This morning I rolled my ankle and now have a non-displaced broken fibula, confirmed by urgent care doc and X-rays. She gave me a walking boot and told me to call and see orthopedic specialist. Also ordered crutches and we also bought a cane.
We are icing ankle, resting and elevating it. Any other suggestions before we can see the orthopedist? I can’t bear any weight. Have taken some ibuprofen for pain and swelling relief.
Oh yea, we also have a trip to Korea scheduled 4/1 to 4/16. Do we need to cancel?
hmmm about the trip. Healing should be about 6 weeks right? The trip is just under 8 weeks away? How long is the air trip from HI to Korea ? Would sitting for awhile hurt?
Because it’s nondisplaced, I think you’ll be fine for your trip. You’ll have pain for maybe a week, but by the time you leave your bone will have healed and this should be all behind you.
Sorry this happened, HImom, but in the overall scheme of things, this is a tiny blip.
HImom, so sorry to hear about it! Hope you will get to see the specialist soon, hope you don’t have to wait until next week. Why does stuff like that always happen on Fridays?
Do you have trip insurance? If your bone decides to heal slowly, your doctor can always provide you with paperwork for cancellation. Normally, such injury should heal in 6 weeks. Your doctor will likely give you a better estimate.
Yes, thankfully, we did get trip insurance via our credit card. The trip will be about an 8 hour plane ride. It will also be LOTS of bus rides and walking. This is my first broken bone and the first in my extended family, so I’m not sure what to expect.
The urgent care doc was very nice, but I need to see the orthopedic doc.
In my experience, for example, broke both clavicles - green stick fractures where they were bent, not displaced - and after a night of utter agony they stopped hurting the next day (when my dad took me to his hospital for x-rays). This has been true for most of my broken bones, that it takes a few days for the pain to fade away. What continues to hurt are tendonitis and strains and tears that keep getting stressed.
HIMom- so sorry. Glad you are seeing specialist ASAP. I am recovering from a broken anlkle and had initial surgery with a plate and screws. Try not to bear much weight on it until you see ortho. Foot and ankle specialist could be most helpful.
Ortho visit will you give you a better idea of recovery time frame, as recovery is different if you need surgery. 8 weeks post op I would not have been up for a trip with my usual tons of walking. I could get around and take walks, but ankle surgery of this type is usually 4-6 weeks non-weight bearing, so it takes awhile to get your groove back. Hopefully, you can bypass surgery. Often times, people with PT or rehab expertise seem better at predicting what will be feasible when. Bone mending time is predictable, yet there are other variables as recovery progresses.
Once you hear from ortho, feel free to check back with questions. I have had two ankle surgeries related to this and have some survival tIps!
Only saw a Physicians Asst. She seemed to think it was a very small fracture and should probably heal nicely and quickly. She wants me to return in a week for repeat X-rays to see how it was healing.
She said I COULD see an orthopedic surgeon if needed but she didn’t see any need at this point. She feels I should heal fine and good for my trip to Korea in April.
She said I can drive and put a little weight on the toe of my boot. She gave me a new taller boot, so my insurer will probably be annoyed with me having the short boot yesterday and now a tall one today. Oh well, we will see what happens. We weren’t in a position to argue then or today. At least no need for surgery or cast so far. Insurer will need to work with Walgreens to reimburse fit my crutches. They said the boots are like $99 or less, so maybe there won’t be much arguing.
I did get internist to complete firm for temporary disability parking placard. Will take it to get the permit on Monday.
Glad that it doesn’t look like a large fracture, HIMom. I hope you are comfortable and the parking placard will help. My family has been through lots of orthopedic sagas. Based on these experiences and the role of time in addressing some issues, I’d want a foot/ankle specialist to weigh in, especially with a trip pending. YMMV, but for me, peace of mind would come from knowing I had timely reassurance, worth it to me if only to confirm the PA’s read on things. I may be a little too vigilant on this front, so take it with a grain of salt.
The hard part is finding a shoe that matches the height of the boot. If not perfect, you will feel pain in your hip. If you wear a sneak on other foot, see if you need a lift inside.
Re: your trip. I’m guessing your foot should be OK by then…but just get yourself all set to fly in terms of ankle swelling and the like. Are you flying business class or coach? If coach, plan to get up,and move around.
I broke my foot in three places a while back…and six weeks later, I appeared in a stage production. I was really OK. But when needed, I did have an air cast that I continued to wear for walking around a lot. You might want to inquire about that. For me, it was a comfort thing as it positioned my foot so well.
I have two walking boots–a short one and a tall one. The tall one is more supportive but more of a hassle to put on and take off.
I will be flying in coach and it is a challenge to walk around as I have my portable O2 I have to use on the plane that I have to lug around as well. I’d be quite encumbered if I use that (10 pounds – about the size of VHS camera bag) AND a long inflated boot.
And consider ordering a wheelchair to take you to the gate and then, when you land, from the gate. You might not want to walk on it more than necessary, even at that point.