i broke my ankle on the 9th of this month... had surgery on the 16th. i’ve been home for about a week now but my toes are still so numb and tingly. i had plates and screws put into my ankle. i fell down a ledge whilst holding my 7 month old, i protected her and in doing so, hurt myself. i’m just finding it very difficult to stay happy, i get lonely and upset with myself. i can’t even do much for my daughter now that i can’t walk. also wanting to know how it feels to get stitches taken out & a boot put on? i’m terrified. also having trouble with crutches. i use a walking frame at the moment but i have 2 steps in my room and haven’t been out of here in fear of attempting to get up the stairs and potentially hurting myself in the process. i also have a wheelchair i picked up today.
any advice would be appreciated, thanks x
It is very hard to care for a baby while caring for yourself but just try to remember that this too shall pass. My daughter shattered her ankle on 1/22/18, and at around the 7 week mark, she got markedly more comfortable. Could rest her ankle down and balance, and then at 8 weeks, cast off, boot on and walking around. It feels great to see her off crutches, and you too will get there! Even though the break was bad (trimalleolar dislocation with bone compression), she did not have much pain all along, and the transition from cast to boot was fine. She too was nervous about getting stitches out and afterwards said that was super easy.
Dear Tahlia
, I had the same kind of surgery 6 days ago andI know exactly how you feel. I am older than you but up to the time of my accident 2 weeks ago I had been very active and fit. I, too, feel down and insecure but we have to be posutive and with time things will improve for us. I also use a walking frame as I am nervous and insecure with crutches. Have you tried to go down your steps on your bum? It works as long as you can then stand up without putting weight on your bad leg. I hope you have some help at home to look after your daughter. All the best, keep me posted. Anna
thanks for the reply anna! i have my partner that helps me a lot but he also works every day so when he’s gone, i have the baby. her grandparents take her out for the day just so she has something to do and isn’t stuck in bed with me all day. i hope this passes and i heal quick, i hate not being able to do anything. i hope you heal quick too. i wouldn’t wish this on anybody it absolutely sucks!! keep me posted too please x
thanks for the reply megan. i’m so sorry it happened to your daughter, so happy she’s doing well now. this really sucks i just want to be able to do stuff again. i’m still pretty sore and my feet have constant tingling and pins and needles which is very frustrating. one day at a time though, i keep telling myself. it’ll pass x
I think we both need to get prepared for a long slog but we have no choice! How do you cope when you are alone during the day?
Hi, having exactly the same fracture e
and operationt etc like your daughter, I find your comment about her recovery so far very reassuring. At present I feel just too dependent and like a prisoner! From being very active with distance walking as a hobby to...this. So thanks for your encouraging words.
Anna
Hi! I’m 8 weeks a long in my break, walking unaided. I had both staples and stitches, and I was terrified to get them out. It hurts, as to be expected, but really not that bad. It’s over within minutes. The transition to the boot was easy, much better than the cast since you can take it off. I did have problems with it hurting my heel. Honestly, I hated the boot. But once you start walking with it, you’ll love it because it’s giving you freedom. As for the stairs, I never tackled them until I was walking in the boot but I would suggest kind of sliding/shimmying down on your butt with your leg elevated and then same for going back up. That’ll at least get you out of your room. The worst part of the injury is not being able to do anything, but once it’s over, it’s almost like it never even happened!
Hi I had my surgery a few days before you and my toes are still numb and tingling to and it kind of feels squishy when you squish put your foot down I think that you should stay busy maybe write letters text somebody read just keep your mind busy so you don't get so depressed cuz there are things that you can do you just can't do everything that you want to do and as far as your baby I'm sure that you can still feed your baby if your husband says the food you can sit there and feed your baby and I think you should think about getting a get along get along is a scooter like thing you put your knee up on it and you can push and so you can get around it takes a lot of energy and stuff but it is a way of getting around besides crutches because crutches are really hard but don't worry it's going to get better this too shall pass
i have my daughter for half the day but then she gets unsettled (bored) so her grandmother will take her out for a couple of hours just so she has something to do. in my room, the bathroom is in here too so that’s a plus. my partner will make me food and bring it in here and i’ve got aircon and everything. so i just lay in bed watching movies or on my phone, and when my daughters here i try my best to play with her and nap with her and stuff like that
Oh and when I got my stitches out and got put in the boot it didn't hurt at all in the boot is way more comfortable than that dang splint that they put on
Just to say that from day 1 of my accident I have been travelling up and down the stairs on my bum. On the way up I push myself with my arns up each step. Sometimes I need help to get up from sitting on the floor to standing position. It is a daily learning curve !
Same thing happened to me at my sons pediatrician office. Missed the step. Your going to be pretty immobile for a bit. Keep it propped up as much as possible and if you go out make sure someone is near you. I rotated from chair to crutches, depending on what I was trying to do. I would suggest getting anything you need from upstairs and putting it near where you are because stairs aren’t your friends right now. No pressure on it till after you’ve moved to the boot and the doctor says you can. You do have to still move around some so you won’t get so weak that you can’t pick your body up. Just around the house.
How long ago was your surgery? She is at 9 weeks exactl, and she definitely is very stiff and lacks almost any range of motion which is very worrying to my husband. My daughter was an avid athlete who hoped to play in college. BUT she is walking, and she is *very* slowly getting more range with each week, so I think it will just be much more slow that I expected when it first happened. And as of her 8 week appointment, her bone was 100% healed, which I think is jsut amazing. So again, slow but steady!
I I don't know if you've experienced it but what I'm experiencing is it'll feel like a bee is in my boot won't hurt real bad but you can just feel something like fluttering in there or something and I write on here that that's part of it you know after getting nervous cut or whatever and I was just wondering if you are feeling that too but keep your head up
I don't get this sensation but get other weird sensations. I guess it must be to do with nerves in the foot.
My surgery was only 6 days ago so it is all very early days!
Dear Tahlia,
I must respond to you to offer you hope, encouragement and let you know there IS a LIGHT at the end of this tunnel! It sucks now! It really really does!! The only good thing thing about my break, surgery and recovery is that my kids are old enough to be independent! They could make me a tea and sandwich and fend for themselves thank goodness. I thought A LOT as I lay there how much harder it would be if they were still small. So, you are a rockstar getting through this with a baby. Thank goodness you have a supportive husband and parents. Use the help!!! Do not be shy to ask for more. People want to help. When you are through this, you will be an amazing help for your friends and family when they need. For now, accept that only time will make you better. Load up on books, magazines, binge watch some good Netflix, and wait. And wait..
I had staples and it did not hurt at all getting them out. I did not like my boot, it rubbed my incision, but it allowed me to walk again after 6 weeks and that was amazing. My surgeon said it was only for protection so I was allowed to remove it at night and when resting. I got good on stairs using one crutch and the handrail "plant crutch, hop on good foot, plant, hop...). I also rented a knee scooter and loved zipping around on it. It also frees up your hands so you can cook again and make your own tea! I sat on a stool in the shower. At 8 weeks I got to ditch my boot, and the recovery was great. I was going down the stairs at work and realized my ankle felt almost normal. Ask your doctor when you can start physio. You start by just wiggling toes and "writing" the alphabet with your foot to stretch. Lots of stretching! I still feel tightness and I have certain boots that rub on it that I cannot wear yet, but in general I am amazed at how the bone healed and my mobility is back.
So, in summary, it is absolutely no fun now and seems endless, but you just have to hang in there and know that you will be all better in time. And your baby will not even remember 6-10 weeks of Mommy lying around!
Good luck!!
Taking the stitches out doesn’t even hurt at all. The first and Lady One may feel like mosquito bites but the rest you don’t feel. When you get the boot on you’ll be happy. There will be one moment when they are putting the boot on that you’ll bend your foot for the first time and bear down to get your heel all the way into the boot. That will hurt and you’ll scream some exploitives for the three minutes it takes to do it, then you are good.
I moved my hoard, lol 😂 and myself from room to room. Sometimes I’d be in the bedroom and then family would help me move all my stuff I needed in the living room and so on. It helps, so you won’t see the same stuff all day everyday. Get the knee 🛴 too. It helps in getting places in the house and out and about. $50-$150 new and used. I got mine on eBay $89. Walmart online has them $129 and you may be able to do store pick up. I was scooting around the house with mine way back when I was in the cast. I hadn’t even got to the boot. Even went out and about too.