<p>So, all of my plans for grad school have been coming together beautifully. Just started emailing my apartment-mate, who sounds excellent. The stipend should be sufficient. Only have a few more projects to finish at work. Then, Wednesday night I decide to go to an adult gymnastics class for a workout. I’ve been before- basically, everyone who dropped out of gymnastics as a kid and regretted it can try to learn how to do handsprings- it’s lots of fun! Until you land wrong and get carted out on a stretcher. The verdict- a spiral fracture of my left fibula, broken in 2 places, but not displaced. No surgery needed, but I can’t put any weight on the fiberglass cast for at least two weeks, and I may be in the boot after for a couple of months. Added to all of that, I’m moving from California to the University of Delaware in six weeks. </p>
<p>Any suggestions about how to make this work well? I’m particularly worried about the transfer of care between CA and DE. My health plan is CA based, so I’ll have to switch to the new, student health insurance once I move to finish up any physical therapy/treatment. Has anyone dealt with move-in with an injury? Any tips?</p>
<p>I am so sorry to hear about your injury. It’s probably not a big help but I can tell you that my eldest D broke her wrist rollerblading right immediately before heading east to college from CA. She was diagnosed in the ER on our first night in her college town and I, her trusty mom, got to carry all the luggage. The bright side was that her cast made a great conversation piece which was actually great for a shy kid.</p>
<p>My second kid broke her ankle in a small NE college town in winter. The campus security guys drove her around campus in their golf carts for awhile. If you are still “disabled” when you get there, the school may be able to help with accommodations.</p>
<p>Well, six weeks from now is a long time for a nondisplaced fibular fracture, so that is a good thing. It is a noncomplicated fracture. The care of that type fracture is pretty much the same at any location, and PT will also be consistent. If you were going to break anything, this was not a bad break to have.</p>
<p>Hang in there. You will be frustrated by this, but the transition should be OK.</p>
<p>Non-grad school related advice, but general advice for a leg,knee,foot injury: follow doc’s orders to the letter regarding weight-bearing, crutches, etc. Don’t fall prey to “it feels so much better, I think it’s healing fast” and start walkng on it early. If you do it will increase your healing period and could cause additional damage.</p>
<p>I speak not as a doc, but from experience! :)</p>
<p>Call the university about your student health care insurance and find out if PT is covered. Also, if you come in needing PT will the insurance folks consider it a pre-existing condition? If there’s a problem, consider keep your previous health insurance until the PT is complete.</p>
<p>Good luck with grad school and healing your ankle.</p>
<p>Good luck! My son was on crutches this past fall as a freshman. It was quite challenging for him. He had a hard time getting through the cafeteria lines, but that probably won’t be an issue for you. The other big challenge was getting from one class to another on time. He ended up living with my parents for a couple of months until he healed up.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great advice and encouragement! I’ll stay on the insurance I’m on, but unfortunately it only has coverage in California, so I can’t use it while I’m in Delaware. I’ll definitely call that office once I have a better idea of my timeline. Thanks again, everyone!</p>
<p>My son broke his collarbone a few days before heading to his out of state college as a freshman! Guess who had to move him in, carrying his heavy stuff up 4 flights of stairs, as there was no elevator!</p>
<p>He found an orthopedist there to follow up with and luckily we had no insurance issues.</p>
<p>In addition to the excellent suggestions above, I recommend you look into obtaining a temporary handicapped parking permit. I am a bit familiar with the UDel campus, and parking near classes may be an issue for those with regular student (including grad student) permits. See if you can get a sticker/permit that will get you a spot convenient to the classrooms you will need to access.</p>