Fractured foot, getting much worse, severe pain and swelling 6 weeks on. Can’t walk.

[Nosuchthingasover]

Hi!
So I fell down a broken step at work 5 or 6 weeks ago and broke the base of my 5th metatarsal and was given a walking boot, all was well after 4 weeks, removed the boot and chucked it, was still some mild pain but no need for the boot.
Then very very unfortunately I stubbed my toe on the corner of the sofa the day after I threw the boot away, went to a&e to make sure I hadn’t caused any serious damage, who said yes the fracture looks worse, not healed at all, but no treatment needed, as the area that the break is in usually heals easily.
Was sent away with a blue shoe support that looks like a sandal, and is next to useless, it’s made of soft material with no support at all as far as I can tell, it’s less supportive than my own shoes.
So after just struggling, and walking around on it for a week, the pain is suddenly much much worse, and had sudden swelling of the whole foot this morning which is still there and the skin feels right, and my calf is really painful, which I presume is because I’m walking funny on it. I didn’t have the calf pain before today.
I am a single parent, and also their carer (I recieve Carers allowance for one of the children) So it’s not an option to just not use the foot. I have to just carry on with pain that is worsening day by day.
So I was discharged straight from a&e with no follow up needed and was just given a leaflet for a virtual fracture clinic that I could contact if I needed to.
However, today I received a call from the hospital saying that the orthopaedic surgeon wants to see me, and I need to attend the plaster room on Tuesday. I couldn’t ask the reasons why as I was at work with a client at the time
I’m wondering what the reason could be for them to need see me.
With my appointment being in the plaster room does that necessarily mean I need a cast? I’m presuming now.
And if for some reason I do, am I damaging my foot by carrying on as normal.
is there anywhere I could ring to find out? Would an out of hours GP have access to that information?
Sorry for the long winded post, and for all the questions! I can’t think straight enough to condense the post into a shorter more intelligent one with the pain and also the codeine tiredness! 😅
I really need a walking boot or a crutch as this pain is making me feel like I’m going to pass out and I get lightheaded at times from the pain of walking.
I don’t know what to do, the pain today is worse than the original injury, and so is the swelling, and the calf pain is completely new.
I’ve been taking codeine but it isn’t helping much.
Is there anything I can do right now? I’m really struggling with the stairs so have been mostly crawling up them. Is it possible for me to request a supportive walking boot from a&e and collect it?
The shoe they provided last week is not firm or supportive at all, and my friend who is a nurse said that they are what they use to put over a cast, they’re not meant as a support. She thinks I need to go to a&e but I don’t think I need to be that dramatic!
It’s affecting my ability to care for the children and to keep the house clean as it’s so painful, especially now with the new calf pain.
what should I do? I need someone to tell me 😩

Just looked at what I have wrote after I posted! And I am so sorry for how very long that message is!
I am autistic which seems to make me prone to over explaining (to put it mildly!) but I usually proof read and shorten! Just didn’t have the drive to do it this evening 😕
it really is so painful, and I have an extremely high pain threshold in general!

You need to go to A&E asap.

A&E, could possibly be a blood clot in leg?

Needs looking at (again!) Asap anyway but the fresh swelling, calf pain etc are red flags I think.

My calf isn’t red or hot, which I think would be the case if I had a blood clot, is that right?

The thought of attending a&e and them making me feel like I’m being dramatic is almost too much to bear!
If It all sounds within the normal range for this kind of injury then there wont be much point waiting in a&e for hours, just to receive the same advice that I got a week ago.
Obviously if it may be serious I will go!
I just can’t seem to make any decisions today, I have serious brain fog!
My anxiety levels are really high too, which makes me wonder if I’m overthinking things.
I really wish I knew why I need to attend an appointment at the plaster room on Tuesday!

Go to A&E first thing tomorrow, this doesn’t sound normal. Or call 111 tonight. At the very least you need much stronger painkillers and plenty exist but you need a doctor to sort it.

I’m so very sorry about the pain.

Go to a and e

Oh and also, I woke up to some new red coloured bruising across the top of the toes of my injured foot this morning, which confusingly, is not the area that I fractured!

You do not necessarily have a red and hot calf with a DVT, DH didn't just the pain. They were not convinced until he had the scan.

Not sure why you binned the boot you were given.

Do you have any bruising on the underside of your foot? It could be a lisfranc injury. It’s commonly missed until x rays are reviewed (it happened to me) and pain and swelling gets worse as time goes on.

DH didn't have heat or redness with his clot.

you need to go to A&E urgently. Sounds like you have a DVT; pain, swelling. Redness and heat tend to come from infection. You don’t want to risk throwing a pulmonary embolus.

I'd go to A&E - this doesn't sound right.

I had a fracture of the 5th metatarsal that didn't heal after 6 weeks and required surgery - it wasn't this bad even at first after I'd been limping round on it for a week before realising I needed an x-ray. Even untreated it didn't get any worse - it just didn't get any better.

I would at very least be keeping it elevated.

@Blondbombsite no bruising on the underside now, but I did have at the time of the injury.
When they called today they said my X-ray had been reviewed today.
The woman that called said something along the lines of “an orthopaedic surgeon has reviewed your X-ray and has requested you attend an appointment at the hospital on Tuesday, and the appointment is in the plaster room”
I obviously should have asked her why, like most people would have do at the time!
I mean i’d already answered the call while with the client, it would have only taken an extra few seconds to ask her why… why didn’t I do that 🙄

Have you got a minor injuries unit nearby? One with access to an x-ray? If not suggest a&e I'm afraid.

I broke the base of my 5th metatarsal. 4 weeks is a bit too quick for good healing. I had 8 weeks in a walking boot up to the knee. The circulation of that area isn't good so you have to keep it elevated a lot of get good healing. Anti inflammatories like naproxen should help.

I'm a veteran of many orthopaedic surgeries and I think you need to be seen in A&E
It's possible that they've reviewed your x Ray and have seen another issue
As you're appointment is in the plaster room, they think your foot needs casting to heal in the correct position
Feeling lightheaded could be the codeine or the pain of broken bones!
You'll find the pain decreases a lot when you're in plaster, but you can request crutches too
Good luck.
I hope you're more comfortable very soon

Sorry for the grammar… codeine doesn’t do anything for my ability to form grammatically correct sentences!

A&e can do a blood test to screen for DVT/clots. Results in about an hour.

Oh sorry just saw your post
I think the bruising is coming out in different areas of your foot
Definitely attend on Tuesday

A quick ultrasound is all that’s needed

Can you call 111 and discuss your symptoms with a medical professional. They will run through a series of question, a bit like it happening on here and advise you. Tues does seem a bit long to wait for a broken foot, especially when in pain. However, when I broke my first metatarsal, I was sent home with nothing and had to wait 3 days for a call and then appointment with the fracture clinic to get a boot. A&E didn't have them and fracture (where they are all stored)wasn't open at the weekends.

Also can you hire some crutches in the meantime?

I’m going to ring either nhs 111 or out of hours GP Instead of going straight to A&E. But before I call, is either of those more likely to have access to the reason that I need to seen next week?
Just because that might be helpful for them to be able to advise.

@LondonLovie its shocking how they can leave you waiting for days in pain isn’t it! The boot that they gave me when the injury first happened was so helpful, I really regret throwing it away now!
I’ll try to attach a photo of the shoe they gave me last week that honestly provides no more support than a slipper would! I don’t know if this is something normally used to aid healing, but I can’t see how it’s helpful! Lol

My first thought is, as pp have said, you need to be checked for DVT asap. Calf pain and swelling after a fracture is a red flag.