Broken Ankle Advice?
May 28, 2022 10:26 AM Subscribe
I just broke my ankle real bad (details inside) and would love to hear general advice about what to expect (I've never broken a bone before) and specific advice about things I can have or do that might be helpful
So, I managed to break or otherwise mess up every bone of my ankle (bouldering gym, fell wrong -topped the route though!) After a harrowing emergency room day where they tried to reset it twice without managing to do anything about what that feels like, I have seen the orthopedist (& talked her into totally putting me under before resetting everything again cause I was too scared to face that another time), and now (the next day) everything feels magically almost fine. I'm only having to take some ibuprofen. They are going to put some pins in & maybe a plate next week. I've got lots of wonderful friends & partners to help me out, and I work from home already so that's not a problem, and I'm on Medicaid so I'm not totally sure, but my Medicaid experience thus far is that it actually works really well & you don't get a million bills later. I also read that mefi post about how bad underarm crutches are, so at least I knew to keep all my weight on my hands & not underarms when the ER handed them to me. My apartment is up a flight of stairs but I've gone up & down them sitting a few times & it's been easy enough. I'm pretty strong & fit generally, run a few times a week and do some strength training stuff.
Here are my questions: What can I generally expect from recovery (I know there's know way to tell for sure, but I would love even vague guesses- like how long will it take? Is it going to be more painful after the surgery to put pins & plates in? Is there anything I should be sure to ask the Dr for or about? And is there anything I should be especially careful about, or aware of to make it go well? Is there stuff I should get to make my life easier?
Also does anyone have advice about how to get my brain to stop replaying the moment of the accident? If I'm not thinking specifically about something else it just comes up & is mildly distressing.
Lastly, I'd love to hear positive anecdotes about successful broken bone recoveries! I'm in pretty good spirits right now, (not being in terrible pain is amazing) and it would be heartening to hear stories about how things will be ok.
Thanks so much!
So, I managed to break or otherwise mess up every bone of my ankle (bouldering gym, fell wrong -topped the route though!) After a harrowing emergency room day where they tried to reset it twice without managing to do anything about what that feels like, I have seen the orthopedist (& talked her into totally putting me under before resetting everything again cause I was too scared to face that another time), and now (the next day) everything feels magically almost fine. I'm only having to take some ibuprofen. They are going to put some pins in & maybe a plate next week. I've got lots of wonderful friends & partners to help me out, and I work from home already so that's not a problem, and I'm on Medicaid so I'm not totally sure, but my Medicaid experience thus far is that it actually works really well & you don't get a million bills later. I also read that mefi post about how bad underarm crutches are, so at least I knew to keep all my weight on my hands & not underarms when the ER handed them to me. My apartment is up a flight of stairs but I've gone up & down them sitting a few times & it's been easy enough. I'm pretty strong & fit generally, run a few times a week and do some strength training stuff.
Here are my questions: What can I generally expect from recovery (I know there's know way to tell for sure, but I would love even vague guesses- like how long will it take? Is it going to be more painful after the surgery to put pins & plates in? Is there anything I should be sure to ask the Dr for or about? And is there anything I should be especially careful about, or aware of to make it go well? Is there stuff I should get to make my life easier?
Also does anyone have advice about how to get my brain to stop replaying the moment of the accident? If I'm not thinking specifically about something else it just comes up & is mildly distressing.
Lastly, I'd love to hear positive anecdotes about successful broken bone recoveries! I'm in pretty good spirits right now, (not being in terrible pain is amazing) and it would be heartening to hear stories about how things will be ok.
Thanks so much!
I have broken (at different times) both feet and a forearm with no long-term issues at all. None of those were severe breaks though.
If there is a something in particular you can't do while recovering, there's a good chance there's a YouTube video showing a workaround. Physical therapists and other people make a bunch of these videos. I will forever be grateful to Crazy Russian Hacker for showing me how to take my T shirt off with one hand.
posted by FencingGal at 10:45 AM on May 28, 2022
If there is a something in particular you can't do while recovering, there's a good chance there's a YouTube video showing a workaround. Physical therapists and other people make a bunch of these videos. I will forever be grateful to Crazy Russian Hacker for showing me how to take my T shirt off with one hand.
posted by FencingGal at 10:45 AM on May 28, 2022
My partner broke their ankle right at the start of the pandemic (great timing!) and also had screws put in. The week-ish after surgery was tough, pain and inconvenience-wise. They basically lived upstairs at our house for six weeks. There was some residual pain for a while but everything seems great now.
I guess I'd say that you might not want to plan on going up and down stairs a lot at first, even if you feel like you are physically capable of it. It was a lot harder than it initially appeared.
The most useful thing we had the whole time was a rolling shop stool more or less like this one. It was much easier to use in the house than a scooter or crutches. My partner just sat on it and rolled around using their good leg and an arm against the wall to propel themselves. If your apartment has big open spaces this may not work as well, but for smaller rooms, hallways, trips to the bathroom, etc, it was perfect.
You will also need a shower seat of some kind. We did not plan super well for this and ended up using an unsuitable Ikea step stool, but it was all right.
Do you have something to prop your leg up on while seated? We had a cheapo recliner.
Also, of course, keep moving, keep hydrated, see what your doctor has to say about blood thinners.
The whole thing was not the funnest (as you have probably figured out) but it was manageable and the recovery was good. Maybe get yourself some treats for the first week or so? Some special fun books or something?
posted by Frowner at 10:48 AM on May 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
I guess I'd say that you might not want to plan on going up and down stairs a lot at first, even if you feel like you are physically capable of it. It was a lot harder than it initially appeared.
The most useful thing we had the whole time was a rolling shop stool more or less like this one. It was much easier to use in the house than a scooter or crutches. My partner just sat on it and rolled around using their good leg and an arm against the wall to propel themselves. If your apartment has big open spaces this may not work as well, but for smaller rooms, hallways, trips to the bathroom, etc, it was perfect.
You will also need a shower seat of some kind. We did not plan super well for this and ended up using an unsuitable Ikea step stool, but it was all right.
Do you have something to prop your leg up on while seated? We had a cheapo recliner.
Also, of course, keep moving, keep hydrated, see what your doctor has to say about blood thinners.
The whole thing was not the funnest (as you have probably figured out) but it was manageable and the recovery was good. Maybe get yourself some treats for the first week or so? Some special fun books or something?
posted by Frowner at 10:48 AM on May 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
Oh - how is your bathroom laid out? Is it going to be easy for you to transfer yourself from crutches/scooter/rolling stool to the toilet? This was difficult at first. Since you climb you probably have a lot of core strength so it won't be as bad, but maybe see if there's anything you can buy to make the process more stable.
Things were definitely better right after the surgery than before, despite the various pains and inconveniences.
posted by Frowner at 10:52 AM on May 28, 2022
Things were definitely better right after the surgery than before, despite the various pains and inconveniences.
posted by Frowner at 10:52 AM on May 28, 2022
I do not have experience with the ankle but had to have wrist reset with pins and a plate. It took a couple months to feel healed. If your doctor says to do some physical therapy do it as prescribed. Ask if you think you might need plate taken out in your lifetime. I guess the pins can become loose over years but 10 years on mine haven't. As far as emotional trauma, divert your attention when you can, talk about it w trusted friends and give it time to dissipate.
posted by DixieBaby at 11:04 AM on May 28, 2022
posted by DixieBaby at 11:04 AM on May 28, 2022
Best answer: I'm a physical therapist (but not your physical therapist), and keep in mind that all breaks and surgeries are different so your recovery may vary. Generally what happens after an ankle ORIF is that they will place you in a short leg cast with the ankle immobilized for about 6 weeks and you won't be allowed to put weight on it for that time. This is when you'll be using crutches or a knee scooter, and things like a shower chair etc will be useful. You will spend a lot of time elevating the foot, and because you won't be able to move it a whole lot you'll get a lot of instructions on avoiding blood clots. Your stitches will get removed at some point during this phase.
They will generally take x-rays at that 6 week mark to see how it's healing, and if all is well you'll be out of the cast and into a CAM boot (walking boot) and you'll be allowed to put weight on it (in the boot only!). At this point most previously healthy people don't need crutches and get around pretty normally. You are usually allowed to wash the foot at this point (and please do!!). You will start doing physical therapy for range of motion and strengthening - because the ankle has just been immobilized for a while it will be very stiff and you will have lost muscle mass. And because you most likely tore some ligaments during the break, you will also want to work on your balance and proprioception.
At around that 12 week mark, most patients are usually cleared to be out of the boot (you might be given a lace up ankle brace for a little while, but it's mainly for comfort and support). Your ankle won't be at 100% yet, so you'll want to take it slow and keep strengthening. High-impact activities like running and jumping (and yes, bouldering) will be the most difficult and it will take another couple of months to get back to that point. Often people stop rehab at this stage and get back to their lives, but will have persistent weakness and stiffness (like unable to do a calf raise a year later) if they don't work on it.
The major complaint I get is persistent swelling afterwards that comes and goes. Also many people have numb patches of skin that last for months from damage to small superficial nerves during the surgery.
posted by autolykos at 11:07 AM on May 28, 2022 [8 favorites]
They will generally take x-rays at that 6 week mark to see how it's healing, and if all is well you'll be out of the cast and into a CAM boot (walking boot) and you'll be allowed to put weight on it (in the boot only!). At this point most previously healthy people don't need crutches and get around pretty normally. You are usually allowed to wash the foot at this point (and please do!!). You will start doing physical therapy for range of motion and strengthening - because the ankle has just been immobilized for a while it will be very stiff and you will have lost muscle mass. And because you most likely tore some ligaments during the break, you will also want to work on your balance and proprioception.
At around that 12 week mark, most patients are usually cleared to be out of the boot (you might be given a lace up ankle brace for a little while, but it's mainly for comfort and support). Your ankle won't be at 100% yet, so you'll want to take it slow and keep strengthening. High-impact activities like running and jumping (and yes, bouldering) will be the most difficult and it will take another couple of months to get back to that point. Often people stop rehab at this stage and get back to their lives, but will have persistent weakness and stiffness (like unable to do a calf raise a year later) if they don't work on it.
The major complaint I get is persistent swelling afterwards that comes and goes. Also many people have numb patches of skin that last for months from damage to small superficial nerves during the surgery.
posted by autolykos at 11:07 AM on May 28, 2022 [8 favorites]
Best answer: For an athletic person’s ankle injury, a knee peg leg thing can be amazing, if your knee can handle it. Maybe with one or both crutches for extra balance when you go out.
Can help to have a rolling chair in the kitchen for things like cooking or dishes, either to sit on or kneel with your ankle up.
Have a little Metamucil every day between now and the surgery to keep your gut moving because the morphine is mega constipating.
You’ll want good supportive sneaker on your good foot - ankle support and a cushy sole.
The wider the crutch hand grips, the less pressure on any one point of your hand. Get the big foamy things - I doubled them (you need tape to achieve this).
I took off the top pads on my underarm crutches. The thick sticky foam pad kind of grabbed and rubbed my skin and made it sore plus it forced my arms out too far. Having zero underarm padding let the crutches fit there more neatly and slide more as I walked instead of grabbing my skin as a pivot.
I found every hospital person adjusted my armpit crutches wrong. They always make the armpit bar too high, and they put the hand grips too high. The high armpit bar means the crutches are too long so they splay out to the sides. And the high hand bar means bent elbows so your muscles are lifting your weight which is tiring so you’ll lean your armpits on the bars and pinch your nerves.
Armpit crutches worked best for me when the armpit bar was about 2-3 inches below my armpit, and the hand grips were at the lowest possible point so my arms were almost straight. The shorter height allowed me to keep my crutches in nice and tight, so they were very vertical under my shoulders, not splayed out wide. And the lower hand grips let me put the weight into my arm bones, not my arm muscles. (This is may not work if you have wide hips as you will need to splay the crutches to make space for your hips to fit between them - but if you pelvis is narrower, having the crutches more vertical is very much more comfortable).
When you walk with crutches imagine swinging your foot out about 10 inches ahead of your crutch tips. Google “swing through gait” to see videos.
Get a good backpack with compression straps and a hip belt to keep the weight in close to your center of gravity. You probably also want a fanny pack, a phone case with a wrist strap, and a wrist strap for your keys. Not being able to carry things is so annoying!
Shower bench to sit on! I’m sure you have great balance, get one anyway. Slippery foot is bad for hopping
From many orthopaedic injuries I found that being RELIGIOUS about no weight bearing until even longer than I was told was the best way to really heal it. The joints I did that for are in decent shape. The ones where I pushed it are still a bit wonky years later.
Hope it heals well!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:17 AM on May 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
Can help to have a rolling chair in the kitchen for things like cooking or dishes, either to sit on or kneel with your ankle up.
Have a little Metamucil every day between now and the surgery to keep your gut moving because the morphine is mega constipating.
You’ll want good supportive sneaker on your good foot - ankle support and a cushy sole.
The wider the crutch hand grips, the less pressure on any one point of your hand. Get the big foamy things - I doubled them (you need tape to achieve this).
I took off the top pads on my underarm crutches. The thick sticky foam pad kind of grabbed and rubbed my skin and made it sore plus it forced my arms out too far. Having zero underarm padding let the crutches fit there more neatly and slide more as I walked instead of grabbing my skin as a pivot.
I found every hospital person adjusted my armpit crutches wrong. They always make the armpit bar too high, and they put the hand grips too high. The high armpit bar means the crutches are too long so they splay out to the sides. And the high hand bar means bent elbows so your muscles are lifting your weight which is tiring so you’ll lean your armpits on the bars and pinch your nerves.
Armpit crutches worked best for me when the armpit bar was about 2-3 inches below my armpit, and the hand grips were at the lowest possible point so my arms were almost straight. The shorter height allowed me to keep my crutches in nice and tight, so they were very vertical under my shoulders, not splayed out wide. And the lower hand grips let me put the weight into my arm bones, not my arm muscles. (This is may not work if you have wide hips as you will need to splay the crutches to make space for your hips to fit between them - but if you pelvis is narrower, having the crutches more vertical is very much more comfortable).
When you walk with crutches imagine swinging your foot out about 10 inches ahead of your crutch tips. Google “swing through gait” to see videos.
Get a good backpack with compression straps and a hip belt to keep the weight in close to your center of gravity. You probably also want a fanny pack, a phone case with a wrist strap, and a wrist strap for your keys. Not being able to carry things is so annoying!
Shower bench to sit on! I’m sure you have great balance, get one anyway. Slippery foot is bad for hopping
From many orthopaedic injuries I found that being RELIGIOUS about no weight bearing until even longer than I was told was the best way to really heal it. The joints I did that for are in decent shape. The ones where I pushed it are still a bit wonky years later.
Hope it heals well!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:17 AM on May 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
You're gonna have the tightest Achilles tendon ever before it's over. Don't underestimate it how much pain you can cause yourself by not stretching and tending it later on.
I've broken my ankle twice and it was the tendon and tissue damage that caused me the most problems healing, and definitely the weakness from the first injury contributed to the second. PT is key.
posted by wellifyouinsist at 11:44 AM on May 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
I've broken my ankle twice and it was the tendon and tissue damage that caused me the most problems healing, and definitely the weakness from the first injury contributed to the second. PT is key.
posted by wellifyouinsist at 11:44 AM on May 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
Best answer: nthing the peg leg! Both my old roommate and partner have used this during recovery (one had ankle surgery from an old injury / other broke heel from bottoming out the crash pad). Old roomie also had a scooter for longer distance travel. Definitely get a handicap placard for the car.
Old roomie had a cast, continued to climb (TR only). She would bring her scoot to the gym, put an ace bandage over her knee (on the bad leg), and basically climb one-footed using her bad-leg-knee to brace as needed. She was such a badass haha. I think she was able to belay me from her scooter.
Partner didn't go to the climbing gym when broken, but managed to get a pretty good hang boarding routine down. I'd recommend getting a hangboard at home if you're so inclined. When he was back in the gym, he reported feeling like he hadn't lost much strength (and probably strengthened his fingers).
Best of luck with your surgery and recovery! My main advice is to not be shy about asking for help, and asking friends to do creative alternate (non-active) activities with you.
posted by blueberrypuffin at 12:11 PM on May 28, 2022
Old roomie had a cast, continued to climb (TR only). She would bring her scoot to the gym, put an ace bandage over her knee (on the bad leg), and basically climb one-footed using her bad-leg-knee to brace as needed. She was such a badass haha. I think she was able to belay me from her scooter.
Partner didn't go to the climbing gym when broken, but managed to get a pretty good hang boarding routine down. I'd recommend getting a hangboard at home if you're so inclined. When he was back in the gym, he reported feeling like he hadn't lost much strength (and probably strengthened his fingers).
Best of luck with your surgery and recovery! My main advice is to not be shy about asking for help, and asking friends to do creative alternate (non-active) activities with you.
posted by blueberrypuffin at 12:11 PM on May 28, 2022
My partner broke his ankle in several places and a few months later I sprained mine terrifically.
Shower chair
Plastic cover with elastic top for the cast to keep it dry when showering
Do all of the physical therapy exercises that are prescribed to you, they truly make a huge difference
Ask about getting PT for your glutes and core before you’re cleared to work on the ankle. Lower back pain is a qualifying reason to get physical therapy, you know, in case you’re experiencing that. Having your ankle out of commission can make it hard to maintain good core strength and if your core was not in good shape before it can slow you down in your progress.
Prepare to sleep a lot, recovering from major energy consumes a ton of energy
Hydrate
Low stakes entertainment like podcasts and movies you’ve already seen so you don’t have to think about plot
posted by bilabial at 1:48 PM on May 28, 2022
Shower chair
Plastic cover with elastic top for the cast to keep it dry when showering
Do all of the physical therapy exercises that are prescribed to you, they truly make a huge difference
Ask about getting PT for your glutes and core before you’re cleared to work on the ankle. Lower back pain is a qualifying reason to get physical therapy, you know, in case you’re experiencing that. Having your ankle out of commission can make it hard to maintain good core strength and if your core was not in good shape before it can slow you down in your progress.
Prepare to sleep a lot, recovering from major energy consumes a ton of energy
Hydrate
Low stakes entertainment like podcasts and movies you’ve already seen so you don’t have to think about plot
posted by bilabial at 1:48 PM on May 28, 2022
I feel for you! I’ve broken my ankles several times. Many have spoken to the practical and physical side of things, so I won’t elaborate further on that, except to say that it is ok (and helpful!) to prioritise your comfort. Don’t needlessly suffer.
What I’ll add here is that your life has unexpectedly jumped onto a frontage road that’s taking you on a huge healing and growth journey. All the self-care and nourishment things you can do to support that shift are going to be a massive boon to your rapid recovery. Everything from what you eat and drink to what you do with your time and how you organise your day can improve your healing (and your experience of it). There’s going to be some necessary acceptance and letting go of certain projects and goals for now. And you may find that you’ve got an opportunity to try some new things or get to some of those slower projects, the more reflective over the physical ones perhaps.
The replaying of the event (and the horrible ER aftershocks) is part of processing the bodily and emotional trauma. It’s possible that it felt scary, out of control, unexpected, embarrassing, spotlighting, dreadful and even disappointing and sad as the dawning of what this event means for your immediate future sinks in. Feelings are tunnels and you gotta go through them, but that doesn’t mean alone. A great thing you can do for your healing journey is to seek help.
You’ll be back on the main road again stronger, wiser and more resilient soon, believe you! Good luck, been there. It’s not fun, but it doesn’t have to suck. You’ll pick up some unexpected insights or books or connections or ??? out of it all, which can actually be pretty great.
posted by iamkimiam at 2:48 PM on May 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
What I’ll add here is that your life has unexpectedly jumped onto a frontage road that’s taking you on a huge healing and growth journey. All the self-care and nourishment things you can do to support that shift are going to be a massive boon to your rapid recovery. Everything from what you eat and drink to what you do with your time and how you organise your day can improve your healing (and your experience of it). There’s going to be some necessary acceptance and letting go of certain projects and goals for now. And you may find that you’ve got an opportunity to try some new things or get to some of those slower projects, the more reflective over the physical ones perhaps.
The replaying of the event (and the horrible ER aftershocks) is part of processing the bodily and emotional trauma. It’s possible that it felt scary, out of control, unexpected, embarrassing, spotlighting, dreadful and even disappointing and sad as the dawning of what this event means for your immediate future sinks in. Feelings are tunnels and you gotta go through them, but that doesn’t mean alone. A great thing you can do for your healing journey is to seek help.
You’ll be back on the main road again stronger, wiser and more resilient soon, believe you! Good luck, been there. It’s not fun, but it doesn’t have to suck. You’ll pick up some unexpected insights or books or connections or ??? out of it all, which can actually be pretty great.
posted by iamkimiam at 2:48 PM on May 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
I broke my left ankle and had it bolted back together again.
Post-surgery is going to suck, because as you mention currently all the pain has gone after setting the break and you feel great...and then it's going to hurt even worse once they "fix" it. But it will get better!
Everyone has pretty much said everything positive above, so I'll share my regrets :)
I didn't do the assigned PT exercises enough. In fact, I barely did them, and my recovery took much longer than it could have. I faithfully attended PT every week, but it was a casual effort between appointments. DO THE EXERCISES!
Always be pushing your PT to do more/as much as allowed, they know the limits of recovery.
Find alternate exercises to keep the rest of you fit. There's tons of seated/laying weight movements for your core and upper body, take advantage of this time to focus on them. You can even swim, once the incision is healed, ask your PT for advice.
I was on oxycodone for a week post-surgery, and while it did a great job dealing with the pain (I didn't feel anything), I actually went through withdrawals when I stopped taking it (horrible night sweats, etc). I've never been on opiates before and didn't know how I would react. In the future I'll try to minimize their use given my experience.
posted by jpeacock at 5:12 PM on May 28, 2022
Post-surgery is going to suck, because as you mention currently all the pain has gone after setting the break and you feel great...and then it's going to hurt even worse once they "fix" it. But it will get better!
Everyone has pretty much said everything positive above, so I'll share my regrets :)
I didn't do the assigned PT exercises enough. In fact, I barely did them, and my recovery took much longer than it could have. I faithfully attended PT every week, but it was a casual effort between appointments. DO THE EXERCISES!
Always be pushing your PT to do more/as much as allowed, they know the limits of recovery.
Find alternate exercises to keep the rest of you fit. There's tons of seated/laying weight movements for your core and upper body, take advantage of this time to focus on them. You can even swim, once the incision is healed, ask your PT for advice.
I was on oxycodone for a week post-surgery, and while it did a great job dealing with the pain (I didn't feel anything), I actually went through withdrawals when I stopped taking it (horrible night sweats, etc). I've never been on opiates before and didn't know how I would react. In the future I'll try to minimize their use given my experience.
posted by jpeacock at 5:12 PM on May 28, 2022
If the knee crutch (i.e. knee peg leg) doesn't suit you, you can get knee-scooters
posted by kschang at 6:25 PM on May 28, 2022
posted by kschang at 6:25 PM on May 28, 2022
There was a post on the blue recently about how much "normal crutches" suck, which seems very relevant. edit: crud, this was probably the post you already read. sorry.
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 8:16 PM on May 28, 2022
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 8:16 PM on May 28, 2022
As ivanthenotsoterrible suggested the iWalk is great. When I broke my foot in 2015 it saved me. I was even able to mow the lawn while using it!
posted by terrapin at 6:29 AM on May 29, 2022
posted by terrapin at 6:29 AM on May 29, 2022
Response by poster: Follow-up: thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I'm doing really well, about 2 1/2 weeks after surgery, and I am already out of the cast & doing some very gentle non weight-bearing foot exercises to get range of motion & muscle strength back. I feel stronger every day and it's great!
I did get the iwalk peg leg thing, & it does make a huge difference for doing stuff around the apartment (cooking & dishes, moving every single pillow onto the 'couch so one can lay in a pillow nest). I'm still not super confident with it out of doors- uneven sidewalks are hard, and walking a distance with it on seems to take a lot of extra energy, although I'm going to keep practicing. I can get about a half mile at best.
Thanks also for the advice to go easy on the opiates. I was super glad to have them for the couple of times things got really bad the first week after surgery, but other than that I have been doing fine with ibuprofen & a moderate amount of weed. I haven't had to deal with any withdrawal symptoms and at this point I haven't needed to take anything except for occasionally right before bed.
The passage of time seems to be really helping with injury flashbacks, and doing stuff like going out to shows and climbing up the staircases of my friends has been really helpful, mental health wise. It's harder but it's super worth it.
Again thanks to everyone who took the time to answer my question, you were all so so helpful when I had no clue what to expect.
posted by velebita at 1:23 PM on June 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
I did get the iwalk peg leg thing, & it does make a huge difference for doing stuff around the apartment (cooking & dishes, moving every single pillow onto the 'couch so one can lay in a pillow nest). I'm still not super confident with it out of doors- uneven sidewalks are hard, and walking a distance with it on seems to take a lot of extra energy, although I'm going to keep practicing. I can get about a half mile at best.
Thanks also for the advice to go easy on the opiates. I was super glad to have them for the couple of times things got really bad the first week after surgery, but other than that I have been doing fine with ibuprofen & a moderate amount of weed. I haven't had to deal with any withdrawal symptoms and at this point I haven't needed to take anything except for occasionally right before bed.
The passage of time seems to be really helping with injury flashbacks, and doing stuff like going out to shows and climbing up the staircases of my friends has been really helpful, mental health wise. It's harder but it's super worth it.
Again thanks to everyone who took the time to answer my question, you were all so so helpful when I had no clue what to expect.
posted by velebita at 1:23 PM on June 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
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eta: haven't used it, but crutches are terrible and this is well reviewed by people for whom it fits
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 10:39 AM on May 28, 2022 [1 favorite]