Broken foot

[Cariadity]

Hello,

I'm 2 weeks into dealing with a broken 5th metatarsal, currently in a plaster cast but struggling with everything. I can't get around, can't bath easily and am fed up of being off work.
On top of this I am moving house Friday and having to rope in as much help as possible from family to get things done.
I'm due to see the fracture clinic tomorrow I've only seen a nurse practitioner so far so I'm worried what the outcome will be and concerned I might need surgery! I've added pics.
Any tips for coping?

Have you got a waterproof cover?
For standing jobs, stand on good leg and put weight on bad leg with your knee on a chair or stool

How on earth did you do that?

Sorry, I don't mean that rudely, I've never seen a break like that before

Hi,
I can sympathise. I broke my foot 16 months ago. It was run over by a car bare foot so I ended up with around 8 different fractures. A couple being the metatarsals, luckily mine didn't need surgery because all of the breaks were like crush injuries, so they just had to hope they'd hold it all in place and it would mend.(it did) However, I know it is very common to need surgery for this type of break. Look up lisfranc injuries.
Bad news is I didn't walk for 15 weeks, good news is I found ways to manage.

Do you have a shower? I used to cover my plaster in a bin bag and sit in the shower with my leg poking out the door.
I got a small office chair with wheels for scooting about the kitchen on so I could still cook, this was a life saver.
I became great at hopping lol, could hop about the house at speed after about a month. Could change beds on one leg etc. You will be amazed at how strong your good leg gets after a while.
My usual car is a manual, so couldn't drive that but as it was my left foot I injured I bought a really cheap automatic so I could at least get about if I really had to.
After 6 weeks I went from plaster into an air boot, I could take this off for baths and at night, which was heaven.
A couple of times I really needed to go into town shopping and it was too tiring to walk around on my crutches so I used the shop mobility and hired a chair for my partner to push me round in.
They are the main tips I can think of right now.
Hope your appointment tomorrow goes well.

Thanks hollinhurst84 I've just ordered one and a bath/shower stool from Amazon. Initially they said around 3 weeks recovery so I didn't want to buy anything but everything I've read seems to say quite a while longer. Somedaymyprincewillcome a colleague actually dropped a pc monitor on it. Landed right on its corner right on that bone. The nurses were quite impressed by the break. Sleepdream - sounds awful what you went through, how is the foot now? I have a bath in this house but both in the new one so will see which is easier to use. You sound so good on your crutches, my arms are pathetic just getting to the bathroom is a huge effort. Will try a computer chair. I'm not able to have the foot down very long before the swelling starts to hurt in the cast so hopefully when that subsides a bit I can get stronger with the crutches and get around more. Thanks for the tips all. Will let you know what's said tomorrow. At least it's a few hours out of the house and away from the packing!

I have the puniest arms ever, the crutches were really tiring. That's why I ended up hopping, or upstairs because we had carpet I crawled lol. I think it helps that I am petite. I can imagine for anyone bigger it would be more effort to hop/crawl.

I now have to wear orthotics in my shoes and still see the podiatrist monthly.. I still get pain and aching if I do too much, and haven't been able to run since...Something I did a lot of beforehand. Am hoping that I will do this year again though.

I actually ended up having to go private as the hospital sent me away telling me nothing was wrong, I was on gas and air and the pain was just excrustiating.
The state of my foot was ridiculous so i returned two days later where they decided, actually yes it is broken!! I had no trust in them at all, nobody seemed to know what they were doing.
The consultant I then went to see was brilliant, he said to me afterwards if I hadn't come to see him and get the treatment I did my foot would probably never have fully recovered.

Oh sleep dream, can't believe they could ignore how much pain you were in like that! At least you seem to be on the mend!
I went to fracture clinic yesterday but cannot believe how badly I was treated, the consultant didn't speak to me at all. He spoke about my foot to the nurses while I was in the room but not at all to me, he ordered them to replaster it and take more X-rays. Then he looked at the X-rays and told the nurse to tell me they were fine before he left the building. I had to ask the nurse how long I'm in the cast, what about surgery and if I needed to continue injecting myself with blood thinners (A&E insisted I needed them as my dad had a DVT and my leg is immobilised). I am now waiting for his receptionist to phone me with the answers! I am really annoyed about it, and feel so foolish that he walked past on his way out and I just didn't think quickly enough to stop him.
I'm feeling very hard done by at the minute and stressed that I should be going through so much inconvenience, pain and being so debilitated by this nightmare!

Wow that really is frustrating, that's how I felt when I went back to the hospital.. Nobody seemed to be able to give me a proper answer..
Let's hope they get back to you soon, I know just how you feel.