Yes, have used wheelchair services with flights in the past and it sure DOES help! Thanks for the reminder. 
I hope you feel better soon! Heal quickly!
Iām so sorry you have to deal with this, HImom!
If you find crutches to be too cumbersome, look into getting a knee scooter.
My DH has been using one for the past five weeks as he recovers from surgery to fix a broken foot. Itās way better than crutches since it allows you to carry items in one hand, and you you dont have to deal with the physical discomfort of crutches. Our medical insurance even covered part of the cost.
Fibulas arenāt weight bearing bones so thatās a good thing.
Just got a follow up call from the urgent care clinic. They now say NO fracture! Am confused and think I will go to an orthopod if I can get an appointment on Monday, just to get a better idea of what we are dealing with and healing time, etc.
Great plan and I hope they are right! I have also have learned that X-rays are not always āblack and whiteā. Foot/ankle ortho can offer further expertise and if indicated order additional specific X-rays to evaluate your situation. Good luck and letās hope it is a relatively minor issue!
Am thinking of seeing a podiatrist on Monday. It will be the person my niece shadowed. Niece looked at X-rays and says fracture. She is a podiatrist but out of state.
Podiatrists are fineā¦but when I shattered my 4th and 5th metatarsals, the podiatrist was of no use. Sent me directly to the foot and ankle specialist. I tend to seek out the most specialized care if itās available. I hope you are able to figure out whatās going on so you can enjoy your trip!
<<<
She said I COULD see an orthopedic surgeon if needed but she didnāt see any need at this point. She feels I should heal fine and good for my trip to Korea in April.
[QUOTE=""]
[/QUOTE]
yay!!!
As for the bootā¦I hope your insurance wonāt complain. Younger son went thru a similar thing several years ago. He had a cast on, the surgeon wanted it on for 8 weeks, son went to an appt at 4 weeks, and the PA cut it off, son walked out of the room, surgeon saw his castless foot in a boot, and flipped out (nicely). Son wore that boot for a day until a more highly specialized boot could be ordered. So, insurance paid for cast (not worn long enough), boot, and highly specialized boot. I still donāt know why they just didnāt put the cast back on??? Maybe insurance would have flipped out on that??? (and son got a āloving scoldingā from me about not speaking up when the PA announced that she was removing his cast.)
Ouch!! Hope the orthopedist has clearer findings and better guidance. DH broke his ankle and fibula (I think it was fibula) and tore a ligament. He had surgery but was in an air boot and on crutches for about 6-8 weeks. Big issue ill be whether you are allowed to put weight on the foot/boot. That was what kept him on crutches. Good luck!
FoRgot to say-- IMO skip the podiatrist and go to an orthopedist with specialty in foot/ankle and/or sports medicine.
I had hoped the Ortho clinic where I saw the PA would send me to an orthopedic surgeon who specialized in foot and ankle or at least in sports but they felt they could handle it so just had me seen by the PA.
I guess I could call them and ask for a referral to Ortho. Theyāre open 7 days/week. Everyone agrees no bone displacement in any case so I thought podiatrist might be better than Ortho.
Any more thoughts on Ortho va podiatrist?
Iād see an ortho doc. Let him/her decide what needs to happen. Ortho injuries at our age can really affect long-term mobility. S2 had am ortho who insisted that his broken hand didnāt need to be pinned (contrary to the residents at the ER). Well, the bone didnāt heal correctly and now it will have to be rebroken and pinned.
After two foot surgeries, Iād run away (er, limp?) with my foot specialist. He was fantastic, and had such passion for feet. Ew, that sounds awful, but honestly he had a wealth of experience in treating the intricacies of the tiny bones in the foot and the practical abilities to put me back together with the best possible outcome. The p/t was another key component. The atrophy after being non weight bearing for 8 weeks at a time needed to be dealt with in an appropriate manner. She really pushed me, and at times I hated herā¦but she was right. If I had been left on my own to do p/t at home, I wouldnāt have pushed through the uncomfortable parts. Now I have near full mobility thanks to her.
@shellz, was this specialist a podiatrist or orthopedic doc specializing in feet?
Skip the podiatrist and go to an orthopedist.
OK, called the PA and asked for referral to an orthopedist who specializes in feet and ankles. She will rethink this and consult with the MA and figure out which orthopedic surgeon to refer me to.
Was able to get them to fax me the medical records from their clinic.
Having been down this road, I think your request makes great sense. I hope you are able to see the specialist and sort it all out. No harm in being thorough and people who see tons of ankle fractures and have expertise are in the best position to guide you. Hope you are comfortable.
I agree with the ortho option. I did the same thing about 10 years ago - rolled my ankle and broke the fibula with no displacement. I was in a boot on crutches for about 3-4 weeks and in just a boot for 2-3 weeks after that (I canāt remember the exact timing). What I do remember is that it took longer for the ligaments to heal than the bone. It happened the Friday of Columbus day weekend and I couldnāt be seen by an ortho until the next week (and stupidly walked on it more than I should have because no one told me not to!). PT definitely helped with the healing but I also couldnāt wear heels for years (not even fairly low ones). Finding a shoe the correct height to wear on the other foot is a challenge. Good luck with it and hope youāre healed for your trip! The PT will help heal the ligaments and stretch them out.
The person who read the urgent care xray and gave the final Dx that there is NO fracture, only soft tissue injury is a radilologist who has 37 years of experience, which further confuses matters. H, I, the urgent care doc and relative who is a podiatrist see what we think is a fracture on the xray but thankfully itās not displaced. Hopefully we can get clarity from some expert and move forward. Iām sure the boot and crutches are good regardless. I sure hope the PA we saw yesterday will help us find a good ortho that specializes in feet & ankles, otherwise I guess it will be a podiatrist by default. The PAās clinic is linked to the best orthos in our state, so that should help.
I did this exact same thing in my mid-40ās. It happened the day before I was schedule to make a drive halfway across country by myself to meet one of my children for a series of interviews, and this child was not old enough to rent a car to get there on own. The orthopedist asked what I needed, what I would do if I got in trouble. I had a soft cast, resources in two places who had personal contacts with orthopedists. I got a handicap tag (invaluable!), some pain meds, crutches, and at the last minute I threw in a pair of sandals. The first night I did not sleep well, lots of pain. The next day I left, and that was okay. However, by that night my foot was almost totally black from trauma to it, and it was very swollen, I could only wear the sandals. It was winter, snowy, and I had to buy a pair of menās shoes several sizes larger. Pain was pretty bad for ten days. I gradually became more functional, without the crutches, moved through a cane. The big problem was balance. I had totally lost my sense of it. At one point six weeks out I put on a pair of slight higher shoes, and I looked like a drunk crossing the floor. Every weather event where the barometric pressure dropped caused a lot of discomfort. Eventually it healed, and I improved with my balance, but it is still not what it was. You can certainly make the trip in April, but donāt expect to be able to do a lot of walking, especially if the terrain is not flat. Putting any demands on it will cause discomfort. Prepare yourself for swelling and discoloration. By all means, see the orthopedist. Bone x-rays do not always immediately show what has happened. Sometimes healing has to start before the changes in calcification reveal the problem clearly. Good luck.