Broken Ankle & Crutches With 2 Small Children!

[Beccatheboo]

Bit of a feeling-sorry-for-myself moan and request for advice, please!

Slipped on a wet mat on Thursday and managed to break my ankle (fibula, Weber B 2 - in case anyone's had the same!). I'm already fed-up. I have 2 children, 2 years and 5 years, and an old three storey house (with steep, narrow steps). How has anyone else coped? My husband's brilliant (although really needs to be at work as he's very busy) and lots of family and friends are volunteering help, but I want to be as independent as possible.

My main concerns are looking after the children, moving things around the house, cooking and getting out. I'm someone who hates staying at home but, of course, I won't be able to drive for weeks and with crutches I don't know how I'll be able to go out with a 2 year old. (I've already accepted that other people will have to do the school run for my 5 year old.) My littlest is a good boy but I couldn't trust him to walk without someone holding him and being able to dart after him. The idea of being stuck at home for weeks is filling me with absolute dread!

Sorry if I sound like a defeatist. It would be great to hear from someone who's been there and done it to fill me with some confidence.

Thanks x

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

oh crumbs, not fun. Not been there but giving your thread a hopeful bump.

[camdancer]

Don't know if I can give you any confidence, but I broke my ankle about 18 months ago. DS was 2 1/2 and DD was 10 months old. Basically I couldn't care for them alone. DD couldn't walk and I couldn't carry her while on crutches. I had to have someone with me at all times. They didn't have to do everything - but they had to be there just in case.

But your youngest is 2, so I think with a bit of organisation and a bit of friendly help you will be fine. You will need lifts to and from things, but once you are somewhere, you should be ok. You shouldn't need someone with you at all times once you are confident on your crutches. And keep a backpack with you so you can carry things easily.

Good luck. And the best advice I can give you is to rest your ankle as much as possible so that it heals quickly.

[Elk]

I was on crutches for a while when dd1 was a baby. My dh moved as much stuff as possible downstairs so I didn't have to carry her upstairs for naps/changes etc. he made sure he was home for bath/bedtime etc. Looking back I'm not sure how I did it but I managed most things.

Can you get friends to visit you so you don't get too stir crazy?
Give it a few more days and I'm sure you will find things working themselves out.