Also get a shower chair if you don’t have one already.
It’s especially important to ask about blood clots and medicine to prevent them if you intend to make use of a wheelchair.
I broke my leg and then sprained my wrist trying to learn to use crutches on stairs in PT. I had to use a wheelchair as my main means of getting around for several weeks. This meant extending the time I was on an injectable anti-clotting medication.
If you go back to work, you may find a wheelchair to be a necessity. Things like the kitchen and bathroom are farther away in an office environment than you may realize. Also, you may not be able to safely get on and off of your office chair that’s on wheels. The existence of brakes on wheelchairs is a huge advantage. But if you do use a wheelchair, even if it’s only at work, your doctor needs to know.
In real life (though the PTs and OTs will never tell you this), people with foot or leg injuries make use of rolling office chairs to get around. They work better than crutches, walkers, or scooters. But this is dangerous unless you have a helper to hold the chair every time you get on it or off it. And I suspect that if you stay in a rolling office chair for hours on end to avoid the risks involved in getting on it and off it, your blood clot risk goes up, just as it does if you use a wheelchair.
Also, if your house is a mess, it’s a danger to you. Stuff on the floor (including throw rugs) will impede your ability to get around safely with pretty much any device. Can you get someone to move the clutter to a part of the house you will not be using before the surgery?
Another point: a walker is easier than crutches for those of us with little arm strength. Basically, if you’re non-weight-bearing, you use the walker as portable grab bars. You grab it and hop a little ways (just as you would do if you were hanging on to the kitchen or bathroom counter), reposition it, and hop again, holding on to the walker. Walkers fold up so you can take them in the car. There’s one big disadvantage to a walker, though. You can’t use it on stairs. I’m not sure if you could use it on a single step to get into a building.
If you can get up from a sitting position on the floor without putting weight on the bad foot, that would enable you to get into your office building. You turn around when you get to the step so that you’re facing away from it, sit on the step, maneuver your body onto the higher level, and then stand up. If you can’t do this (I couldn’t), you might still be able to manage by using the backward technique to sit on the step and then scooting on your bottom to the stairs that go up to the second floor, and getting into the backward position again. Then you put your hands on the bottom step and lever yourself up using your hands so that you’re sitting on the first step. You might need to do this a second time so that you’re sitting on the second step. You can easily stand up from a sitting position on the second step. But this method is undignified, hard on your pants, and hard on your hands and wrists. It’s also very awkward if you have to drag your own crutches or walker with you. But for me, it was the only way to get in and out of my house for about a month (we have two steps at every entrance).
I tend to think, though, that you should plan for being unable to go to your office for a while. You may need a plan A (going to the office) and a plan B (not going) and see which one works out better. I suspect that you will need plan B for at least a few weeks after the surgery (and perhaps until you can put partial weight on the foot). One issue we haven’t discussed is the need to elevate the foot – almost impossible in an office.
@swimcatsmom, where do you live?
Sorry you were injured. I broke my ankle 20 years ago and had to have several surgeries because I got a staph infection following the first surgery, i had two young kids who went to private school in another town (of course it was my right ankle—thank god for car pools). I also had a husband who traveled for work almost every week.
No advice on mobility—they didn’t have scooters or if they did, no one sugested it to me. I used crutches because I found them much easier than a walker. (I am klutz). Use whatever mibility device works for you and definitely get referrals for OT and PT. Those folks have all kinds of helpful hints.
My only advice: hire help to clean up the house. It is worth every penny. If you have clutter around, it impedes your movement. Plus, I found it unsettling to be in a messy house especially because I worked from home. Have them do a heavy cleaning and then come in once a week. Let your friends help and bring meals or whatever they offer.
You dont need to be on your feet—make sure there are places to sit where you can at least keep your leg on a chair. Don’t try to do
work around the house. You need to recuperate. Best of luck!
A temporary wooden ramp would solve the step problem at work. Neither difficult nor expensive to build. I would think your work would provide it for you.
All the best, @swimcatsmom. I broke my foot abroad, had surgery and returned home 4 days later. Was 8 weeks non-weight bearing in a boot and then weight bearing in a boot for at least 2 weeks. weeks. Nerve damage from initial surgery surfaced during recovery and 6 months later, had surgery to attempt to address nerve pain. Another 6 weeks in a boot (non-weight bearing) and 3 weeks in it weight bearing.
In case it helps, here are some tips:
- when weight-bearing in a boot, be sure the footwear on the "good" foot is the same height as boot and stabilizing. For me, the Brooks Addiction sneaker was spot on.
- to navigate stairs non-weight bearing, we put a low stool at the top of the stairs, in front of a sturdy chair. That allowed me to get easily into a standing position. I left a walker up and down, as I found "landing" with crutches (especially in a lav) awkward at best.
- my second surgeon forbid a knee scooter. DH made sure I was set up for the day for a few weeks post-op; initially leaving a cooler of protein snacks, water etc. near my bed. I was useless at carrying food around. I had a wheelchair used mostly for excursions and sometimes around the kitchen.
- there are arm rails that can be attached by the same screws as a toilet seat. They were a huge help when non-weight bearing, as was a walker.
-it helped to a have a variety of pillows available for leg elevation and attempts at sleep. I found a horseshoe shaped neck pillow on top of flat top pillow helped keep my ankle in position overnight.
- I organized my clothes on an open rolling rack in bedroom before my second surgery. I hung some things, including a hanging closet shelf for folded items. That way, I could initially point at wanted items and later access them myself more easily than navigating my closet and drawers.
-blood clots are certainly a risk of many orthopedic surgeries, so worth checking it out for yours. I was told that the risk for each ankle surgery I had was extremely low. I was only given blood thinners for a few days after the initial surgery due to my trans-Atlantic flight home. Otherwise, the surgeons deemed such pre-cautions unnecessary.
Sending good thoughts for a speedy recovery.
This.
If you have a small kitchen, you can probably get around it pretty well by hopping and grabbing the counters. So with a little practice, you’ll probably be able to make a sandwich or heat something up in the microwave. But if nobody else is available, you’re probably going to end up eating it while standing on one foot in front of the sink, with one hand holding on to the counter.
I"m not recommending it, but to avoid the above scenario, you could wrap the sandwich in foil or plastic, put it in a pouch that you wear around your neck, and make your way to a chair. And then of course there’s the beverage to contend with.
I’m sorry to hear about this! It can be way more difficult if not managed well. The knee roller is an essential. From my surgeries I made sure to make one trip and avoid getting up - like if you’re going to the bathroom, brush your teeth, get dressed, etc all at one time. Skirts may help dressing for work and not having to manage getting pants on and off.
Even at work, get a second chair and bring in a pillow to keep your foot elevated.
You will have to be accustomed to asking for help. I hope your husband is a helpful fella. If he can’t/won’t clean up the house you will have to get someone to help with that. It isn’t safe to have obstacles in your way.
At some point I will need double bunion surgery (so sexy!) — this all makes me want to delay as long as possible.
Very experienced non-weight bearer here…l spent 12 weeks non-weight bearing two summers ago (major complex tendon surgery in foot) and this summer 6 weeks non-weight bearing and then 6 weeks partial weight bearing with a boot and crutches (same foot - two broken bones repaired with plate). Just starting walking without crutches a few weeks ago.
Suggestions:
Throw rugs are the enemy. Put them all up.
Get a basket for your knee scooter. You can buy one off Amazon. It will give you a lot more flexibility in carrying things around.
Use a backpack when you go to work or otherwise leave the house. It’s so much easier than trying to manage a purse or other items. Crossbody bags don’t work very well with crutches but would be fine with a knee scooter.
Shower chair…if you have a walk-in shower, then back your knee scooter up to shower door as close as possible and using your good foot hop to the chair.
Also, a bath towel that wraps around with Velcro is very handy, so you can cover up as you get out of the shower without having to use your hands.
By the way, after my first surgery I couldn’t hop at all on my ‘good’ foot because it needed a knee replacement and was too unstable to hop on. I had the knee replacement last summer, so it was a little easier being non-weight bearing this time.
Generally, you will have a splint the first few weeks that can’t get wet and then they may put you in a cast for the next 2-4 weeks or a walking boot. If you are in a splint or cast, you will not be able to get it wet. You will need a plastic cover for the cast when you shower. I bought a leg cast cover off of Amazon but a garbage bag will do if secured well at the top.
Toilet bars. I bought a brand that doesn’t require you to screw into the seat. I had read those can cause issues with the stability of your toilet bowl in the long run. My bars are shaped like a U and the back just sits behind to the toilet seat. It’s very sturdy and can be picked up and moved easily.
Be careful on the knee scooter - it can flip. I somehow managed to do this while scooting to the bathroom in the middle of the night. No injuries but it was scary.
A stool to prop your foot up when you are sitting up in a chair. I purchased two from Amazon (they are light weight and foldable and $15). I think they are made to use with electronic keyboards. Your foot will swell when it
Is not propped up, probably for many months. I keep one of the stools at my office.
If you do use crutches, buy one or two crutch bags. They hook on the sides of your crutches and are invaluable for carrying around things like your phone, keys, even Tervis cups with coffee.
I can’t do crutches very well because of balance issues, so I mostly only used them when I was partial weight bearing. Make sure to get someone (like a PT) to adjust them for your height and show you how to use them, technique is very important.
It is possible to get up or down ONE step with a knee scooter by lifting up the front and placing it on the step and then putting your weight forward on the scooter to get completely on the step. This is NOT doable if there is more than one step to get to level ground.
Scooting up and down stairs is doable but you have to make sure that you have crutches or a scooter at the top or bottom of the stairs to get around once you reach that level. I made the mistake of crawling up the stairs at home once and only then did I realize I couldn’t get around because there was nothing up there to support my weight.
My experience is walkers don’t work well when you are fully non-weight bearing because it requires you to lift the walker AND hop on your good foot almost at the same time. Walkers are meant to assist people in walking , not those who are non-weight bearing.
You are probably going to need to be out of work for several weeks, even with a desk job because of the swelling and pain you will experience even with just a little activity. I was able to work from home via my laptop.
You will be surprised how much physical energy and time it will take you to do even a little activity, even with a knee scooter. It’s hard to explain unless you have previously been through it but most people quickly realize that it’s not that easy to return to your normal activity level while non or even partial weight bearing. I had my surgery at the end of April and have been full weight bearing for several weeks and I’m still not back to my full activity load. Your foot bears the brunt of the weight of your body and it can be a long process to heal.
AND get a handicap sticker. Most doctors will give you a temporary one after foot or knee surgery. You will appreciate having it because every step adds up and contributes to pain and swelling when you are recovering from these types of surgery.
Good luck! Hope this didn’t sound too pessimistic. I spent weeks scouting the internet for tips prior to my first surgery. I only found a few good sites. I’ll link them later if I can find them. Also, I’m happy to send you the names or links to any of the products I mentioned above. I bought almost all of them from Amazon, including the knee scooter. It was cheaper than renting and I’ve now used it for two different surgeries. My BFF used my crutches, shower seat, cast cover and toilet bars when she had knee surgery last year and she will borrow them again for a bunionectomy soon. Feel free to PM me with questions or for the names of products. Debbie
I did fall once on the knee scooter. Was backing it up and just overbalanced and tell backwards. Luckily on carpet and no harm done but it was scary. Certainly makes me more cautious.
We rented the knee scooter cause my husband didn’t think we needed to buy one. I was just going to order one from Amazon as the purchase price is just 2 1/2 times what the monthly rental is and I will have it at least 2 months. now he wishes we had bought one. I did get him to buy a shower chair and I ordered the free standing toilet rails from Amazon. Really glad I got those - just makes going to the toilet so much easier.
I’ve been laying around doing nothing all week. I was very nauseous after the surgery - I had told the anesthesiologist i had oral surgery several years ago that left me throwing up for days but that the gallbladder surgery a couple of yeArs ago didn’t seem as bad. He put zofran in the IV but said any future surgeries i should also get a patch.
It was pretty painful the first 2-3 days. Have hydrocodone which I can take 1-2 times every 4 hours. The first or second night it did not relieve the pain at all - it was bad. The rest of the time it does help. i try and keep ahead of the pain by taking one on schedule. Didn’t this morning as it was feeling reasonable and now it is hurting and will take a while for the painkiller to kick in. I’ve noticed it will get worse if I get up even for the few minutes needed to go to the toilet. It is not as bad as it was.
I’m going to try going to work monday. Rather dreading it as I know keeping the foot well elevated does a lot to keep the swelling down and the pain under control. Trouble is i can’t take weeks off work - it is a very small company and there is really no one who can take over the work I need to get done and deadlines are beginning to loom. If I can’t manage at work I will have to try working remotely. Trouble is our home computer is not working right now so I would need to get one to be able to log in to my work computer - I don’t think my kindle will work (there is a thing where you can log in and you are basically working at your work computer - several of our employees have used it for various reasons). It may be an idea anyway. I have a couple of large projects coming up and would usually be putting in some overtime - not sure I am up to that right now. The entry to our part of the building has a step. Going to have my husband drive me tomorrow and see how the knee scooter works on the step. The insurance co. we share the building with us accessible so if I can’t manage the step i will have to come through there. It will by force limit my hours as they are not there evenings and weekends which I tend to be.
I would definitely say my must haves for anyone having a surgery that requires non weight bearing would be the knee scooter - definitely with basket as that makes life so much easier, toilet rails, shower chair. I also need crutches to get into the shower as it has a step.
Getting my husband to remember not to leave things cluttering the floor is a challenge. For instance he put together the toilet rail but then left the box it came in and a caddy that had been next to the toilet in the floor so I could not turn the knee scooter and had to back it up (already fallen once doing that). He is just really bad at never putting or throwing things away which is a challenge at the best of times but really makes things difficult when you have mobility issues. He has to use a walker himself and I don’t think a wheelchair is far off so decluttering is definitely something I need to prioritize once I am more mobile. When we get round to feeling the master bath we need to think about that step down into the shower.
Stay ahead of the pain. After my knee replacement, I got behind because the pharmacy closed before my husband could get back to pick it up. It took me several days to get the pain under control. Though, I will say, of all the surgeries I’ve had over the last few years, the knee replacement was by far the most painful but the recovery time was much shorter.
We remodeled about 7 years ago and I had them put in a roll in shower and a comfort height toilet. Didn’t need it at the time but I sure am glad now!
Good luck with work and keep that foot elevated!
I ordered a foot hammock - no idea if it will work with my desk (actually our office manager’s desk as she kindly offered to switch offices with me till I can do stairs again). Will let you all know.
Wow, I had a broken fibula so was told no weight-bearing for 6 weeks. Our bathroom is so tiny, we didn’t want to try having me shower there, so fortunately my brother let us shower at his HUGE walk in shower that has no walls, plus a bench you can sit on while showering.
I never used a scooter, as our house is way too small and I’m not that coordinated. I just did a lot of resting my leg (elevated) and then crutches and airboot when that was allowed. After the 1st day or two, I was fine with just ibuprofen and slowly was able to stop that as well. My SisIL who had a broken foot used a scooter that my brother bought on Craigslist–she was told no weightbearing for 6 weeks or longer. She continued to drive and work and was able to manage.
@swimcatsmom: It’s gallant of you to want to try to go to the office on Monday. However, your health comes first, and if you can’t work, then you can’t work. You don’t have to be a hero here. You need to make sure your foot heals properly.
@swimcatsmom , I understand the dilemma of needing to get back to work due to a small staff and perhaps being a one-man show for your position. This is my work life.
If your internet is working fine would your office perhaps have a laptop they could loan you to work from home for this week - and get you one more week of not having to maneuver being away from home but getting work done??
We have the remote log in and yes it’s very handy and allows you to basically log into your computer through the network while being on another computer.