1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Ankle Problems

Broken My Ankle

Posted , 10 users are following.

luke06492
luke06492

Hi All. I broke my ankle in 3 places last week and the reality of what lies ahead is setting in. I was wondering if any of you could give me any advice or tips that you have picked up after suffering a similar injury. I am especially struggling to get around at the moment as I have not got the hang of using crutches.

 

0 likes, 42 replies

42 Replies

Next
  • Tituscanby1
    Tituscanby1 luke06492

    Posted

    Sorry to hear. Knee Scooter. R.I.C.E.

    Follow surgeons instructions. Take prescribed pain meds only. Eat healthy.

    Did you have surgery?

    Boot or cast?

    @(*+*)@

    • luke06492
      luke06492 Tituscanby1

      Posted

      Hi. I'm in a cast and yes I had surgery. Still in a bit of pain and discomfort. Thanks for the reply.

       

  • waynescott
    waynescott luke06492

    Posted

    sorry to hear of your injury, try and give it plenty of rest and dont do to much to soon. if you keep your leg elivated as much as you possibly can it will ease the pain and discomfort. if you get the cast removed then go to using a air cast boot its much easier to get around.

    also if you can put some kind of sponge on the handles of your walking sticks, worked with me. Best of luck hope you recover soon..

    • luke06492
      luke06492 waynescott

      Posted

      Thanks for the advice. Its a total nightmare and I think I underestimated just how hard it was going to be.

       

    • waynescott
      waynescott luke06492

      Posted

      it will get easier i promise you, ive been using crutches for nearly 3 years after having 6 ops on my ankle in 3 years, when you get your air cast boot you can ditch the crutches and let your hands heal lol..good luck luke.
    • luke06492
      luke06492 waynescott

      Posted

      I will bear that in mind. It seems from reading some of the posts on here that recovery takes a long time. Thankyou again for the support.

       

    • waynescott
      waynescott luke06492

      Posted

      i may take quite a while to heal but the less stress you put on it in the coming weeks/months the better it will be for you in the future, and there is no reason why you cannot return to doing what you used to do before your accident. keep us informed of your progress.

       

    • luke06492
      luke06492 waynescott

      Posted

      I will keep you all informed about how my recovery goes. I'm hoping to be able to get back to work as soon as I can, but I will have to see how thats goes.

    • Tituscanby1
      Tituscanby1 waynescott

      Posted

      Great advice! Boy you've got it bad. I hope you can chuck the crutches away soon . I've got an ALL TERrain Walker.

      ©{•+•}®

    • waynescott
      waynescott Tituscanby1

      Posted

      what are ALL TERrin Walkers, ive never heard of those before, but they sound good.
    • Tituscanby1
      Tituscanby1 waynescott

      Posted

      All Terrain Walker, have a look on Amazon. 12" Pneumatic tyres. People move out the way when they see it coming. I'd like a horn.

      Keep your legs. Get a new specialist.

      My neighbour has had 2 knee replacements, and one ankle done. Took awhile to find correct surgeon.

      KEEP YOUR LEGS! Medical science constantly moving forward. They are developing new ways but they will never grow new legs. For your sake they will get betterat fixing yours. I've met people with amputations. Not happy people.

      Good luck.

      @(*+*)@

  • Tituscanby1
    Tituscanby1 luke06492

    Posted

    I broke my Fibula 10 months ago. Unlike you, they didn't give me surgery for a other 5 months. After surgery, pain and discomfort for sure. Stay off it til told otherwise. 6-12 weeks the norm. Get a shower slide bench for shower to help safely get in and out. Get shower bag for water proofing, or 2 large plastic bags sealed around thigh with duck tape.

    I've fallen off crutches to many times. I used a knee scooter. Drive carefully. !!! Then I got special wide attachments for crutches. Like sand pan.

    I got moonboot at 8 weeks, 2nd time around.

    Ask Dr about wiggling your toes if they allow, for circulation.

    Get some electronic games. Can't mention the gadgets on here.

    Play music, read, watch movies.

    @(*+*)@

    • luke06492
      luke06492 Tituscanby1

      Posted

      Since I have been home from hospital I've not moved much from the sofa. Trying to find as much as possibe to keep me occupied. Its been a real eye opener for me.

       

  • Guest
    Guest luke06492

    Posted

    If you're not a fan of the crutches, try a knee scooter. I rented mine. It's nice because it has a basket, so I can "carry" things around the house with me. I'm just a teeny bit ahead of you in the process, I think. My injury was 7/21, surgery was 8/1, bimalleolar fracture and dislocation without syndesmosis repair. I'm 35 and otherwise healthy. I'm just finishing up week 1 in my hard cast, and the dr says I'll get my walking boot on 8/22. Surgery was tough because of the pain/swelling that followed. I still can't stop the pain meds completely, but I'm stepping them down. I went back to work on Wednesday for half days. I took a recliner to work and I sit in that with my foot elevated 90% of the time. I go home everyday and take a nap afterwards. The pain is that my husband has to drop me off before work and pick me up on his lunch break, but it's temporary. Leaving the house that little bit has helped tremendously with the depression and cabin fever. I knew when I was ready, my foot didn't swell as much when non elevated and I had more energy. If you can't leave your home, you might just set up a second landing spot for change of scenery. I think staring at the same walls all day just made me so depressed. Hang in there. Every day you are better than the day before and every day you are getting closer to the life you remember. Set short goals and try not to worry about how long the overall recovery will take.

    • luke06492
      luke06492 Guest

      Posted

      Thanks. It is horrendous isn't it. Really feel quite stupid about the whole thing now.

    • Guest
      Guest luke06492

      Posted

      It is the worst! Two c-sections don't come close to the pain of this injury. I think I'm actually afraid of being in pain now and I have the weirdest bad dreams about people breaking into my house. Having to have help with everything, the tiny little defeats all day of dropping things or not being able to reach them, and just being slow at everything--it's all so humbling. I had no idea people were going through this.

    • luke06492
      luke06492 Guest

      Posted

      You're right it is a very humbling experience. I will just have to sit back and let my body heal as I can't rush it.

Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.