Broken ankle?

[kaytee87]

I think I've broken my ankle, at first I thought it might be sprained but the pain is getting worse and is unbearable even whilst lying still. I know I need to go to hospital but how the hell am i going to get there? I wouldn't be able to manage into a taxi, what do I do??

SO sorry you are having such a tough time. When the physios get there, ask them if you can use a knee walker with wheels (when the pain goes down a bit). Since you are in a bungalow, it kight work well for you. Its like a trike, but instead of a seat it has a cushion that you kind of kneel on, so your injured ankle is resting on it and all the weight is going through your knee. You then use your good leg to scooter around. My son used one when he broke his foot and was non weight bearing and it saved him from the agony of crutching everywhere.

My cast is up to my knee as I broke my fibula too so wouldn't be able to kneel I don't think x

I’m glad you’re through the op safely op and I’m sorry you’re hungry. You will get through this. Hopefully they will feed you shortly or your mum will be in. Just remember every day is a day closer to recovery and it does get easier.

As said, You won’t be able to use a knee walker, I bought one and sent it back, I also broke my fibula and couldn’t kneel as the weight of the plaster on the break when I did hurt too much, even three weeks in.

Bloody hell, OP, that's disgraceful. I had a sandwich straight after my op, dinner later, then breakfast lunch abd dinner the day after. All hospital food (no other choice as noone to bring me anything else) so not cordon bleu, but it was okay and I ate because I knew I had to eat to keep my strength up to help my recovery - I'd have been weak and shivery without food too! I'm so angry on your behalf - this is appalling lack of care.

That all sounds really shit OP. You really should have food with the painkillers too. No wonder you feel crap. Hopefully your Mum or someone will be in shortly with supplies. At least the surgery's done anyway. And you'll be home soon.

Loving all the posts from those who haven't RTFT!

Hi Op,
I broke my ankle a couple of years ago, similar to you and had it all pinned etc.
My dh had to fly out for a week 3 days after I got back from hospital, and my mum also had to go away 2 days after that. I had 3 small kids, youngest was 3 and it was a nightmare!

Ok, for when you get home.
The first few days are pretty rough, like being hit with a sledge hammer. Get anyone to take your baby who can, if necessary, get someone in to watch/play at your house so you can stay on sofa. Get dh to set you up a corner with snacks, bottles of drink, buy a thermos for tea/coffee, and books. And pain relief. But for those 2-3 days I slept loads.

Getting roudn on crutches is really hard to start as your foot hurts and you feel lousy. Top tip, get an apron with a pocket and wear it, as you can't carry anything when on crutches and you can put mug and thermos in an apron pocket.

After the first week everything get sa lot better. I had an open cast for 2 weeks, until the surgery woudn was healed and swelling down, and then a proper cast. Once the proper cast was on, everything was so much better, easy to move round, less painful to move round and easy to sleep etc.

If you can get throuhg those first 2 weeks, it will all start to improve.

Warning though, I had my cast off at 6 weeks and went into a boot, it then took another month before I was off crutches and just in boot, and then suddenly it felt OK, strong and heale dand 'safe' to walk on and I could get rid of the boot.

I had the most amazing friend who came round and cleaned my house every week for me. I hardly new her at the time, and it wasn't easy to accept such help, but it was the key that mad eour friendship and now she is one of my closest friends.

I'm in tonight again. I've still not spoken to anyone from orthopaedics. I heard the nurse having a go at someone earlier saying someone should have spoken to me by now.

I hope you have had some food and pain meds.

As someone who walked home three miles on a (unknown then) broken ankle...sending love.

If we can't break you out of The Dungeon then at least have a giggle at a dumbass my expense.

I banged into a glass store front today. Luckily my white cane (this is relevant) took most of the impact.

Which store, you ask?
Fucking SPECSAVERS!!

Oh, the irony!

Hope you got something to eat.

💙

AllRoads. 👓😂

OP, hope things are improving. 🍫💐☕️

Omg I just brushed my toe along the floor going to the bathroom. The pain 😱😱😱😱

Yeah, I know, it’s shocking pain isn’t it, and your break and surgery are much worse than mine. I honestly don’t know how you went so long before getting to the hospital in thr first place.

I’m twelve weeks in, mine was non displaced and I got back into the gym today for some gentle exercise, I’m still cautious in things like kneeling down. The pain does start to ease after a couple of weeks,but it doesn’t go at that stage,

I’ll warn you know, the muscles waste very quickly, when they took my cast off to move to the air boot, after a month , my leg was about 25 percent thinner than the other one and looked very fragile indeed. It takes awhile to get the full range of mobility back, like pointing your foot down wards, and also build the muscles back up, just don’t be shocked when you see it when they take it off. It does come back.

Have you had all the pain killers you can get?

OP, I sympathise with you.
I had a bimalleolar fracture and ORIF surgery in March last year, and it was a very difficult time, not helped by the disgraceful nursing care, which you also seem to be experiencing.
I am a nurse, and would have made allowances for staff just being busy, but the incompetence and lack of care on that ward were beyond belief.

The muscles waste really quickly

Yup...and when the cast comes off, get a clothes peg for your nose.

They're trying to get me off the oramorph so I can go home tomorrow so I'm not in for a good night as it's the only thing that dulls the pain.
I will be in this soft cast for 2 weeks then into fracture clinic for x-ray to check everything is still in place before they remove my staples and put me into a hard cast for a further 6 weeks. I've to be non weight bearing for 8 weeks and the doctor said it will take between 3-6 months before I feel 'right'.

Ooh yeah I broke my arm when u was younger and it was disgusting when the cast came off, yellow, flaky, smelly and arm tiny compared to my other one x

Why do they have to get you off it to send you home? It's not uncommon to discharge surgical patients with oramorph

"The muscles waste really quickly"

Heck, yeah. I swear my lower leg was the size and shape of a kitchen roll tube when my cast came off. Just tiny, thin and wasted. Don't recall any particular bad smell, though.

I'm just the other end of non weight bearing so 7 weeks down the line, now allowed to bear weight but my god it's agony.

If it helps my tips would be to try and get the following:-
A flask for drinks,
a rucksack style bag to get things around in, easy food like pot noodles, breakfast biscuits etc if you are home alone during the day, something to keep your hands busy - I did a lot of sewing, colouring and puzzles.
Tv Box sets - game of thrones has totally saved me so glad I never got around to watching it,
water bottle for taking tablets etc.
Baby wipes (bed bath in a packet)
And finally a jug or similar and bucket to pee in - as honestly the first two weeks moving in bed will be sore enough never mind getting the loo.

It's a long hard road I won't lie to you but you do turn corners and it does get easier

Good luck with your surgery XX

I don't know @TammySwansonTwo they said they couldn't send it home but maybe my gp might prescribe it? Instead they've just given me 2xparacetamol, 2xDihydrocodeine and 1xdiazepam. This nurse did say that if I was in pain in half an hour then to buzz and they would give me it.

Yes I thought it would be longer based on your injuries and op. I was only four weeks then two in an air boot.

Mine didn’t smell when it came off though but I had a lot of dead flakey skin.

Op, you go from non weight bearing to partial weight bearing in a boot then you go for a period on one crutch, i was about two weeks. Once you go partial life becomes a huge amount easier.

I think the three months is optimistic, I’m sorry, I’m twelve weeks now and just feeling right as in I’m only now walking without a obvious limp. and I only Had two breaks that were non displaced. But you will be walking and that is a huge plus.

Get yourself a electric wheel chair, honest to god hoping every where is exhausting,

Oh and get a trickle charger for your car if you have one. My battery ran flat which was a total pain in the ass when i eventually wanted to drive it again. Or get your husband to drive it every now and again.

My mum has said she's going to organise a wheelchair for me, I will remind her electric with footrest preferably to keep my foot up

Yes to all the helpful tips from PP. If you get to the crutches stage order the pads that go over the handles from Amazon (also got cast cover and shower stool there too). Makes crutches so much easier to use. I broke the tibula and fibula bones in one ankle 18 months ago and I would say that the recovery is LONG. I was in a cast for seven weeks and an air boot for three and months before I could walk properly or wear anything but trainers as it took ages for my foot to go back to normal size. Apparently that’s quite common. I had no idea that ankles are difficult injuries and my experience was fairly normal it seems.

You’ve had an awful time and hope you get home soon. Accept all offers of help - I was surprised how amazing some people were as I have three children and don’t live in the same country as any family members. Good luck!

Hopefully that should be enough, at least the diazepam should help you get some rest, but if it's still painful, ask for more pain relief. If you wait, you'll need a higher dose to get on top of it and it will delay your discharge even more!

I don't think I'm going to get any rest. There's a broken buzzer that's been going off for 2 hours now that they can't fix. It's so loud It also means that none of the staff can hear when a patient is buzzing.