To ask for your ‘positive’ broken ankle stories

[Saladmakesmesad]

Posted something similar the other day when it had newly happened but hoping for a bit more traffic here, hope that’s ok.

I broke my ankle in a fall/blown by the wind down a steep path on Saturday. All traumatic and painful, A&E etc. Went to fracture clinic on Tuesday and they said it’s a Weber B fracture at outside and back and ‘borderline’ for surgery but too swollen to do anything with so put in a hideously heavy back slab cast for a week and then re X-ray and decide ORIF (repair) surgery or not.

I’ll be non weight bearing for at least 6 weeks (and that starts from when I get my proper cast on I think - which could be a couple of weeks away if I have surgery. I’m struggling with the crutches as I have a crap back, I’m struggling with the thought of the weeks of pain and debilitation ahead (we don’t have a downstairs loo) and having stupidly googled I’m now struggling because it seems like every ankle break ends up in months of pain, complications and misery.

If anyone has any fairly straightforward ankle break stories, please share them to balance the evils of Google!

What a lovely, positive post! Thank you. My kids are being brilliant too, as is DH. I always thought our household would come to a standstill without me but he’s picking it all up admirably.

@Saladmakesmesad

I start to get a bit worried much after 2 weeks, definitely makes the operating harder, no evidence that the outcome is any worse, but it can't help....

Thanks @Fixthebone I did wonder because I know someone who had wrist surgery 3 weeks after the break (I think because she did it just before Christmas) and she found the post surgery recovery harder than the first 3 weeks. I’m just hoping and praying I don’t need the surgery. And (probably stupidly) hoping that the fact they’ve put a full cast on and left me a week means they’re erring towards conservative management..,

5 week’s into non weight bearing I’ve found this thread so helpful 👏

Another thing I’ve learnt is bras are excellent aid for helping carry things in absence of bag/pockets 😊

Hope your recovery has gone really well... I’m feeling apprehensive about next stage but determined too 🤞

Hi OP, I've never broken my ankle, but I did have foot surgery that meant I wasn't allowed to weight-bear for six weeks. I was lucky to the extent that I could plan for it, of course.

Tips: My shower is a shower attachment in a bath, so not too dissimilar to your arrangement. I found I could sit on an upturned plastic storage crate, which meant I didn't have to get right down and right up. (The cast protector is a huge help; glad you got one.)

Unfortunately I had only a downstairs loo, which meant that I had to negotiate the stairs at night. I got better at it (after the first night when I landed in an undignified heap at the bottom). There is a technique to it but I can't quite remember mine!

I used to make a Thermos flask of tea and pack sandwiches in a rucksack. I did find I could kneel on a chair to prepare food and wash up, though it was quite exhausting.

Someone lent me a mechanical carpet sweeper (to avoid being entangled in the flex of the vacuum cleaner) and I managed by sitting on a swivel chair to get around downstairs! (Upstairs, I'm afraid, just got dusty.)

Something that really worked was to decide on two projects, knowing I'd never have time like that again: one was learning a specific language (via the Duolingo app) and the other a specific craft. Along with reading a lot, that kept me sane.

Hope things work out well for you, whichever way it goes with surgery.

Oh, and I used to throw all the dirty washing downstairs from the laundry basket and then haul it in dribs and drabs to the machine

Another thing I’ve learnt is bras are excellent aid for helping carry things in absence of bag/pockets 😊

Wish I'd thought of that!

I had a Weber B two years ago - didn't need surgery thankfully as it was a fairly clean break - I just had to wear the boot of doom for weeks and could weight bear on it. I found that the pain initially was awful but it got better fairly quickly and I was hobbling around on my boot without needing to use the crutches before too long. In fact, I think I was allowed out of the boot 4 weeks after it happened as it had healed so well. I did find that for at least a year afterwards it would ache after I was on my feet for too long (I ran a half marathon the year after, and would find my ankle aching and a bit puffy the day after a long training run). It also swelled up and was painful for a few days quite recently after I hopped on it (trying to recreate sports day for my son!) - but for the most part, its back to normal! I am more cautious about doing things that might injure it - jumping off things, running on uneven surfaces etc

Thank you 🙏🏻

I’ve a trimalleolar fracture with plates & pins in... trying to keep my toes moving but very stiff... I know ages off but any info on if to have plates/pins removed??

I broke my ankle in three places at 34 weeks pregnant. They were debating surgery but I said so long as I could walk afterwards I didn't want surgery. Had back slab for a week then a full pot for a month and then one with a rocker for a fortnight (thankfully dd was ten days overdue)
I can walk and even run, I can't fully flex my ankle it's still swollen and it aches when it's cold and damp but it's ok.
I had a zimmer frame because crutches and a heavy pregnant belly weren't really working.

Broke and dislocated my ankle playing rugby. Ran a marathon the following year. Lots of physio, daily exercises and stretching. Too many people don't do the physio prescribed programs thinking that the appointments only will be enough. The physio is 10% of the work, you at home doing exercises is the 90%