Broken ankle

[IndieR22]

Hi all. Hope everyone is well. I am currently one week (tomorrow) into my broken ankle with a 5 month old. Luckily my parents are retired so they pick me up each morning when my husband goes to work so that the baby isn't stuck with me! I've been told I can't weight bare (bear?!) On it, am wearing one of the velcro boots, and it's driving me mad not being able to do anything and the paracetamol not touching the pain.

I have a patterjack who seems to have entered himself into a show jumping competition and is using my ankle as practise. Unfortunately he isn't very good and I feel I won't have an ankle left soon.

Just hoping for conversation, funny stories, own stories about broken ankles to let me know it gets better and when.. Just anything really!

@ThePontiacBandit

How are you doing IndieR22? I’m pretty down today. Finding it hard not to dwell on the things I can’t do and what I’m missing out on!

Good morning @ThePontiacBandit and sorry I've only just seen this!

I'm doing OK though. I hope you are feeling better today? It is difficult. I got to go for a ride around the village yesterday as my car needed a run (I wasn't driving). That, and visiting PIL, was about as exciting as my weekend got. Oh, and don't forget our weekly maccies on Saturday, which should stop really whilst I can't walk!

I have found it frustrating that I've googled my injury from the letter sent from the hospital, and a lot of NHS leaflets appear that say you should weight bear lightly and where comfort allows to help it heal and not go stiff and that the boot doesn't need to be worn all the time when foot is elevated, and I've been told quite the opposite.

How's the weather where you are? It's chucking down here and I feel that could affect the mood too!

In other news I've allowed my husband to do two loads of washing for me us. Not sure how we'll it's drying and we all may smell damp for a while but at least it's done. Now to get him to figure out how to hoover 🤔

Just coming up to 6 weeks from breaking my left ankle (and right foot). Hoping to get cast off today!

Some ankle fractures you can weight bear, some you can’t - depends on where it is and now stable. So don’t worry if other people have different instructions.

Can really recommend a knee scooter if (like me) you’re hopeless with crutches. I’ve hired one from Stride On.

Elevate your ankle a lot, higher than you think, above your heart if you can. The pain will get better.

It’s really frustrating (I’ve been totally NWB on both legs for the last two weeks after surgery on my foot - fun times) but the time will pass. Now I just need to learn to walk again

Strange you’ve had conflicting information. My fracture is quite complex, almost a pyramid shape, so I’ve been told absolutely no weight bearing and it’s not suitable for a boot. Might be worth following up with the hospital if you’re unsure?

It’s horrible here, wet and windy. I’m shattered because I was up late trying to kill midges that were buzzing around (it’s kill or get bitten). Not easy with one leg in plaster! DH has taken over our washing although I do the mental work of explaining what needs washing when and I can just about sort it and put it away.

Thanks for your message Tell me, nice to hear from someone who is on the mend! Hope all goes well and you get your cast off!

I broke my ankle 4 months ago so now am walking again reasonably well.

You need something stronger than paracetamol. I'd speak to the dr about managing your pain.

I wasn't able to weight bear for 7 weeks post surgrey and invested in a Peg Leg (hands free crutch) which was a god send.

Good luck to everyone recovering. I had no idea how debilitating a broken ankle is until I had one!

I'm at the hospital on Wednesday for a follow up x-ray so I'm hoping that from that I may be able to start doing more. I don't want to sound cocky but it isn't painful now the bruising is going. I only had a couple of ibuprofen before bed last night because I had a headache. Before that it was paracetamol at 4:30am Sunday morning. So definitely doing better.

I apparently have a stable weber B fracture in my right ankle so it isn't as bad as some of your injuries. I will never take two working, uninjured ankles (or any other limbs for that matter) for granted! I absolutely cannot wait until I don't have to rely on people, and until I can carry my baby around again and do more than just feed him and watch him play!

That’s positive about the painkillers. I’m still struggling with anything less than 60mg of codeine! The nurse practitioner that reviewed my x-ray did say “If you do something, you do it properly!” so yeah it’s a pretty bad fracture.

I agree, I’ll never take walking for granted again. I keep dreaming I just get up and walk on my cast…

I hate being reliant on people…especially because very few people have stepped up so most of its on DH. I’ve been struggling with low mood. Had a good cry earlier and told DH. He pointed out it was inevitable that after breaking a limb I would find it difficult and get low at some point. Doesn’t help that AF is here. Oof. At least I’m managing to shower daily which is helping. Also moistures the toes on my broken side..they were really dry! Poor piggies.

I wrote a reply whilst I was in the hospital but the signal was so poor! Anyway, I'm not going to complain about the fact that my appointment was delayed by an hour and it took me almost another hour to get an x-ray! I've been told the x-ray looked good so it must be healing well. I'm now allowed to fully weight bear, and in a week I will be allowed to sleep without my boot. He also said to shower without it but I've been doing that already.

@ThePontiacBandit I hope you are feeling better. Its inevitable that you will have down days, and AF definitely will not help. I've just started my next pill pack straight after the other because I know I can't cope with that with a broken ankle. And if you are showering daily you are doing better than me 🤣

Oh blimey IndieR22 what a long wait! Sounds like progress if you can weight bear and have your boot off at night. That’ll be easier with your little one I’m sure!

I’m better today thank you. My friend came round with her 6 week old baby and I got snuggles I also managed to clear out the fridges from my perching still so I don’t feel totally redundant! I was also watching something which was a bit depressing which wasn’t helping, DH suggested I try something lighter which has helped. Yeah I wasn’t able to shower for several days (over bath shower plus no shower seat or leg cover) so now I can shower, I make it my mission to do it daily! Worst of AF is over thank goodness, that was a bit of a pain.

I’ve had my follow up appointment, it’s not til 21st October so I’ve got another 3 weeks in this cast ah well, it’ll be here soon enough!

@ThePontiacBandit so glad you are feeling better 🙂 I crawled in the bathroom floor to clean it last week and felt great that I'd done it, never thought I'd be saying that 🤣 I live tidying the fridge, genuinely no idea whg I buy some stuff. Although most of the time our fridge is 99% sauces .

Are you watching bake off? I love it!! Also got into watching Great British Sewing Bee with my mum whilst baby naps and I'm loving it. I do wish I could see though and make my own clothes now!

Positive thinking. My follow up is the 27th October so I'm one day closer haha fingers crossed you get the cast off on the 21st! Surely that's likely by then?

I think I was very lucky despite a bad fracture an unstable Weber C that once the bruising and swelling started to settle the pain lessened quite quickly either that or I have a very high pain threshold! What I did find was to take a couple before bed otherwise I was finding I woke in the early hours needing some. I kept my leg really well elevated too not sure if that helped. I was non weight bearing for 13 weeks in total and then allowed to wean out of the boot. At 6 months I can now walk unaided around the house and garden but still need a crutch or sometimes two if I venture further afield so everyone is different. Yesterday for the first time I managed a proper bath after 6 months of the shower bench. Have progressed now from wearing trainers all the time back into my own low heeled boots just in time for Autumn but all my favourite boots are still looking menacingly at me from the shoe rack and it's going to be a while yet if ever!

@dancingthroughthedark yours was definitely more severe than mine then! I guess mines not bad at all as he's already told me to weight bear on it. I pretty much live in trainers anyway unless I'm at work, and I've got till January before I go back! I suppose it's an excuse to find new favourite boots that you can wear if you can't wear your others again?!

How are you doing Indie?

I’m fed up! Fed up of having a broken leg/being in a cast/on crutches and now DH has the start of potential man flu 🤦🏻‍♀️

Oh no @ThePontiacBandit that's all you need! I'm doing much better, thank you. I can walk on it and tonight is my first night sleeping without the boot on. I feel it may go on half way through the night though.

In other news, we started weaning yesterday! Broccoli was NOT a success. Green beans today went down better haha. Spinach tomorrow. He may hate me soon 🙈

I'm not surprised you are fed up though. How long has it been? Find something good to binge watch!

I am 4 weeks 3 days with cast now…another 2 weeks 2 days til I’m back to fracture clinic. I am binge watching anything and everything. Recent shows include Vigil (very gripping drama), Ghosts (amusing), Baptiste (good drama again), The Circle and Too Hot to Handle (absolute trash reality TV and I loved them!).

Ah weaning, what fun! DD swears she has always hated broccoli so I dig out the photo of her aged about 8 months stuffing her face with a stalk of broccoli!

Sounds like you’re making progress. It’ll be interesting to see how you go sleeping without the boot on. Hope it keeps improving.
I am getting better. I’m quite speedy up and down the stairs. My knee bend is much improved. It’s just frustrating. So near and yet so far. It’s not going to be a quick fix when I’m out of plaster but that’s my next goal.

@ThePontiacBandit ah yes you are a week ahead of me! Love Ghosts, and The Circle. There is one I saw on iPlayer called The Cleaner (or something like that) which looks good. Do you have Netflix or Prime?

I slept with it off until about midnight, then I went making LO a bottle and kept it on as it was a bit sore. Will try again tonight. Glad you are getting better though.

Weber A fracture here, apparently on a non-weight bearing part of fibula.

But I had a shock, after x-ray I was told at walk-in centre that it was just soft tissue injury so I carried on walking on ibuprofen.

3 days later I had a call from the hospital that it was in fact a fracture and i mustn't take ibuprofen or any NSAIDS as they slow down the healing!

They offered a boot but said it's optional so I resting it a fair bit and wearing over-ankle zip up winter boots and being super careful when walking.

Miss my walks, especially now that the sun came out

YogaLite I know that’s really common with wrist fractures (scaphoid is notoriously difficult to see initially) but they usually plaster to be cautious. Can’t believe you were left walking on a fracture for days! I’m missing walks too. I used to do the school run at least twice a week and I usually do weight lifting at the weekend. I’m missing all of that! Got out on a borrowed mobility scooter on Sunday which was nice.

IndieR22 yes we have Netflix, Prime and Disney +! I watched The Cleaner yesterday on iplayer, that was funny. Sounds like you’ll need to wean off the boot. Hope you slept better last night.

Hello! How are we all? @YogaLite I can't believe you were left to walk on it. I also don't know how you are coping without a boot and walking on it! I would be lost without mine! I can walk from the bedroom to the bathroom and back without, very slowly, but wouldn't want to want on it full time!

@ThePontiacBandit trying to rack my brains now! Have you watched the Umbrella Academy on Netflix? That's brilliant. Also Lucifer? That starts on Amazon and finishes on Netflix.

I’m okay. Escaped out to the pub with my sister for a couple of hours yesterday which
was great! Nice to leave the house (and have some time away from DH I must confess!). Only negative about the pub was the disabled loo floor was so slippery, I couldn’t use my crutches! I had to hop holding on to the walls!

I’m a bit worried the pain is still bad. It’s manageable if I take the full dose of the co-codamol (1g paracetamol, 60mg of codeine) but if I take less it’s still really painful. I kind of thought it should be improving by now?!

TV wise yes I enjoyed The Umbrella Academy and Lucifer. I’m rewatching Scrubs now on Disney + - one of my old favourites and no shocks because I’ve seen it all before!

@IndieR22, I am wearing my fairly tightly fitting winter boots which seem very supportive, they reach about 5cm above the ankle - with furry trim in this warm weather .

Mostly ok when walking but if I take them off, even for bed, it's just too easy to twist the foot and pain comes back so trying to be v careful.

How’s it going?
I’m back to fracture clinic tomorrow…really hoping I can start weight bearing. Would love to be free of the crutches! Can’t imagine they’ll say I can just walk on it yet…I think my best case scenario would be to get a boot. Worst would be a new cast or operation! Will let you know how I get on. Planning a Maccy D’s on the way home (there’s one close to the hospital!).

So ironically I saw the reg who said “Plaster off and walk!”. Not what I was expecting. After some discussion, he agreed to give me a boot for a few weeks til it’s stronger and have some physio. It’s a relief to have the cast off. It feels very weird though. I’m trying to get it moving but I can’t put my full weight through it yet. I’m going to use the crutches until it’s a bit stronger.

I’m all organised to exfoliate and shave later! Looking forward to that.

Hi @ThePontiacBandit glad you got the boot, even if it wasn't initially suggested! How are you doing with it? It must feel different now! When are you back at the clinic? I'm there on Wednesday, I'd say I'm hoping for no boot but I think it's still too sore yet to walk on full time without.

Morning! It feels so strange. Very stiff and achey this morning. Not surprising after being forced into one position so long. I’ve exercised it before putting the boot on. It feels like a pleasure/pain thing, especially when my foot touches the ground. The muscles are shocked to be used!

I think with boots they usually advise “weaning off” them, gradually wearing it less. Good luck for Wednesday! Got anything nice planned for the weekend?