2,203 thoughts on “Update-Broken Ankle-1 Year later”

1. Dear aka Patience, please, do keep posting and share your stories with us. It does really feel good to chat with others who have been there and done that. Other non ankle breakers, just cannot understand the pain, the frustration and our fear about ever getting back to normal. Also, it can be just so tiring trying to do anything.. that I think angry outbursts or crying spells are pretty normal reactions to our stress. I cannot imagine having had to return to wok in a wheelchair, or on crutches. I would have found that beyond exhausting, and think they should give out ankle breaker award medals for those who do. Liz and Louise, nice to hear from you. Cristy, welcome to the site and thanks for sharing your information. Louise do you know what that D@$#%$ dessert is that someone mentioned in an earlier post.??? Are you behaving these days and wearing sensible shoes ??? Somewhere in the 50 to 60 pair there must be a few pairs. AND… now that I know what it means … thanks to you guys… LOL everyone LOL.
   Off to weed my gardens which should have been done in March and April when I couldn’t.

2. Jonathan, I’ve been worried about the arthritis too. My doctor said that there is a good chance of getting arthritis in the ankle after breaking it because of the cartlidge damage. He showed me on the x-rays where there is carlidge missing… so over time your bones will start rubbing together where the cartlidge is damaged and that’s what causes the arthritis. That’s why it’s so important for me to lose weight now. The less stress you put on your ankle joints, the less wear and tear you’ll cause for the future. Does that make sense?

   As far as the hardware goes, my doctor told me that I could leave it in unless there is ever a problem. I’m hoping there won’t be any! 🙂

3. Lois, Thanks for sharing your progress. It makes me feel better knowing you’re doing so well 4 months post-injury. My accident happened so fast and easy too (slipped on water at work) that I know when I start walking again I’m going to be so paranoid. Heck, I already am! My first night sleeping with no aircast on was scary. I was scared I’d brush the blanket over my ankle the wrong way and break it! LOL (p.s. lol means “laugh out loud”) 🙂 Anyway, it’s encouraging to hear you’re doing so well. 🙂

   Melanie, thanks for sharing about your work experience too. I teach students with severe/profound intellectual disabilities. I have 3 students in wheelchairs and 2 who can walk (one of which is the one that kicks and steps all over my feet when trying to get close to me. He’s very clingy!) lol Anyway, how long were you out of work with your injury? School starts back for me in 3 weeks and I haven’t even started walking yet. The doctor just ordered weight bearing up to 25 lbs. I just don’t see myself being able to go to work in a wheelchair. Like I said, I have 3 kids in wheelchairs that I have to be able to manuever around the room and the school, and be able to lift in and out of their wheelchairs. Then I also have one student with pretty significant behavior problems. I won’t be able to control his behaviors from a wheelchair. I really, really want to be there the first week of school though. *sigh* I guess I’m asking, how long were you out of work for and did you wait until you were able to walk before you went back? This accident happened in my classroom so I’m on Workers Comp. A janitor dripped water onto the tile floor after shampooing the carpet from a student who got sick. And my foot found that drip of water!!

   On a side note, I went back to the school a few weeks ago (during summer school) to get a few things out of my room. The janitor who had dripped the water was SO rude to me. She wouldn’t let me roll into my room using my wheelchair because she said she would have to mop again!! With my emotions all over the place these days, I busted out crying and went straight to the principal. lol The principal talked to the janitor and they let me in my room. 🙂 I dread facing them again though… I HATE crying in front of people but she had just pushed the wrong button… she didn’t even bother asking me how I was doing or anything, she just simply refused to let me in my room because she would have to mop it!!! Okay, venting over. 🙂

   Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July!!

4. lois!! LOL is short for Laugh out loud! Hee hee… it did take me a while to work it out too when I first saw it, but now I cannot stop using it, I use it quite a lot I have to say! 🙂

   Hello to Christy, sounds like things are going quite well with you!

   And to Losing Patience, I can understand why that particular comment may have struck a cord, but obviously this site is for everyone’s opinions, thoughts and feelings too. It would get quite boring I feel if all we talked about was ankle’s all the live long day I feel, but yes, I believe you are also entitled to your opinion as well! 🙂

   Louise xx

5. Oh Lois. LOL means Laugh out Loud…LOL

6. Hey everyone, I been reading this blog and must say it is helping to ease my fears. I broke my left ankle in three places and dislocated it on May 27, 2008 playing with my sisters kids..I had surgery the next day got the pins, plates everything. I am now going on week 6 of my heal. It feels good. I don’t hurt, and the doctors say my bones have healed perfectly. They even question whether I should have been able to walk on it at 4 wks, but the doctor wasnt in and is nurse said we’d just wait. I go next tuesday and I expect to get my hard cast off. I am anxious to go back to work. I am an assistant manager in retail i’m on my feet all day. I know I can walk on it. I did try, even though my cast is still on. Like I said I’m at week 6. Im just scared of what its going to look like when the cast comes off. I saw it a month ago when they took the staples out..yuckk!! I’m glad to have found all of you. 🙂 I’ll update my progress.

7. Clark, way to go, and thank you

   ps can someone please explain to this computer dummy what LOL means. ?????? I can’t figure it out.

   Re: ankles. Not four months until July 10, but seem to be getting better and better. Noticed a couple of days ago that my ankle was a bit more sore and wondered why. Turned out that I am starting to forget that I have a problem now,,, and beginning to just walk and act normal instead of favoring it. So of course I am using muscles, tendons that have been idle for four months while it was being pampered. (Thus the temporary soreness) So favoring the ankle less, limping less and beginning to finally get over the fear that I might further hurt myself by falling down the stairs again, step in a hole, trip over something, or have a car accident (which I have never had) My accident had happened so fast and ridiculously easily and hurt so darned much that fear of further injury had become part of everything for the past four months. Seems like my brain is finally giving me a break and easing up on the accident paranoia. The only think I did NOT do was relive the accident in nightmares, like someone else previously complained about. Happy July 4 to all be safe and have fun.

8. Good morning all,
   I want to respond to my last post.
   I do not mean to offend any particular person here and I am truly sorry if I have upset anyone. This is a board where people write about their thoughts and feelings, and generally they are centered around ankles. I was simply expressing my view over something that I had read, something not related to ankles. Ankle injuries are what we all have in common and I really do feel that this is a great resource of information and support as we are all in the same ballpark with that. We have learned a lot fom each other and I have enjoyed reading this blog for the past 5 months. But yes, I am losing patience with the whole Barack as anti-christ thing because honestly, I find it hard to believe that some take this as truth. That is my opinion and I have a right to voice it. And yes, I do not want to be associated with the idea of not being comfortable with someone’s racial background. I may have sounded aggressive in my last post (and perhaps maybe I should have ‘dealt with it’ or censored my own thoughts) but like I mentioned earlier, I have zero tolerance for anything that even hints towards racial intolerance. And I do not wish to take away anyone’s right to speak their thoughts – that is not my intention. I certainly do not want to “police the internet” and/or people’s right to post how they feel. That was never something I would even think, let alone suggest. But if someone posts something that might be considered offensive, be prepared to hear other thoughts on the topic. Opposing thoughts. Agreeing thoughts. And yes, even thoughts of someone who is perhaps worked up over a particular statement, especially one that lumps everyone into a category of not being comfortable with any particular racial background. We all have our common injuries. We all come from different backgrounds. And, we all have the right to our thoughts, even if they are coming from different places.
   Lois, Thank you for your wonderful post. I appreciate the story that you shared with us and think that such happenings are what we as humans should strive for. Clark, sounds like you are expressing your thoughts towards me in the same manner I had expressed my thoughts towards the post (or, more pointedly, my thoughts towards the notion of being uncomfortable with a particular racial background) I want to clarify that I do not mean to cause a ruckus here. I do want this response to be my attempt to move away from the personal attacks. As I mentioned earlier, if you’re gonna put a charged statement out there, expect a debate. That is all that I had intended to do and again I apologize for sounding harsh in my previous post. I think we can all agree that the art of debate and freedom of speech is certainly one thing that is precious to all of us.
   Have a happy holiday all, and keep on moving!

9. Dear Losing Patience,

   It would have been much more helpful if you had chosen to share your own ankle break story and progress with us. You cannot expect those who actually contribute to this site to provide you with daily entertainment and progress advise, while you sit silently for five months contributing nothing, then becoming upset when someone asks a question/makes a comments with which you disagree. It appears from your post that it was actually only one person’s questions and comment that you found objectionable. It had already been stated by a couple of us, respectfully I hope, that we disagreed with her. However, I certainly do have every respect for the author of those questions and comments. She (who has the courage to use her own name rather than a moniker) has contributed significantly to this site in total. She has discussed ankles,, progress and offered caring supportive comments to others. She does not deserve such harsh criticism from you. There are many medical sites on line,,, for those who wish to know just the facts…

10. LIZ, I suppose when I first went back to work, I was able to sit a lot and do Discreet Trials (do you know what that is? Not sure of the population of kids you work with?) I also helped one on one with kids doing academic work. I was VERY VERY fortunate to work with teachers who put me in a safe place. I could still work with the children, but my ankle came first. Then when I started wearing my air cast, for some reason I felt that offered me so much more protection than my previous two casts. Maybe purely psychological, but I did feel safer. Anywho…I am left handed, so I all ready go left foot first into anything. Oh, it was my right ankle that was broken. So if I had to do a therapeutic hold on a child (say he was throwing things, hitting another child or staff memeber, whatever), I tried to keep my right leg back and out of the way. It was amazing when I had my PT appointments in the afternoons after school. I almost could not do the work. So during spring break I asked for my appointments to be in the morning. My PT was stunned! In a good way. The difference in strength and ability in the AM rather than PM. It was because working with my kiddos all day (and I am sure you know what I mean and all you educators working with typically developing children can also relate), was physically exhausting. By the time I got to PT for an afternoon appointment, my ankle just COULD NOT meet the demands. But my PT was happy that, seeing me in the mornings, I could do the stretches, exercises. I guess he realized I had been working at home and not just “pretending”. I digress. So in the classroom I did everything possible to keep my right ankle away from the kiddos. And flip flops were not even a consideration. I wore hiking boots!!!! LOL. After the air cast came off and I was “unprotected”, I suppose the boots gave me a similar sense of safety. High over the ankles and padded. And I bought a pair of inexpensive ones from Target. So relatively good quality for what I needed them for, but did not break the bank. They also provided some protection against any possible injuries of….things….hitting the metal pin or screws that you can feel through my skin. Icky! A chair being knocked over backwards, games being dropped, books being thrown. Whatever. So yep, even in the late spring, early summer, I was in boots, then tennis shoes. Oh yeah. They were also one half size too large, still becasue the swelling was so substantial. The size would be too big for my left foot, so I would wear a hiking sock on that foot to sort of fill in for the size issue, and then a regular sock for the right foot. Hope this helps!!!!

    Happy 4th of July!

    Melanie

11. Losing Patience,

    The last time I checked, this was a relatively unstructured open blog about broken ankles and the people they are attached to. As one of these people, one of us, a member of this club since December, we are the communicators regarding those broken ankles, and it stands to reason that sometimes, perhaps several, or many times, due to networking, question/answer, curiosity, just being human, asking for help, needing help, out of fear of the unknown, and the known, for whatever reason, that sometimes the subject may stray from just broken ankles and move on to affiliated subjects regarding current new events, crime, social problems and politics, whatever . . . Many people felt the need to write in following the Virginia Tech shooting trajedy, to mention just one instance. No one complained then.
    And as humans, as people, we vary in many ways, just like our ankle breaks. Opinions are like a——s, every one has them. And those opinions are impossible to police (this is the internet, not to mention our First Ammendment). Email or get that webmaster on the phone and lets sanction that blogger, or better yet, we’ll call Christi. Or lets not.
    Since the only thing you can do to avoid these other posting that disturb you so is just not to read it, skip it, move on to one that interests you, or you can just not bring this blog online. Or, LOSING PATIENCE, perhaps you will just have to learn to deal with it, or, if not, take your toys and go home. But that would be a loss to all of us, as I am certain that you do occassionaly have something of value to offer, more than your last stilted offering telling everyone else how to live their lives, and how to post on this blog, not to mention what disturbs your version of your sancturary.
    Thanks but no thanks! I prefer the diversity, and I too sometimes wonder what is up with some of these, but I would defend forever the right to post them than see them regulated and censored!
    People do come up with some strange ideas at times, but they offer them here becuase I think that they know they will be given a fair shake, and not be asked to think only in the box, your box, your viewpoint of what the Randomness blog should be about, perhaps just about ankles, pain, pins, plates, bolts, nuts, screws, fusion, crutches, canes, boots, casts, scars, docs, ortho’s, rehab, physio, ice, elevation, surgery, drugs, pills, infection, catheters, bedpans, motorcycle accidents, falls, walkers, appointments, bills, medicare, medical, medicaid, SSA disability, applications, denials, un employment insurance, state disability, workmans comp, lawsuits, scar tissue, and adhesions, disolving stiches, stapeles, etc… Hope that satisified your fix for ankle detail.
    That would get boring pretty quick. And even with the invasion of your space, at the end of your day, after your PT, when you just want to escape to this “sanctuary” of ankle postings, wherein you are disappointed when you can not read just only about ankles, but thinss un ankle, and may not want to read this posting of mine, but instead are sick to your stomach from the racism, the bigotry, and religious beliefs of others, than I can only say, drink an Alka Seltzer, take an Aspinir, or one of your pain pills, if you still use them, grit your teeth and take it. OR NOT! You can always turn off FOX news, if you tire of the opinionated nationalistic pro administration newscast, and you can always skip on to the next posting.
    As I step off my soap box, I can say that I have never found any degree of racism, fanaticism or bigotry on this site worth mentioning, until I read yours.
    That’s it. Done.

    Clark

12. Mmmmmmm…..banoffee pie!!! Oh!! You people will make me fat(ter!) thinking about all of these yummy deserts i cant have!! Banoffee pie is my FAVOURITE!! And as for the erm…spotted D@#”! Lol! i cant remember who mentioned it! Yes….that is a very popular desert over in the uk. Although not so much in recent years I have noticed. Its like when you have to order a cocktail or shot of something and they are called all sorts of very compromising names! hee hee! You do feel like a bit of a muppet saying them! 🙂

    Angie! Congrats on getting the moon boot off! That must feel good, although yeah, i have heard that some people find it really easy to walk with that on, and then cannot walk so well with it off….its all about the practise! 🙂 It has been nearly 11 weeks since my surgery now, and I am getting impatient!! Screws out on monday, then i shall be able to finally weight bear again! Yay!

    Liz! I have had a very down day today! Don’t worry…have a little moan, its fine! This is one place where I dont think anyone minds if you let off a bit of steam. I went to a BBQ today, and was so annoying, as the person’s patio was very uneven and on a hill, so I couldn’t hop around without my crutches like I do at home, and had to keep asking ppl to get me things, like a burger, and a drink, and argh! Just got me really down! I felt like a right incompetant idiot, and it drove me mad. By the time I left I was so frustrated by not being able to do stuff, I wished I had stayed home, and when I got in I just burst into tears!
    As for the flip flops, they are the only shoes I can wear at the moment! Good job, like yourself, I am also a flip flop queen, and have quite a collection! 🙂 I can also drive in flippy’s quite easily unlike most people! Very handy!

    As for me, well as I said above, bad day for me emotionally, but the ankle is ok today! The swelling from work over the last 2 days has gone down, but it does ache! I still have a numb patch on the top of my foot, right near the joint! If i push hard on it it sends lots of little tingly sensations down to my toes, but if I touch lightly then I cannot feel anything. Is this just nerve damage?? I hope so!! Counting the days till monday!!! Only 4 days to go, and then 25 days till I fly to New york!! oh yeah! Im getting excited now, although still very nervous about it! It will be fine im sure. Oh and a final dilemma! What would everyone else do?? Ok, so an annual travel insurance policy is about £25 to cover me for everything other than my ankle (as its now a pre-existing medical condition!) but to cover me for it it would cost about £160 for ONE WEEK!!!! Eeeek! What should I do? Do I pay the extra just in case? Or just not worry about it?? Any ideas everyone?

    Take care!
    Louise xx

13. For the past 5 months of my trimalleolar ankle fracture experience, this board has been an indispensable resource and support group for me with regard to our rather unfortunate common injuries. I am grateful to everyone who has shared their stories and voiced concerns regarding their ankle injuries. It has served me well by providing valuable information on potential experiences, including hurdles, milestones and triumphs, along the healing journey. I am at month 5 and have benefited immensely from the advice and guidance of many of your posts. Thank you for that. However, lately I have been downright grimacing in shock at some stuff posted on this ankle break board. I am all about learning from each other and respecting each others beliefs, and most of what I read is truly intriguing and well thought out, but some of this is really getting goofy. Barack Obama an anti-Christ? (You have got to be kidding me) But more troubling to me was the comment “so many people and even some of my own family are fearful of him and I agree he doesn’t come from an ethic background that we as Americans are comfortable with or accustomed to…” Honestly, this is beyond rational debate and just too offensive to ignore. PLEASE, let’s leave the racism, bigotry and ill-thought out concerns over fantasy anti-christs at the door. I for one do not want to read about it, especially not here. Like I said, normally this is my little sanctuary of ankle information but after reading that post I literally felt sick to my stomach. I mean really (whoever posted that): you say “we as Americans”, but what really is your paradigm and ideal of “American”? I am an American, and I refuse to associate myself with such discriminatory statements. If you are not “comfortable” with someone like Barack Obama’s “ethnic background”, then a) you live in a scary bubble that I don’t want to associate with and b) you are racist. Bottom line. And seriously, I generally like the friendly, positive banter and communications on this board and there have certainly been some well thought out, intelligently scribed posts on this site that have been a delight to read after a long day of work and PT, but this particular post (and that train of thought in general) is something I have to, as an American, respond to. Sorry for the rant, but I have zero tolerance for such ways of thinking.
    In honor of the 4th of July, let’s remember what’s important and celebrate with dignity and pride, not fear and racism. Thank you for listening – I know I can’t be the only one losing patience!!!

14. Hope everyone is doing good. First day with tennis shoes and small brace. I am doing well. My first steps on my foot was hard. Almost past out when I started walking. Felt weard. I managed today to walk with no crutches. I want to let everyone know it does get better. Never thought I would walk on my own. I hope it keeps getting better. It has been 9 weeks since surgery. I can say, it has been a horrible experience. I take one day at a time.

15. Whoops that thank-you above was for Louise 🙂

    Melanie, I hadn’t even thought about that aspect of working with my class. I get stepped on and kicked all the time by my students, just not realizing their personal space. Oh gosh, I’ve just been so ready to get back to work I hadn’t even thought about the logistics of it all. How did you manage that problem? Once all the bones are healed and things are back to “normal,” if there ever is a normal would kids stepping on my feet be a problem? Will my ankle be that delicate? *sigh* I’m a flip-flop queen, wear them all the time… are flip-flops going to be out of the question now? Man, I’m so bummed just thinking of all the changes this one little slip of the foot is going to bring for the rest of my life. *sigh* Sorry for the negativity, feeling a little down today.

16. Hi All!

    CLARK, so very sorry I lost your phone # along with my itinarary in the Fresno airport so now that I’m home again I’ll find it and call. I was way to busy anyway. Now I need a vacation from my vacation! I did make it to Yosemite and managed to get all the way to Vernal Falls. So ankle breakers, look to the future!! You’ll climb mountains someday again I hope.

    SHOES! GET THE BEST and most cushioned shoes that you can. I have ASCIC’s gel running shoes, 2nd pair now, one size too large, and they are great! they mold to your foot. Cheap tennis shoes will not work. Remeber you have to reduce the trauma to your foot..every step counts! After two year of this ankle, I’m doing quite well partly because I am very careful about walking with the curved sole these shoes offer to reduce body impact (which runners also do).

    ARTHRITIS! Most ankle breakers get arthritis eventually. Maybe 10, 20, 30 years from now. It depends on how you treat your ankle. Those who only have the broken fibula with the plate will do much better. Those like me who damaged the tibial plafund will have trouble. That’s where the good shoes come in. Forget all that wearing heels stuff. Think of your life, not your sexuality. If you have husbands who want you to wear heels or have a heels fetish, you better sit down and have a talk!

    AntiChrist!
    This is mainly a Christian fundementalist Book of Revelations end- of-time thing; certainly not Christian mainstream. My thought is that those folks looking for the antiChrist should look elseware. I can think of a few others who would be a better representative. As for Obama, some folks just better get over their racism. The world has wonderful people of all shades and colors. Like Clark, my life is in the public sector, and I would not belong there if I thought otherwise.

    To be continued when I get through all the posts!

    Anklequest

17. Hey Lois, Thanks for the welcome… it is interesting how all of our breaks are treated differently. My doctor put me in an aircast 2 weeks after surger but NOT to bear weight. He just wanted me to be able to take it off and start getting motion in my foot (flexing it back and forth and rolling it). He said the sooner I started moving it the better. On this Tuesday (4 weeks after surgery) is when he finally said I could bear some weight (only 25 pounds though) during Physical Therapy. I’ve been to PT 2x’s this week though and we still haven’t done that. I’m hoping to next week.

    My ankle is feeling good now except for one little spot on the top of my foot/ankle. It’s right where they put a screw and it HURTS whenever I try to bend my foot too far either way. I feel like if it weren’t for that one little spot on my ankle I could move it much better. The PT said it’s possible scar tissue that he might need to massage. Has anyone had this issue?

    Anyway, hope everyone’s feeling good today and taking small steps to recovery. 🙂

18. Hello Sharon,

    The shoes you are referring to are probably Nike Shocks. They are about $150+ depending. I have them and they don’t feel any different, what I do recommend are what I call rockers, they do the movement your joint does. Therefore, helping eliminate some of the pain. My ortho recommended them, the only thing is that they start at $250.00. That is a lot of money.

19. Congrats Angie on getting rid of the moon boot. I never did walk on my own with that thing. I always had to use my crutches. My foot is only a size 5 though and it kind of got lost in that big thing. As far as tennis shoes I don’t have any good advice on that as I don’t have any good ones either to walk in. I still limp no matter what I put on my foot, but I will tell you that I intend in the next week or so to go get me some tennis shoes that have the springs in them. Can’t remember what they are called but that has to be good cushion for the bottom of your foot and I just feel like maybe that will take some of the strain off of the ankle when I step down. If I didn’t have such excruciating pain on the inside ankle still I don’t think I would have much of a limp. I know this didn’t help but if you find some good ones in the next week or so please let me know.

20. LOis, LOL! yes we will still let you cross. I do agree with the Americans and the fact about the fear tactics. And also know that by asking the question about the Obama–anti-christ thing I would be treading lightly so to speak with some cultures and religious beliefs. You did give a good insight though and I appreciate that. We are not here to get mad at each other for the beliefs or non-beliefs of each others country or cultural but in fact to learn from each other and that is what I am trying to do and I appreciate you being bold enough to be the first one to step up and tell how you view the situation. It makes things clearer sometimes to have someone on the “outside looking in”.

    Thanks again.

    Sharon

21. Sharon

    I went to the ortho yesterday. Good news, they removed the moon boot. I now have an air cast. I was doing great with the moon boot. I was walking with no crutches. I am having a problem now. It is hard to start walking with tennis shoes. Do you recommend any specific shoes. My foot will not fit into my regular tennnis shoes. I bought some more, but very unconfortable. How long did it take you to walk normal with tennis shoes? We are going to beach on Monday. I am hoping to walk normal by then. The doctor said I might be able to walk in sand. It has been 9 weeks since my surgery.

22. Good morning to all or evening to some or night depending on the parts of the world you are in at this moment. It is 7:15 AM here in Louisiana. I do love this site and to listen to all the different hurdles that each of us have to face in our life.

    Clark, not to keep us off the subject of the ankles, but at the same time different topics give us time to stop thinking about our problems. So, I have a question. Here in Louisiana we have people and e-mails especially going around like crazy claiming that Obama is the anti-christ. Do you or anyone have a comment about this from your standpoint of where ya’ll live? I know religion can be a touchy subject for people but I would just like to know what the rest of the world thinks.

    Happy healing to all. I go today to get my stitches out from my surgery on the 19th. YIPPEEE!!!!

    sharon

23. Someone mentioned numb toes. I started with about four numb toes when first casted. They all came back but the toe next in from my baby toe. That toe felt like it had attached itself to the side of the next toe like a slug or a leach,,, It would only move in conjunction with the other toe. I became really worried about it,,, certain it was dead and that I would get gangrene but the gp, said it was too early to worry. He was right. Before, and after the cast was off, I would place a wad of toilet paper between the two toes trying to get the bad one to act independently. In fact it became a favorite game of the puppies to charge along and swipe the wad of toilet paper from between my toes and then race around the house. Anyway, the good news is that very quickly after the cast came off the feeling started to return, and the nerves muscles etc returned to normal. I do think, that trying to isolate it from the others, and force it to move,,, and massage it likely did help though. Hope this helps anyone experiencing this problem.

24. Hi all, Like Louise, I think that I too am addicted to this site, and just enjoy you ALL so much. Love the chuckles you give me. I guess only we “physically challenged” can really relate. I know one thing, my husband certainly looked relieved when I announced one day that I was able to carry my own purse now. Good luck to all of you with upcoming medical appointments and procedures and good luck to all struggling to walk. So many names on here, I won’t refer to each individually except Louise,,, just to say that no, we had never heard of Banoffee Pie until we were in England. I looked it up on the internet and there are tons of recipes… including the original monks recipe. It is really scrumptious. Hard to make,,, but worth it. When this is all over we should celebrate by putting on our fanciest polka dot,,, tiger stripe or whatever stiletto high heels and eating Banoffee pie.
    So Clark,,, what are your thoughts of the Clinton/Obama situation?????

25. Melanie and Louise,

    Listening to the horrid stories about the dreaded crutches makes me laugh because it is so true. I would prop mine up here in my office and they’d fall just as sure as anything and the first few times people would swarm out of their offices hollering “are you okay” and so it got to be that anytime one or both of them would fall I’d immediately yell “I’m okay”. And I had learned real fast that I couldn’t use the word darn following them falling or that brought people running. The only good thing I can say for them is I got comments from guy co-workers that my boobs looked bigger. LOL! Oh well I guess there was something good about them afterall. 🙂

26. Hello everyone once again!! I feel i am become a little too addicted to this site, and posting on this site hee hee! Well, if not, there is so much to read if you leave it for a few days or so isn’t there??

    Tammy! Great to hear that you are coming along great! I am interested…I am having 2 screws out on monday, and am interested to hear what happened to your ankle after you had the screws out! Did it swell tonnes, or was it really weak or…..??

    Clark. Sorry to hear about Nathan!! At least he will always have a place in the living room to be remembered! I hope your PT sessions go really well, and help the ankle as well!!

    Liz. Nice to hear your story. ISn’t it amazing how differently everyone’s ankle’s are treated? I broke and dislocated mine on 23rd april 08 and am still not weight bearing on it hardly at all, whereas you were in an aircast pretty quickly, and putting pressure on it?! Hm…very interesting!

    I had my second day back at work today, and am EXHAUSTED!! My shoulders are starting to feel the strain as well as my ankle. It is aching, and swelled up 10 times faster than it did yesterday. Yesterday it was about 5 hours into my shift before it looked like a football, but today it was of a similar size by about 10am (and I started at 8am!) Well, I have iced it, and elevated it again, and just waiting for the swelling to go down! Grrr….I hope this stops very soon I have to say! Also, my crutches have started squeaking when I am putting weight on them…well, just one of them actually! Its very annoying because everyone looks at me, in an inquisitive manner whenever I sqeak past on my crutches looking slightl out of breath, bright red, and have a brow which is glowing in the sunlight! It is very off putting i have to say!!!! Hee hee!

    Well, until erm….probably the next time, whenever that may be! Take care everyone!

    Louise xxx

27. Hi all~

    It has been a long time since I have posted. If you remember I broke and dislocated my ankle slipping in the parking lot. I had surgery Feb 22 and then again April 11 to remove a syndesmotic screw. No weight bearing until April 15 or so. I have been in Physical therapy for almost three months. I am proud to think that I am almost limp free. I think I am but I don’t think everyone else thinks I am.(limp free)However I have developed RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy in my foot and ankle) It affects three of my toes( the middle three, the top of foot to the top of the front of my ankle. I am curious if any one else has developed this condition and whether or not they are free from it now…or still dealing with it.

    Also I am leaving for Vegas and I think someone else said they were headed there. Maybe we’ll see each other hobbling a long.

    Have a great one..stay upright!
    Tammy

28. Hello AnkleBreakers! Regards and best of healing and health to all. Remember: WATCH YOUR STEP(S)!
    Sandra,
    Thank you for the detailed status report regarding your recovery. Good to hear from you. My sincere appologies for not singleing you out before now and writing to you. You and Don have been truly inspirational (being double breakers) and I should have written to you and Don earlier. But I did have computer problems, and life adjustments. He’s next on the list.
    I do not know if it is just me getting older, or I have the gene specific for Al Zheimer’s, an old friend of mine (not quite yet, but anything is possible), but if I do meet him, I will no doubt forget him, but since my break I feel 20 years older, as if suddenly in my 70’s (I should live that long). But no sense fooling with that one. No way to avoid it, if it is on it’s way, but would rather it changed it itinerary and went off in a different direction. Who can tell? Who knows?
    Glad you are walking with little assist. Good that you are keeping your ankles elevated. It does help, but then, so do the pain killers. I ran out over the weekend, and my retirement check didn’t direct deposit until last nite, so picked up another 60 pills this morning. Lasting longer now, and mixing them with Ibuprofin. Bought a vitamin drink and took two at the pharmacy, since I had been out, and was in a bit of pain. When you hurt and your’e out, one must just grit the teeth and motor on. Used to get a bit of a kick if I took several, now they just take away the pain, with no kick. So far no addiction problems. But would rather chance that then go cold Turkey and live with the pain. Life is just too short for that. Sometimes I feel like House, walking around with the cane, on the diagnosis medical tv show “House”. But thats just a show. Maybe I’m more like Marty Crane, of the “FRAZIER” show. But my dog is not named Eddie.
    As a matter of fact, you are without crutches these days, and still take a stick with you, eh? Good for you. Today I am 11 weeks post op from my fusion, and the doc told me that the bones were healed, but that spiking nerve connection pain would likely go on for a year or so, and the general pain level would still be there, but technically, I was healed, as far as bone healing went. So went back to the brace and the cane, today! What a difference from doing so after the 3rd surgery. Even then with little mobility then, I had some mobility. And did not suffer atrophy in my calf. This time, today, was much different. Much atrophy, much pain, limited mobility, and very slow. Not like I hadn’t done this before, but then, when I did, I was not FUSED! Very big difference. It will get better, but not by much. Just have to get used to it I guess, and today was the first day in the brace after the fusion. Can only get better. Makes me wonder why I just don’t go back on the crutches, but backsliding won’t get me healed any faster.
    I enjoy reading about your healing, regarding scars and flexiblity. And it’s not just the scars, it’s the adhesions, the scar tissue beneath the skin, that causes the problems, but not for me. Since I have no movement from the fusion, no pulling on the scar tissue. My scars from the first 3 surgeries were light, not deep, and caused no problems anyway. Tnis time, the right outside scar is deep, maybe a quarter inch, and about 4 inches long, with the inside not quite as deep, and about 3 inches long.
    resembles that new canyon they just discoverd on Mars. Long and deep. The scar up the back, over my Achilles tendon and outside my Tib, is still the same. Can’t see it anyway. Hell, there goes my ankle modeling career.
    But seriously, not too much pain associated with the scars. You question whether to remove the hardware or keep it after 10 months. If the doc is nuetral on that, and says it is up to you, and the itching is over, and it doesn’t show, it can only make you stronger, leaving the hardware in there.
    During the fusion, they took out the inside long plate, and screws, and did the same for the smaller one on the outside. Left the Achilles plate and screws in there. But they replaced my plates with what I thought were 3/8’s inch lag screws, Titanium of course, bone screws to be sure, but sure looked big on the xrays. I asked the doc, and he said he was not sure of the centimeter size, or whatever, but that they were one 3rd of an inch wide, and about 5 inches long. So together, at an angle, crossed like daggers, or swords, they go through the Tib and Fib each, and then on into the Talus, totally locking up the ankle. Probably more to tell, but I don’t have all the facts yet. He is so busy when I see him, he has just the time for the facts. Just the facts, Maam, just the facts! (Jack Webb as Joe Friday, LAPD Homocide Inspector, on “DRAGNET”.) A popular old police show from the 50’s. Just the facts, Maam, just the facts.
    I have an R/x for 3 “physio” sessions, or PT, as we call it here in the states. Probably enough to give me some hints at proper toe raises, for calf growth, and stationary bike riding, which really scares me. Want to ride my bike again, but don’t want to get out there and have a problem with rotation, flexion and motion. And besides, she gives really great foot massages, but can’t feel that much anymore now, due to nerve damage. May get better. Maybe not. Time will tell.
    I often think back about your fall, on that street corner, causing your double break. Add that with the steepness of your streets, and the weather and the fog, really makes me want to get this last move over with and move up to the north coast as soon as possible, where the weather up there closely resembles that of the UK. The foggy bluffs, the cold, the rain, steepness of the streets and the coastal climes. I mentioned that my earliest known ancestors came from Penryn, Cornwall, didn’t I? Perhaps my genes are yearning to get back to their weatherly ancestral roots. t least weather wise. Still want to make it to Great Britian someday, and will call you with my itinerary when I am close to doing so. We can have tea and biscuts looking out over the ooast, and the fog.
    Rambling on now, so will end this epistile on ankles.
    But glad to hear from you and sorry for being so distant. Always enjoyed conversing with you and did not mean to be so far off.
    Picked up Nathan’s cremains today. Really, that’s what they are called. Sounds terrible. Wasn’t as hard as I thought it may be. Only choked up once, a bit. He is on the mantle now, in his cedar box, over-looking my small living room, and it feels good to have him back, somewhat. I know its a bit nuts, but what the hell? Is not everything just a bit nuts these days? And perhaps getting more so?
    Glad to hear that you are doing as well as can be expected. Keep up the fight.
    After today, I realized more than ever just what a permanent condition this is, and it is only my right ankle. Thats why I have so much respect for you double breakers, you, Don, and Celinda. You all have twice the pain, the discomfort, agony, twice the adjustment. Can’t imagine. Just keep on keeping on. Take care, Sandra.
    Clark

    Louise, glad to hear about your return to work. And is that not so true about crutches? They always fall, and always do as much damage as possible on the way down. You are not alone there. Some people have talked of attaching bags to carry things in to their crutches, but the bags swings all over the place, defeats the purpose. Backpack or purse, or whaever.
    Keep up the positive attitude. Most improtant.
    Take care.
    Clark

29. Hi All, I’m so glad to have found this message board and have been reading over all of your stories. It’s nice to find others who are in my same predicament.

    Just wanted to share my story with you all…
    I slipped on some water at work on June 20th and broke my right ankle in 3 places. I’m a special education teacher and slipped in my classroom. I had to wait 2 weeks for surgery because of the swelling and a huge fracture blister that developed on my ankle.

    Anyway, I had surgery to get a plate and 5 screws put in. It has been 4 weeks since the surgery. I’m in an Aircast but still not able to stand or walk on it. I had an appointment today with the ortho and he finally prescribed PT with weight bearing up to 25 pounds. I had my first PT session today and it went better than expected… my ankle is so stiff and there was some discomfort during the stretching exercises but not near as much as I thought there would be. I’m just so ready to start walking again and driving. School starts back in 4 weeks and I have to be on my feet all day. The doctor hasn’t told me if I’ll be ready to go back to work or not.

    My biggest fear now is having pain for the rest of my life from the break or arthritis. I’m 27 and have been healthy up until now although I am overweight. The doctor has already told me that it’s very important for me to lose weight now!

    Also, I’m worried I won’t be able to work out at the gym lke I was before. I was doing so good and had found some classes I really liked (step aerobics and Kick classes). I’m worried that these will be too high impact for my ankle now.

    Anyway, I just wanted to share my story. Thanks for listening. 🙂

30. SANDRA, I am sorry you BROKE (SHATTERED) both ankles! I remember reading that earlier, but after awhile was going cross-eyed. Anyhoo, see….that is why I try never to feel sorry for myself because someone always has more to overcome. I am so fortunate. Even when I broke my one ankle, while waiting for the ambulance (well not really then. I kept screaming the “F” word. REPEATEDLY. I think the people in Arizona heard me), I kept thinking “I could have had a compound fracture. I could have landed on a cactus or ant hill. I could have landed on a ledge and then rolled down the trail. I could have been further up the trail. Blah blah blah”. And my husband reminded me it was in August of ’05, not ’04.

    And it hasn’t been until the past year that I have worn anything but trainers or sandals. I did get a pair of really cool sort of go-go boots with heels last winter. Well, I looked like Marty Feldman’s “Igor” in “Young Frankenstein”. “Walk this way”. I tried them on about 3 weeks ago and can finally walk in them properly. I was SO EXCITED. And I now have a pair of strappy sandals with a thick heel and feel really okay in them, but NEVER walk on uneven terrain, or walk fast. I’m still too scared. And Sharon, as far as the weather…when we were in Albuquerque, the winter’s were seriously cold. I wore UGGS, even when I was in my heated house. It was the only way I could keep my ankle warm. I was one sexy mama! I bet you guys LOVE reading about women’s shoes, but it is something very important to us!!!! For me it’s a part of my femininity. I do not think most men connect to clothes like women do. I have asked my husband what I can compare this to and nothing.

    And Sandra, I can understand NHS. We were stationed over there (Cambridgshire) for 4 years and the horror stories I heard. One OAP from our village needed a hip replacement and was on a waiting list. FOR TWO YEARS. The poor woman was in a wheelchair! Well, she was on one of those bus tours and tripped going into an old cathedral (aren’t they all over there?!?). Actually broke her hip and got the replacement then only because she had broken it!!

    LOUISE, I too lost about 15 lbs during my recuperation, but I think that was due to all the “exercise” on my crutches. Just really got my metabolism going. Conversely, it has had a negative affect on my hips and shoulders. AND THOSE DARN CRUTCHES! I too knocked EVERTHING over. If it was not nailed down, my crutches caught it. And going to the movies, well, really anywhere where you had to move sideways…. It is amazing what one can learn to do when forced.

    I am so glad I found you guys!!!!!!!

    Take care all!!!!!

31. Hi everyone!!!!

    Sandra…thanks for that little update on stuff. It is good to hear from ppl a lot further down the line frome me, because it reminds me that things will eventually start getting back to normal!!! Sooner rather than later i hope! I am quite young, so I am hoping thats going to be in my favour, although do have a few extra pounds, which doesn’t!!!!!
    Although…I weighed myself yesterday, and I have lost all the weight I put on in the 1st few weeks of being totally laid up (whihc was about 10 pounds or so) plus an extra half a stone! I am AMAZED!!!!! Although, some of that would be due to the muscle loss in my leg i guess….even so! Im not complaining! hee hee!

    So…I went back to work today! A 9-5 shift, just doing admin work today, not talking to any angry customers on the phone. i then had a trip to the cinema in the evening! Good film, but my ankle does not hurt, although is now the size of an infant child’s head!! It is approx double the size that it was when I left the house this morning! I have been out of the house for about 14 hours,so that is by far the longest time I have not had my leg elevated for!!

    I have also come to the conclusion that crutches are the bain of my life, and why is it that wherever you put them, they are ALWAYS in the way? And wherever you put them they will always fall down, and WHEN they fall down, they cause the most amount of possible destruction possible on their way down?? For example, clearing my desk of piles of well organised papers full of direct debit details from over 200 different clients? Or almost causing work collegues to trip over and break their own ankles in the process of trying to clamber back to their seats?? Hugely irriating! Also more small informalities are discovered once back in the work place….such as not being able to carry water back from the water machine, or not being strong enough to hold open the huge fire doors as I try to get through them to get into the office….or trying to get into the work toilet cubicles! Crutches and work just well….DOESN’T work thats what it is! ha ha! Oh well!! I will look back on this one day and laugh! It is the only occasion where I have thought to myself I am lucky to work in a call centre, where i can park my backside on a chair all day long and not really have to move.

    Anywho…on that note, I am off to run myself a nice warm bath, and go to bed, as I have to be at work tomorrow morning at 8am, so erm…about 8.5 hours from now! hmmm….

    Take care everyone!! 🙂

    Louise xx

32. Hi to Lois – glad you can get on, and hope it continues.

    Hi to all newbies, and have enjoyed reading your stories.

    Jonathan. Your question on arthritis is interesting, and not sure it was answered. Do people get arthritis because of the break or because they have metal in their ankles? Any definitive answer out there?

    Melanie. Enjoyed your emails. Did all the exercises like you, and still going at it. I actually feel fitter and stronger than I did before the breaks, but need to maintain that and would love to lose some weight!

    Hi to Sharon, Loise and Louise, Enjoyed reading about you all.

    And not to forget all the rest of you out there!

    Finall hi to old firends Don, Anklequest and Clark if you are around.

    Best wishes to all

    Sandra

33. Hi. Really busy on here and it has taken ages to read all the posts. Anyway, thought I would do a quick progress report, as it covers some of the stuff people have been discussing.

    It is now ten months since I did both ankles, left one the worst so had surgery on that and metal inserted. Like one or two of you out there I was not too interested in seeing the X-rays, though I would not mind an up-date now to see what things look like inside. When I did accidentally see Xrays one time it looked like someone had used a nail gun ot similar and sprayed my ankled. I have a metal plate and pins, and ankle screwed tother, but because I my fibula broke away, I just have an awful lot of metal in there.

    On the hardware front, I am in England, and was told mine could stay in there unless I have problems. That’s a difficult one, because when progress feels slow, or it’s really stiff, I have a problem, but do I HAVE A PROBLEM? if you get my drift. I can feel bottom of the plate and one screw there, and it really bothered me for the first few months. It was itchy and hurt when it was cold. However, that seems to have gone away now.

    My scars healed quickly, but that’s only the start, and I did have a lot of problems with that inner scar across the ankle bone around about January time (5 months) and that lasted for weeks. That’s now settled down again. That scar does bother me when my ankle swells, as it pulls it tight.

    Swelling has not been as bad as expected, but it does make everything feel tighter and stiffer when it happens. A long drive, like to my mum’s does make my ankle swell, so probably a plane ride will too.

    On the shoes front, it has been a nightmare. Once my left foot stopped swelling as much, I tried different shoes, but it has been the scar across the ankle bone that has caused problems. I think Melanie said something similar. I can wear trainers, but in hot weather they get too much. I can wear one pair of walking-type sandals, which are nu-buck or similar, so soft, and I have one pair of flatties, with a strap across that completely misses the scar so that’s great. Have bought other shoes, and sandals, they feel okay in the shop, but after wearing them for a while they rub.

    Wearing different shoes also means walking differently, and that can put a strain on the ankle, the foot or leg – and the knee. So take care out there and don’t go for a hike in something too pretty, or too high.

    On walking, I still take my stick around with me, but am about to send off for a folding one. I mostly hold the stick up, but sometimes I do need more support. Like some of you have mentioned, I am stiffer in the morning as well.

    On the difference this has made to my life. I watch where I am walking very carefully. I still have a problem with stairs, particularly going down them, and if I carry stuff up or downstairs I have to be careful as my balance is still not one hundred per cent. I have not yet used an escalator, and walking downhill is also a bit of a strain, though not as bad as a few months ago.

    Doing physio is really important. I also found using the gym the last three months has really helped moved me on – using a Personal Trainer. But I also know I have to be careful and take rest days. I still do ankle mobility exercises every day, and a set in bed before I get up really helps.

    On pain – much less which is great, but it is still there. One thing I have noted is that if I challenge my ankles, so do a bit more, do something different, then they will respond with swelling and tightness or pain. But a bit of rest, with legs up, really helps.

    The weather is a strange one. Yes it affects things, not not always that straightforward. Really warm here today and that helps mobility, but any draughts or air conditioning and I feel I want socks on. Our weather varies so much I also think that affects things – as I imagine the metal responds to the changes.

    I am amazed when reading people’s stories, how differently we all get treated. Some of this seems to be realted to policies in different countries. When I feel I went into A and E, and was admitted to hospital straight away as I had unstable fractures and it was not safe to move me anywhere. Some of you in the States seem to get sent home form emergency with broken bones to wait to see a Consultant.

    Finally, wanted to say to all of you who are more recent ‘breakers’, that my progress has not been linear. Meaning that things have been going good, and then I have had perhaps two or three weeks where it all gets a bit worse. But then, hey presto, it’s much better again. So if you are in a bad patch, hang in there, because it can and will get to feel much better.

    Bye for now

    Sandra

34. Hello AnkleBreakers!
    Dan,Sandra and Melanie,
    Thanks for your thoughts re my last entries.
    Melanie, of course OJ did it. Open and shut case based on direct and circumstantial evidence. But he had money, was a popular black athelete (no racism here, relax everyone) and had the unique ability based on his celebrity and money to hire a team of lawyers that took advantage of a poorly run prosecution; Judge Ito allowing the camera’s in, good TV but poor justice, a prosecution team that played to the cameras, Mark Fuhrmanm,and lied about prior racist statments, who had the case wrapped up before Metro even arrived but had to hand it over to the “pro’s” Lange and VanAtter, who botched the case and the chain of evidence. The case rested largely on DNA which was made incomprehensible by experts on both sides, and endlng with a largely black jury, who nullified the prosecution case with a nullification “not guilty” verdict, which was payback for years of injustice, beating, violations of civil rights, and “driving while black” by LAPD at large and gang supression units in particular. I know, I lived and worked law enforcement, investigations, etc… for 20 years in LA. (In case it didn’t come through, that’s why I was able to protect and defend myself and Nathan that day in the park, I’ve been in law enforcement since 1972 and have carried since then, alway have and will, but I shoot regularly and have my retired carry permit. But kharma comes back at you, and OJ may pay dearly for the botched “armed robbery” in trying to recover his items stolen from him before, in the incident in Las Vegas. Justice has a long memory, and that will no doubt play into his verdict at trial. OJ will probably do 20 years, at least. Enough so that when he gets out, he will be old and feeble and probably be unable to swing a golf club. He may even break and ankle.
    Re the death penalty, this from an article in todays SF Chronicle:
    The death penalty in California today costs 117 Million a year to keep the Death Penalty alive (Oxymoron!):
    60.5 million for Death Row inmate (673 to date) housing
    14.74 California Supreme Court Processing
    13 Million Attorney General Prosecution costs
    14.14 Million Public Defenders costs
    14.9 Million Habeas Corpus Resource Center defending Death Row cases
    —————————-
    117 Million Total

    The death penalty deters nothing. Initiation to several gangs requires blooding, or a kill, despite the death penalty. Doesn’t deter in crimes of passion, and as in the old child rape death penalty statutes now voided by the Supreme Court, may as well kill the victim/witness to avoid testimony.
    The death penaly does not deter.
    Costs much to much to implement, and if one innocent man dies as a result of anything in the court process, invalidates the whole concept.
    It costs about $500,000 to house a “lifer” until his natural death, or unnatural, as the case may be, this is prison, after all. Much less than the millions spent over the 20-25 years that it takes to execute an Death Row inmate in the State of California.
    But the citizens still vote for it and endorse it. I don’t. Scrap it.
    I would rather see a life suffer no privedges, endure solitary confinement, no papers, radios or tv, and have nothing to do but think about what they have done and then perhaps maybe go nuts, and live with that for the rest of their natural lives, than kill them.
    6 Death Row inmates have been freed from prison and found “innocent” of the crime, by the Innocence Project, a group of lawyers throughout the country looking at death row cases where innocence looks possible. If you mistakenly kill one innocent man, is it worth it to enforce the Death Row Statue for the rest of the condemned?
    As a retired cop, you would think I would be for the Death Penaly, but it does not deter, is not enforced or carried out fairly, and is much, much to expensive.

    Back to ankles. Hope everyone is healing well. It’s different for eveyone, and still basically the same. Just have to get through it. Takes time. But gets better slowly.

    Anklequest, what happened? Never hear back from you. Sorry we could not rendeveaux. Hope you had a great trip.

    Take care all/watch your steps.
    Clark

35. Canada day is a celebration of the birth of Canada. Communities all over the country have their own small celebrations… These are NOT normally elaborate at all.
    Families just tend to spend the day together gathered in parks, or whereever the ceremonies are set up,,, meet with friends and neighbours and have fun. We Canadians tend to be quite a bit less nationalistic than Americans are on a day to day ,,,but once a year we sort of let our hair down and go “Hurrah,, I am Canadian.” (oops that sounded like a commercial for Molson’s Canadian beer.) Canada is such a huge country,,, and has been so sparcely populated in comparison to the USA (and Britain) that Canadians as a group have tended to be aloof with respect to a national identity. For example, on a day to day basis, except on government buildings, (and at hockey games) we don’t have a lot of Canada flags flying, but on Canada Day that changes. Flags of all sizes come out of closets and get hung off balconies or whereever. Sometimes you see them attached to car antennas (small ones that is) Kids get their faces painted with red and white maple leaf flags ,, and often there are ceremonies with new immigrants swearing their citizenship. The grand finale to however one has been celebrating all day, is that once the sun sets, fireworks displays begin in most communities. I think of Canada Day basically as a day that we Canadians consciously make the effort to be less aloof, less stuffy,, have more fun and interact better with our neighbours and our community. Suddenly after another year has passed we suddenly remember that yes we are Canadian and proud of it. Melanie, don’t knock your “ignorance”…perhaps one of our English friends could explain what Guy Hawkes day is,,, and when,,, because I don’t know. Happy hopping everyone.

36. Lois! Thanks for the author…no i havn’t read any of those books, although may hunt them down! Hee hee. Yeah brighton is not too far from portsmouth. About a 45 min drive or so. Not too far at all…i have been on many occasions! And Banoffee pie (or however its spelt!) is fabulous isn’t it?? i love it!! Have u never had it before?? Yummy!!

    As for me…back to work tomorrow! Will update u as to how that goes. One week till the op to remove some screws! :)Went to the supermarket yesterday to do some shopping! Tiring, but good to get back into reality again! First trip in nearly 10 weeks yay! 🙂

    Hope evryone is doing great!

    Louise xx

37. PAM, Thanks for the encouragement. I actually was not weight bearing for two months, then in an air cast for another month. Then, like Lois, a little weight at a time while wearing the air cast, building up each week. Then when the air cast came off, I still used my crutch for a little bit and again, a little bit of weight added each week. And I was laughing at the earlier entries about driving again. I still drove with my left foot working the pedals for awhile I was so scared. Anyway, anything less than what I went through back then would be better. The other part of this is I now live in a one story house (compared to the two-story nightmare when the accident happened), so that too will make a world of difference.

    As far as the limp, I broke my ankle in August of ’04 (going on four years) and I still limp every morning for about 5 minutes. One thing I am very greatful for was my PT. It was grueling and painful, but it helped me loosen up my ankle. One thing my PT did that I really focused on in the morning and evening was balancing, like a flamingo, on the good foot/ ankle, then on the repaired one. Of course this was after the aircast came off and I was wearing tennis shoes and flats. I could stand, or balance, on my good foot probably indefinately. My bad foot, not so much. When I first started, maybe 5-10 seconds, then I would tip over. Like a drunk sailor. It was just so weak. Not only from the break, but being immobile for so long! So I would do all my exercises at home, continuing to strengthing and work on mobility. It’s funny. I would be doing lunges and squats and standing on tippy toes standing in the kitchen while fixing dinner, making copies at work, walking (or lunging) down the hallway, washing my hair in the shower or brushing my teeth or hair. And I had one of those stretchy, rubber band things tied around one of the legs on our bed and a loop on the other end. Do you know what I am talking about? People use them while doing resistance exercises. That’s it. A resistance band! Anyway, I would stand there and fold laundry while doing straight leg stretches (backwards and forwards) and sideways. I really did PT throughout my day. After several months, I could balance on my weak ankle for a minute in the morning, and about 30 seconds at the end of the day. That became my guage. How long I could balance on my bad ankle. Now there’s really no difference.

    Unfortunately, I will say, my life has never been the same. I am still paranoid about re-injuring it. I am very cautious around stairs, uneven ground, wet floors, etc. It still aches with weather changes. If I sit with my foot/ ankle tucked under my “good” leg, like when we’re watching TV, boy does it hurt when I stand up. Just for a few minutes though. I have just resolved that my life did not stop when I broke my ankle. It just changed. It is not a terminal illness. It is not a death. It is not a disease that is so debilitating that I cannot function. It could have been so much worse. I look at these young men and women in the BX and commissary coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, burned, maimed, wearing prosthetics, and I think, “Man, they are amazing”! Why would I even complain?

    Wanting to do more I totally understand. Just be patient. Be patient with yourself and it will come. It will. Maybe not as soon as you want, but it will.

    LOIS, we live in Florida now and I walk on the beach all the time. It was tough at first and if I am walking along the hard packed sand, right where the surf comes in and it’s at an angle? After about 30 minutes I have to turn around and come back because the angle really kills the weak ankle. So I guess walking back at the alternate “angle” places the stress on the other side of the ankle.

    And thanks for the Independence Day comment. LOL!!! We were the only American’s on a bus tour once, on the 4th of July. We were in Spain. I think everyone else on the trip was from somewhere in the UK. The driver mentioned it, and we basically did a “wave” from our seats. It was funny. So we celebrated by have a Pepsi with our lunch. With ice!

    I am sorry if I sound ignorant here, but is Canada Day like our Independence Day. I know what Guy Fawkes Day is for you Brits.

38. Good morning All- Hope ya’ll had a wonderful weekend.

    I spent mine running around shopping getting ready for my vacation next week. man, am I tired. Went to the doc Friday for my post op visit he took another x-ray and said everything looks great. My ligaments have healed and my incision was healing nicely so I was cleared for vacation. Woohoo. I go back for another checkup in 6 weeks. Since my latest surgery I can really bend my foot and rotate my ankle in a circle it feels weird and hurts just a bit. I am still using a cane out in public for extra support, but at home I hobble around. I am usually barefoot at home, but my foot and ankle hurts so my husband suggested I wear house shoes(slippers) to have more support so I got a pair and he was right it made a big difference. I just hate wearing my tennis shoes all the time. I’m like you Louise, I have tons of adorable heels and I am afraid I will never be able to wear them again. I tried on a pair of mules that had maybe 1/8″ heal on them and I thought I was going to die. How am I ever going to wear my cute shoes again. So depressing. I guess I will just have to start reintroducing my ankle to shoes that are not flat very slowly and maybe just maybe I’ll get back into those heels someday. Stay positive everyone! Talk to you soon.
    Jodi

39. Melanie, my surgery went extremely well. I took my pain meds thursday, Friday and Saturday. I was scheduled to go back to work on Monday so I knew I needed to get back to “myself” before then. I don’t know that I actually needed the pain meds on Saturday but had them and was told to rest so I did take them. I haven’t had a bit of pain with the ankle since I’ve been off the meds. (I think after my initial surgery they kept me pretty out of it for three days in the hospital and when I went home i think I stayed on my pain meds for about another week and that was all) My inner ankle is what keeps me down so much and according to my ortho dr I only have one screw in it that you can feel and most of my screws are in the center of my leg literally holding the bone together there. He told me this pain would last at least a year and would be the slowest healing part of the whole process. I am one month from being a year(Aug 27th). But, to answer your question, I still have my stitches in and am scheduled to have them out Thursday. My ankle is numb on the top near the center of my foot and most of my pain is coming from a place right under the plate that is in the center of my foot (which initially he said would give me the most pain and have to be taken out). But has not hurt me before now and I think it is just from the swelling because since surgery my ankle does swell some during the day after being hung down but goes down at night which lets me know that it is only temporary. At this point, I can’t not recommend surgery to anyone because I didn’t have a bad experience with it. I do still limp and don’t know how long that will last but it is due completely to the inner ankle pain.

    Someone made a comment about shoes:
    I have tried several times to wear heels but I look and feel retarded because of the limp. I do scare easily about whether or not I will twist my ankle or re-break it as my dr said I did crush it and it was a jigsaw puzzle, but after the surgery he told me not to worry about breaking it because I had enough hardware in there that it wasn’t going anywhere. Of course I still favor and baby it but I’m human right? I am down to sandals and tennis shoes. And I understand all about not being able to wear certain shoes because they rub or hit right beneath the screws and this is the main reason my ortho wanted to take my screws out on the outside ankle. I couldn’t wear sandals that fastened over the ankle, some sandals were high enough that they hit just below the last screw and irritated it to soreness and boots were almost out of the question completely.

    Lois, my husband has gotten alot better. He did know how bad my break was and if he didn’t hear it enough from the doctor or by looking at the x-rays then he had my mother-in-law to remind him of it frequently. He sees me struggle and now I am on bone sparing drugs like Boniva and it makes me feel like I have the flu for about two days after taking it. And he has been really good about cooking and cleaning and helping me because some days just to make it to work is a big accomplishment. He tells me he knows that if it were him he’d be a much bigger baby than I ever dreamed of. And I know he is right.

    I have a question about the air boot or brace. Can this be worn as a brace after you begin walking or is it strictly something that you wear before you begin walking???????? I was wondering if it would help my limp any if it was braced better. I know ACE bandages help brace it and I walk better for a little while with it.

40. Pam, I was not allowed to walk on my leg at all for 8 weeks post surgery. Then when the cast came off it was onto crutches or a walker,,, with only about 1/4 weight on it for about two weeks, then gradually to increase the weight I put on it,,, to 1/2 then a bit more etc. I found using a stationary excercise bike help strenthen my tendon…. peddled forward about 100 turns with the ball of my foot, 50 with the heel of my foot and about 50 in reverse. Would do that in the am before I started walking much and it seemed to help a lot for the day. And got rid of the stiffness and pain I used to have on awakening. Then I went to a cane about three weeks ago,,,, and then gradually I found I was looking for my cane… ie had forgotten it beside the sink, or in the bathroom or somewhere,,, so I wss walking on my own and have discarded the cane too, unless I am going out somewhere where I think I might tire right out. I won’t be four months post surgery until July 10. I am walking with a definate limp… that ankle it is still much weaker, but unless I step into a hole in the grass or something it has not hurt for about two weeks now. although I do tire faster. I tend to do things,,, ie go grocery shopping and am gone for 1/2 an hour,,, come home and sit and read for say an hour,,, or get on the computer or something… and rest before my next chore. I do still elevate my leg every night (prop it over the back of the love seat where I have been sleeping,,, and it stays elevated all night. I have an ice bag,,, that I got at a pharmacy which becomes sort of soft frozen and I wrap that around my ankle at night before sleeping to help reduce any swelling. I think I am doing well and I am happy with my progress. Went to a neighbours barbeque last night and actually played bocci,,, but with difficulty. I think if I had to I could dance a slow waltz,,, but polkas would be a no no. I find that my knees which never bothered me before,,, are not really sore but both seems to have taken some stress they were not used to. Also my good leg, sometimes feels tired out, because it still is doing more work than it is used to. As I mentioned in a previous post on here,,, I was surprised though how weak the bad ankle was when I tried to take two strides into the lake. It just would not hold me on the soft sand. Hope that helps to give you some sort of time frame,,,,during which you can hope to see some progress. I am just sooo happy to be mobile again, that I am not complaining at all about what i cannot do… just ecstatic about what I now can do.

    ps. some of these posts have mentioned husbands, mothers etc complaining that their favorite ankle breaker should be improving faster, and doing more. What really helped my husband through this, was that the orthopedic surgeon looked directly at him, and stated,,, “she did not just break her ankle, she shattered it. ” You have to expect a long slow recovery… ” He went on to state that it would likely be a year. After hearing that,,, instead of complaining my husband was delighted with each bit of progress I made, and is so happy that I am walking and doing everything that he brags to everyone about how well I am doing. For those who are having difficulty with a spouse, relative etc. I strongly recommend having your doctor make some sort of comment to them…. It think it helps them buy into the recovery program,, and feel like they are part of positive progress and recovery.

    Our abysmal weather cycle has broken. Its about 30 degrees or 80 degrees fahrenheit. Nice gentle breeze off the water. It is Canada Day on Tuesday,,, so people were celebrating early because its the weekend. Lots of fireworks, barbeques, and parties happening around us. It feels fun to celebrate after so many months stuck in the house (due to leg and rainly cold weather) You Americans will be doing the July 4 thing soon enough… eh?? ( I had to add the eh, just so you would know that I am truly Canadian. Take care everyone.

41. Hi Melanie- a friend of mine broke her ankle in a skiing accident a few years back, which required 2 plates a few screws. She was having a lot of pain while she walked & the metal was poking her skin to, and so her ortho recommended she have the metal taken out. If I recall correctly, I don’t think she was down out to long after that surgery (not compared to the first surgery, 6-8 weeks of non weight bearing,a cas, then a walking boot).

    I am 8 weeks post op & have just started walking on my own this weekend (without my crutches, YEAH). My question to those who are farther out than me in their recovery, how long did you limp for? It hurts so bad to walk on my foot & I have a horrible limp. I know the more I walk on it, the stronger my foot will get & I’ll eventually lose the limp, but I feel a bit frustrated cuz I wish I could do more.

42. Okay, sorry. Just re-read some of the later entries and saw Sharon’s entry. So now I have a specific question? How long might I be in bandages? When can I go swimming or to water parks again (we have a season pass to our local park), and is the pain after surgery, say for 2-3 days after, as intense as after the initial surgery repairing the ankle? I only took pain pills for 2 days after they initially set the break and then 2 days after the surgery (8 days after the break). I am a person who would rather be in control of my faculties and in discomfort instead of the other way around. I hate feeling drugged. My drug of choice was Motrin 800.

    And Clark, I forgot to mention in my last entry about dog parks. I was very sorry to hear about Nathan. It is devastating when you lose a family member. I also wanted to comment on your comments about irresponsible dogs owners. When we lived in Albuquerque, we took Chili (our black Lab) to a local dog park all the time. She too, loves retrieving tennis balls. Sometimes she would come back with two or three balls in her mouth and unhappy dogs trailing behind, wanting their’s back. Anyway, their would invariably be an owner there with a dog who would attack other dogs. It was awful. Usually it was pit bulls or pit bull mixes. Until we lived there I was never “against” any particular breed, but now I wonder? At any rate, some poor dog would end up going to the vet for emergency treatment, and more often than not the bully dog and his or her owner would never return. One did several times and I guess other owners called animal control. They showed up, the dog and owner were identified, cited, and invited to never return. Pretty sad it had to resort to that rather than just doing the right thing. We too have guns and are not afraid to use them. I was born and raised in Tennessee and we always had guns in the house. I know I will raise some tempers here, but I firmly believe if more people, good, honest, law abiding people, carried guns, and faced down criminals like you did, we would see a drop in the crime rate. Ironically, I do not believe in capital punishment based on circumstantial evidence alone. I think OJ did it, but would not have wanted him to be executed.

    Okay, still going back and re-reading. It’s just too much to take in in one setting.

43. Wow! I just sat here and read all these entries. Took me two hours and what a range of topics!

    I broke my right ankle in August of 2004 and am still not back to normal. I was hiking on the La Luz trail in Albuquerque when it happened. Basically my toes were looking at my shoulder blade. I nearly threw up not only from the pain, but how grotesque it looked. I now have a pin and 9 screws on the right side and 2 screws on the left. I was told b my ortho at the time to have the metal removed but haven’t because I could not bear having to go through all that again. The sleeping (or lack thereof), the pseudo-showers, the pain in my shoulders, hips and wrists from the crutches (still have problems with hips and shoulders), shopping nightmares. I am re-considering for two reasons. The first is WHAT IF I FALL DOWN ONE STAIR, WHAT IF I AM IN A CAR WRECK, WHAT IF….. And I wonder, if I don’t have the metal taken out, and I do have another accident, will the bone just shatter around the metal? Occasionally, my husband says “Well, I’ve been doing this for however many years(whatever the situation-driving, biking, playing with the kids, working in the yard) and it’s never happened before (as to whatever fear I have that might happen and to be careful). When he says that, I think “I was 40 years old and never broke my anke before either”!

    So I struggled through PT and it helped enormously. At the time I was working with elementary school children with developmental disabilities and had to be careful. Not only with myself on crutches (3 months) but with my kiddos around my crutches. Turned out fine.

    We moved (my husband is active duty military) and I joined Weight Watchers and have lost 52 pounds. Let me say, breaking my ankle and being serously overweight was doubly awful. So now that I have lost the weight, I am walking and began running a little. I am now intermittently running and walking over a distance of 3.6 miles three days a week and then I bike 4 miles on the other two days. Becasue of the discomfort in my ankle and hip (I am sure I do not run properly becasue I most likely compensate with my left leg/ foot) I take the weekends off. And it has only been in the past year since I have lost the weight and become truely physically active that I have been able to wear low heels (kitten heels, wedges, no stilettos). It feels good that I can wear somewhat girly shoes again!

    So unless I missed something, I never actually saw any details about having the metal taken out? You can feel the metal through my skin, it rubs on some shoes, my ankle hurts like crazy when the weather is changing or it is cold. I have been to the ortho guy at our current base and he really did not want to do the surgery. Said I would run the risk of weakening my ankle, infection, being off my feet again for a few weeks (and personal set-back in exercise gains), blah blah blah. Any opinions on this? I am just scared I could make it worse, but the thought of re-breaking it and shattering it terrifies me even more. Can running cause a stress-fracture around the screws?

    Also, in response to the gun-control or lack thereof…. We lived overseas and while they do not have shootings like we do, they definately have crime. Stabbings, Liverpuddlian kisses, kneecapping, beatings, muggings, etc. And look at the violence in soccer games/ championships. The violence IS in other countries and certainly not the magnitude of America. But consider, most European countries are the size of between Rhode Island and Texas. Per capita, you just cannot compare. You can’t compare violence in the UK or Germany to the entire US. Maybe the UK to Tennesse or Germany to Arizona.

    Okay, thanks for any input.

44. Louise, I finally remembered the author’s name. Something like Sophie Kinsella. The books are really funny if you have not read them, and you sound like someone who would really enjoy them. I could try to get out an atlas with enough detail to show Portsmouth, but easier to just ask you if its anywhere near the Brighton Beach area. We were there, about 10 years ago,, and in all the wonderful little shops somewhere around there,,, and also along a little further somewhere where there was a girls boarding school and into some tiny town where the pirates used to smuggle things into caves??? And I had something called Banoffee pie… a monks recipe. Sort of banana’s and toffee, sweet but heavenly. We also stayed in London, and attended the celebration of the 50 year anniversary of the end of WW11. So that puts a date on when we were there….war over in what 1945 plus 50 years so perhaps it was May, 1995 We stood next to where the royal family were seated in Hyde Park and watched all the all the pomp and ceremony. It was pretty exciting for us, because my husband’s father had been an RAF flight instructor during WW11. My husband was born in Royston Englad but came to Canada at age 6 months. I am several generations of Canadian , but have English and Scottish ancestory. I think our London Hotel was called the George,,, a few blocks up from Hyde Park, but perhaps I am mixed up with Edinborough where we also stayed in a hotel. Also stayed in Sussex England with cousins and in Wales (Holliwell or Holirood or something right at the estuary of the Dee River) You could see Liverpool across it from our uncles window. It was a great trip,,,, going back to our roots so to speak.

45. Hey Lois! No Im not in London thankfully! Im in Portsmouth, right down on the south coast. The driving here isn’t too bad, apart from rush hours when the city just jams to a haul, because it’s an island, which doesn’t help!

    I know…how irritating about the other annoying little things on my foot!grrr….the itching is driving me mad. I think it was an allergic reaction to the gauze they put inside the cast! Gauze! Who the hell is allergic to GAUZE for goodness sake?! The consultant said it should clear up in a week or so, and its been more than 2! So I may pop to the doctors about this and the painfull, swollen toenail!

    And well..the shoes are “proper” shoes in comparison to a cast and flip flops!! They are great! I love my shoes. Shame I can’t get back into my heals yet….I hope I can wear heals! Ill be devestated if I cant! 🙁
    But no I am not the author of those books! hee hee! I do probably have around 50-60 pairs of shoes, and more handbags. That will be something else I will be glad to use soon! I can only use about 2 or 3 of y bags, because I cant carry them while im on crutches! Booooo…
    Well…I shall have far more joy then won’t I when I can re-discover all my shoes and bags again! hee hee! I did try trainers, but the top sat right on my ankle, and was a bit uncomfortable, so took them off again!

    Take care everyone!

    Louise 🙂 xx

46. Hi Louise,

    Wow, more surgery, an ingrown toenail and itchy blistery bumps on your leg; just insults to your original injury. The blister/bumps must have been an allergic reaction to the cast material or something. But you know your spirits sound really good and positive. Good for you.

    Since when are black and white spotty polka dot pumps referred to as “proper shoes.” What a hoot. Hey, isn’t the author of those “shopoholic books” British??? It isn’t you is it???? because your spotty pumps sounds like a line straight out of one of them. For me, I am sticking to runners or other flats… and have not tried pumps yet.

    It feels wonderful to get back in that car for the first time, and to have some freedom again. Are you in London??? If so, tough driving but at least courteous drivers.

    Jodi, are you continuing to progress well following surgery?

    Celinda, Its been rewarding following your progress on this site and it was really wonderful to read the excellent advise and encouragement given to you by various contributors. What a great group of people hey. Keep us posted on how you and your little son are progressing.

47. Lois!

    Well..your incident at the lake does sound very funny. Glad you didn’t drown or anything hee hee. I also end up feeling like Im going to either pass out or vomit over someone when they touch, or go anywhere near my ankle. I am fine with other people’s injuries, but when this happened, I just cannot deal with anyone else touching it. I am fine to touch it, but if anyone else goes near it it just makes me feel sick! I am slightly nervous awaiting my surgery a week on monday to remove 2 screws, as I changed my anaesthetic from a general to a local, so will just have to lie down, and keep a bowl on hand in case hee hee! I don’t mind looking at my x-rays or anything, because in my mind it isn’t actually MINE, and I think I would be ok with watching the op on a screen, but I cannot actually sit and watch the surgeon doing it looking at my leg! Eeeeek….makes me feel sick just thinking about it!!

    I am quuite annoyed with my whole foot to be honest. I discovered yesterday that on the same foot, I now have an ingrowing toenail, which is most painful! Hmmm….not too impressed with that! I shall visit the doctor on monday I feel!

    My ankle’s look swollen on both sides, but I don’t think it is swelling, as it never goes away (does that make sense?) Could it be scar tissue? The rest of my foot does not really swell so much any more, which is great, bearing mind the cast has only been off just over 2 weeks! I managed to wear some proper shoes yesterday (my absolute favourite black and white polka dot spotty pumps! They are so cute!) and I was so chuft I could wear them! I also had another small victory yesterday when I got in my car and went for a sneaky drive! YAY! Felt soooooo GREAT! I only went round the city for a bit, but I have never had such a big smile on my face.
    My broken ankle is my left foot, which is my clutch foot, and I thought I would just go and sit in the car and push the pedals to see what happened. I didn’t think the car would start after nearly 10 weeks of being sat outside, but it did 1st time! Well…that was just too tempting, so off I went! 🙂
    My car needs a LOT of repairs doing, which I knew before I broke my ankle and the car shakes and pulls against me when your driving, but at least I know I can drive to the shops now to go shopping,and can also drive it to the garage for it’s repairs! 🙂 SO pleased with myself for that!

    Other than that really….foot is still soooo stiff! I got lots of movement back in the 1st like 3/4 days but since then it just seems to have plauteaued out really. Rubbish really! And getting rather irritated with it all. Did this happen to anyone else?? Also am annoyed coz the blisters that I had when the cast came off are still visable. They are not actually blisters anymore, but little red itchy bumps, which the hospital just told me to leave as the air will heal them! Its not! More than 2 weeks later, they are itchy and still THERE! Been using anti-ceptic cream on it and salt water…not making a blind bit of difference. Hmmmm…oh well. My scars are also very VERY red. Think they may be keloid scars, as I am very susceptable to them. Oh…I really hope not! As they never go, and look gross for good! 🙁

    Well…thats my rant over with. Hope everyone else is doing ok!

    Louise xx

48. Hi Angie- I believe you can purchase an aircast or another name is air stirrup at Walgreen’s. I don’t wear it all the time, only when I know I will be walking around alot. I saw my orthopedic today and I asked him if he was ok with me wearing it and he said yes. He told me to wear it as long as a I felt I needed it. Tonight was the first night I walked on my “bare” foot and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I have been scared to death to walk on my foot with out a shoe on because my foot feels numb & fat. Everyday that passes I am gaining more confidence on my abiltity to walk again!!

49. Oh yes, thank you, I was and am fine. It was just quite funny crawling out of the lake in wet clothes,,, and the lake is not exactly warm yet. You women are really very courageous, Angie, Sharon et al. I used to work in health care, including a hospital for three years before being in corrections where I also witnessed many unpleasant medical things, but I found I was so completely grossed out about my broken deformed ankle, that I refused to look at the xrays,,, and refused to ask any questions. I know there is a plate, screws (dont know how many but I suspect a lot, and I think maybe some sort of pin or rod, but I felt completely grossed out by the entire thing and did not want to hear anything. I think I just wanted to pretend that nothing had happened. I do not have anything sticking out though, thank goodness. Just sort of bulgy on that side of the ankle. Husband wants lunch, now I can walk I am no longer off the hook for wifely chores. Better go.

50. Sharon

    Wow, you have a lot of hardware in your foot. I only have a plate and about 7 screws. I have some wiring on the outside of my foot. I feel a lot better about seeing the head of the screw. My doctor also said in about a year, I would probably need to take some out.

    Lois

    Your falling sounded pretty scarry. Glad you are O.K.

51. Lois, LOL! That is a hoot and sounds just like something that I would have to try myself. Glad you didn’t have to crawl under water to get out. That may not have turned out as funny as it sounded. Glad you were okay. And no, I guess a cougar or a bear wouldn’t actually be something that I would want to come face to face with now–since I can’t run or even ease away gracefully anymore. It’s amazing to me how long it takes to get your muscle tone back. I still don’t have all of mine back and wonder sometimes if I ever will. I know I’ll never be able to run because I have a condition that doesn’t permit that anyway but I did have a nice gait and now just getting from point A to point B is a hassle. When one of my employees call me on the phone needing me to come to their office they ask now if I can hobble down and help them resolve something. LOL! Not real funny but I guess you got to keep the sense of humor.

    It does feel like a global warming down here. Some days it feels like we are sitting on Mr. Sun’s head. Temps are reaching almost 100 already and last Friday was just now the first day of Summer. Please send some of your cool crisp weather our way. 🙂

52. Angie, I can tell you from personal experience that seeing the screw heads under the skin of the ankle is VERY normal. I could see mine, feel them and even bumped them on occasion because they stuck out that far. I, like you, have very bony ankles as I only weigh–well now almost 100 pounds and I’ve NEVER weighed that unless I was 9 months pregnant. This is the reason they wanted to take the one plate and four screws out that was in the outside right ankle. I still have my stitches and my foot is swelling some again but that is normal I guess. I couldn’t actually see or feel the screws until all the swelling went down the first time and then I was self conscious because I have cuts on both sides of my ankle and one large one in the frong of my leg where they inserted all the plates and screws (3 plates, 12 screws. I could see people stare at me as they saw me walk and then look down and you could see the bulges in my ankle from the screws poking out and all the scars. It was just ugly. I can see indentions in my leg where the plate in the front starts and stops and I can see a screw head on the inside of my ankle but he says he will never take it out unless it just starts causing excruciating pain but the one that he did want to come out hindered me from wearing boots, and some shoes and sandals as well because they would hit right up under the bottom screw and it would irritate and get sore. So, to make a long story short once your foot is completely healed, which he told me would take about a year for me and it has almost been that long, your doctor too may want to take those screws out just because your ankle sounds small too.

    It has been so strange to hear the stories of everyone and see how differently each doctor treats some of the exact same injuries.

    Sharon

53. I had been going down onto the sandy beach in front of our place, and although I had to walk carefully, I was doing fine. But…two days ago, I decided to wade into the lake to fill my puppies water bowl. Kicked off my shoes, first step into the water with my good leg, second step in with the broken ankle leg… and oh boy that leg just would not hold me in the soft wet sand. (I had thought it was stronger than that now) I ended up down on all fours,crawling back out of the water. No one saw me, but my neighbours had a good laugh when they heard about it, wishing that they had seen this spectacle. So be careful, on the beaches this summer fellow victims of these ankle inflictions. I am glad I had not hopped off the wharf or something, because I would have had to crawl underwater to get back out of the lake.

    Sharon, British Columbia is pretty nice, but bears and cougars are not something you want to run into up close and personal. Especially not cougars. They are pretty darn dangerous. British Columbia is sort of like a combination of Seattle in Washington, USA for Vancouver our biggest city… or with lots of terrain like Yosemite Park, in Nevada for some of the outlying areas. I am sure you are having it way too hot. We have had a record cool spring and early summer. I sure feel bad for the people along the Mississippi River, they are certainly having their problems with major flooding, and the Californians with major fires again. Weird weather year,,, global warming???? Happy healing

54. I noticed yesterday, I can see the head of the screw throught my skin. I can rub it and feel it. I don’t know if this is normal. I could have been like that since the surgery and I never noticed. I also have this fear that if I hit something, it will break the skin. My sister-in-law is a nurse. In fact, she was in the surgery room with me. I called her, she said that was normal, being your ankle has little skin. Especially now, my ankles are very bony.

55. Sharon, I am so glad you are walking again. I just can’t wait. I am familiar with Monroe. My boys had a few baseball tournaments in that area. It is about a few hours north of Opelousas. On April 24, I was going to my car to get something out and I did not see the boys skateboard by my car. I tripped over it and broke my ankle in several places.

56. Angie,

    I was non-weight bearing for almost four months so I know how you feel. And even after PT tried to get me off of the crutches I still carried one with me even if I just drug it behind me for security. I finally got myself off of the crutches but at my own speed and not someone telling me I can do it. It’s easier said than done so don’t feel bad and take it slow. We went to the beach back in March and I had been walking for almost three months then and it was very hard on the foot because sand is very giving and un-level if you have to walk over other peoples foot steps.

    I hope you the best though. I think it would be easier to crutch out to the water though.

    Sharon

57. Sharon, I am so glad you are walking again. I just can’t wait. I am familiar with Monroe. My boys had a few baseball tournaments in that area. On April 24, I was going to me car to get something out and I did not see the boys skateboard by my car. I tripped over it and broke my ankle in several places.

58. Angie,

    I am from West Monroe, LA. I’m not sure how far you are from us but I don’t think over a few hours if that. How did you break your foot/ankle??? I looked for your post about it but couldn’t find it. I have never even heard of an air cast until I started reading these posts on here. Anyway I am walking again so I don’t guess it would benefit me now anyway. Hope you find one.

59. Sharon

    I am from Louisiana too. I live in Opelousas, Louisiana. What area are you from. I know what you mean about the heat. We are leaving for Grand Isle, Louisiana on July 7. I am hoping they take the boot away July 2. I just wonder if I will be able to walk on the beach. I really hope so. I has been 9 weeks since my surgery.

    Pam
    Thank you for your advice. Where would I be able to able to purchase an air cast. Once you got rid of the boot, were you albe to walk normal?

60. I broke, dislocated, and more when I was 26. I am now 32, and was told by my ortho. that I have an ankle of a really over worked 65 year old. I don’t know why age is used to determine severity. I know that anyone who fractures/breaks etc., will suffer arthritis. I have lost all of the cartilage between my joints (ankle), that causes both bones to rub against each other, sending very distinct memories of what I was thinking to get on the wave runner in the first place. I know that there are lots of remedies to help the pain. Rest happens to be the best one of them all….Try explaining that to a 3 year old though….I am so glad to read everyones messages, it lets me know that we are not alone.

61. Jonathan,

    By the way, I am 30 years older than you so I don’t think you have to worry about arthritis at least until you are much older. The doctor that told me I have arthritis knew she was talking to a 53 year old woman! I’m sure you will be just fine.

    Karen

62. My doctor said simply, “If you broke your ankle then you have arthritis”, no ifs or buts.

    Karen

63. Jonathan,

    I think anytime you break a bone you may as well get ready to face arthritis pain in the future. My doctor as well told me that I would have arthritis in my ankle later on if not sooner. I don’t think you necessarily have to be “old” to have arthritis. I have a friend with a child who has it really bad and has had since toddler age. So to say that we are at a bigger risk is an understatement I’m sure. I can’t see how anyone with as bad of breaks as we have all endured can be fortunate enough not to end up with some arthritis in those areas—to what degree would be anyone’s guess though. Don’t worry too much about that now and focus on getting better. They make medication for arthritis just like for every other ailment. Plus you have an advantage because you are so young. I just turned 39 and like you had never broke a bone before and my mom used to tell me growing up that anytime I got hurt or sick I done it right—well I’m sure she’d think the same thing now too if I could talk to her.

    Keep your chin up and healthy healing to you.

    Sharon

    Hi to everyone else. I wish I could visit British Columbia and the other places that see bears and cougars on a daily basis. I live in Louisiana and it is so hot here. We have a few black bears but that is about it. One of my doctors that I seen when I had surgery had some beautiful pictures of some bears —up close and personal. He said he was on the beach with them but they were more interested in eating a whale than to pay much attention to any humans. He was in Alaska I think. That would be awesome too. We want to take a cruise there sometime. All that is going on vacation —–have safe trips.

    Sharon

64. Hey guys a bit worried here dont know if i should be im 23 yr old never broken a bone in my life. Until i broke my tib and fib i belive i have 2 screws and a plate in my ankle .I was told i broke it really bad my main concern is arthritis when i am older as the doc told me it doesn tput me at risk but since im youn ghe said i should be fine as far as healing i should be great shape an dheal fast. My quetion is why am i at risk of arthritis is it because of th ebroken bone or the screws and am i most likely going to get when i get older or what are chance jus wondering thanks guys

65. Wow Pam..just one year and ‘normal’? Guessing no surgery though….
    Folks, just got back after getting my boot! Finally, 7 weeks post op, WALKING!!!! Okay, slowly, painfully and with crutches but WALKING!!!!! I am exhausted though, just walking in (non-weight bearing) to the prosthetics place and then getting the boot, walking back to the car..walk to and from a restaurant….oh, and stopped for gas, tried NOT to use the crutches and almost fell immediately…
    But..I am mobile!
    Surgery scars are still not healed after 7 weeks, 1 week out of cast…is that normal?
    I am glad to hear that most of you folks are doing well!
    Take care…ttyl.
    J

66. Jodi- Enjoy your vacation!!!!

67. Hi Paul- I was at my husbands softball game tonight and on of his teammates told me he broke several bones in his ankle last year and he is back to doing normal stuff such as playing softball, teaching new recruits for firefighting, etc. After talking with him, he was living proof there is a light at the end of the tunnel. One day you will be able to run and play with your kids!! Stay focused on your recovery & soon you’ll be back to normal!

68. Hi Angie- after I stopped wearing the boot I was told I should start walking on it. However, I was a bit leerly and one of the doctors I work with suggested I wear an aircast. I love it!! It has really helped me gain confidence to walk and supports my ankle as well. I am sure my orthopedic physician won’t be happy I am wearing that, but my therapist said my foot is so weak that it is good I have that support. My foot/ankle is still pretty swollen so I am only able to fit the aircast in my tennis shoes.

69. Lois….yes I am in England, although, the thing with my hardwear is that half of it is staying in (well…most of it actually!) I have a plate and around 3/4 pins in the outer side of my ankle, but I have two much larger screws which have been put in across the tib and the fib and are very close to the ankle joint. The consultant said he was worried that if I put too much weight on it the screws may snap inside of the bone, and they may not be able to get them out! Thats why I am having them taken out. The rest of the metal is staying in for a minimum of 18 months. I dont want snaped screws in my bones forever,a dn dont want to tempt fate by putting weight on it (and trust me, my weight is a little more than it was 9 weeks ago when I broke it! ha ha!) and then snap it, just because I wouldn’t wait for another 10 days or whatever! Just so frustrating! grrrr…..

    Never mind! We will get there eventually! 🙂

    Louise xx

70. Lois,

    Your driving will get much easier. I remember when I pressed the gas pedal or brake it felt weak at first like yours. It’s as strong as before now. Also, your swelling will much improve.

    My deal now at six months is I have more “good” days than bad. I am still aware of the injury with each step but it’s bearable. I have been back to “Curves” and walk on the treadmill alot. I do push myself though, sometimes probably too much.

    I occasionally get such a deep pain when walking that it could literally take me down to the floor, it’s that bad. I also have bad days like now where every step is to me, extreme discomfort.

    I can’t figure these bad episodes or days out. I don’t know if it’s still part of the healing process to act that way or if I’m doing much. Lately I’m wondering if I’m touching the sore spots (which include all around the ankle and up the back of the shin) more than I should or too hard and it aggravates. I thought massage would be helpful but maybe it irritates me, don’t know.

    Karen

    All in all, it’s a long haul. I have been told it’s a minimum of a year. My cousin broke her fibula when she was 21 years old and she was aware she broke it for two years. (and she was young!)

71. As soon as I had my cast off after two months, the orthopedic surgeon said I was cleared to drive.( I was not in a walking boot at all. ) The break is in my right driving ankle and I have an automatic so both the gas and brake pedals are operated with that foot. The first time I tried I found that braking bothered me. So I waited another week before trying again. Then started driving 5 to 10 minute distances to various local stores. At almost four months post break, I have driven two longer trips of 45 minute each way to a larger town. This works just fine, except I have to drive very defensively because if someone causes me to brake very suddenly I get what feels like a shock wave through my leg and have for force myself not to let the pressure off the brake.

    So, like the orthopedic surgeon suggested to me, try driving on a quiet street or in an empty parking lot until you are more aware of the new reality of what it feels like.

    Louise, et all, there certainly does seem to be a variety of ways these ankles are treated .I split my fibula lengthwise four times and as well had bits of bone chips everywhere. I don’t know about your particular break, but yes I think there is hope. Every day seems to bring some measure of improvement, with a day of two of setback only if I overdo It is curious however why some people wear a boot and some do not. Also why some have the screws removed and some do not. Different countries= different practices. Are you in England ??? I know that my hardware is not destined to ever be removed unless for some reason I have trouble with them. As much as my ankle remains far from feeling perfect, I don’t have the impression that it is the hardware that is causing the difficulties. I think mostly it just still feels weak, and then of course there is the swelling. Oh yes,,, for those who have husbands who are considered to be less than completely sympathetic,,, I have to tell you that everytime my husband opened his mouth to complain (at work or to friends or neighbours ) about now having to work and do everything at home as well…. some woman would intercept, telling him she had no sympathy… and welcome to the world of all working women. It actually got to be quite a joke,,, and certainly made him think and stop feeling sorry for himself.
    Well, yet another dull day in British Columbia. the weather is abysmal this year. I have hardly seen any sunshine since February when we spent time in San Diego and the Mexican Riviera. Just picked up a copy of Janet Evanovich’s Lean Mean Thirteen. Her Stepanie Plum series of novels are always entertaining, so I should have a good rest of the afternoon. Happy healing …

72. i had an accident in january where i dislocated and broke quite alot of my ankle 6 months later still quite sore sometimes and walk with a limp when i get up after resting it i need to stand for a while till i can walk well limp,just want know if i will get back to normal just to run a wee bit to play with the kids would be good thanks

73. Howdy everyone!
    Ana, Sandra, Gina, & Pam thanks for your support and helpful advice. I really appreciate it.
    Surgery on Tuesday went just fine. Back to work today and it seems ok. My ankle is a little swollen, but other than that I’m doing ok. I go back to the doc tomorrow to look at my stitches etc… Hopefully all is good and I will be ready for vacation in a week woohoo I can’t wait. I’m ready to get away from work, doctor’s appointments, operating rooms and so on.
    Take care everyone. Talk to you soon!
    Jodi

74. Hello all!!

    Sharon, sounds like your doing a little better with the surgery, but rubbish about the aching and everything!! Hope that all heals up VERY soon for you!!

    Lois! Hello! Good to read about how well your doing! Gives me hope. I am not toooooo far behind you (broke and dislocated mine on april 23rd!) Keep going with that hey?! 🙂

    Well…I am awaiting my operation which is on the 7th july! Am waiting for 2 screws to be removed before I can weight bear on it. It is so frustrating waiting and not putting any weight on it. Grrr….I have the cast off since the 13th june and been told not to put hardly any weight on it, other than a tiny bit through my toes….ARGH! Very irritating, and soooo tempting! I am trying to get my foot doing walking motions at the moment, without actually putting the weight on it. I am just getting very irritated! Hmmm…oh well!

    I am going back to work on tuesday, which is a bit scary, but I only gonna be working 20 hours a week, which should be ok! And Im itching to get back in my car….Im thinking I may go sit in it, and see if I can push the pedals down without the engine running at some point. The consultant last time said I should be able to drive in 2-3 weeks, (after my cast came off) and its been 2 weeks now! I drive a manual and it my left foot I broke, which is my clutch foot, so I can at least brake anyway!! hee hee!! Ill give it a go at some point! 🙂

    Anyway…take care everyone! 🙂

    Louise xx

75. Hi, i hope everyone is doing fine. I have not posted in a while. My accident happened on April 24. I have several screw and a plate. The ortho told me 3 weeks ago that I could start weight bearing as much as I can tolerate (with the boot). I am healing really good. I can walk several feet on my own. My back and knee aches a good bit. The doctor said it was because of the height of the boot. My question is on July 2, I have ortho appointment. I have a feeling they will take me out the boot. What comes next after the boot? Do they give me a brace or just let me walk out on my own.

76. Hi all, I am still doing pretty good. My foot is numb and swollen. I still have my stitches in and don’t go back for them to be removed until next Thursday. Boy, I thought getting this plate and four screws out did wonders for my foot. I was walking almost back to normal without a limp and feeling good. However, and for those of you who need a good laugh will enjoy this, two days after being off of my pain meds I was right back with the pain and the limp. I was feeling wonderful as long as I was “doped” up. LOL! 🙂 Now because I haven’t had any pain meds since last Saturday my foot aches and hurts and I can barely stand to put any weight on it. I am still hopeful though that once I get the stitches out and over the soreness there will be a difference.

    Lois, I think it is perfectly normal to dream about your accident. I fell off a horse almost a year ago and at first it was nightmarish for me all the time because everytime I closed my eyes I saw my accident in slow motion and it made me so sick to think about how much worse it could have been. It could have killed me, broke my neck or paralyzed me but by God’s grace I came out of it with only a crushed ankle. You could have broken alot more than you did and I guess we are all lucky because we all could have been less fortunate than we are. I too hold on to railings and walk sideways down stairs but I had to do that before because of my Fibromyalgia anyway and my weak knees.

    Pam, my husband too got frustrated with me too. I am 39 and he thought I too should have bounced back sooner. Thank God for his mom who is also in the medical field and explained to him that I didn’t just break my ankle, it literally crushed every bone that held my ankle to my foot and that it would take at least a year to get it to where it wasn’t sore and who knows how long to get it back to normal if ever. So, don’t feel bad because they are big babies and depend on us so much and I think our pain frightens them more than frustrates them. We are, in alot of ways, their security blankets.

    I’ve been watching the site and listening to all of your stories and glad all of you are doing well.

    Thanks to all of you for your concerns and prayers during my surgery. I was literally scared to death. Glad it is over and I am back at work. Glad I have new found friends that know exactly what I am going through.

    sharon

77. thanks for your response Karen. It’s quite incredible how much damage can happen so easily. This is my first broken bone in 64 years, and like you I look down constantly, and hold the rail with both hands now, going downstairs sideways. You are apparently about three months ahead of me with healing. How are you doing now. In other words what do I have to look forward to. I just want so badly to run, and dance again. Actually just being able to move faster would suit me because everything seems to be done in slow motion these days.

78. Hi Lois,

    I also broke my right fibula, in December, my first broken bone ever in 53 years! I just wanted to tell you I broke the bone in my own home like you did, falling down 3 stairs onto the cement garage floor. At least you had a reason to fall as your dog ran into you but in my case it was my own carelessness that caused it! I have learned to look down constantly and always hold onto a railing. After my accident I had a railing installed next to those steps finally, after 20 years of running down them without a thought.

    Karen

79. Well, unbelievable, I tried again and this time it actually worked. Thank you Sandra for your assistance.

    The details are that on March 10, I broke (shattered) the fibula in my right ankle. I was walking down stairs, carrying water for my two shih tzu puppies, when one that we call our ADHD pup, ran down the stairs so fast and right into the back of my left leg like a 10 pound bowling ball. This sent me flying down four steps onto the tile landing which was now wet from the spilled water. The result was surgery pins plates etc etc and two months in a non walking cast, spent on my basement chesterfield as I could not get upstairs. Depressing,,, and if it had not been for this site,,,and all the good advise, good information on what to expect and positive attitudes and support to others, I am not sure I would have made it through. I have so thoroughly enjoyed all of you informed and intelligent people, and am glad I no longer have to be the silent eavesdropper.

    I am coming along well I think at this time, but I have good days and bad days with it. I am mostly walking unaided,,, but do take a cane with me just in case,,, and some days,,, it simply decides that it has had enough and decides to swell and cause me trouble. However, thanks to you all, many of whom have had it much much worse,,, I know that there is hope. I have also really enjoyed everyones comments and information apart from ankles. Clarke I am so glad you are back on the site, because I too was very worried about you. ( I also am a retiree from federal corrections… but in British Columbia Canada) We up here are following your American election primaries with great interest…you might like to know. Like someone (was it Anklequest? we are have a bear problem this year… Have been a couple cruising around our lake neighbourhood. Apparently our very cool spring and early summer resulted in not enough berries for them, so they are cruising for food, sticking their heads under peoples barbeque covers etc. So far, I have not seen them, but all the neighbours have. Probably because I am still sticking close to home and not our so much in the yard. I had a run in with a cougar in my backyard a year ago March (seems like March is not my month) and that terrified me…. So I am not anxious to run into any bears. Anyway, I am glad to be on line, and really wanted all of you to know how much I have been enjoying getting to know you and keeping up with you. I think one of the most important benefits of this site, and it has been said many times, is that no one else knows what we are going through, or how difficult this is, except others that are going through it. Thanks everyone and keep smiling and healing.

80. Hello to all my “new best friends” who have been helping me get through this broken ankle ordeal for the past four months. I have been a silent participant in that I have been following the site and really enjoying and benefitting from it, but to date have been unable to get my posts to go through. So I am trying again to see if I can get it to work.

81. Jodi- I have dreams about my accident all the time. I am also paranoid as heck anytime my kids are running, jumping around. Its like my ankle twinges everytime I remember my fall. I am 7 1/2 weeks post op & my husband is starting to get annoyed with me, telling me get over my fear of walking and just do it. He said your young you should be able to bounce back just fine (I’m 36 & definately don’t feel that young). I tried to explain to him that my achilles needs to stretch out again because I can barely bend my foot when I walk. In addition to my husband being dependant on me for almost everything, I also have my 2 sons to look after & I manage 3 family medicine clinics. I am always on the go & haven’t really had time to work on my recovery & walking (except for at therapy)so I really rely on my crutches to get around . Soon we’ll be back on our feet like normal & then we can look back at this experience as a very bad dream. Everyone’s postings are truely helping me get through this & am I so grateful I came across this site.

    Dan- You sound like you are making great progress!! My orthopedic basically blows me off too, he thinks that because I work in the medical field that he doesn’t have to explain anything to me. At my 6 week post op visit he told me to start walking, lose the crutches in a week & then put a shoe on and start walking on my own (all without therapy). I told him that I wanted to go through therapy because of how bad my break was & that I needed that help & guidance to learn to walk again. My advice is to elevate your foot as much as you can as well as icing it, especially if your ankle gets swollen. Our ankles are going to swell alot, especially for the next 6-9 months. The doc’s in my clinic say I really need to my ankle an entire year to really be back to normal. Is that true for those of you who are at or past a year?

    Clark- you have such a positive outlook on things, thanks for all your words of encouragement that we will get through this and that there are people worse off than us.

    Sharon- that is such great news to hear your surgery went well and that your walking on your foot!

    Today was day 4 of therapy for me & she said I am making good progess but I feel very frustrated that I can’t walk on my own yet (I’m down to one crutch for short distances & two for long distance. However, I am out of the boot & can put a tennis shoe on, which is wonderful).

82. Hi to Dan, and interesting to hear your story. Take care and you will continue to make progressing.

    Clark, your comment about ‘the gift that keeps on giving’ made me smile. Certainly true, unfortunately! But on the positive side, I am taking more care of my body, and trying to get myself as fit and strong as I can. And most of all enjoying the pleasure of being able to walk. Strange how much it’s possible to move, even when everything feels stiff and tight, and even when it hurts.

    Sharon – glad to hear your surgery is done and you seem to be doing really well.

    Night to all, and any listeners out there who may not be able to get in.

    Sandra

83. Hi. I put my email on the second site and have had a couple of emails from Lois, who has not been able to post on this site and would like to.

    I have told her just to put name and hotmail address, type message and submit.

    However, I can’t remember if there was something I did when first accessing the site.

    Any computer whizzes out there who could post some advice for Lois – and any other people who cannot get on the site, but are listening in?

    Thanks Sandra

84. Hey Clark,

    Thanks for your reply.

    Believe me I am being very careful when not wearing the ‘boot.’ Could think of nothing worse than having to redo the surgery due to a bonehead mistake.

    Just passed two weeks since surgery. Drove a few blocks to a nearby park to watch my wife and 11 year old daughter play tennis. Also hobbled around shagging a few balls. Later on I swam for the first time. Noticed my ankle flopping around a bit so I took it easy. Then watched my 15 year old daughter play softball and took in a movie (Get Smart). By nightfall my ankle was a little achy, but no ill effects the next day (today).

    Next follow-up post-op appointment is on Monday, 7/07/08. Will get a new X-ray to see how things are proceeding.

    Really nice to get other perspectives about all this. Thanks to everyone for contributing.

85. Hi to all,

    I have had surgery and am doing good. They removed one plate and four screws from my outside right ankle. I have about a 3 inch incision. I was delayed coming back to work until today when I thought I would be back yesterday, but all is well. I still feel drugged up even though I haven’t taken any pain medication for two days now. I’m walking on it fine and it does throb some but it was absolutely NOTHING compared to the first one. I had anticipated the absolute worst and got nothing close to what I expected. Not to say that something won’t be delayed but so far so good.

    Thanks for the prayers and the thoughts while I went through this. ya’ll are the best.

    Sharon

86. Hey Dan,
    Glad to read your story. I can relate a bit. I am 56 years old, and have been recovering from my TriM break for over a year. I have been absent from this site for several months dealing with “life” and its ups and downs and since feeling so humbled by everyones concern, and getting my computer back up and running (next time a laptop for sure), that I feel like I want to write a personal note to everyone seperately, and if posted, would probably cause this site to decrease by half. I tend to ramble a bit, and usually throw in an opinion or two.
    But back to you. I broke all five bones in my ankle on May 18th, 2007. Crushed the Talus, Tib, Fib, and overhanging “ankle bones” on each side of the tib and fib. A Humpty Dumpty, couldn’t be fixed. 4 ops over a year, the first all 90 days apart, with screws, plates and nuts and bolts on boths sides and up underneath inside my Achilles. Ouch! Nerver damage from an S1-L5 in 2000 left me with much the same pain you felt in the top of the foot and the toes. I was never bothered by the 3 boots or 1 Ace wrapped clamshell cast I had. Never swelled either.
    You want to walk your dog. I broke mine walking the dogs at the local lake. Lucky your driving again. I had to sell my 2001 Bullitt Mustang because my right ankle is dead, unfeeling and frozen. Can never shift anything again. Now fused. Bought a Hemi Ram and it oinked all over the place, but after the recent gas price gouging which will never come back down, no matter what they say, unless we no longer need it, I couldn’t stand the squealing every time I paid for the gas, and traded it in for an ’04 Nissan Pathfinder SUV. Not my first choice, but with 4×4 it will get me anywhere I want to go and like you, I want to get back to some normalcy as soon as my healing is complete. Probably another 3 months or so for the fusion to completely bond, and the pain to fade away.
    I say all this because we do have much in common. Although your outcome will be much more normal and timely, for me, with my injury, I feel very lucky and fortunate. A break is a break, some worse and some better. All bad.
    I finally located an old friend from way back in 9th grade, knew him all through high school, drifted apart when he went away to college, found him in LA when I was there in the mid 80’s, and then lost track until I wrote to him 3 weeks ago. Googled his name and found an address attached to a Ham Radio Club he still belonged to.
    He played hard during and after college, and ended up with kidney failure 10 years ago. Plugged into a Hemo Dialysis pump nightly, he was doing OK. And then 2 years ago he had a stroke and lost full use of his left side. arm and leg. But he has not given up, and is still ticking. All a matter of degree.
    No matter how bad we have it, there is always someone worse. And yet our injuries are our own, and akin to us, no matter what anyone else has had happen to them. It is all context and perspective.
    Years from now this will be remembered as a year of inconvienence, and a blip on the radar. An ankle injury unlike any other type of break is so personal and very misunderstood. Not like a broken arm or leg, which usually heal without complications, an ankle injury is the gift that keeps on giving.
    Hang in there. You are doing great, and soon this will be a blip on your radar. A memory of a bad slip.
    But … go slow and don’t overdo it, or it will be a bigger long lasting memory than you want.
    Take care.
    Clark

    ps
    re the crutches, don’t lean on the armpit bars or hang on the crutches unless your’e taking a break. Use your forearms and strength to lift yourself just above the crutches as you walk. Great exercise, a workout at the same time your’e getting around. And wear the boot, one good fall and you may end up doing it all over again. Just a thought!
    cd

87. I am a male, 59 years old, in good physical condition. I have a wife and two daughters, 11 and 15 years old. They have been great support to me. I am currently unemployed, which adds to the adventure.

    On 6/03/08 I slipped on some wet grass clippings in the street. I slid into the curb and broke my right fibula in three places. Went to Urgent Care at the clinic in our neighborhood. Was given a removable “boot,” and Rx’s for pain (Vicodin – 5mg/500mg tabs) and a sedative (Ambien 5mg). Wasn’t able to see an Ortho surgeon until two days later 6/05/08. Surgery was scheduled for 6/10/08.

    Was given a nerve block before surgery. Procedure was set up as a “Same-Day Surgery” procedure. They said I had the option to stay overnight, but I decided I would be more comfortable at home. I had surgery at 11am and was on my way home by 3pm. A plate and seven screws were inserted to put my right ankle back together.

    At home I was very uncomfortable, but not in much pain. The nerve block lasted for approximately 24 hours. My biggest problem was a panicky feeling due to having my leg encased in a cast and not being able to get at it. My anxiety was fueled by a condition I had before I injured my ankle. I had numbness and sensitivity primarily in the big toe, and to a lesser extent in the other toes and top of my right foot. This condition resulted from sciatic nerve damage that previous back surgery (laminectomy) was unable to correct. It bugged me to have anything covering the end of my foot.

    At one point completely frustrated, I called the Ortho surgeon’s office, but no one called back. Then I called the “doctor on call” begging for something to relieve my anxiety. He blew me off and said he didn’t know my case and could not take responsibility to prescribing medications that could trigger a harmful interaction. I said, “Don’t you care that I’m about to tear this cast off?” He said, “You’re an adult and you can do whatever you want.” He did, however, direct me to my family physician. After talking to him, I was given an Rx for Ativan 1mg. I took it, but it didn’t help.

    I suffered waiting for my first post-op appointment on 6/17. I’m guessing the ‘doctor on call’ told my Ortho surgeon that I called. My Ortho surgeon immediately took off the cast and removed the stitches. I was never so relieved in my life. He said I should not put any weight on my right foot for 6 weeks following surgery. Then I could partial weight on the leg over the next 6 weeks. Then at 12 weeks he said he would operate to take out the one screw holding my tibia and fibula together.

    It is now 6/23/08 and I have not taken any pain medication since I saw the Ortho surgeon on 6/17/08. I am getting around well on crutches, but sometimes my hands and armpits get sore. I primarily navigate the stairs in our home on my butt, but am getting more comfortable using the crutches. I only wear the ‘boot’ when planning to go outside the house. I constantly rock my ankle back and forth. I have also learned to use my right foot to steady myself, without putting weight on it.

    The day after the cast was removed my wife drove me to a job interview 60 miles away. The car ride took an hour each way, and spent 3 hours being interviewed. I paid for it when I got home. Lots of pain and swelling initially, but then everything calmed down by the next morning. I take every opportunity to get out of the house by going with my family to restaurants, softball games, etc.

    I can flex my right foot up and down pretty well. The swelling in my foot is down, but my ankle is still swollen. I try to keep my leg up on a stool or chair when I can, and I have been wrapping it with a ace bandage to reduce swelling.

    Only two weeks since surgery, today I got adventurous enough to slip a sneaker onto my right foot, sneak out to my car while my wife and kids were out, and proceeded to drive around our neighborhood very carefully. I am able to securely apply the brake with my left foot, and can very gently rock my right foot enough to depress the accelerator.

    I realize I should take it easy, but I am determined to get on with life. My biggest regret right now is that I can’t walk my dog. I am concerned about what happens when they take out the long screw holding my fibula and tibia together and how much time it will take to heal after that.

    I am scheduled to go back to see the Ortho surgeon on 7/07/08.

88. Hi Jodi, I work with people who have been victimized by violence and people are often surprised at the variety of ways that partners and family members handle a crisis. I would offer these ideas:
    1. Let him know that you can imagine that this has been a HUGE challenge for him, not just you, and that you appreciate all that he has taken on to allow you to heal
    2. Let him know that you know he is trying to be funny but that you are sensitive to how long it takes to heal and that when he says things like ‘ why can’t you get it” or something like that, even though he is only joking it makes you feel bad because you wish you were healing faster than is realistically possible.
    3. Make sure he is getting support from friends and family for what he is coping with so he doesn’t take the frustration of the situation out on you or in other not-helpful ways.
    4. Ask him to be on a team with you to work to get this injury healed, your muscles back in shape and get your lives together back on-track. Don’t let it get between you.

    I hope this is helpful and not too Dr. Phil! Take care of yourself, Gina

89. Louise, It’s been really hot here today in Sheffield! Glad you did not hurt yourself when you fell.

    Take your point about having surgery in another place – creates difficulties. But that’s the new flexible NHS for you!

    As Anklequest says I may be one of the few who has not gone downstairs on my bottom. Basically, that was too scary with two damaged ankles – it was the getting down on to my bottom and up again that was the problem. My stairs are deeper and narrower than most outside steps.

    Could not do stairs with two crutches, but physio showed me a way with both hands on bannisters and coming down on a diagonal – still strong leg leading up and weak leg coming down. Did that till I felt I could do stairs with one crutch. Stairs still a challenge for me.

    And Louise, I too had to watch out the window for the postie, but eventally typed a note and stuck it to the front door asking for any parcels/things to sign/things too large for letterbox to be delivered to back door. They were very obliging!

    Jodi, you are making good progress. On the husband’s comments, he may be trying to ‘lighten the mood’. Plus, he really won’t know what this is about – which is why this site is so good – unless you have broken your ankles you have no idea . . . And it is a shock to everyone when mum gets hurts. Even when you have grown up kids (like me).

    Anklequest, thanks for the info on cheap flights. May be a good time to visit, but not sure I can – and that’s also about work at the moment. I have always wanted to go to New England in the Fall, but my lecturing work means that is the busiest time of year for me!

    On the fuel front, a mother died today and her son got run over – someone was stealing their diesel when the family interrupted them. Some nice people out there.

    Stay healthy out there.

    Sandra

90. Hello Jodi,

    I am sorry you are going through tough times. As for the PT, it’s great you did it on your own. The one thing PT does aside from teaching you to walk again (somewhat normally) is to help build your strength back to before the accident. That is probably why you seem so tired. A lot has to do with being down on yourself though. Depression sinks in. Been there, done that. Don’t be hard on yourself, its not your husband or the kids or anyone. As my lovely 8 year old (at the time) said, “Mommies don’t get sick”. As moms, wives, dads, husbands, companions, friends, we are expected to recover much faster and obviously perfectly. I think that a lot has to do with how you are feeling. Sometimes we take things the wrong way when we are somewhat out of it. Heads up kiddo, and as Sharon says, it could be a lot worse. It gets better….Good luck and keep us posted.

91. Howdy! I have to tell ya’ll that reading everyone’s comments has been very comforting. I broke my ankle back on March 14th and it has been a really long and tough road back. I am having my 3rd surgery tomorrow to have 2 of the 4 large screws in my ankle removed and replaced with smaller ones. My doc says that it will give me even more mobility. If I look at the big picture I think my recovery is going pretty well…accident March 14th , 1st surgery March 14th second surgery one week later put in cast and on crutches non weight bearing, Cast removed April 30th stay on crutches start bearing weight, learing to walk again no PT did it on my own, May 28th can loose the crutches now break healing nicely use cane scheduled for 3rd surgery June 24th. I feel very luckly reading lots of your stories. I have had many ups and downs, good days bad days swelling and pain. What I want to know is if anyone is experiencing what I am now.. I seem to be having nightmares again. I keep reliving my fall over and over again. I had that problem right after my break, but it went away and now it is back and I hate it. Before I thought I had them because I had never had anything traumatic happen to my body. I have given birth to two kids, but that is it. I just don’t know why I am having them again unless it is just anxiety about another surgery. Do any of you keep reliving your breaks? Also, how do you deal with someone who likes to tease you about your injury for instance. My husband is a wonderful man and has been by my side through this whole ordeal, however I feel as though he is a bit insensitive(he has never broken anything). after the first couple of weeks if I asked for something he would say get up and get it yourself and laugh. everything is a joke. Now since I am doing more for myself it is worse. I still need help and noone seems to get it. I get tired very easy and can’t run around all day. I have tried to make him understand, but he just doesn’t get it. I try to joke back, but sometimes it hurts my feelings. I’m just suppose to be the same old wife and mom, but I’m not. Has anyone else experienced any of that? I look forward to hearing from ya’ll,take care and I wish you all a speedy recovery!

    Jodi

92. Anklequest!

    Ha ha! That day sounds like a hoot! hee hee! Yes…maybe not something that I want to experience myself, and hopefully I wont!! Yes..maybe you should go back on a cooler day then hey?

    The general problem with my stairs is that they are so deep. or high, whichever you want to say. I got taught how to do flights of stairs at the hospital, and had no probs with them, but my own stairs dont work so well…so much easier on the rear! Although, saying that, takes a lot longer, and I have missed a parcel twice, coz the postman runs away quickly before I get to the bottom of the stairs, so this morning, I had to sit watching out the window for like an hour waiting for mr postman with my parcel! hmmm…wasn’t even that exciting!

    Take care everyone! 🙂

    Louise xx

93. Hi Everyone,
    I got word from Clark that he probably will not be able to make the trip. It is a long distance and gas is now a bigger cost. I will call him when I get to CA and we’ll see. He did send me a really nice recent photo of himself with his two dogs which i appreciate very much.

    Louise,

    What a fall you had! Steps and crutches at first are really a problem. Things will get better. Many of us did use our rear ends at home to go up and down. Well, maybe not Sandra. I did for at least two months.

    Kingston is still sharp in my memory since the most memorable boat trip I ever took. The Hudson River tours started there. This was suppose to be a long wonderful 5-6 hour wonderful trip down to West Point & back. The day my sister Anna and I took it, however, was like this. Imagine the most miserable hot and muggy summer weather you have ever experienced. Hot sun, 100 degees F and 100% humidity it was. Add 5 retarded people, a gaggle of children from a day camp, fat ladies with bags of food and kids, elderly with crutches, etc. There was also a bad thunderstorm during the trip, freaking people out. Then heat again. By the end of the trip everyone, kids and all were lying on the deck trying to find a cool spot and completely wiped out. It was fortunate no one had a heat stroke.It took us 2 days to recover. We laugh a lot about it now and I would like to take the trip again but on a cool day.

    Sandra,
    Come here soon before the dollar value goes back up. We use to find these real cheap trips to Europe and there are none right now. Instead there are now real cheap trips to NY. Louise probably is on one of those.

    By the way, I use to be against nuclear power but it now seems to me to be a possible alternative since there are now newer and much safer designs. The big problem is that the cost to build them will be huge. The next generation or two will be stuck with the building bills unless we stop fighting wars.

    OK, I’ll be in touch by about the 4th of July!!!

    Take good care of those ankles and keep walking.

94. Well hello everyone (again!)

    Judy….when my cast came off (I talk like it has been ages, but has only been like erm…9 days?) my skin was very flakey, and my foot does go very purple when my leg is down, although does not seem to swell the same as it did the few days after. I went for a meal today, and had my foot down for about 3 hours, and hardly any swelling at all, which is fabulous really, although I did make a total and utter fool of myself by trying to climb 3 stairs in the resturant, without preparing myself fully for them, and fell over, grabbed a women by her hair, crutches a failing, and ended up face down on the floor, with my feet in the air!! Very undignified!! Thankfully, my ankle did not even touch the floor! It was packed in there as well!! EEEEKKKK! How embarassing!

    Part of my foot is slightly numb,a nd tingles when I push on it! And as for the calfs being tender….oh yes!! As I am flexing them more, I am getting a TREMENDOUS amount of cramp! But I supose it shows it is ding something at least! hee hee. My scars/incisions are also very red and quite gross looking as well. Im sure they will heal with time (although mine are going to be sliced open soon again!) Hmm… just give it time I say!!

    Anklequest! Thanks for the heads up about new york! I am not TOOOOO worried at the moment, as I am going to see a friend who actually lives in Kingston rather than in NY city. We will be visiting the city, but only for a day or two at most, so Im not TOOO worried, although a little anxious should I say! But Im sure it will be fine!! I can always stop if it gets too much, and will visit new york again next year anyway, so its not too much like I have to see and do everything. i am going primarily to see my friend, and will be staying with her family anyway!

    Sandra. I know…NHS is not at its best ever is it? Well…I was shown how to go up and down on crutches and how to use them before I left hospital thankfully, although I do find going up and down on the old backside (in my house, not in public! Although maybe in the restaurant would have been midly more dignified!) is much easier to be honest! I am not really sure if I can get any physio before I have had the screws out, so dont know whether to ask. As for the ambulance to the hospital, would be ok if my local hospital in my city, but not sure as its in another city, so dont know, although will enquire. I need to give the hospital a call tomorrow because I need to confirm the op and everything. Have got over my inital disappointment…its only a week! Ill live! Im going to see my GP in a while to get him to sign me back to work, so Ill go back to work on the 1st July. I only work 20 hours a week anyway, and work in a call centre, so nothing to strenuous! And sandra?? Im in portsmouth (hampshire) and we have had some lovely weather the last few days! Windy a bit today, but lovely and warm! 🙂

    Anywho…tomorrow brings another day and another week towards all our recovery!!
    take care everyone!

    Louise x 🙂

95. A special hello to Clark. Sorry to hear about your loss, and about the pain of your ops, but you are moving on, and it’s good to hear your thoughts. Hope you will stay in touch now.

    Don. Hi to you. I have found the gym really helpful for building strength and stability. I am walking better at the moment, but left ankle still feels stiff and tight. I hope I get some more movement there sometime. sorry to hear about your problems and I understand the wobbly bit – happens to me all the time. Today I have been practising walking backwards in my lounge, as when I have to step backwards I often feel I might topple over!

    If you want to send some pics, that would be interesting. I saw your other ones, but could not work out which soldier you were!

    You have your daughters’ wedding to look forward to. My son may be coming back home for a bit in the summer – between homes.
    Next week I am off to see my mum, so hope for some better weather.
    Have a short break planned in July, but hoping to do more this summer. Still find myself a little anxious about strange places, getting on and off planes etc., though as someone else said on here, there is no doubt lots of help to be had.

    And incidentally – to all of you – no idea what your weather is like, but it is horrible here in England. Dull, wet, very, very windy. So where is summer?

    Anklequest. Always great to hear from you. Would love to meet up sometime, but not sure when I would be able to get to the States – thinking closer to home this year (and about money!).

    I guess we are all sharing this economic slump, and concerns about oil and fuel prices, and it’s also affecting house prices here. Hoping to move at some point to a house with less stairs, but not a good time at the moment! And it’s a real worry to think how dependent we all are on oil – doesn’t seem a good idea somehow. But then the main option discussed here is nuclear power. Is that really better?

    Lots to do at work, and it’s all a bit hard going at the moment. I stayed really positive through all the worst stuff here, and now I am moving more freely, can get a bit down at times. Anyone think it all catches up with you at times? Well Don, I guess thinking back to some of your posts, you know what I mean. But it always cheers me up to read the posts on here, and to share thoughts.

    Bye to all and take care.

    Sandra

96. Judy,

    I also had the redness and numbness. Those things gradually went away and yours will too. I still have some brownish discoloration, like a bruise that is almost gone, on the top of my foot next to my toes but the rest of the foot is now a normal color. The numbness will get better when you begin physical therapy.

    As for the tenderness, it’s been now six months for me and there is much improvement with my soreness but still get twinges and things, hoping by a year it will be even better. As far as the shin goes, I feel much of my soreness stems from the back of my shin which makes me wonder if massages might help with that. I’m going to look into getting some massages Don’t forget to do lots of stretching that tendon when you eventually can. It must be that as a result of the injury all the muscles contract and take a long time to get better.

    Karen

97. Lots of stuff coming up here recently, so hard to keep track.

    I think Sharon is due for surgery, so hope it goes well.

    Tim, sorry to hear about your break, but you seem to be taking it in your stride!

    Hi to Pam, and hope physio is going well.

    Judy, I think you are coming out of plaster. A bit milestone for you.

    Celinda, Keep up the progress and the outings.

    Christopher, great to hear your post one year one. Longing to be walking nearly ‘normally’ by one year. And think of all you can do (as well as the list of can’t do). I have similar thoughts – there is the downside and the upside. My mini-aims at present are to walk without a stick by the end of June (on target), to get on an escalator some time this year (scary) and to walk outside as much as possible (getting there).

    About to do another post, as there seems to be so much to catch up on.

    Sandra

98. Hi to all.

    Louise, as a felow Uk resident, commiserations on the NHS! Having broken two ankles was discharged on crutches (set at different heights) with no info on exercises, not shown how to walk with crutches, and not able to get up and downstairs – and I have to go down stairs to get out of the house! I had to work really hard at getting physio. You should be able to get phone calls for hospital physios/outpatient clinic who can refer you for community physio. When you do get physio exercises it really helps. I am still doing mine after 9+ months. My legs were shrivelled and flaky after plasters, but I feel for you with your blisters. Hope they calm down, and that you can get something sorted for surgery.

    If you need an ambulance to get you to hospital you are entitled, i.e. what is your mobility like, so phone the hospital and arrange it. That’s not a flashing lights one, but they can sort a pick-up for you – whether in a van – type one, or a medi-car (sometimes a volunteer car) and you should defnitely be able to get that arranged by the hospital for discharge after the op. The point is though you have to keep at them, and phone up to sort it yourself.

    Hope you do get something sorted, and all goes well.

    Sandra

99. Hi All,

    Clark, you live so close to my work (Woodland Hills)!

    Well all, had the cast off on Friday and it was not quite what I had hoped. I am still not walking (need authorization to get a boot first…and I WORK for the insurance company…). However, my real concern is that the incisions are not healed. After 6 weeks, they look pretty much like they did after two weeks when I had the cast put on. I need to let the tape/scabs come off themselves (I took a little dry part off when waiting for the post-op guy, not pretty). What concerns me too is that when I have my foot down (not on my bed) it turns very dark..the whole foot. Also, my whole foot is VERY tender and most of it is numb. Is this normal? Actually, it hurts (very tender) half way up my calf also.

    Hope everyone is well. Sorry for all the questions..most of you are way past this!
    J.

100. Hi Don,
     Thanks for your post. We missed you. It seems we all go through those periods of dismay! I feel for you that you cannot have as much fun in those ancient battles you are involved in. I’m sorry to hear you are not progressing as fast as you had hoped for. Enjoy that wedding that you are so looking forward to. And dance that dance with the bride!!!

     I’ll not be posting for next week as I’ll be in California visiting my 96 year old mother. We’ll see if Clark and I can meet. He does live way up there in the Central Valley near Paradise, which is some distance.