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Apr. 16th, 2008 04:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hellisonThis is mostly rambling for my own benefit, with added Thinking Out Loud, re Ankle and slowness of recovery thereof, so feel free to ignore.
In some ways, it is improving. The weekend was great - walked quite a bit round Reading (tho slowly), with relatively little pain. In fact the only time i took painkillers was before each flight, and that was as much to stop swelling as pain. Mind you the Cider/mojitos may have had something to do with lack of pain after walking on Sat night, since it did swell up quite a bit (which was why i spent the entire evening on the sofa with only one shoe on, in case any of you were wondering ;p)
Also went swimming, which was lovely, tho getting in and out of the pool, even on the big wide steps, was really tricky. Tried getting out via the ladder and that was a no-go. So no trips to the leisure centre just yet sadly :/ What was good was moving normally (in the water) and doing something that felt like exercise, that I could keep up AND didn't end in pain. Want to do more of that.
Monday, wearing cat. boots, all was going quite well, I even went for a walk when I got home, down to the bottom of the cul de sac, up the next hill and back again. Which took about half an hour, was all fine, not even particularly achy when I got home, even with hills.
Yesterday at work, wearing other boots with heel lift in (it doesn't fit in teh cats), managed the short walk to the shop and back with no crutch at all. Didn't even bring it with me, negotiated kerbs, uneven pavement, cobbles etc. Which was YAY.
And then was SORE all afternoon. Tried again today, same thing. Made it there and back fine, now it's swollen, achy and won't move.
Last week I had a chat with a girl at pilates who is a physio and is treating someone with a similar problem, to ask about the seizing up. She was v. helpful and suggested a few things, and pointed out the heel lift is probably causing some of it, but also was surprised I wasn't still getting physio, as she said they're advised to keep fracture patients on longer.
So. Hmm. Heel lift *is* causing some problems it seems, which I suppose I should have expected (or perhaps should have been pointed out when i got it...), presumably since it's forcing me to walk in a New and Unusual Manner, causing the extra swelling and so on. Also, it does affect my back - higher up from where I used to get back pain, which is interesting - tho I HAD expected that to happen. It also makes for aching knees, again presumably from walking in a totally different alignment.
On the other hand. It's been nearly a year now and I still can't walk any distance at all without a crutch, and not very far with it. I've even had a couple of people lately who hadn't seen me in a while ask if i'd broken my leg *again* when they saw the crutch. My right leg is also somewhat achy from the walking at the weekend so I'm obviously not putting full weight on the left, or favouring it too much still. Any improvements are slight and take forever.
And, while i know everyone is different blah blah, when S. (a friend who now lives in america) did almost exactly the same to her ankle, only with more bone breaking, she was off crutches within six months. Of course she is also insane and was back on the horse she fell off while still in a cast, so she might not be the best comparison ;p
The end result of this rambling is that I have done 2 things!
Phoned the GP to go see him and see if he thinks more physio would help, or even if this is actually fairly normal progress and to just keep going - got appointment tomorrow, which is pretty quick work.
Phoned osteopath to sort out back wonkiness, and going there friday.
Also have 2nd date with the podiatrist for MOAR heel lift in a couple of weeks. So maybe will get somewhere soon. As am v. fed up of all this now.
Plus i have to go another wedding in about 3 weeks - the same family who had the wedding i broke it in the first place (my cousins, big family, another sister getting married), and I'd really hoped to be mobile by then. Or at least crutchless, so I could look normal and not make them feel bad - or be accused of milking it ;p Which reminds me, must see if my Good Flat Shoes atually fit now.
To save you reading if you can't be bothered, a summary -
still limpy, still ouchy, fed up, going to doctor.
If you do ever break a bone, try to avoid joints ;p
ION work is quite good, spent the morning reading that rarest of beasts, an Interesting AND Well Written Excavation report (woo, bronze age village!) everything else is ticking over nicely, mostly fighting an urge to take off to lie on a sunny beach instead of Being Good and knocking a bit off the mortgage. Sensible Sucks Sometimes.
In some ways, it is improving. The weekend was great - walked quite a bit round Reading (tho slowly), with relatively little pain. In fact the only time i took painkillers was before each flight, and that was as much to stop swelling as pain. Mind you the Cider/mojitos may have had something to do with lack of pain after walking on Sat night, since it did swell up quite a bit (which was why i spent the entire evening on the sofa with only one shoe on, in case any of you were wondering ;p)
Also went swimming, which was lovely, tho getting in and out of the pool, even on the big wide steps, was really tricky. Tried getting out via the ladder and that was a no-go. So no trips to the leisure centre just yet sadly :/ What was good was moving normally (in the water) and doing something that felt like exercise, that I could keep up AND didn't end in pain. Want to do more of that.
Monday, wearing cat. boots, all was going quite well, I even went for a walk when I got home, down to the bottom of the cul de sac, up the next hill and back again. Which took about half an hour, was all fine, not even particularly achy when I got home, even with hills.
Yesterday at work, wearing other boots with heel lift in (it doesn't fit in teh cats), managed the short walk to the shop and back with no crutch at all. Didn't even bring it with me, negotiated kerbs, uneven pavement, cobbles etc. Which was YAY.
And then was SORE all afternoon. Tried again today, same thing. Made it there and back fine, now it's swollen, achy and won't move.
Last week I had a chat with a girl at pilates who is a physio and is treating someone with a similar problem, to ask about the seizing up. She was v. helpful and suggested a few things, and pointed out the heel lift is probably causing some of it, but also was surprised I wasn't still getting physio, as she said they're advised to keep fracture patients on longer.
So. Hmm. Heel lift *is* causing some problems it seems, which I suppose I should have expected (or perhaps should have been pointed out when i got it...), presumably since it's forcing me to walk in a New and Unusual Manner, causing the extra swelling and so on. Also, it does affect my back - higher up from where I used to get back pain, which is interesting - tho I HAD expected that to happen. It also makes for aching knees, again presumably from walking in a totally different alignment.
On the other hand. It's been nearly a year now and I still can't walk any distance at all without a crutch, and not very far with it. I've even had a couple of people lately who hadn't seen me in a while ask if i'd broken my leg *again* when they saw the crutch. My right leg is also somewhat achy from the walking at the weekend so I'm obviously not putting full weight on the left, or favouring it too much still. Any improvements are slight and take forever.
And, while i know everyone is different blah blah, when S. (a friend who now lives in america) did almost exactly the same to her ankle, only with more bone breaking, she was off crutches within six months. Of course she is also insane and was back on the horse she fell off while still in a cast, so she might not be the best comparison ;p
The end result of this rambling is that I have done 2 things!
Phoned the GP to go see him and see if he thinks more physio would help, or even if this is actually fairly normal progress and to just keep going - got appointment tomorrow, which is pretty quick work.
Phoned osteopath to sort out back wonkiness, and going there friday.
Also have 2nd date with the podiatrist for MOAR heel lift in a couple of weeks. So maybe will get somewhere soon. As am v. fed up of all this now.
Plus i have to go another wedding in about 3 weeks - the same family who had the wedding i broke it in the first place (my cousins, big family, another sister getting married), and I'd really hoped to be mobile by then. Or at least crutchless, so I could look normal and not make them feel bad - or be accused of milking it ;p Which reminds me, must see if my Good Flat Shoes atually fit now.
To save you reading if you can't be bothered, a summary -
still limpy, still ouchy, fed up, going to doctor.
If you do ever break a bone, try to avoid joints ;p
ION work is quite good, spent the morning reading that rarest of beasts, an Interesting AND Well Written Excavation report (woo, bronze age village!) everything else is ticking over nicely, mostly fighting an urge to take off to lie on a sunny beach instead of Being Good and knocking a bit off the mortgage. Sensible Sucks Sometimes.
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no subject
Date: 2008-04-17 06:33 am (UTC)2) Did this other woman have the same break as you?
3) Did she have a preexisting problem with her leg?
4) Did she wait 2 weeks between the break and the operation?
5) Was she given advice by the doctor after the op?
6) Did she get physio sooner than they got physio to you?
In the last 5 months you have gone from being unable to walk to walking, dancing, doing steps, riding a horse, etc.
I think the doctor is a good idea, but I think you're being TOO HARD on yourself. Like always.
My ankle took about 5 years after I had that really bad squash sprain before it didn't hurt occasionally or swell up when under stress. Sometimes the damage to the ligaments and muscles can cause more problems than a break.
no subject
Date: 2008-04-17 09:02 am (UTC)I think we should club together and buy her a milking machine *pervs*
no subject
Date: 2008-04-17 10:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-17 10:35 am (UTC)*grins droolingly*
PS if you fancy a cheapo trip look at ryanair website!
no subject
Date: 2008-04-17 10:28 am (UTC)2. Worse - Same breaks in both bones, only she had 2 breaks in each one and got the leg plate as well as the pins. Tho they did helpfully off to remove her fibula altogether.
3. no idea
4. I think hers was quite quick, tho she did hobble round on it for a few hours before anyone realised (yay for long riding boots), but she had a couple of ops before she got out of hospital and has had at least two more since
5. um. donno
6. again, dunno ;p should ask her ;p
I can still only walk with a crutch if i want to go further than 10 yards, dancing happens when drunk and leaves me crippled the next day; steps, ok, i can mostly manage; riding - more sitting on and plodding, not any active riding yet; by this stage s. was jumping competitively again.
I'm not being hard on MYSELF, i'm just worried this is taking longer than it really ought to and wondering if there's something they can do to help me improve that, like more physio.
Did you get physio after the squash thing btw?