the impact of the bike.i got home anyway and straight into hospital.. the leg was like a balloon..i had to wait there until the swelling and broosing went down and then i got surgery and a good dose of morphine and all that jazz..
ht eoperatin was good.. a bit sore the next day but the wound on my shin wasnt healing very wekll..when i crashed i could see the shin bone through the gash. its around 3 months since and the cut is smaller but still not healing well.a scab grows and trhen starts oozing and then back to square one again.it falls off and its a mess..
any ideas about if i should get it seen to or just clean it and cover it /.???please reply it would be much appreciated..
up the irish!!!
I have had ankle arthoscopy. I ad a “cyst” It is 6 weeks of non weight bearing and then 50% , Now I am off the walker, but it is painful to walk. Anysugesstions?
HEY MY INJURED PEEPS! i’m writing from Down Under Australia, I’m so happy i found this site … its so awesome to know that there are people around the world that have gone through what i’m going through … i fell of a bmx bike and totally dislocated my left ankle and fibia .. so was in hospital for like 8 days … had an operation where the docs put 2 screws and a plate .. have to like go in 2 weeks to get stitches out and 6 weeks off my feet … I AM SCARED of the crutches and maybe thinking of doing the walker …. but hello – i love to shop … clothes shopping … do you think a wheel chair is in need??? love to hear from uz … much love and peace!
I love your services and products, many thanks!
Hi fellow sufferers. Broke 1 ankle and sprained the other 2 weeks ago. This site is great with practical advice. I am wondering how people cope with the depression of it all, i.e. being independent one moment, then having to rely on people to walk your dog, cook your meals, even bathe you. I know it’s fairly new, but I’m having a tough time coping mentally.
Hi,
So, I broke my fibula, tibia and disclocated my left ankle in January 06 playing football. I needed an operation on my ankle to put it back in place, and had a screw put in my leg.
I perhaps came back too early playing football, june, july, but everything seemed fine. I didn’t have physio except for being told a few exercises to do.
So I thought everything was fine. Then was running on a beach one day in Jan 07 in Argentina, and felt something happen in buttock, lower back region. At least, since then, I have had this problem.
The problem is that when trying to do extreme movements like sprinting and swinging leg for football, i get a kind of neural pain in my left lower back/just above buttock
I saw a masseur, was no use.
I saw a physio who treated it, was no use.
Back in the UK I went to see a top doctor who couldn’t diagnose the problem. He had me do the usual exercises which incite this sort of pain and I didn’t feel it. It is only when I try to do serious impact movements.
So, my doctor eventually suggested injections under xray at 3 points in my lower back where he thought a nerve could be being touched. It was no use.
I had more massage/physio. No use.
I then had a very good sports physio who has absolutey get me in tip-top shape in terms of my legs muscles, core stomach muscles, lower back, stability.
But, as I tried last week to increase my jogging to running and kicking a football, I get the same pain in my left lower back/buttock, and awkwardness in my front upper left leg.
I have realised how much this is all connected to the broken leg and weak ankle, but I am now lost as to what to do.
I would like to not accept this as how I shall be for the rest of my life, but I am starting to wonder. I was thinking that an Osteopath could be good by getting my hips, lower back, buttock region back into alignment? (And hey I have tried the other obvious solutions!)
Has anyone been through a similar situation or have any advice?
Wow! This is really a great site. Glad I found it. I fell down my stair on April 21 and I am partial weightbearing now, in July. I have been staying with my daughter who has a ground-level house but now I need to go home. I think I can handle my stairs now (kind of) but I’m trying to figure out how to get into the shower (step into the bathtub). Any advise?
Sandy
What a great site! I was so reassuring to read that other pregnant women have been in this position – I am 37 weeks along right now. I fell off a step this past Monday morning and broke my right ankle. I had surgery that afternoon – 1 plate and 5 screws later I am recovering at my in-laws. I am surprised by the pain – Tylenol is the only option as I am prego, by the frustration of not being able to do things and by the swelling and boredom. I go back and forth each day of wanting the baby to come early (less weight to carry around on the walker) or late (more healed ankle)…I am nervous about having a newborn that I cannot carry around – thank goodness I have the best husband in the world! Good luck everyone and let’s think of fast healing!
Hello, everybody. I stepped off the porch step the wrong way and broke my ankle on the 4th of July. Went to the ER and it took more w-rays to determine that my left outer ankle bone had a crack on it. They splinted it and I saw the orthopedic DR within 4 days. I am using an aircast. THank God I did not have to have surgery. I did fall on my bad foot when on vacation in a hotel room when coming out of the bathroom. I think the door was too lose to the commode. I really hope this has not caused anymore damamge. I go back to the DR Tuesday and pray to God that she will tell me that I can walk on it. I love to dance and I love to scuba dive! I have to have my feet! 🙂
Everybody’s stories have made me feel so much better. Unfortunately, I am stuck in the house a lot all by my lonesome, have no insurance, and am a RN. I am use to taking care of others. However, I have little to absolutely no help and I sit and cry a lot now. I try to drink ensure for the nutrients (of course being careful not to drink too many), but their are also times, I have just quit eating and drinking. I’m scared of falling while trying to hold food or drinks. 😦
I wish I had some support. I know what u mean about swinging doors and getting caught in them and trying to avoid falling. I have had soooooo many people stand and watch me struggle as if they are just completely ignorant.
I think it’s only a hairline fracture, maybe a little bigger but not much. I know nothing about bones,so does anyone know what the shortest time after breaking an ankle, that small of a break, that I can be walking? Maybe Tuesday? I have been doing range of motion.
Dear Suz,
My heart goes out to you. It’s terrible to feel so fragile and alone when you’re hurt. I just read your post, and I’m hoping that you’re much better now, but just in case you still have limited mobility, you must rent yourself a wheelchair. Mine was only $60 per month. I’m in a similar situation now with both feet in aircasts, and around the house, I use my wheelchair. I can carry a lot of food, my phone, even my shower stool around on my lap. You must eat enough to keep your spirits up and help you heal.
I’d love to hear from anybody else who is spending time in aircasts. How do they cope with the itching and trying to sleep in these bulky things?!
These posts are wonderful. I wish they were around 10 years ago when I broke my fibula and had 4 pins inserted. Now I’ve got posterior tibial tendonitis and plantar fascitis and my new podiatrist wants me to wear these things 24/7 for six weeks. I’m starting week two.
Lots of luck and great healing to everybody!
Hello! I missed the last two stairs and suffered a trimalleolar right ankle fracture on 6 August 2008. I was 37 weeks pregnant at the time. I had surgery on 14 August (38 weeks pregnant). I am now one week post surgery and 39 weeks pregnant. I am feeling much better now. I unfortunaltey had to be awake for the whole three hour surgery because of the pregnancy. I am scheduled for a C-Section on 8/29. I was told initially that I could expect 4 weeks of No Weight Bearing. So that would mean I would only have two more weeks of NWB after the baby is born. I’m just wondering if anyone has any experience with this type of fracture and what type of recovery they had. Also, any suggestions to speed up the healing process would be great. I have a follow up appointment on Monday (8/25) to get my stitches out so I’m sure I’ll get more info from the doc then. I’m just interested in hearing about other people’s experiences with this type of fracture. Thanks!
Yup, I’ve just done the same thing! My poor cat was left alone (with daily visits from a friend to feed her) for just under 2 weeks and now I’m sat in my first floor flat wondering what on earth I’m meant to do with the next 4 weeks of no weight bearing (aside from work in a weeks time in my shiny wheelchair).
No idea what kind of break/fracture it was as I was usually very tired and nearly asleep when they told me these things but I do know that they gave me an epidural, sliced my ankle open and stuck 9 pins in there!
Anyhoo, the reason I stumbled across this blog is because I think my cast may be a little too loose, how tight were other people’s? I can fit my fingers in the top and bottom of the cast and I can move my foot around a bit inside. I only got discharged yesterday so if it was loose wouldn’t the doc have noticed before he let me go?
Did anyone else have their leg hung by their toe when they were resetting the ankle? the bottoms of my toes and pretty much entire foot is really sensitive and tingly. i am about 2 1/2 weeks out of surgery.
Hey can anyone tell me if they had a srew rite thru the tibia and fibia rite at the joint and if affected the the movement of the joint until it was removed .
Thanks Dave
Hi
My son fractured his tibia and fibia in a skiing accident. He is 15 yrs.old. It was re-aligned in the ER and splinted. He then saw an OS who placed him in a brace since the break was high enough(just below the knee). No surgery is needed. He is taking percocet and the Motrin. I hear that ibeuprophin reduces healing of bones? If that’s the case, does anyone know what else to take besides Motrin?
My son is into his 4 day since the accident and still has swelling in the knee and a bit at ankle. Is that normal? I’m new at this so any input is welcome. Thanks!!!!!
I’m also very glad to have found this website. Today’s been kind of rough.
I broke my ankle Dec 10, ’08. I slipped on the ice outside my house. My ankle is broken in 3 placed and dislocated. I had surgery 5 days later – a plate and 10 screws. One screw goes right through the ankle and is holding the tendon in place until it heals. I’m on vicodin for the pain and so far it hasn’t been too bad. Except I hate hate hate having to be stuck in the house – going out is a huge effort. And, it’s winter in the MidWest, so the weather has been bad.
I’m so glad to hear that the frustration, pain, sleep issues, depression are all common with this kind of injury.
Luckily, I’ve been able to work from home, so even tho’ I’m not putting in full days, it gives me some focus and something to do.
My mode of transportation of choice is the wheelchair. I have a one level house (with a basement) and I can get nearly everywhere via wheelchair. My teen aged son is now the sole launderer in the family as the laundry is downstairs and I’m not about to go down there just to do laundry. I am trying to get used to crutches and walker – haven’t decided which is better for me yet.
Oh, my prognosis: 6 – 10 weeks non weight bearing then who knows? So far my orthopedic surgeon has not been a wealth of information. Or I was too drugged when he was talking to take it all in.
Glad to have “met” all of you! I’m so glad to no longer feel so alone.
Update: I am now 6 months post-op. It turns out that I actually had 12 screws and a plate in my right ankle. I was non-weight bearing for 8 weeks, then slowly adjusted to weight bearing for 4 weeks before starting physical therapy for 8 weeks. I am finally amazed at the healing process. The surgeon said that it would be a year before I ran again…he’s right. I sometimes still limp, but usually after being in the same position for awhile. I am planning on having 4 of the screws removed this summer as they constantly rub on my shoes…apparently that is an easy procedure, only non-weight bearing for 4 weeks and no-p.t. I look forward to a day of no pain and running…I have a few comments for a few individuals: Mary – good luck! You will get through it…the baby will appreciate you being able to just sit and hold her (I couldn’t carry my baby for 4 weeks). Dave – your motion will not be compromised.
OMG! It’s soooo nice to see these posts. It’s nice to know that there are others who can have true empathy when it comes to breaking an ankle. I broke mine on Dec. 17th and had surgery on the 23rd. I don’t even remember Christmas because I was so drugged up (thankfully, that pain was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced.)
I was really struggling at first since my family is 3 hrs away and it was the week of xmas and most of my friends were either out of town or with family, but I made it through. I had friends coming out of the walls to come help me and I can’t thank them enough. Without them I wouldn’t be feeling as good as I am now (which is still pretty weak and still elevating my foot).
All I can say is GET A WHEELCHAIR. It made my independence much more do-able. One of my friends made a quick call to another friend who happened to have one in the trunk of his car (totally retro and may need a tetanus shot to use it but it’s awesome). I can carry stuff around the house, feed the dogs, “run” to answer the phone, etc. I started on a walker but I couldn’t go as fast as I wanted. I forced myself to learn how to deal with crutches and I’m glad I did. I went to 2 PT sessions for them to teach me how to get up and down stairs and it was totally worth it. I can now get out of the house somewhat on my own (still need someone there to close the door, carry things, etc) but it feels like a great accomplishment.
Anyhow, I am happy that I have read this to normalize my feelings towards this whole situation. I am a social worker so taking care of others is what I’m used to. It’s very hard to accept help but I think it was something that I really had to experience. I appreciate so much more right now.
Finally (sorry so long but I’m cooped up inside, what can I say), Dennis, I noticed today that I am having numbness and tingling in my foot as well. I am going to give it a couple of days to see if it subsides otherwise I’ll call the dr.
This is a (very late) update on my broken ankle. I broke my right ankle in October 2006, so you can tell how late I am with this “update”.
I was very lucky. Even with seven screws and some sort of plate, etc., my ankle has healed very well. It does feel stiff some mornings when I first get up, but after a few steps down the hall, it feels fine.
As I read what some of you have written here, it brings back vivid memories of what I went through. There’s nothing much I can say to help any of you. All I know is that what helped me through some of the most depressing times was doing just what you all are doing. I mean, “talking” to each other about what’s going on and giving each other advice. It helps to know that you aren’t alone and that others are facing some of the same problems as you are.
For not having anything much to say to you, I’m taking up a lot of space here!
I guess I just mostly wanted to see if this website was still going. I’m very glad it’s still here for all of you. It helped me a lot when I was laid up. I know it’s helping you, too.
I have lots of stories I could tell you about my broken ankle experience. These things weren’t so funny at the time, but looking back on them, I see they were hilarious. I’d tell some of them, but you probably wouldn’t be that interested right now. Besides, you’re going to have stories of your own some day!
Even though my ankle is healed now, I hope you all don’t mind if I “look in” on you every now and then to see how you’re doing.
Broke my left ankle (weight bearing bone) August 3rd (Monday) 2009…Surgery August 10th (only one screw but long) it’s the 19th of August 2009 and I’m beginning to get down…bathroom too small for a wheelchair…use crutches…use walker to get in car…totally uncomfortable….cannot handle this! I thought maybe there is a special pillow or harness to hold leg up….a/c is giving me a cough I’ve never sat in house all day.
Computer, TV, food, candy nothing is working I’ve asked friends to help wash hair, wash clothes, hubby helped for a few days now that’s over…if I didn’t have to get up and go the bathroom I would stay in bed…I’m sinking…praying makes me cry..
Lynneart,
I know this is tough, and I’ve been going through the same things as you. I broke my ankle (right tib-fib) on July 11, 2009 and had surgery on July 27, 2009. Now I have a plate, 5 screws, and a wire in my ankle. I’m PWB as of August 27, and it does get easier. I didn’t really completely believe that it would, but it does. I’m experiencing a lot less pain, and can sit up in my bed and on the couch with my leg straight out in front of me without it hurting! And even walking, PWB, doesn’t hurt, so there is hope. I’ve been using crutches, and although I’ve had a few close calls on them, I’ve continued healing well.
What’s helped me is the broken ankle blogs, and broken ankle groups. If you’re on Facebook, you can join the broken ankle/broken leg group, and I’ve learned a lot of useful information there, as well as made a few friends from the group. If you have a laptop, you can lie down in bed and surf the web, play free games online, watch a favorite movie, or even write in a journal or start up your own free blog, and if you don’t want to share it, you don’t have to. WordPress and Blogger are a couple of free blogging sites where you could start your own blog. You have to force yourself to do things that you liked doing. In the meanwhile, keep your ankle up in the air and ice it. the cold helps with the pain. Also, take your pain meds as you need them and stay on them until you stop having the pain. That’s what helped me.
I hope this helps and that you recover quickly. Hang in there, it will get better, slowly, but it will.
Hi there!
My name is Wendi and I just fell down the stairs last Saturday and dilocated my ankle, broke my fibula and tore all of the ligaments. I am trying to remain positive, but have had a few days of crying! I don’t like that feeling either. We were supposed to be in the Ozarks this weekend, but couldn’t go, my kids have a couple of Field Trips I wanted to go on…..so I am feeling sad about these. I have awesome friends who have set up a meal schedule, my kids and husband have all been great. Just wondering if the sad feeling goes away, or just the feeling of missing out on things? I still don’t have my permanent cast yet, and this other thing feels like it weighs about 50 pounds!! So good to know that my feelings are normal!!!
I know I have written in before cannot find my last blog Had a trimalleor fracture May 28th.I know how you all feel being dependent on others and basically going nuts. I am now walking but experience very much pain .From the time I get up until I go to bed. Lots of swelling too. no surgery . Ortho said everthing was lined up perfectly to heal .Almost wish I had the hardware. Have a lot of bone chips left in there. said if it was bothering me she would take it out after ankle healed.I I was in a cast or a boot for 10weeks went to PT STILL AWFUL PAIN is this normal???? Does somone know. Waited for the ortho to take a meesage for 25 minutes still have not talked to a nurse.I teach school and cannot be sitting all day. Nature of the job. Painkillers help but are not the solution. Any words of wisdom from a veteran
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SO, I’m not the only one then!!! Dislocated and broken ankle 8 weeks ago. Ruptured my back at the same time! I am so over it!! I’m supposed to be non weight bearing in this hideous contraption of a moon boot, who designed this thing? I bet they have never had to wear one. And while I am at it who on earth designed crutches, they cripple your hands and make them more painful than your foot! I’m guessing they were not people tested for a week.
OH how good it is to have a moan, I feel better already.
It’s Christmas this week and I feel like I’m missing out not have been to a shopping centre and had the pleasure of all the rush and fuss.
Friends and family are great, I would love to have a real bad day sometimes though and be a grouch, or just stay in bed. Perhaps I will now that it is officially holiday time, I’m sure that applies to me too, yes I think I will be totally lazy and give into wanting to do nothing for a whole day! now I’m really feeling better.
Another two weeks and then an op to take the screws out and physo.
Has any one been through the ‘getting back to normal’ process, what works best and what can I do now to help?
Happy Christmas to the readers.
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HI All,
I also missed out on the Christmas hussle and bussle. My 3 teenage daughters had to do all the xmas shopping plus the xmas lunch and tea that night! They did a great job but the novelty has now worn off and I am picking endlessly about them picking things up and putting stuff away! It is soo frustrating! I can see dust everywhere! My kids or husband also has to haul me up the last step so I can struggle around on crutches. I am wearing a moon boot but I have found it is very smelly as the weather has been in the 30C region over the past week. Any clues as to how to make it smell better? Also, my foot has become almost numb from wearing the moon boot. Has anyone else had this trouble?
решил помочь и разослал пост в соц. закладки. надеюсь поднимется популярность
Hello all. I am 52, female, and broke my left ankle gosh, almost 2 weeks ago, and I too felt like it was just another day, went outside to take out my dog, was standing in the neighbors side yard, and their dog and mine began to run back my way, saw the other dog’s tie out rope coming at me, tried to get out of the way, and wham! It wasn’t a simple break, either, it was multiple, and I had surgery Friday to put it back together. Uggh. No insurance, only employed part time, and worried about it all. I also had to have my dog boarded, and miss her with all my being. I hope my part time job is held for me and I get back soon, but am worried, I admit. It is good to know you are not alone in your feelings.
Keep updating your site, it is very helpful.
Broke my ankle in March and had awful swelling; the cast tech told me to bend my toes down as hard as I could for as long as I could hold it and then to pull them up as far as I could for as long as I could. I could feel the swelling working out. Hope this helps someone else.
my daughter broke her ankle (complete fracture of medial malleolus) and a bone a chip into the muscle. it has been 11 days and we are on cast #2. in 3 days she has more x-rays and then goes into cast #3 for 8wks……completely non weight bearing.from there it is partial weight bearing and cast #4. blah…..she cannot go to school because occassionally she still needs pain meds which she HATES to take…..but one does what they have to do. her friends have been awful…texting why aren’t you back at school…..you are just fine….you are faking the pain etc etc etc. Can anyone help a sobbing mom? Kim in New Hapshire
Hi all is this site still going?
I recently broke my anokle both tib & fib. I have been so bored & very down some days. Glad I found this site some days are a real struggle, I have a wonderful husband helping & parents as I have 2 girls 6 & 9.
I am getting my cast off this friday after 6 weeks will I be able to walk or will I need crutches & a boot ?
I had a friend who pretty much went through the same thing. But there was no permanent disability, fortunately. He said he just did a lot of research in order to find ways to get better. I get to run with him regularly nowadays.
Found this site while looking for tips for recovery after trimalleolar fracture surgery on my right ankle on Aug 25th, which I am scheduled for this Wed. I’ve been getting around a little with crutches, but mainly sliding backwards in an office chair. Removed shower doors and hung up a shower curtain. Put a step stool in the bath and transfer myself in an out using the chair with my right leg covered with a plastic garbage bag and a hand towel taped around the top so now water gets in, House came with safety bars which I never took out. I find I can do most anything but only for about an hour, then back up in bed with elevated leg and ice. Thank goodness I have a great support system of neighbors and friends. Ankle is uncomfortable, but ER doc did a good reduction and splint/cast. Sad my two dogs still have to be boarded for another week or so, though cat is good company. Plan to be a model patient.
Reading all the posting really helped me get a realistic idea of what I am up against in terms of recovery – thank you all and I hope you are all in a better place with your recovery! Oh yeah, 5 years ago I broke my left ankle, but no surgery. My goal is to be walking well by my 60th brithday on Dec 12th.
Diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 2 weeks before break. Appreciated the charchoal tip. Anyone else going through this who is also diabetic? Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Also, has anyone had their car modified for driving with their hands only? I know there are kits out there. Hmmm looks like I’ll be doing some more research tonight.
I was jumping my horse in the field and we were flying over jumps having a great time and I thought ‘just one more then we’ll finish’. Sure enough my horse cleared the last jump beautifully but somehow a second later there was no horse under me and I landed ankle first. Ouchies. She ran off back to her stable and left me there in agony 😉
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frequently!
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Shattered my ankle last week…..slipped on ice taking my kids to the library. Surgery, metal plate, screws (have yet to find out the exact number). Told I’d be NWB for 6weeks. Difficult enough without adding that I’m 31 weeks pregnant and a SAHM of two kids aged 4 & 2. I’ve taken to sleeping in the den in a recliner as it’s the best for keeping my leg elevated and bun in the oven comfy. Heartbreaking to hear my 2 year old daughter cry for me at bedtime and know that I can’t get to her…….the bum shuffle up the stairs is just too taxing at this early stage post-surgery. Any other moms of little ones been in this position?