Broke my ankle

Thanks guys, I've been taking this time to revise my eating habits and will be working to drop some of this weight I'm carrying around, so far knocked off a few pounds and feeling better for it.

G2
 
Really sorry to hear this Gary.

I know it is a small consolation, but a friend of mine a little younger than you has a rather horrific ankle break. About a year later he was doing quite well, so hang in there.
 
Thanks guys and Greg, sad for your friend but that's encouraging news for me, let your friend know that brought some solace to a down fellow ;)
G2
 
Gary, I just went through this same thing last August. Got back to work Oct 25th. Same area, plate and six screws.

My tips:

1. Take calcium pills, not more than one needs daily but to ensure you have enough. Doesn't do any good to take more than is recommended, won't do any good.
2. Pain pills will reduce your appetite, at least they did mine, big time. So I bought some protein powder and drank that every 3-4 hours. I lost 22 pounds in that period by doing that. Tasted pretty good!
3. They make a four-wheeled push jobbie you can rent for about $20 a week from a mobility store that has a basket on the front. Sounds prissy, but it sure is handy to carry stuff from the kitchen to wherever you are recovering. It's almost impossible with crutches, you have to make too many trips and increase the chances you'll further aggregate the injury. That thing was a LIFESAVER! I cruised all around the house with it. Holding your leg in the airall the time is exhausting.
4. Keep it elevated a lot. The blood flows downhill and speeds up recovery time as it reduces swelling, which hinders getting the right stuff in the area to rebuild it.

Best of luck my friend, it will pass. Mine did.
 
jmclfrsh said:
3. They make a four-wheeled push jobbie you can rent for about $20 a week from a mobility store that has a basket on the front. Sounds prissy, but it sure is handy to carry stuff from the kitchen to wherever you are recovering. It's almost impossible with crutches, you have to make too many trips and increase the chances you'll further aggregate the injury. That thing was a LIFESAVER! I cruised all around the house with it. Holding your leg in the airall the time is exhausting.
Click to expand...

You can get one of those with a seat built in, which is a great way to take a break if you take it shopping.
 
Thanks guys, good tips there, I've not taken many of the pain meds as I'm trying to not rely on them unless the pain is high, the 4 wheel thingy I'll have to check into but the walker is leaps better/safer in use than the crutches were, easier to get up from a seated position too.
G2
 
Gary, on those 4-wheelers the seat is designed so you place your injured leg on it and rest your weight on the bent knee while you push yourself around, and once you get where you want to go, you transfer to the couch, chair, whatever, or just sit on the seat. You'll probably see them as you continue Dr. visits. If that happens again to me I know the second stop I'm making after the Urgent Care is to a mobility store and renting one again. My insurance covered almost all of the cost, too.

Wish I had invented them. I'd be able to buy any knife I wanted. Darn it :mad:

Best of luck Gary, it will pass!
 
Thanks, for now the walker is ok, carpets might not handle wheeled things as well and it's a small house so it's not much walking around so the walker will suffice, certainly handier to stand from a sitting position with that instead of the crutches.
Haven't tried using it going up or down stairs yet, saw a youtube that shows turning the walker sideways and using the hand rail, glad I saw that, or I'd not have guessed to rotate it.
Off to the Doc tomorrow, and hopefully the incision hadn't cracked open, not sure what they'd do if it has, recut it and glue it again? If all is well, it'll be a real cast tomorrow afternoon and not the wrap and splints.

Thanks all for your thoughts and prayers!
G2
 
Back from the Doc, the 3 xrays looked good, screws still in place, except for the loose one in my head of course ;) and the on pin did it's job pulling the larger bone back into place.
My brief fall in the bathroom due to the wet tile floors and skating left crutch didn't seem to have hurt that fixation at all, but the incision did show signs of weeping/leaking, doc said with the aspirin they are having me take each day to thin the blood it's common to have some of that happen. They stitched up the incision, no staples, they put some more tape across it for good luck? and sent me home with that boot thingy and not a real cast, we'll see how that goes.
Back to the doc in 4 weeks and see by then how much pressure I can put on my foot by that time.
G2
 
See, I do need your help ! but with the walker, I'm not falling near as much ;) the doc says they can't convince people the walker would be safer than the crutches, I guess it's less manly? but, I'd rather NOT fall especially when we still have snow falling and ice on the ground...

Thanks sir!!
G2
 
About a year after I lost my foot and got a prosthesis, it broke, and I was on crutches until I got a new one. I was very mobile with them, much better than a walker outdoors, but always used the walker at home.
 
I can see that, but for me I'll stick to the 4 legs to see me through.

Loosing a foot, that would be worse, sounds like you've acclimated pretty well though.

G2
 
No choice. :D

What I liked about the walker was I could go into the kitchen, throw my right leg over the top of it and it was as if I had two legs again. I could stand there comfortably slicin' & dicin', fixing coffee, drop the leg down and hop over to the stove -- it was hardly a handicap (as long as I didn't have to run long distances!)
 
Tempted to try and sling something between the side bars to rest my knee when stationary

My wife picked up a pair of nike jogging pants, has zippered leg bottoms that help to clear the boot brace, but they aren't real pants so it's weird not to have the pockets to carry my stuff, mainly knives so this has been depressing from another point too.

It'll be a few weeks before the doc will allow ANY weight to be put on that foot.

Wasn't able to sneak a pic of the X-ray this time, but seeing that long plate slightly bent and the 9 screws and the one long pin that seems to me to be too long as you can see a bit of it extending past the bone, makes me wonder if when the time comes should I have it all removed ??? This doc is known to leave them in, guess we'll see what happens in a few weeks

Sitting up doesn't feel so good can't get the leg up high enough, feels better lying down, so I've not been sharpening as I'm use to doing at nite :( hopefully in a few days I'll be able to get back at it.

Have a few things in bound, might arrive tomorrow which will make me just a little bit happier ;)

Just finished watching 'Rear Window' kinda how I'm feeling lately :)

G2
 
Gary sorry to hear about this. I hope you are feeling better soon. And I hope to see you again in Titusville this August.

Brian
 
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