Fractured ankle
Posted , 10 users are following.
i broke my ankle three weeks ago in three places. had a rod plates and screws in to fix it.
the problem l have is several times a day my calf ankle and foot swells so badly the pain is excruciating. it feels like my foot is going to burst out the cast. its almost like a severe burning sensation. the top of my foot near my toes become swollen sore to the touch and dark in colour, this intense squeezing lasts for hours only pain killers help they take the edge off but l can still feel this severe crushing burning sensation,
basically l need reasurring this is normal and if i have to put up with this pain because its unbearable at times. ive tried everything. i just want to rip the plaster off as l feel the crushing will then stop
0 likes, 34 replies
michelle14213 julie05446
Posted
hey julie x firstly sorry to hear about the break but velieve me you are amongst friends here who have all been through it in some form or another. I found that my calf amd foot swelled crazily for the first 4 to 5 weeks. Even if i put the cast down for one minute then the swelling would start. the longer i left it unelevated the worse it got. quite normal i believe. i didnt have pain so much but it was uncomfortable very much so. one elevated it would ease with painkillers. Mine lasted whilst in the cast for most of the 7 weeks it was held hostage in there. if you are worries though then seek advice from the plaster room or your surgeon. Best pf luck to you x it does get better i promise xx
julie05446 michelle14213
Posted
elevation does help. but when l get up theres a mad blood rush followed stinging pins and needles. never knew pins and needles could be so uncomfortable before
deedeemouse julie05446
Posted
omg you are bringing back memories..I felt like someone grabbed my thigh real tight and slid down it. What unimaginable pain. What I did to help it was ..when I was ready to get out of bed I took my leg off the pillow I had it elevated on and let some of the blood go into my leg before I attempted to get up. I stood in bed a few minutes. I was never in a plaster cast because I was going o would care so I was in an aircast. However, I had feeling the top of my foot was burning.I also felt like I had blisters on my feet and a tight elastic band around my ankle. There will be many sensations you will be feeling including pins and needles. The toes dark in color, I dont know about even tho that foot did look like a different color, but don't ever hesitate to check with your doc. You dont want to regress and go backwards just because you were afraid to ask. I bought a wedge pillow on line and that helps with elevation. goodluck !
julie05446 deedeemouse
Posted
thank you so much. im not the only one who feels this burning blister sensation. you dont know how relieved l am to hear this thank you x
michael70935 julie05446
Posted
Have you tried lying down and elevating the inured ankle? Depending on your situation, it can take hours to get relief. Elevating for five minutes really won't help. There are also special leg pillows one can buy to sleep with a limb elevated.
julie05446
Posted
yes elevation does help but it takes ages then i pay for it when l put it back down. the blood rush i suppose it is with the crippling pins and needles sensation.
l feel things would be so much more comfortable if l could take the cast off whenever this crushing pain comes and then put it back on again. some one should invent a detachable plaster lol
julian75841 julie05446
Posted
although i didnt have plaster after my Orif your symptons are normal it will take time for the swelling to go down just raise your leg whenever you can to reduce the swelling
Suzususan julie05446
Posted
I believe that it is normal. I broke my ankle. I am about 12 weeks now so I'm doing much better actually I think I'm more than that but anyway I know of for at least like a month when I was in the cast it would hurt so bad when my foot would swell up and I would just want to rip the cast I was very happy when they put me in the walking air boot, even though I couldn't do when they put me in the walking air boot, even though I couldn't do weight-bearing but I could take that off or loosen it when it would start to hurt.
amanda84923 julie05446
Posted
If it's happening whenever you put your leg down, then yes it's normal. For the first week or two after breaking and dislocating my ankle and having surgery, I kept my leg elevated all the time. I did this by lying in bed and keeping my leg up on pillows. I actually elevated both legs. The unbroken one didn't need it, but it was more comfortable having them at the same height. Anyway, the only time I wasn't elevated in those first two weeks was to use the toilet or shower. Each time I put my leg down, I had that blood rush and it would swell. Completely normal. After a couple of weeks, I began keeping my leg down for periods of time to help it adjust some before I returned to work. Basically, whenever it's down though it's going to swell, which is going to be uncomfortable. Keep in elevated high most of the time. It may be annoying to do so, but it's better for healing and less painful for you.
karen70040 julie05446
Posted
Hi Julie,
If your toes are going blue, your cast could be too tight. It says,right there in the cast room, to see them If that happens. Also it could be the cause of your pain,as,a tight cast would do. You may want to get it checked, they do put them on too tight sometimes. In the meantime. elevate, Ice the cast and rest. Hope this helps.
julie05446
Posted
thank you. i think its more greyish in colour. i have just put a ice cold face cloth over my toes and its heavenly. hopefully this will reduce the swelling and burning sensation
deedeemouse julie05446
Posted
my foot looked greyish to me too.I was beginning to think I was going to lose my foot and they weren't telling me lol I never thought it would look normal. I had physical therapy and wound care coming to my house so I was able discuss my concerns with them and they assured me my foot was okay. I can't say it enough though...when it doubt call the doctor..you don't want to regress, recovery is long enough!
julie05446 deedeemouse
Posted
i convinced myself l was losing my little toe. it hurt that much and looked so dark.
i tell myself you broke your ankle why is your little toe suffering like this lol
michelle14213 julie05446
Posted
My foot at the beginning turned all shades of the blooming rainbow!!! purple, blue, sickly looking grey, then bright red all in a matter of weeks. After a few weeks I pretty much wasn't too concerned as I had watched the foot change to all manner of colours. Again I believe it was fairly normal considering the nature of the injury and the evasive procedure to fix it again. Again I was told all part of the healing process. Nearly 19 weeks post ORIF my foot actually is the same colour now as the other foot and has been for quite a while.
julie05446 michelle14213
Posted
thats reasuring to know. i feel no one has told me what to expect,
deedeemouse julie05446
Posted
The only thing they tell you is when you will start walking and when your foot will look normal...both can take up to a year before you are back to where you were before the accident.
Suzususan julie05446
Posted
Yes I know. I never would have thought so many things involved with a broken ankle. I broke mine on July 3rd but I did not have surgery until July 23rd. I don't know how many weeks that would put me at because I think when I had surgery I kind of I don't know how many weeks that would put me at because I think when I had surgery I kind of started over again.Somewhere between 16-19 weeks. Went through all the wierd pains in the foot. I think they called them stingers. little sharp muscle spasms that were really painful. thank goodness I don't have those anymore. I can walk. I've been to physical therapy and have my final appointment on Wednesday. Hopefully she will clear. Hopefully she will clear me to go back to work which is standing working at a front desk. the best part was driving again. I still have some swelling and some pain but not severe. I walk with a limp and I think it will get better. I walk with a limp and I think it will get better just with time at this point. they really don't tell you much of anything except about when you should start walking again and when you can weight bear. I do went through all the changing of colors and I am back to a normal color foot now. keep yourself as optimistic as possible because they don't tell you that you're going to get depressed. It really will come to an end
Suzususan
Posted
sorry don't know what happened to the rest of my message, but anyway yes I went through all the colors, the shooting pains I think they call stingers all kinds of weird stuff. They don't warn you about any of that. it's been 16 weeks since the accident and 19 since surgery. I feel like I started over after surgery. They also don't tell you about depression. I'm normally not a depressed person and when I started feeling down I would just tell myself that it was going to get better. Finding this site helped a lot to know there r others that have been through the same thing. I still have a little pain but nothing serious, some swelling but very minor. I walk with a limp oh, and have good days and bad days but I've been to physical therapy and I think I'm done with that now. My last Orthopedic appointment is on Wednesday and I'm hoping that she will clear me to go back to work. It's not going to be easy because I work at a hotel front desk standing all day. I only work part-time so.
that part is good. Just keep telling yourself it will get better. best of luck to you! it really will end!
julie05446 Suzususan
Posted
wow little stingers yes l'm certainly experiencing something like them. they are very sharp
i didnt realize it would take so long to heal.
hope your back to work soon
deedeemouse Suzususan
Posted
good luck..hope they can give you a stool to sit on.