Ankle Fracture.... Is there ANY good news!?!? :(

Hi Leeah, I'm Susan, also from the US, I'm 59. don't have the answers you need now but I will update you as I make headway on my injury since I am about 8 weeks ahead of you. I broke my fibula and had to have it surgically reattached with a screw, and my surgeon was able to forgo the plates, which was a lucky break for me.

Right now, Just concentrate on elevating your leg and eating well. I read somewhere that eating beets helps with bone growth, so does 500mg of Vitamin C.

Don't take NSAIDS because they can reduce the rate of bone growth and the tensile strength of your healed bone. I  used ALeve twice when I had nerve pain while the incision was healing. I was scolded for using it but all I had to take at the time was Tylenol which I am sure you already know is a joke. I elevated and ate beets and Vitamin C and my surgeon proclaimed that my bone healing was great at 4 weeks and put me into a boot with orders to start putting weight on it. I am now In a splint at 8 weeks and am on one crutch some of the time but still use my scooter for longer distances (Ilive in a condo and I would be a recluse without it!)

Use your pain meds as you need them, and try to save some for rehab. DOnt fall for that "stay ahead of the pain" BS.  Take them when it hurts in the lowest dose that will get rid of the pain, that way they will last longer. I'm sure you have narcotics but they are stingy with them in the US now because so many people have become drug addicts and have died from their abuse.  GOne are the days when you will be on Oxy for 3-6 months for something like this. I was really mad about this when I needed them and could not get more. Just prepare yourself ahead for your surgeon to tell you that you don't need any more, if you are having pain it's probably nerve pain from tissue damage.  If you run out of "the good stuff" you can probably get a less potent opioid like tramadol. My surgeon used it as a step down pain med and when it ran out my primary care doctor was willing to give me a prescription. No one will want to give you Norco, Percocet, OxyContin, or any of the narcotic opioids that are documented with high abuse and  death rates. Tramadol does not work as well but it's been a good bridge for me. If you can save some pain meds, do so for the start of your rehab. I find that if I take 1 tramadol I can get more home PT done and from what I have read that is the key to a faster and complete outcome. I never, ever consume alcohol with them. If they are not potent enough while you are early in your recovery, try marijuana if you can get it in your state, it really works for pain relief and it will helped reduce narcotic use. 

Get a knee scooter if you can. I ordered one off of amazon and had it in 3 days. It has allowed me to walk my dog and socialize with my dog friends. It makes it easier to get out and about and stand upright even if you have to limit the time you do it. It's well worth the money. Really. 

Figure out where you can go to get into a pool and jacuzzi once your incision heals. I have made more progress towards walking since I started doing this. 20 minutes jacuzzi soak to warm up ligaments and muscles, 20 minutes walking - yes walking! - in about 4-5 feet of water, more jacuzzis then elevate.

Don't let anyone (especially people who know nothing about broken ankles) get in your head about how fast you should be healing, No one gets it or will ever understand unless they go through this. Co-workers are the worst. You are not milking this, you are making sure that your ankle, and your future quality of life, are your top priority. RIght now, you are getting sympathy but that wears thin after a while and you will feel like people are judging you, and that you should or could be doing more to bounce back. They don't know so just ignore them. They have the ability to make you more depressed if you let them get to you. Stay positive.

I started referring to my ankle as her majesty because she rules my life. I started listening to comedy tracks on Pandora, I took my good foot in for a pedicure to show it how grateful that I only have one bad ankle and all the work it's doing for me now ;-) I watched a lot of TV and Netflix and that's fun for a while. I lost weight because it's hard to go shopping and run back and forth to the refrigerator 

Lots of good information Susan. Thank you.