Hi All. I broke my ankle in 3 places last week and the reality of what lies ahead is setting in. I was wondering if any of you could give me any advice or tips that you have picked up after suffering a similar injury. I am especially struggling to get around at the moment as I have not got the hang of using crutches.
Sorry to hear. Knee Scooter. R.I.C.E.
Follow surgeons instructions. Take prescribed pain meds only. Eat healthy.
Did you have surgery?
Boot or cast?
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Hi. I'm in a cast and yes I had surgery. Still in a bit of pain and discomfort. Thanks for the reply.
sorry to hear of your injury, try and give it plenty of rest and dont do to much to soon. if you keep your leg elivated as much as you possibly can it will ease the pain and discomfort. if you get the cast removed then go to using a air cast boot its much easier to get around.
also if you can put some kind of sponge on the handles of your walking sticks, worked with me. Best of luck hope you recover soon..
Thanks for the advice. Its a total nightmare and I think I underestimated just how hard it was going to be.
it will get easier i promise you, ive been using crutches for nearly 3 years after having 6 ops on my ankle in 3 years, when you get your air cast boot you can ditch the crutches and let your hands heal lol..good luck luke.
I will bear that in mind. It seems from reading some of the posts on here that recovery takes a long time. Thankyou again for the support.
i may take quite a while to heal but the less stress you put on it in the coming weeks/months the better it will be for you in the future, and there is no reason why you cannot return to doing what you used to do before your accident. keep us informed of your progress.
I will keep you all informed about how my recovery goes. I'm hoping to be able to get back to work as soon as I can, but I will have to see how thats goes.
I broke my Fibula 10 months ago. Unlike you, they didn't give me surgery for a other 5 months. After surgery, pain and discomfort for sure. Stay off it til told otherwise. 6-12 weeks the norm. Get a shower slide bench for shower to help safely get in and out. Get shower bag for water proofing, or 2 large plastic bags sealed around thigh with duck tape.
I've fallen off crutches to many times. I used a knee scooter. Drive carefully. !!! Then I got special wide attachments for crutches. Like sand pan.
I got moonboot at 8 weeks, 2nd time around.
Ask Dr about wiggling your toes if they allow, for circulation.
Get some electronic games. Can't mention the gadgets on here.
Play music, read, watch movies.
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Since I have been home from hospital I've not moved much from the sofa. Trying to find as much as possibe to keep me occupied. Its been a real eye opener for me.
Great advice! Boy you've got it bad. I hope you can chuck the crutches away soon . I've got an ALL TERrain Walker.
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what are ALL TERrin Walkers, ive never heard of those before, but they sound good.
If you're not a fan of the crutches, try a knee scooter. I rented mine. It's nice because it has a basket, so I can "carry" things around the house with me. I'm just a teeny bit ahead of you in the process, I think. My injury was 7/21, surgery was 8/1, bimalleolar fracture and dislocation without syndesmosis repair. I'm 35 and otherwise healthy. I'm just finishing up week 1 in my hard cast, and the dr says I'll get my walking boot on 8/22. Surgery was tough because of the pain/swelling that followed. I still can't stop the pain meds completely, but I'm stepping them down. I went back to work on Wednesday for half days. I took a recliner to work and I sit in that with my foot elevated 90% of the time. I go home everyday and take a nap afterwards. The pain is that my husband has to drop me off before work and pick me up on his lunch break, but it's temporary. Leaving the house that little bit has helped tremendously with the depression and cabin fever. I knew when I was ready, my foot didn't swell as much when non elevated and I had more energy. If you can't leave your home, you might just set up a second landing spot for change of scenery. I think staring at the same walls all day just made me so depressed. Hang in there. Every day you are better than the day before and every day you are getting closer to the life you remember. Set short goals and try not to worry about how long the overall recovery will take.
Thanks. It is horrendous isn't it. Really feel quite stupid about the whole thing now.
I used a knee scooter. It was a godsend.
Can you hire / rent them?
It is the worst! Two c-sections don't come close to the pain of this injury. I think I'm actually afraid of being in pain now and I have the weirdest bad dreams about people breaking into my house. Having to have help with everything, the tiny little defeats all day of dropping things or not being able to reach them, and just being slow at everything--it's all so humbling. I had no idea people were going through this.
I'm in the US, in Atlanta and here you can. My dr set me up with the company and they delivered. It was $60 for a month here. They also sell them new and used on Amazon.
You're right it is a very humbling experience. I will just have to sit back and let my body heal as I can't rush it.