Sad
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi everyone. I'm new to this board but have done a bit of reading over the past five weeks. I broke my ankle (trimalleolar fracture) 09/15/16 and had ORIF surgery 09/20/16. So hopefully having my cast removed 11/02/16 and moving to a moon boot then. What do you think is the likelihood I'll be able to partially weight bear then?
I'm trying to stay positive and in general doing pretty well. Some days though I'm not quite managing to. Today I'm feeling a bit sad. Do other people find the same?
Cheers
Murph
0 likes, 6 replies
cher11 MurphyNZ
Posted
Hello Murph,
I broke mine on 9/12/16 and didn't get surgery until 9/29/16 due to the severe swelling. I also had the trimalleolar fx w/dislocation. I totally understand the way you're feeling. I had just moved back to the states on 9/04/16, after living in England for 2 years and had just been back 1 week when I broke my ankle. I was on my way to a job interview. I also needed to find a place to rent with someone. Well now with a broken ankle, I can't go out and work and I've been avoiding renting a place where the bedroom is upstairs.. it's all been just really bad timing. I don't have much help and I'm thankful for my scooter. I live in Silicon Valley where it's very expensive to live and I really need to be working right now. I need to rent a room in someone's house and who wants to rent to a girl who is on a knee scooter and is too afraid of stairs. I get very frustrated and reduced to tears at times. Sometimes I just don't want to go make myself dinner so I skip eating. I'm dealing with some major nerve damage and pain in my toes, top of my foot, and the outside of my foot. The surgeon is giving me the lowest dose of Gabapentin 100mg 3x daily for it but it's not helping. I went in for my 3 week follow up, they took off the splint, sent me to get an xray, the surgeon wasn't thrilled with my progress and they put a new cast on and sent me on my way. I go back Nov.8th. I'd like to know when I can become partial weight bearing. I was told that I would NOT be getting physical therapy. I think it's because I'm on Medi-Cal and perhaps it's not covered.. not sure. There are times I wish I had something stronger for the pain but they won't prescribe anything. It's like the saying goes.. Ain't nobody got time for this, lol. And then you wonder if you're ever going to walk normal, be able to wear your favorite shoes or have to wear special orthotic shoes, walk thru the sand at the beach, or go hiking in the mountains. I get sad just not being invited to go out places..
MurphyNZ cher11
Posted
Hello. Oh you poor thing. That's not a great way to arrive back in the US. Especially with hunting for a place to live and a job. Where are you managing to stay while you get sorted? You have definitely had bad luck. It's bad enough with an ankle break without the uncertainty of no job or place to live.
My situation hard hard but much more settled. I'm staying with my parents who it turns out are fantastic nurses! I'm lucky enough too, to be able to work from home while I heal. I'm in New Zealand so I'll be getting physio regardless of insurance. I'm not sure what that will look like but just really keen to get my cast off and then be able to do some weight bearing. I just really want some weight bearing for balance reasons really.
On on a positive note do you love your scooter? I find it so much better than crutches! I ended up falling after about 12 days and bruised my ribs. That's been really hard to deal with at the same time as broken ankle. I'm really looking forward to life returning somewhat to normal.
I suppose the the other thing is coming to terms with how long recovery might be. Obviously swelling is an issue and probably pain too. Will just have to be patient. And accept that I will be sad from time to time.
shoshana13634 MurphyNZ
Posted
Hi there. I also have a tri mal from an accident on 8/3. My surgery was 8/15 so I'm about a month further down the road. It's a difficult road which I've found had had a lot of sadness and frustration. But hang in there; it honestly gets better. In the first month I had many dark nights and I couldn't imagine it could get better, but it did. I still get sad, frustrated, angry, you name it, but not as often. I also was laid off this year after nearly 20 years so that sadness and frustration comes back as well since I have so much time to think. When the sadness creeps back in I'm very open and honest about it with friends and family and that helps a lot. I got my moon boot and started PT the same week and within three weeks was able to bear half my weight, and at four weeks took my first steps with crutches. It was such a good feeling I looked up expecting the whole room to applaud but they were all, as they should be, focusing on their own PT.
Be patient and take care of yourself. Applaud every bit of progress along the way and believe that you will get there because you will. Best wishes to you.
MurphyNZ shoshana13634
Posted
Thank you for sharing what's happening. It's definitely a process to get through. I've managed to be positive most of the time but last night it just seemed to hit me. I managed to not cry last night but this morning I just cried. Couldn't help it.
Can I ask you about you weight bearing? When you say you started to bear half your weight how do you do that? Since you then say the next week you took you first steps with crutches I'm assuming that you don't bear half your weigh with crutches? Or am I wrong?
shoshana13634 MurphyNZ
Posted
Hi. When I got the boot I started PT two times a week and did home exercises three times a day every day. Each week the exercises and PT involve bearing weight on a scale. Each week I added 25 pounds to the pressure I was bearing until I got to half my weight, per doctors orders. Then at PT they had me move to steps with crutches (for stability) and to practice transferring weight from my non injured leg to my injured leg as I took steps. I was in a splint for three weeks after surgery and then a cast for three weeks after the splint so I had six weeks of immobility. I believe that's a little longer than what is typical.
Nothing wrong with crying. I hope today is a better day for you.
MurphyNZ shoshana13634
Posted
Hi. Thanks for that. I was wondering how partial weight bearing is done without walking so have a much better idea now.
I was in a cast for the first two weeks that had an open section right down the front of about 8cm for the swelling. So whole cast was covered over in a bandage. Then when they took that off I went into a complete fibreglass cast which will be three weeks tomorrow and which I have an appointment to get off on Wednesday next week. I suppose that I will just have to wait and see what happens from there. That will be six weeks non-weight bearing. I find the non-weight bearing the hardest part by far. I've broken all four limbs now so mostly I think that it is impacting on me psychologically because I feel like I have balance issues! And I feel like even the smallest part of me will feel better balance wise if I can bear even just a small amount of weight on that foot. I don't even tackle using the stairs because of it. I'm really looking forward to life returning somewhat to normal!