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13 Weeks Post-Surgery

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I have one plate, one stand-alone screw, and a ligament band. I have yet to meet anyone who has a ligament band, so I haven't been able to share that experience. I broke all three of the ankle bones and tore a ligament.

I would like first to thank all of you for your postings. I have been reading this site throughout this experience. No one tells you how long recovery is or what to expect, so these postings helped me. There was a time during NWB when I was depressed and thought maybe I was doing something wrong because everything was taking so long, but reading your postings helped me know that what I was experiencing was "relatively" normal.

Average recovery is 3-6 months and 8-14 months for swelling to subside. Drink a ton of water. Eat healthy - foods with protein and low fats and salts.

These are the tidbits I've learned from research, talking with various friends who happen to work in the health field, and with friends who have been through this. There are no shortcuts. This is a long and somewhat tedious recovery. I had to give a little extra time for the pretty bad ligament tear that apparently takes a bit longer to heal than bone takes to knit. The doctor said I both broke and sprained my ankle.

The biggest issue now is retraining those muscles to work that were not used during NWB. No one told me about this and to exercise the leg during that time. So my knee and my hip have had to restrengthen. They're getting better alongside the foot muscles that are learning to carry my weight again.

I just got out of my boot a week ago and I'm using a walker to get exercise in laps around the house. I am blessed in that I work from home, so this has helped with the long hours of just sitting with my leg propped up. I still use a wheelchair for longer trips or periods when I need to sit up but have a leg rest for the swelling.

The walker has been necessary because - as I'm sure many of us deal with - my house was built before there were guidelines for ADA compliance and neither the wheelchair, nor the walker fit through some of the doorways. Now that I'm able to use the walker, I crabwalk through doorways! Haha. It's all good exercise.

Now that I'm out of the boot, the scar tissue is healing because the boot is not rubbing. The scars always feel hot, so socks were not a solution. For the last 6 weeks in the boot, I had a short section of an Ace bandage that I cut and lightly wrapped around the ankle inside the boot. Now I use aloe vera several times a day and Maderma at night and the scars have come a long way.

Okay, as for flexibility, I am still very stiff. I've had only PT at home, so flexing, the alphabet, and toe and heel lifts while sitting in a chair are my habits. These are helping, but this is still going to take awhile. I also put an app on my phone that reminds me every hour to get up and walk around for at least 5-10 minutes. Even with the walker, this feels really good on the back and hips, and is much healthier than all the sitting prior to this.

Getting to sleep at night is rough. My heel and my achilles heel is where all the swelling is heavily focused so it's hard to find a comfortable sweet spot. Ice helps and is important, but it does not necessarily make everything okay.

Patience is one of my biggest problems ... that and the inability to control my situation, so this has really been a test of resilience.

The reason I am sharing all of these details is so that if you are new to this site and are just starting this journey, please know that you will feel down or angry at times. You will want and should ask for help. You will get stir crazy and maybe even depressed, but know that you will mend. Bone that has been broken is stronger after it heels than it was before it was broken, unless you have certain bone conditions already.

One piece of advice - never run down the stairs while texting on your phone! I was rushing to get somewhere because I was running late. I was texting friends to let them know I was on my way, and missed the last couple of steps. It could have been worse, but this was pretty bad!

Be careful out there!

2 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • kpower
    kpower Guest

    Posted

    Hi Maggie,

    Bravo to you for giving us your story so far. Not many patients sit down and take time to relate their experience in any detail so that the rest of us can gain some insight.

    Of course it goes without saying that each patient's injury and recovery acts in their life's dramatic play is different, yet there are some commonality things that appear over and over again in recovery narratives. Those common markers give some guidance to newly injured and anguished patients.

    The only bone to pick about your advice (sorry about pun) is about diet. A low fat diet is not particularly healthy for most of us (although an anti-inflammatory low processed carb and sugar diet is decidedly healthy and will help speed recovery).

    Also, high protein intake without enough calcium and alkalizing fruits and veggies could actually cause calcium excretion, so be careful. Yet ingesting a lot of calcium (avoid it in form of calcium carbonate) without balancing it in ratio with magnesium (and taking vitamin K) could lead to calcium being deposited where it can cause mischief, like in blood vessels.

    May you have a good and completely boring recovery (that is, without drama and pitfalls).

  • heidi20884
    heidi20884 Guest

    Posted

    I am almost 6 weeks post op and have 2 plates, screws and a tightrope fixation. I am chomping at the bit to start PT but don’t have an appt until May 29th. I really appreciate your comments and this forum has really helped me to be patient and (try) to takes things slowly.  I can stand flat footed, flex and do small circles, however I still am elevating and icing. I find that my calf on injured side has really been bothering me and that I have this constant ache (perhaps from lack of use), my good side is achy (especially my knees)  due to my weight being shifted to that side. Have you or anyone else experienced this lately?and what have you done that has given you relief? Thanks!
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