Broken a limb over Xmas? Metaphorically climbing the walls? Support thread

[duchesse]

Me: broken ankle on Xmas Day, operated on 4th January, now climbing the walls trying to keep DD3 entertained (with help from au pair and lovely friends dropping in), looking forward to being able to walk again some time in February...

Come and join me on my 6 week wait...

I was initially told 3 weeks after surgery duchesse, and then at the fracture clinic 12 days later, they said it was fine, so perhaps they give out worst case scenarios.

And they were so vague, oh just put as much weight on it as you can, as often as you like. It was a bit daunting to say the least

Duchese I had the stiches out about 10 days after op and I can't weight bear for 6 weeks from the op so looking at the 27th jan for putting foot down :-(. Have tried but oooh no not yet - part of the foot is still numb I did want a nice pink cast as well ..... Stillgotta find out re tendons etc. Oh and I had midazolam for the manipulations and apparently I swore as well but not as much as I did with the gas and air and I had tears as well - not nice at all .......

Ooh, I think purple, sanity. Just hope they have some let tomorrow.

"left" not let

Duchesse, hope your appointment goes well today & that everything is healing well :)

Totally without a hitch, thanks Loony. Purple cast! They sent me off with a booty thing to start weight-bearing in two weeks and next appointment is in four weeks. Stitches, wound seemed fine- there had been some bleeding and a bit of leakage (sorry if tmi) but not as much as I thought, so it's all good.

How's your leg?

Hope everyone else is mending slowly but surely...

so you got a purple cast and a booty - now thats just greedy

glad to here it all went well - i hated having my stitches out - almost passed out

mine had leaked as well but its been fine since the stiches have come out.

does anyone else have irritation from the plate - i am sure mine is hurting more than the break but its hard to tell....

Just wanted to add my sympathies to everyone - I fell during the first batch of snow at the end of November, broke my right wrist (yes, right-handed of course!) and only had the cast off last week. Patience ladies, it WILL get better, like Canella I found hairwashing a nightmare, I have really long thick hair, and as for putting make-up on left-handed - lost count of the number of times I poked myself in the eye with the mascara wand! Still, it did get me off cooking Xmas dinner and doing the washing up

I don't think I got a booty thing like your booty think sanity. It's a sole for velcroing over the cast when I'm allowed to bear weight on it again. Your booty thing is protective I think, no?

Jingle- it's good to know it's not for ever... It certainly feel s like it!

yes duchesse mine is reinforced and goes from toe to knee - well fashionable and so comfy to wear at night

Oh yes, getting staples out was probably one of the worst parts of the whole thing!

Glad your appointment went well Duchesse. Is your foot set flat? Mine was at an angle and then I got a flat footed one and a trendy blue boot (a bit like yours by the sound of it) when it was time to weight bear.

One of the plaster nurses last year said to me and another woman who were talking about it "no point in comparing, there are 74 different types of broken ankle" who would have thought it eh?

Sanity, is yours an air cast? I heard good things about them from another MNer who was in the same boat as me last year. I got a moonboot for the last 3 weeks and it was a nightmare! Velcro everywhere which stuck to the carpet, stuck to itself, stuck to ds1 if he wandered too close, and would have stuck to the cat if we had one! I had to get my mum to come and stay with me for the last week I was in the boot cos I was too pg to bend down and do it up!!

Yes, it's at a right angle if that's what you mean. That was the most painful part of today- the plaster room lady (gently) pushing my ankle back into a right angle. The idea is I don't get this plaster changed at all- I start walking on it with the sole thing in two weeks and get the plaster off in 4 weeks. Can't wait. Really frustrated at not being able ot go for a walk in the sunshine today.

Does having the same plaster mean that you don't have to go back to the fracture clinic for 4 weeks? I don't remember how many different plasters I had tbh, quite a few, and then a moonboot.

I would recommend finding yourself a chiropodist who can come and sort the skin on your foot once the plaster comes off. It's pretty grim , the woman that came to me had to hack all the dead skin off with a scalpel [yuk]

I did mention having a pedicure to my DH the other day for when the plaster comes off and he just raised an eyebrow, the git. Glad to know I'm not the only one who would do this!

No, I don't have to go back till mid feb now, when they remove the plaster, I see a physio and they send me on my way, mended.

Is this the sort of thing you have, sanity? Well jealous if so!

Glad all went well Duchesse, sounds excellent that you can start walking on it soon :)

I have my cast off hooray but no operation to remove the pin until the second week of march So another 6 weeks of non weight bearing; I think I well & truly will go loopy.

Can you start to exercise the leg now loony? That will be an improvement at least. Plus you can wash it, hooray! Mine looked manky yesterday- all streaked with that pink surgery scrub, and patches of dried blood and a 10cm scar up the side. Lovely!

Yep can start to move it around which is good. Ditto on the manky leg with gruesome scar but add in dried skin scales from top to bottom - yuck!! Can't wait for DH to get home I'm going to have a lovely long soak in the bath!!

I was going to have a pedicure duchesse, but I've never had one and don't know what kind of tools a beautician pedicure type place would have, so opted for chiropodist who has no doubt seen every horror that there is!

It took the chiropodist about 20 mins to clear the sole of my foot, it was like a big scaly plate covering the whole sole [boak]

I saw it as a medical need rather than a beauty one IYSWIM. I certinaly couldn't have reached over my pg belly to deal with it myself! I think I paid around £15 IIRC which is cheaper than a pedicure too!!

I discovered today that I can put a small amount of weight on the leg! Obviously still with crutches but it makes carrying non-spillable things a bit steadier. I think this new cast is much tighter than the last ones and is supporting everything a lot better. Feeling a lot happier now- everything seems to be mending.

How's your leg doing loony? Did you get that much wanted bath last night? Leg feeling good?

duchese - its not as nice as that one its this one

orthotape.com/equalizer_Inflated_air_cam_walker.asp

and yes on the manky feet - cleaned my last week and a whole load of dead skin was there - urg i would agree with the bio oil for the scar - really good at healing it and making it shrink.

one week to go to find out if i can weight bear

anyone else got pins and needles and numb parts of foot ? or foot going blue when you stand ? mine is not a happy bunny .....

Yes, and yes. Until yesterday when I discovered I could bear a small amount of weight using the crutches, my foot swelled up the minute I put it down. I've now found that it's OK horizontally (doesn't have to be up in the air quite as much any more). The extra exercise seems to be helping with that. The pins and needles are definitely there when I put my toes on the ground (that's all that uncovered at the moment). I feel like the little mermaid, discovering her feet for hte first time. Also I figure there is probably nerve damage from the break then the op.

thanks, makes me feel happier, and little mermaid ? i feel like mrs heffalump