To not know where to turn for help with this?

I had a similar thing in May this year, but it was my arm and not my ankle. I fell and my arm was black and swollen, but still 'useable'. I left it for a few weeks, and then I went to see my GP who referred me for an xray.

So I would suggest that you get in touch with your GP and go from there. They will look at it (and your knee) and listen to how much pain you are in. If they don't think that you were given the correct advice by the original hospital visit, then they will refer you for another xray. I literally got referred the very next day. The results came back the day after that confirming it was broken, and then I was referred to the fracture clinic.

I think the GP is the first port of call, and then they will refer you where you need to go and they will be able to discuss pain management with you too.

You are just choosing what to read on the label.
It will also say " no more than X doses in 24 hrs". If you are taking more than 3 doses per 24 hrs of 400 mg of Ibuprofen or more than 4 doses of paracetamol ( 2 x 500 mg tablets each dose) per 24 hrs , you are overdosing.
OP this is ridiculous. You have received lots of sensible, correct advice on this thread and the previous one. Your ankle needs to rest. Then it will improve. But walking 5000 steps on it a day is exacerbating the injury and preventing any healing. Elevating it means get it above hip level- not propped on a low stool while you sit at a desk. Some pain will be from the swelling- if you get the swelling down that might help. I'm guessing you'll have weekend off so spend it lying on the floor with leg up a settee so it's really up high for as much time as you have and keep icing it. Also give your knee a really good clean. And leave it exposed whilst lying on floor . Keep cleaning it. If it gets increasingly hotter, redder or continues to leak pus, get it looked at by someone trained- nurse/ pharmacist/ GP etc etc.
And finally " protect ankle" does not mean get shin splints as you guessed in an earlier answer. It means rest it, wear supportive shoes etc etc- all the advice you've been given repeatedly here and on previous thread.
( Another advanced nurse practitioner)

Sorry my post was confusing, there was some degree of separation between my thumb and hand caused by the tear.
After the broken plate xame out I had a tie stitch put in, but that pulled on the surgery scar really bad and was affecting some of the nerves in my hand.
The stitch came out after a year because it was causing so much pain.
Apart from the few months with the plate, I've been in pain for 8 years, with limited function, the surgical scar is ultra sensitive still. Obviously can't say 100% but if it had been picked up and treated at the time maybe the outcome would have been different.

Big girl pants on OP. You say you don’t know where to turn and how to get help but there is a clear route. Speak to 111 again, have a clear list written down of your symptoms and do not under play it. Make clear there is pus not discharge and that you feel unwell and you cannot properly weight bear. Be clear on levels of pain. They should get you a nurse or doctor call back. They will likely send you to minor injuries to be seen in person, hopefully with an appointment.

If you work at the same hospital hopefully you can go down without leaving the site. You tell your manager you have significant pain and potential infection, that you’ve been trying to power through for sake of team but 111 have been clear you must attend this appointment and seek further in person help. Nobody is going to be able to say no to that.

Or alternatively don’t do that, don’t get help, doom spiral further and risk damaging the leg more. Up to you.

This sounds horrible @ihowlforyou , but you must get someone to look at it properly in case there is something more serious going on under your knee. If you work in a hospital cant you ask a colleague to take a look? My friend’s husband does and I know all sorts of favours go on between specialties. Could you tell your boss that you are struggling and think it may be worsening? They may be able to call radiology and ask if they can squeeze you in for an xray while you’re at work?

Failing that could occupational health help at work? Seems to me there should be an advantage to working in a hospital, not a disadvantage! And as for the nurse who you felt was abrupt, if you end up seeing him again, tell him he made you feel rubbish and frightened to follow up on your concerns - if you can’t do it for yourself do it for another patient who might be scared or in pain.

Best of luck x

OP, the hospital should have given you the details of the fracture clinic and how to contact them. I was told the fracture clinic would call me within 48 hours and if I didn't hear from them, to call myself. If they didn't call you, why haven't you called them?! I suspect the fracture will tell you to not weight bear for 2 weeks and provide crutches! You shouldn't be walking on your ankle at the moment. I was told the fracture would take 6-8 weeks to heal. I was actually off work for 3 months (my job involves me being on my feet). You definitely shouldn't be at work!

Honestly the nurse was dreadful and possibly negligent If he were my nurse I’d be furious with him blithely dismissing a patient!

Go back to A&E and advocate for yourself demand a referral to the fracture clinic or ring them yourself.
Tell them the pain is increasing you have to work (in the hospital) and it needs assessing because you are struggling.

You don’t sleep,you’re worn down with the pain and knowing you have to get into work so you’re going to be stressed and fragile.

Regards the knee,….it s a flexor joint so don’t let it dry, it will crack open each time it dries.
Twice a day, boil some water, tip a tablespoon of salt into a clean bowl and top up with boiled water. Wipe off the pus with clean non shedding pads ( like the face ones) Don’t touch the wound with your hands and don’t reuse the pads , wipe once and chuck, so get plenty of pads. Don’t use a previously used towel , treat it like a sterile area.

Using a pad, dab on Savlon cream and wrap the knee in cling film and a stretchy bandage.
5 days and it should be good.
Its going to look manky/damp for two days at least but persist unless it really swells up.
Pink skin will start to appear at the edges which shows healing. Good luck.
And get a boot on that ankle.
Irrespective of what the nurse said, I’d have strapped it with a figure 8 elastic bandage for daytime use and elevated evenings.
The NHS is a bloody shower!

The only person who can help you at this moment in time is you. You don't seem to want to do that for various reasons. People are giving advice but you don't take it so what do you want people to say. At hospitals/Gp's you get worsening advice. You ankle is worse therefore you need to go back and have it looked at again. In regards to being off sick, work places have sickness and absence policies. You can't face a disciplinary unless you are already on a warning because of having previously reached certain absence trigger points unless you have a rogue manager in which case that's a seperate issue that also needs dealt with. You have options - do nothing, go to work, continue in pain. Or do something,, get it checked, take time off and focus on letting your ankle heal. There more you walk on it, go to work and avoid having it looked it again the more chance you have of doing yourself long term damage and being in chronic pain and doing your ankle long term damage.

I’m not really sure why you are being such a martyr. If you can’t walk on it you can’t go to work. If they really disaplim you for being legitimately off sick document it and speak to ACAS. But I don’t believe they would - I think you need to look at some therapy.

You’ve done everything to avoid getting care and believe you shouldn’t have gone to A and E with a fractured ankle. This isn’t normal either.

You have an injury that is problematic and the advice you were given doesn’t sound right sub all. Just go back to A and E. They exist to actually help patients. Sometimes anyway.

I was given totally wrong advice by an “advanced emergency practitioner” a nurse. She told me the injury to my hand wasn’t broken and I could start using it in a few days.

No. I’d severed 2 of the tendons and needed surgery. Thankfully I went back to the A and E at a different hospital. I was having surgery 3 days later it was so urgent. Thank god I didn’t listen to her.

Go back.

I have some experience of this. In November last year, I sprained my left ankle and the only thing that helped was the icing and keeping it raised. It got better with rest, so if it's that, I think it's just time. I was in a lot of pain and was taking paracetamol but it wasn't that helpful for the first few weeks. In January I slipped over and hurt my other ankle and thought it would be the same situation. I eventually went to the Dr (I live in Spain so it is private) and I had x rays and got confirmation it wasn't broken and they strapped it up and prescribed me anti inflammatories. It was extremely bruised, painful and swollen. I was scheduled to see a physio 10 days later and he took one look at it and said I think it's broken. He took some x rays at different angles and did an ultrasound and my fibula was snapped. I was then sent for corrective surgery immediately and had a plate and screws fitted. I'm OK now (sort of) but the pain was one of the worst of my life. I was taking tramadol, paracetamol and anti inflammatories. So I would pay to see a physio and get them to take a look, that's who spotted mine.

I had a fracture to my ankle last year, and I wasn't allowed to weight bear for two weeks and had to use crutches. Mine was a Avulsion fracture, where ligaments came away from my ankle and shaved bone off. It's treated as a severe sprain, but I still wasn't allowed to weight bear for 2 weeks. I was also referred straight away to the fracture clinic.

It doesn't sound to me, as if you've been given correct information, on how to manage the fracture. Going by the information I was told, you shouldn't be bearing weight on the foot at all and should be using crutches. I also had ligament damage, awful bruising on both feet, as well as bruising on other parts of my body where I fell.

If you are still in a lot of pain and you feel it's getting worse, rather than better, then you need to go back to A&E. I can't understand why you weren't given crutches and told to not weight bear. It's no wonder your ankle isn't getting better. Have you tried calling 111 and speaking to someone? They might actually refer you to the minor injuries unit or to the hospital.

Do stop being a martyr for your employers. Their failure to employ enough staff is not your problem and no-one has a duty to harm their health for the sake of their job. In any event, you won't be helping them by exacerbating your injuries for lack of treatment.

@CherryogDog I got referred to a hand specialist who diagnosed a torn tendon, and that it should have been treated properly at the time.
I had it plated, but managed to fall and break the plate, haven't got enough bone to plate it again.

This is very confusing, you can't plate a tendon.

It all sounds very painful and distressing and it comes on top of an obviously very fraught work situation. It is horrible to be talked to like a child and made to feel that you are in the wrong for seeking help but it does sound as if you have got so much going on that you are not thinking straight.
Please try to put aside the fear of being made to feel small and concentrate on having a real physical problem dealt with.
Go to A&E, now, say you are returning because you have followed their advice and the injuries have not improved. You are needing more painkillers and for longer than sounds normal. Your knee is producing puss. You need to advocate for you, calmly and factually. If you do this this morning you can let your manager know you will be late in but hopefully once you have been seen you will either be signed off or be able to go in for the rest of the day.

Are you taking codeine or co-codamol?

It's pretty well known among the hypermobile who sprain their ankles on a regular basis, 👋🏻 , that resolving a sprain is more difficult and takes longer than straightforward bone break.

You have pulled a little bit of bone off at the end of a ligament, an avulsion fracture.

You sound as if you are doing too much walking for a bad sprain with an avulsion fracture.

I remember your last post @ihowlforyou and I'm sorry you had so much grief.
I'm ex NHS and understand how hard faced some managers can be over sick leave!
Just before covid I turned my ankle, I was in the bank lying on the floor swearing like a trooper lol. An ambulance was called, but the paramedic said it was a basic sprain, told me to get a tubigrip and follow RICE. I couldn't weight bear at all for 6 weeks, then another few weeks of getting about walking on my toe.
Physio suspected a torn ligament and advised me to get referred for an x ray. Then we were in the midst of covid and as it wasn't urgent I couldn't get an appointment.
I've had mild pain all these years, then out of the blue, a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't weight bear.
I've seen the physio and he said it probably should have been treated properly on the day I did it.
On another occasion injured my hand, it swelled up and went black. A&E said it was soft tissue injury. Long story short, after nearly three years of very painful steroid injections, being pulled about, different braces, I got referred to a hand specialist who diagnosed a torn tendon, and that it should have been treated properly at the time.
I had it plated, but managed to fall and break the plate, haven't got enough bone to plate it again.
I now don't have full function in that hand.
Please go back to a&e, with someone to advocate for you if possible 💐

So what if you face a disciplinary (which there is no grounds for anyway!)? It is the lesser of two evils. If you do not get your injury treated properly, you could face life long disability.
I realise you're anxious but you're an adult, you can do this. The nurse you saw before was an arse, don't let him put you off seeking follow up care. Rest, speak to occupational health.

Your being a martyr!
U moaning and moaning people are advising you and u won't take the advise
You can call in sick it's not a sackable offence and u won't have a disciplinary unless there is history !
Stop being scared of a nurse in A&E that's all he is a nurse he there to do a job put your big girl pants on and get someone to sort you out your a grown arse woman !!
Life is short and I would hate living the way you are your basically stepping on eggshells around everyone but then moaning it's being a martyr.

OP, with kindness, you are in a very negative spiral at the moment. Call yourself a taxi or a friend and get back to A & E. You need further assessment. So what if they think you are a nuisance, this is their job, and they need to do it. You will not see this person again! If you prefer go to a neighbouring A & E which is not linked to your job.

I know it is incredibly difficult to move when you are in this frozen negative and emotional space but you absolutely have to. If not your holiday will be ruined!

A qualified medical professional takes time out of their own busy life to generously offer you free, helpful, measured advice, and that’s your response? I really have no idea what the point of creating this thread was.

Walking on it and being weight baring does not mean it can cope with doing 5000 steps a day. You need to change your routine to allow it to heal. Even with reduced load it will take time to heal and Strengthening. RICE- Religiously.
from experience.
there are also some good aircast braces you can buy but these are prob more expensive than physio. Google some basic exercises but it has to rest and heal first . Good luck

You seem terrified of a disciplinary. Why? A disciplinary would find you had just cause (despite idiots on the last thread telling you to soldier on) and it would be okay.

Basically it’s disciplinary or carrying on as you are, according to you.

But kindly, it’s verging on put up or shut up.

Put you brave face on and go to A&E. I want to come back later and read that you have had a proper reassessment, a treatment plan and medical advice about work.

You have to rest it, elevate it and go to A&E if it gets worse or if you are in too much pain. Its ridiculous that you think you cant go!

One more piece of advice... Take someone with you if you can, ideally a man. Medical professionals behave much better when there's a man with you, sadly. You would definitely benefit from having someone to advocate for you.