Lisfranc foot injury/ off feet for at least 6 weeks! How do you cope???

[dontstophelping]

Sorry posting here for traffic.

I fell and got a bad sprain/fracture on Saturday. I've had a couple of people mention they think it's is lisfranc injury due to the huge swelling, pain and bruising on the top and bottom of the foot.

I'm going to see a specialist on Thursday hopefully but my doctor said he thinks that's what it is too.

Has anyone had this? It looks like best case scenario is at least 6 weeks in a cast completely off my feet. (Worst is surgery or months off my feet.) I CANT do this. We have a 4 year old very energetic ds and lots of animals, where we live is rough paths and lots of up and down. Dh can't take time off work. I'm panicking. I'm awful on the crutches they gave me. I've fallen a few times, mostly on to the bad foot which makes it unbearably painful for hours. I can't manage stairs, I'm having to crawl up them.

And if anyone has had any other injury that gets them off their feet, what the HELL do you do?!

We have no family support, no friends that can help as we're very rural and I won't be able to drive. What the fucking fuck do I do with ds? He can't stay in the house all day. Dh is self employed, he can't take time off.

Oh, and I have a screwed up knee on the good leg. I've needed surgery on it for years and twisted it a few weeks ago and now it's bearing all of my hopping weight it's giving up too.

I can't offer any advice , sorry, but just wanted to give you some (((((((Hugs))))))🌺🌻🌸❤️️🌼❤️️🌸🌻🌺

Bloody hell! Poor you!

I've had more time on crutches with surgery /disability than I care to recall!

Soooo... Crutches are knackering as you're finding...and can make you quite off balanced!

Use the NHS physios as much as poss.. So hon can return to full health ASAP.

Contact the OT department to see if they can help

Would so hire/buy one of these ;

www.strideon.co.uk

Also other tips:

themomcafe.com/ten-tips-for-the-woman-in-a-leg-cast/

The most useful thing I learnt... Don't do unecessary trips on crutches... Think before you move... Use a rucksack indoors - brilliant for massively increasing what you can carry!

Regardless of your OH work- you need him to be there for most dangerous parts of day.. Eg showering /bathing

can you use a knee walker? www.amazon.co.uk/knee-walker/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aknee%20walker&tag=mumsnetforum-21

See if you can get some crutches that you slip your arms into rather than ones that go under your shoulders.

They're much easier to use and aren't as painful on the armpit.

Temp childminder for the worst period? Dh sorts the animals out when he comes home? You pay a local teenager to sort animals out after school?

It's the shittest thing, it really is. You may be non weight hearing, which is no weight on the foot for six weeks. You need to comply or this is going to last longer, I'm sorry.

Ok, for stability ask to switch to a Zimmer frame on thursday. They are much more stable that crutches.they will switch them easily for you.
You will need to find a childminder, nursery or emergency nanny for the period to care of your child if your husband cannot take the child to work.
He will have to schedule his hours to do the animals before or after work.
I don't know if you mean animals outside or domestic pets? Dogs that need walking?
Sleep on the sofa at night. Bring everything you need downstairs and set it up next to you. Things like deoderdant, sponge, toothpaste in downstairs loo.

Knee scooter only if you can put your leg into a kneeling position with no pain and then rest weight on it in that position.

You can also hire things like electric wheel chairs for the period, just google. You can hire ones that work outside and inside.

Good luck, I really hope it's the best case scenario for you 💐

Oh if your loo is upstairs :it's quite easy to adapt buckets etc for wees... Or if you investigate your camping /caravan shops /auction sites... Tje chemical loos that folk use for camping are good

What hours does your DH work?
Can he take DS out when he gets home, even if it's later than usual. DS may then get up later/have a sleep in day if doesn't normally but you will be able to get back to your usual routine when you recover.

New toys for DS can keep them happy indoors.
Maybe get one of those little indoor trampolines for him.
Direct him to make an obstacle course, so get him to move cushions off couch,etc. You can make it so at certain points he has to do star jumps/hop 5 times, etc. You can time him.
If you look up ideas/games for 4 year olds you'll probably get some really good ideas.
If he's not already good at tidying his toys away afterwards then you can get him to do this. So make sure he puts all the trains away before getting playdough out,etc.

DH will obviously have to stay up late/get up early to make sure house stuff is done and your and DS have food/drinks prepared for during the day.

Hope you have a good recovery

Thank you SO much for your ideas! Will definitely look in to a walker, the crutches are killing me.

I'm in the states with no healthcare so not sure how much pt or ot we can afford.

As we're so rural and remote a childminder, cleaner etc isn't an option. It's just dh and I.

Those knee walkers look amazing. I'll look in to getting one asap.

I'm away on a trip at the moment and in agony.

After an initial trip to the ER we thought it was bad sprain fracture and would be better for me to come rather than be alone with ds.

Now I'm 100s of miles from home and in a hotel room sobbing.

We have a loo downstairs luckily.

The animals are a big dog, cats and chickens. Dh is going to have to sort them but I don't know how he'll find the hours in the day to do everything. We'll just have to let the house go a little.

The other option is the Iwalk peg legs handsfree crutch. I've seen people using those.

Oh dear, OP!

No friends/family who could come & stay e.g. midweek? Could you advertise for someone?

I was none weight bearing for 6 weeks following a riding accident. I went upstairs once on my arse, then had a single bed moved into the downstairs kitchen - we have a downstairs loo. I borrowed my father's perching stool which enabled me to sit at the sink and get washed, and I could also thrutch around the kitchen with it enabling me to cook. I had to pay someone to look after my horse.

It is shit - you have my full sympathy.

Could you get a self propelling wheelchair that you could use to get yourself around, possibly with a leg extension bit?

The Red Cross loans them out here (and lots of other useful equipment) but I don't know if you have something similar there?

If you have a big house a wheelchair would be easier than crutches downstairs (although doesn't help with stairs, I know).

Sympathy, it sucks.

I know how hard it can be for people to take time off work, especially self employed but if your DH could get some time off at least, a couple of hours a day or a day a week, it would probably help you a lot. I know it's hard but if you had been kept as in inpatient in hospital he would have had to. If it's financial reasons, is there anything you could do to reduce bills for a few months - mortgage holiday or similar?

I do feel for you.

Yes i have had a Lisfranc injury, involving complete ligament damage, comminuted fractures to the underside of the plantar end of the 2nd metatarsal, non displaced fractures of the medial and intermediate cuneiforms.

Initially misdiagnosed as a sprained ankle I was walking around on it for 7 weeks before it was correctly diagnosed, I was then put in an Air Boot for 9 weeks (so I could still walk) after which I was allowed light weight bearing for 6 weeks then sent for physio but after 4 sessions the PT stopped them because of the pain, went back to Orthopaedic Consultant who then did steroid injections (under GA) into the joint but that didn't work either so I was put on the waiting list for surgery. I have subsequently had 2 operations, the first was on the 2nd TMT joint and the second was on the 1st TMT joint.
I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

During the first 5 months housework got left to other members of the family (Dd and dh) as did the cooking, laundry and shopping

Enter- oh dear god. I'd like to say your post reassured me but it's made me panic! It is what it is though. I'm glad I noticed the weird bruising on the bottom of the foot so have completely kept off my feet (foot) since it happened. The pain is something else. I get restless leg syndrome at night so am moving it way too much and wake up at about 5am in agony.

I'm going for an appointment this afternoon and am hoping they can start on treatment.

I'm annoyed though because the place doesn't have MRI or ct scan and I'm told that's what you need to diagnose it.

How was yours diagnosed in the end?

A wheelchair would be good for our house. We don't really have pavements or anything where we live though, just rough bumpy roads and paths everywhere.

Thank god it's not winter when everything is covered in ice and snow!!

Hi, I'm still recovering from Lisfranc surgery. I had the 2nd TMTJ, medial cuneiform and intermediate cuneiform bones fused in all three directions, with 3 screws but no plates. The surgery was 10 weeks ago and I'm now partially weight bearing in an aircast boot with crutches. My Lisfranc and another ligament were totally obliterated and that was the main indication for fusion surgery. My injury was misdiagnosed as a sprain in ER but fortunately a doctor friend diagnosed me by chance a few days later. I had a terrible few weeks because I had also fractured the other foot so I was in a wheel chair and I had to move house as well so all v stressful. I hope to be walking independently within the next month: the last time I walked unaided was 16 weeks ago.

In terms of pain management, elevate it higher than your heart whenever you can and use an ice pack on your foot or behind your knee. Paracetamol is quite effective. If your house is suitable, a wheelchair with a prop is good for getting around while keeping the pain bearable.

Mobility wise, my iWalk 2.0 has been an absolute godsend since around 2-3 weeks after surgery. You can walk on any surface, up and down stairs etc. I've even walked my dog a bit with it, though don't try it if your dog pulls at all. I have unpacked in our new house using the iWalk, decorated and all sorts.

Lisfranc keeps you off your feet for a really long time and full recovery can take years, though I'm not planning to be so unlucky! It's worth getting different mobility aids. Join the FB Lisfranc groups if you have an account (there are a couple - one is v active) and you might find someone in your area who'll give you an iWalk or scooter or whatever. I rented my wheelchair and someone gave me the crutches and my aircast boot.

It is a hideous injury but bear in mind that Sloane Stephens had Lisfranc surgery this year and she just won the US Open!

The picture lougle posted is what I have.

Sorry for the serial messages. Just wanted to add that the joint displacement was not very obvious from my weight bearing X-rays, but the MRI showed complex ligament damage as well as several bone oedemas. I didn't have a CT scan in diagnosis but I have had one since the surgery to check how fusion had progressed.

I can't believe you moved house!! I found moving the most stressful thing I've ever done! And I was mobile.

Are you not wobbly on the iLeg? My balance on crutches is appalling, and the knee on my good leg is giving out.

I'm terrified they're going to ask me to do a weight bearing X-ray. I just can't.

I'm pissed that the place I'm going to doesn't have MRI or ct scans. There's a hospital attached and I told the receptionist they'd probably want me to have one and she said they'd arrange it for another day. Great. It takes a whole day's travel to get there and back and dh has to drive me so he loses a day of work. Gah.

Thank you all so much for replying.

Sorry but this needs to be faced. You will need someone to come and stay with you (relative, friend or paid-for help, or a combination), or your DH will have to take time off. No way round it completely. I know it's hard.

I don't have relatives in this country and none can travel here. DJ'S family don't help with anything, I had a burst ovarian cyst last year and begged them to take ds while I went to the hospital and none would.

He'll just have to take some time off but it's going to cripple us financially. Excuse the pun.