To not know where to turn for help with this?

[ihowlforyou]

I fell and fractured my ankle a week ago. I was told it’s a stable fracture to be treated like a sprain. I also really tore up my knee, which has been very slow to heal.

A week on and I’m still incredibly swollen, bruised and my ankle is becoming more and more painful. My knee is still very sore, the actual skin is numb but I have pain at the base and top of my kneecap. It also feels a little unstable and I am getting sharp stabbing pains to one side of my kneecap.

My GP isn’t interested. They say that I have to go to physio if I need, as it’s a muscular injury.

Physio has an eight week minimum wait for a video consultation.

This obviously isn’t an A&e situation (shamefully I did go to A&E for the initial injury because it had a very short wait time, it seemed to be a quiet time of day!), and they wouldn’t take a look at my knee anyway as it’s a “superficial injury”.

Minor injuries is now by appointment only in my area and appointments are gone within a minute of opening.

I’ve tried the pharmacy for the graze that isn’t healing but they just say to dress it and keep it clean and it’ll heal “eventually”.

I feel like I’m being turned away at every turn but I’m in so much pain, I’m left feeling sick by lunchtime because my ankle is that sore, and by the end of the day I can’t stand walking around. I have basic physio exercises from my last sprain years ago but I can’t do them, but I can’t be seen by anyone.

Please don’t suggest a private physio assessment, it’s not within my budget at all. AIBU to just feel despondent and like I can’t get help anywhere?

Oh yes, I know - she absolutely needs to go back to the hospital.
I was just pointing out that it is awful when people admit shame for having gone to A and E when quite clearly it was and is totally appropriate

There isn't much that can be done for a small break in your ankle.

You need rest and time to allow it to heal. You aren't willing to help yourself though by taking time off work so I can only suggest you suck it up, stop moaning and hope you don't cause any permanent damage by continuing to do the daily commute.

If you do decide to stop being a martyr, you'll probably find a few days resting at home doing no more than shuffling carefully to the bathroom and kitchen will make a huge difference to your recovery time.

She shouldn’t feel shameful and I never said she should!! But there is also little point going back to A&E as they have already treated her per NHS guidance and it’s a case of time will heal it slowly.

Somebody correct me, but a fracture surely is technically a break in the bone, yes? So a fractured ankle would just be a less severe break compared to a "broken" ankle, but a crack in the bone nonetheless.

Why are you asking people on the internet for help when you won’t help yourself? You’ve been given a lot of good advice, so take it, and stop being a martyr about your job. It’s no wonder people are reacting to you with frustration if you keep complaining while not taking any sensible precautions

Is your manager medically qualified or just an administrator? If the latter, I’d be sending them photos of your swollen foot and infected knee to hopefully put them off their breakfast as they sound so awful! Your injury is getting worse because you are not resting and allowing it to heal.

This is definitely one for A&E.
im shocked you think otherwise and im not someone who would go for a sore throat etc etc. You cannot manage and this is a serious injury…
go to A&E and wait however long it takes!

Protection: Avoid activities that cause pain and use crutches or a supportive boot if needed during the first few days to shield the bone flake and ligaments from further stress. 1, 2] (The reference here was Cambridge NHS Trust)
Optimal Loading: Gradually reintroduce gentle weight-bearing and movement as pain allows, preventing stiffness and promoting healthy blood flow. 1, 2]
Ice: Apply a cold pack wrapped in a damp towel for 10 to 15 minutes every few hours to control local inflammation. 1, 2]
Compression: Use a light elastic bandage or tubigrip to manage swelling, removing it while sleeping. 1, 2]
Elevation: Raise the foot above the level of the heart or hips whenever sitting or lying down to drain fluid away from the joint

None of that sounds compatible with work OR 5,000 steps …stable fractures can move and widen if not treated with care to heal

It’s a crack rather than a snap, so does not need to be fixed and set (which is when a cast is used). Call it a broken ankle if you want as it does sound dramatic compared to minor avulsion fracture.

She needs to be off her feet but she won’t, so it’s going to take longer to knit back together. These are the facts.

And no mistakes have ever been made by A&E radiographers/docs? And no injuries have ever got worse through overuse each morning, walking to work? I am also concerned about her knee.. I understand it's a slow heal on the foot but I think when in pain to the point of feeling sick, the OP needs some help. Only painkillers are opioids as anti-inflams slow healing so she should be back to the GP at least and insist on some codeine.

Also, on the NHS website, it says that some people are given a boot, plaster or crutches to aid.

This - I’m a senior NHS manager and you cannot put someone through disciplinary for being off sick with a fractured bone. Nobody in the entire organisation is so needed that they cannot go off sick with a broken / fractured ankle, the wider state of your team is frankly not your concern but a debilitating injury from an unhealed fracture could have lifelong implications on your health. Take time off, rest it properly, call 111 and ask them to refer you to minor injuries or out of hours or whatever is available in your area. You’re not wasting anyone’s time by seeking appropriate medical care.

You have clearly received substandard care which isn’t acceptable, but bloody hell OP this is one of the most frustrating posts I’ve ever read!

You don’t want to go to A&E, you don’t want to call in sick, what exactly do you expect anyone on mumsnet fo do?

Your choices are- stop being a bloody martyr, or carrying on moaning and not doing anything about it and likely end up permanently disabled.

Yes, see the GP, as I advised much earlier.

At this point it is neither an accident nor an emergency. Yes it fucking hurts, yes she’s bloody miserable, yes it’d be better to stay off work… but those things aren’t going to be fixed by a trip to A&E.

They haven't tho have they? Not 100%. And things can get worse and mistakes made...... I don't understand why you're dead against the OP going back to get some further help?

A further xray may show more damage than initially picked up upon or caused by overuse. What about the knee?
She can't get that at a GP.

You have had all the advice you need op. No-one can help you if you don't help yourself.

It’s a shame you’re asking for advice but the advice seems to annoy you.
and you are not speaking up for yourself with the doctors but able to get angry with people on here. Save that annoyance for the doctors who are not taking you seriously. You have the right to treated with respect by the medical profession.

I just don’t know how to do that without making it seem like I’m challenging the nurse I saw.

You should be challenging the advice given by the nurse you saw!! That’s exactly what you should be doing!! Go back, get the treatment you need, then complain.

It’s very hard to sack people in the NHS and managers really do need patients to complain when they get poor treatment. You could call PALS and ask what to do next as an option if you don’t feel confident going in again.

Understandable, but you need to go back to A&E, tell them the pain is worse. Ask for someone to review your xray, based on worsening symptoms and increased pain.
If you are feeling hot and cold and have pus there could be an infection in your knee.
I can see you take your role at work seriously but in this case your health must come first before any workplace sickness & absence policies.
Write that as your comments on the disciplinary if they try to give you one. Good luck.

So what did they do when you were on your two week holiday, just before you had your fall? Did it all fail and the company go down?

That sounds awful, OP. I’m guessing you have reached the point of frustration where your problem solving around it is compromised, and you can’t see a path forward. If you don’t want to do anything about it at the moment, can you just go and buy a boot? See if the additional support and pressure off helps!

I’m a nurse in fracture clinic and this is the advice I would give you
Firstly, tomorrow, go to your Gp, explain the situation and ask for a referral to fracture clinic ( we see much more minor injuries than yours!)
Or go to a minor injuries unit or back to A&E. For an avulsion fracture we would generally give a boot for a couple of weeks.
Do not walk 5000 steps a day! Yes you can mobilise minimally on it but the rest of the time you should be sat down with your ankle elevated higher than your hip ( swelling is just fluid that needs to drain away from your ankle!) and if work cannot accommodate that then you should not be there!!
If you work for the NHS you can not get disciplined for being off sick unless you’ve passed a trigger point, and if you’re manager is saying otherwise you need to involve HR!

Seeing your update about your headache, feeling cold and also the puss, don’t mess about - you could have an infection that could lead to sepsis if left untreated. Call 111 now at the very least.

And my post that you quoted never said she should go back to A&E.

Dunno, possibly because it was all laid out clearly a week ago on her first thread, but she’s name changed and started a new more dramatic one because she was ignoring advice there too and didn’t like it.

Either go to GP for a sick note and stop walking on it, or accept it’s going to take a bit longer to heal.