Fifth Metatarsal newbie woes
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi all,
I've read mostly horror stories of recovery, but also some positive ones. I think I'll focus on the positive ones!
One Saturday night, while chasing after a garbage truck (I live in Taiwan), I rolled my foot and broke the fifth at mid-shaft. Emergency sent me home with a back slab cast and an appointment on Wednesday with the ortho. It's Tuesday today and I've since transferred my foot into an Aircast I had from before. One question I have is, while at rest it is not too bad, but once I move my foot, like to stand up, the site of the break all cramps up and hurts like heck. I am confused, as other posts I've read say that once the cast was on, no pain unless you put weight on it. Also, the tip of my big toe is numb all the time. Anybody else experience this?
To continue my woes, I was scheduled for a subacromial decompression shoulder surgery today that I have been waiting a while for and have had to cancel. I just got a set of crutches and my first step put my shoulder into more pain than my foot.. grr. One crutch it is. I ordered one of those iWalk Free peg legs, so hopefully that will be better than the crutch and five flights of stairs when I go back to work next Wednesday.
It has literally been over twenty years since I have posted anything on a forum, but this injury really sucks and it would be great to hear from someone to commiserate.
Trev
1 like, 11 replies
sandi27417 Trevtwn
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Trevtwn sandi27417
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Thanks, Sandi!
I've been reading about the late screw decisions... I bet you wondered what the previous four weeks pre-screw was for!
I talk to the ortho today, not looking forward to the four flights of stairs and taxi to the hospital. Anyhow, thanks for yoru reply.
sandi27417 Trevtwn
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sandi27417
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Trevtwn sandi27417
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sandi27417 Trevtwn
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ugh so long NWB! Tough but I had 8 weeks as well. 4 before surgery, 4 after. My arms looked good though ok will watch typos 🙀
jayellbee Trevtwn
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Hi Trevtwn
I'm 8 weeks into my 5th metatarsal fracture - along with that fracture, i have also ripped all the ligaments away from the bones in majority of my foot but thanks to some sort of miracle, have had no displacement so no surgery is required (at least at the moment)
I've had a fibreglass cast for 5 weeks and am getting it off in 5 days (Can't even begin to describe my level of exciement!)
Currently praying that I can begin WB ASAP - i also have arthritis in both my knees so my other knee has been taking a beating doing all the WB :P
I'm a dancer and i'm super scared that its going to take me months and months to get back to it - obviously the logical part of me knows that I won't be going back for another couple of weeks an i wont be fully recovered for quite a while but i'm going stir crazy not being able to do anything.
I need a decent pep up because its seeming a bit gloomy on my end at the moment.
sandi27417 jayellbee
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jayellbee sandi27417
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Trevtwn jayellbee
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Ha, just to add to it all, I just burned the heck out of my finger on my waffle iron.
I saw ortho yesterday and he advised at least six weeks no WB, with an xray two weeks from now. Hope it knits.
As for your worries about dancing, shelve them. You will dance, just may not be as soon as you would like. Take it easy and heal the right way, not the rushed way. I had spent about eight years in the gym only to mess up both shoulders. I had surgery on them, and rushed back into the gym like an idiot. Now, a few years later I am supposed to have another surgery on one shoulder (postponed up by this darn foot), and the other shoulder still causes me some issues, all probably due to my haste to not get left behind in my favorite activity.
Also, my ex sister-in-law danced for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and blew her knees out, which ended that. What I mean is, we all broke an annoying foot bone, not a femur, or a spine, etc., so as terrible as it seems, in the comparative sense, it isn't that bad. A year from now it will just be a nasty memory.
Trevtwn
Posted
In case anyone is reading this, now it has been about 12 days since I ran like an idiot and broke by foot. The first 8 days or so were quite painful, with cramping and an inability to relax my foot when I was moving my leg. It took a while to be able to relax my foot when moving my leg, and now the pain is minimal. I jarred my leg today, however, and it took a few moments to get things under control. I abandoned crutches (couldn't use them because of my shoulder) and ended up in a knee walker (i-walk free 2.0) which is a knee crutch. The ability to walk around and use my hands is fantastic, and I recommend this product immensely. Good enough for Harrison Ford, good enough for me! I see the ortho next Wednesday for an x-ray, and will post what is going on for anyone who is interested in the progress of this crappy injury.