Busted in Three Places

Parent Cafe
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<p>Two years ago, on July 4th, I broke my ankle while visiting my middle DD in PA. We live in FL. We were in a state park. I got a nifty ride in an ambulance. The ER docs said I could have surgery the next day, or go home and see my dr. I opted for the second. It was a 14 hour ride home in my husband’s F-150, but we did it. Fortunately, I got a wheel chair. I was scared to death of the crutches. </p>

<p>We got home. My GP had made an appointment for me at an orthopedic surgeon. I saw him on Monday the next week, and had the surgery on Thursday. I was 3 months non weight bearing. I used a walker to hop to the bathroom. (not the ones with wheels). </p>

<p>The Dr. removed the pins after 6 weeks, and 3 weeks after that I started PT. So, 3 months after the first surgery, I was able to be weight bearing. It took a long time to get back to where I was before the break – really 18 months or so. I didn’t have tons of pain, but I think I have a high tolerance for pain. I had to give myself injections so I wouldn’t develop blood clots. </p>

<p>It took quite a while for me to walk without the walker. I used a cane for a few weeks for security. I think I had 12 weeks of PT. </p>

<p>I really was glad to use the wheel chair. It helped keep my leg up. Oh, put blankets of a pillow under the leg when you sleep. It helps a lot. Also, get a temporary handicap sticker for your car – or one of those that hangs on the rear view mirror. Your dr. should have forms for it. That way you can transfer it to what ever car you ride in. It was great. I think that I had one for a total of 6 months. I used the riding carts in stores when I got to go out. (going to the grocery store or Target was a big deal!)</p>

<p>I read books, I found a great jigsaw puzzle site (jigzone) and did a jigsaw puzzle everyday. My youngest gave me a 3 month subscription to Netflix, and I caught up on movies that I had wanted to see. I have a small part time job, which I went back to when I could. I work retail, and at the beginning, the most I could tolerate was 4 hours. I now can work 6 hours without any problems. You will have a problem building up stamina once you can walk. </p>

<p>Now, two years later, I forget that I had it. I still don’t run very well, but that is coming. I had a pretty bad break, but not as bad as yours is. Just be patient. Don’t overdo anything. While I was going through it, I just kept telling myself – and others that if this was the worst thing that ever happens to me, I was really blessed. Good luck. I know exactly what you are going through!!!</p>

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<p>Wow, silverlady—eighteen whole months before you were fully recovered?:eek: I, unfortunately, do not have a high tolerance for pain. I’m on both Percocet, and Oxycotin. I was congratulating myself for most of the day because, after taking Percocet at 7 this morning, I went almost twelve hours without feeling the need to take anything more (most days prior resulted in me needing to be pretty drugged-up in order to control pain). But when the pain finally did return, it did with a vengence. Holy moly, it was like getting hit by a truck! Then, I needed both the Percocet (my primary drug), and oxycotin. It was as if my ankle said, “So missy, thought you were being cute holding out on us…Well, take this!” :rolleyes: Oh well…</p>

<p>I also take Coumadin (pill form) to prevent blood clots. I’m now receiving home care visits from both a nurse and a PT several times a week. Nurse checks blood viscosity levels. PT doesn’t amount to much yet. </p>

<p>You said they “removed” pins from your ankle after six weeks. Were the pins external? My metal all seems to be inside, and the surgeon made no mention of removing any of it—only of taking out stitches in 3 weeks.</p>

<p>How long did your physical therapy last? What did it entail? Did it hurt a lot? Yes, I’ll just go a head and admit it, I’m somewhat of a pain whimp:P</p>

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<p>There is still some metal inside of my leg. However, I needed a second surgery to remove the screws that was closing it up. They were all internal. My ankle was dislocated as well as broken. When I say 18 months, that’s the time it took for me to forget I had the break. There were no tweeks of discomfort. I was walking out of the grocery store the other day, and I realized that I was walking without thinking about it. It was just as it was 2+ years ago.</p>

<p>Now, my broken side’s foot is a tad wider than the non broken one. I had to get lots of new shoes. I still only have one pair of heels that I’ll wear. I know it is just fear, but I am still a bit afraid. Fear was my biggest hurdle. The doc said that if I put weight on my foot and the medal was broken in the leg, he could never remove it. If I want to, I could have the remaining metal removed, but it doesn’t bother me at all. It doesn’t even set off the security at the airport.</p>

<p>Physical Therapy lasted about 12 weeks. In the beginning, it was 3 times a week. I finished right around Christmas, maybe just into the New Year. I started going to PT in September. Maybe a bit longer. I guess there was a little pain, but not dreadful – usually when the therapist was massaging my foot – giving it a good workout. There were lots of strengthening exercises. It was work, but not that painful The PT said that you usually start to lose muscle tone in about 3 days of non use. So, 9 weeks of non use was a lot to get over.</p>

<p>I didn’t use the pain killers that much. I had out patient surgery. The first surgery I had on a Thursday, and by Sunday I was off pain meds completely – except for aspirin at night. Oh, I do use Ambien occasionally and it would help a lot. I was given a prescription for the regular Ambien, but I got some Ambien CR samples. They were wonderful. I didn’t have to get up to go to the bathroom during the middle of the night when I took them. The problem with waking up in the middle of the night was that by the time I got out of bed into the wheel chair, then over to the walker, then using the walker and hopping to the bathroom, then reverse it to go to bed, I was wide awake. </p>

<p>If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. You can PM me any time you want. You can really get addicted to Jigzone. I would do the puzzle twice everyday. Once to set my time, and then I would try to beat my time. You will have a lot of time on your hands.</p>

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<p>Consider swimming for exercise and PT. Many Y’s have hoists to lower you into and remove you from the pool. As always, consult your doctor.</p>

<p>DO NOT BE SHY ABOUT USING NECESSARY MEDICAL ASSIST EQUIPMENT,EVEN IN PUBLIC!
(Vanity, thy name is woman. Macho idiot, they name is man).</p>

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<p>Sorry to hear about your ankle. I did something similar 15 years ago–broke my ankle skiing and had to have a plate and six screws to repair it. I’ve never had to have an MRI, but I know that the hardware in my ankle shouldn’t be a problem. I asked my orthopedic guy about that. Also, I’ve never set off a metal detector. </p>

<p>Do as much PT as you possibly can. It’s a pain in the butt, but it’s worth the effort in the long run. I didn’t find PT to be painful. A few times I did take Advil when I was uncomfortable. It’s good to keep your ankle up until you get the stitches out. One thing to look out for is infection–if you run a fever, call the doctor. Unfortunately, I found out I had an infection (staph) when the doctor took off my cast. That required additional surgery and I had to have IV antibiotics (I basically administered it myself–had a pump). Also had home health nurses come in and change the dressing on my ankle for a short time and check the IV line in my arm. </p>

<p>I started PT even while treating the infection. I’m glad I did because I felt much better knowing that I was doing something to help myself. Good luck.</p>

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<p>A friend of mine had a similar accident–with about the same hardware count–18 months ago. The first six months were hellish, then she began to recover. Now she’s back to running with her dog. (I’d post the Youtube video, but it’s against rules. Send me a PM if you want the link.)</p>

<p>Has anyone suggested you get tested for osteoporosis? That was part of my friend’s assessment and treatment, and sure enough, all her numbers were low.</p>

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<p>poetsheart - my doctor scolded me for waiting for pain to take the pain killers. He said it was a waste of effort and meds. If you are in pain, take the meds as scheduled - don’t try to stretch it out. I went from crutches to walker to cane after my hip replacement. I had inordinate swelling that impeded my progress.</p>

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<p>I busted a bone higher up in the leg – a tibial plateau fracture, for those of you who know about such things – three years ago. I could walk without any equipment after about three and a half months, and the leg continued to improve for about a year. It will never be perfect, but it’s mostly functional. </p>

<p>Physical therapy was very useful and not unduly uncomfortable. My only complaint was that my insurance limited the number of sessions I could have. I could have used a few more.</p>

<p>The plate and screws in my leg are never coming out. But some hardware is designed to be taken out after a period of time. Ask your doctor what sort of hardware you have.</p>

<p>I do not set off alarms in stores. I don’t know about airports. As it happens, I will be flying for the first time since I broke my leg a week from today. I plan to allow extra time in case I do set off the alarms and have to be searched.</p>

<p>I believe that if you have permanent hardware, you can never have an MRI. But it may depend on the part of the body that’s being scanned. My daughter has a permanent retainer in her mouth, courtesy of her orthodontist. She had to have an MRI of a growth on her hand three years ago. Although a dentist could easily have removed the “permanent” retainer, and we asked whether this should be done, the MRI people said no and did the scan anyway. So maybe having hardware in your leg only prevents you from having an MRI on the leg.</p>

<p>Do consider getting a bone density test after you are reasonably healed and can get around easily. Having a big break as a result of a small fall is an indicator of possible low bone density. (My break also impressed the doctors. They said, “Did you get hit by a car?” I had to say “No, I got hit by a garage.” I fell down the steps leading from our house to the garage.) I got a bone scan about four months after my break and found out that my bone density is indeed low. I now take osteoporosis medication.</p>

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<p>Most of the metal used for orthopedic work is not magnetic so it doesn’t affect the ability to get an MRI. There might be distortion of the particular area in the scan though.</p>

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<p>Be prepared to feel like a human barometer for at least a year…you will be able to predict weather changes accurately. Balance will be a difficult issue…it takes a while to regain the proprioceptive awareness of what each leg/knee/ankle needs to be doing. When I broke my leg several years ago, H made me a wobble board [a round wooden disc (10-12 inches) glued to the flat surface of a wooden ball (4-5 inches diameter)], much cheaper than buying one, and it was invaluable for rehabilitation of my balance. The first time I tried to wear heels (2"), I looked like I was drunk walking across the floor…not my finest moment! Excellent idea about the handicap tag…it will save you a lot of trouble. About the stairs…go up and down back to the top on your butt, use your arms…slow, but you will get there safely. Good luck.</p>

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<p>I broke mine nearly 30 years ago - and I hate to tell you - still have problems today. Not with the broken bone - but with the damaged ligaments. I can sprain an ankle walking down the street - and did so at least once a year for many years. </p>

<p>The things that seem to have slowed the ankle sprains 1) orthotics for my shoes and 2) Glaucosimine and Chondrotin which the Podiatrist also recommended. </p>

<p>I’d suggest that you ask your doctor about ligament damage - and really do your PT even though you don’t want to!!!</p>

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<p>Husband had similar break about 7 years ago, after falling on the ice. He has a plate and 7 screws in his right leg. It doesn’t give him much trouble except when the weather’s cold or he goes swimming; then, the leg aches. He had 9 different casts over a 3 month period and some pretty strenuous PT, made palatable only by the fact that an NBA player was also undergoing PT there and they got to know one another. The biggest “pain” was that he couldn’t drive.</p>

<p>He’s had MRIs since the break and has never set off the airport alarms.</p>

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<p>About hardware removal: I had a plate in my leg (12 inches by 2 inches) after my bone cancer was removed and the bone graft done. It was painful and annoying and set off metal detectors. I did a lot of research and found out that in Canada (the only research I could find) about 20% of those with stabilization plates eventually have them removed and 97% of the people who have them removed are glad they did. (The other 3% apparently rebroke the bone.)</p>

<p>So I had my plate removed, a year and a half after surgery. The surgeon said I had inflammation all along the plate (“which is why it was bothering you so much”). Within a week it was painfree, and now, seven months later, I walk without a limp for the first time in almost three years (before surgery and after).</p>

<p>I loved physical therapy. It hurt like hell but it made an immediate difference in my strength levels and what I could do. I was so focused on recovery that I didn’t mind the pain so much.</p>

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<p>This works, except that I could never figure out how to get into a standing position at the top of the stairs. So although I could go up to the second floor of my house, I could only scoot around on the floor in a sitting position once I got there, which was rather limiting.</p>

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<p>OOoh! Soo sorry to hear of your injury, poetsheart. My H broke his ankle in 2 places, tore the syndesmosis ligament and fractured the tibula (all at once) last September. If you are stuck sitting in front of the computer with a lot of free time on your hands, here is the thread about his experience <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/561874-how-many-bones-can-one-family-break-found-something-more-painful-than-politics.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/561874-how-many-bones-can-one-family-break-found-something-more-painful-than-politics.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>He isn’t yet at 1 year post injury, so we arent as lucky as silverlady, but we are hopeful. He had 2 surgeries- first one put 4 screws in (plus the drill bit that broke off) was about a week after he broke it (had to get home from AZ and wait for the swelling to subside). the second, to remove 2 of the screws, was in December. He actually ran a 5K shortly after his second surgery. He cant run the way he used to (he was a marathoner) but he still tries to get out there. He was non-weightbearing entirely for several weeks (I forget exactly how many) but he was not permitted to drive for 11 weeks (THAT I remember). He found PT to be very helpful-- he used a person who specialized in sports injuries.</p>

<p>He still has some numbness and pain, but he walks without a limp (well, he limps after he goes running). </p>

<p>Hang in there, and feel free to PM me with any questions. My H and kids have all broken several bones (older s has a titanium rod in his leg from a broken femur). BTW, neither older s or DH set off the airport security , but I do think their MRI days are over…</p>

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<p>jym - the titanium won’t be a problem for MRIs. That is one reason titanium is so well liked.</p>

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<p>cartera,</p>

<p>Hes still got screws at the top and bottom of the rod in his leg. Problem?</p>

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<p>^^^ oops, a few posts up, should it matter poetsheart, I meant to say he also broke his fibula. I cant type. Sorry to confuse.</p>

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<p>From what I have read, probably not a problem. I have read, and was told, that non-magnetic metals are used almost exclusively now. I don’t know when that started happening though, so obviously it is good to know what material is used so a doctor who orders an MRI can make that judgment. It would worry me if I could not have an MRI since so many things are diagnosed that way.</p>

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<p>fell off a ladder. really messed up my left arm/wrist/hand. no cast, but i had an external fixator. it was great for the halloween season!</p>