If this were a movie, nobody would go see it. About two weeks ago, I’m reading a discussion here at good old CC o the “the condiments you couldn’t live without” and somebody mentions Hellman’s Mayonaise and I think to myself, “man, I haven’t had mayo in 20 years and that sounds good!” so I buy this gigantic jar (on sale!) and i can’t get the lid off and I try running it under the hot water, etc. and then, boom, it slips right out and lands onto the top of my bare foot.
yeah.
It hurt but it didn’t crazy hurt but it’s been 12 days and no improvement so I went for x-rays and i have a fracture in the third metatarsal in the foot and must wear this huge gray surgical boot for at least the next 4 weeks.
While fitting me for the boot, the doctor said to me, “wah wah wah wah wah wah” or something like that because I can literally not remember a single word he said. I was just sitting there thinking, “I have a broken foot?”
Questions for you all: Can I walk around in this thing more than just a few steps? (it doesn’t hurt when I do but i haven’t gone more than 500 feet). I mean I can but would I be hurting my foot more by walking or is it good to walk as much as possible? When i’m not walking, should I still prop it up? Should I still ice my foot at times? (its’ not as swollen as it was but still some swelling at end of day). Is there anyway I can stay somewhat active over the next month? I’m used to long daily walks and haven’t done that for 12 days and I was already going mentally crazy and not sure how i will go another 30 days.
I think you need to cringe for a few minutes and then call the doctor’s office and say “I can’t remember any of the instructions you gave me while fitting me for the boot. I was so startled about having a broken foot that none of it registered.”
The problem here is that the answers to your questions differ for different situations, and only the doctor can tell you what advice applies to your specific situation.
Sorry this happened! Agree with @Marian, ask your doc these questions. I tore a ligament in my heel and wore a boot for 8 weeks. In the summer, which was a huge bummer. I was able to walk a lot, especially after the first few days, but my experience is no substitute for talking to your doc (or the nurse).
Any chance you have a patient portal and there is an electronic copy of the instructions? If not, call the doc and ask for instructions. So sorry you have to deal with this! Hope it heals soon.
I have worn a boot a couple of times but for soft tissue damage so can’t answer for you. But I logged in miles, emptied sand and dirt out of it, and iced 4x daily. I wore a sock with it for hygiene purposes. Didn’t totally work but I at least felt like I had tried.
Call the doctor – you won’t be the first to have suffered shock-induced deafness.
Yeah, you guys are right…i’m going to call tomorrow morning and see if I can get the PT guy on the phone (who can look up my records) and see if there’s any specific he can tell me. I’ve already turned to youtube to figure out how to put this thing on (because I had driven to the doc office and realized when I walked to the garage that I was going to have to take it off to get to work).
I broke my fifth metatarsal earlier this summer and wore a boot for six weeks ( after walking on the foot for three weeks not knowing it was broken). Your doctor’s office is the right place for advice. I was told to take it off only to shower and while lying down (and later clarified I could use our pool as long as I didn’t put weight on the foot while in the water). The point of the boot is to immobilize the bones so they don’t shift at all; if it wasn’t safe to walk they would have you in a cast with crutches most likely. But the less walking the better. You can ask the PT person if there are any exercises you could do to help keep your leg and ankle muscles limber. Elevating and icing when not on your feet can’t hurt and may help. I am concerned with your comment about taking the boot off to drive - that is not really a good idea as any sudden movement or twist could curtail healing.
I spent months in a similar boot from ankle fractures followed by surgeries and a surgical complication. Couldn’t drive for 7 months or weight bear for a total of 4 months. It is tough and good that you are calling your Dr. It will help to have a game plan. One thing I found very important and unlikely to be medically controversial was to be sure that shoe on the non-boot foot was a height match for the boot, stable and comfortable. You are already off-kilter and weeks with a discrepancy between the two feet will not help. I ordered a Brooks Addiction sneaker and found it a perfect match for my boot (equally stylish, too :)). May not be right for everyone, but as it was a stabilizing sneaker, it had a thicker sole and more width than most of my footwear. Dr or PT may have additional suggestions. Is it your right foot? Worth determining if driving is indicated if it is.
Wishing you a speedy recovery. Just saw the staying mentally sane part. I had to find an at home thing to do that felt productive, but didn’t involve standing up and could be done through a fair amount of pain. I read some, but found myself researching family genealogy online. I have zero expertise in the topic, but was stunned at how much I could learn without signing up for related services. Distraction is your friend. I also invited folks over when I couldn’t get to them. Not the pinnacle of my hosting career, but we had fun.
I’d ask the doctor is there are any printed instructions as well. It can be hard to remember when all the instructions are given orally and they MAY think they told you X, Y and Z when you only heard X & Z.
Sorry—I had to wear a boot for broken fibula. Mostly I was told to elevate and rest. H drove me around and I didn’t drive but my SisIL did drive and work with her broken foot, so your md is best place for accurate info.
Yes to the height matching - I had some old Croc sandals with thick soles which saved the day.
To stay sane, I played games on my iPad which embarrassingly I can spend hours doing. I also binge watched The Americans on Amazon Prime, which I hadn’t watched when it was first on. And I was in the pool several times a week - really my only exercise. When I broke my ankle a few years back and was laid up for three months, I completed a needlepoint canvas. I broke this bone in late June and only now am I starting to feel back to almost normal.
I’m wearing one right now! I think it’s just tendinitis (pain is above my ankle, on the inside of my leg), because the X-ray didn’t show a stress fracture. It’s not THAT painful, but it’s just not getting better. I’m icing it every few hours, too. The hardest part is that the puppy thinks the boot is a toy and tries to chew on it, even when I’m wearing it.
First of all, I really think doctors need to develop one-pagers to hand to patients for various injuries. That way no information gets left out or not heard because of shock. I wasn’t told not to walk on my broken foot at all and when I got home from work each night the boot came off which slowed down my healing. Great advice from previous posters to contact your doctor.
Some tips: Shoe height matching boot height will really help your back. Get regular massages if you can to help with back pain and hip alignment. You can wash the liner (at least I could with my boot) but it has to air dry so if it starts to stink, wash it and rest with your foot up while it dries. If your foot swells, continue to use ice. I used to get home from work, prop my foot up, and ice it for a little bit until the swelling subsided. I didn’t do any exercising that required pounding to my foot but I did walk when needed (I didn’t go on walks just for exercise though but logged plenty of miles during a weekend in Seattle). There are plenty of exercises that just require standing or not using feet (push ups on knees, planks on knees, squats, sit-ups, Russian twists, bird dog, dead bug, chops, squat presses, etc.).
Good luck. A boot isn’t ideal but it sure makes your foot feel better and protects it while healing. You’ll get used to the boot quicker than you think :).
I had to wear a boot for an ankle tendon issue for 4 months. 3 months into it I pulled the tendons by my arch. According to my orthopedist that happens to some people because of inadequate arch support in the boot.
My brother was able to buy a knee scooter cheap on Craigslist when SIL broker her foot. I believe they resold it after she no longer needed it. They figured it was cheaper than renting.
There are many good providers who DO provide printed info on the key points they want patients to remember, recognizing its a better way for patients to follow the recommendations.