Broken Ankle Truths

Smiling only for my friend's husband....

My second cast

x-ray #1

6 Weeks’ Worth of Learning, In No Particular Order

1.     If you train for an Ironman and break your ankle 15 days before the event the endorphins will keep you in your happy place for approximately 2.5 weeks.

2.     You’ll eventually start to go stir crazy because you can’t MOVE.

3.     Friends will rally

4.     Family will rally

5.     Neighbors will rally

6.     Strangers will rally

7.     Sometimes even when friends and family and neighbors and strangers will rally you find living without a (literal) leg to stand on is hard. Very.

8.     If you were a 20 minute shower, make-up, dress and go kind of girl before breaking your leg, you may just find yourself thinking, “Oh no, I only have two hours to get ready! Will I make it?”

9.     The electric carts at Trader Joe’s for grocery shopping really ARE necessary.

10. Going TO the store to buy one bag of groceries with your 77-year-old mother will be enough of a “field trip/outing/adventure” for one day.

11. Do NOT get rid of the small, narrow claw foot tub despite what all of your tall male buddies or kinfolk say. You will thank your lucky stars for that tub. Except for washing your hair.

12. Get a knee walker so you can wash your hair in the kitchen sink.

Knee Walker

13.Get a wheelchair so if you have to navigate through large crowds over great distances you can elevate that broken ankle and manage to have a good time (or if you have a friend who really really wants you to go to an antique fair with her, she’ll pick you up, schlep the chair in her mini Cooper and wheel you around)

My friend took me to the  antique fair..

14. Spend the money to buy the more ergonomic 
MobiLeg crutches (I want to be their next salesperson because they REALLY are better and worth every penny).

MobiLeg Crutches, a must!

15. Some places are NOT handicap friendly.

16. Some handicap parking spots are poorly planned. How come there are so many planters NEXT to the car door where a person who is handicapped CANNOT get out with crutches or walkers or wheelchairs???

A view of Treasure Island...

SF cable car

17. If you see someone who is on crutches, using a walker, wheelchair or cane and you are near the door, it really IS appreciated if you open the door for them. Really.

18. When someone is injured with a cast or boot complete strangers will tell you their ENTIRE life’s story because somehow they feel it’s an open invitation for over shares (I also experienced this when pregnant or as the parent of a child wearing a diabetic insulin pump/receiving shots).

19. A broken non-weight bearing injury is not fatal. It is, however life-altering. There are websites that deal with it.

20. The websites that talk about broken ankles had hundreds of people battling depression because of lack of sleep, broken relationships from caregivers who could not handle helping, or people who lived alone and had no support or were out of work or had no insurance and more.

Fiberglass Cast

21. Having money to pay for a housekeeper to come in every few weeks is a wonderful thing.

22. The water bottles with nylon handles that long-distance runners use are perfect when using crutches.

23. Cup holders on knee walkers are a need, not a want.

24. Wearing a small backpack around the house is perfectly normal when using crutches. Or a messenger bag. Or a tote bag with a large, long shoulder strap. I will go so far as to say fanny backs are perfectly normal too (in this one instance only)

25. Skorts are also NOT dorky when you have to elevate your leg in a cast.

26. Asking for help is not a sign of a weakness; it is self-preservation and a necessity.

27. Thinking before moving is important.

I had to put fabric between cast and shin 

My first solo car trip, I had to elevate

                                                                                                                                       

Cast removal prep....

28. Slow down.
29. Give yourself extra time.

30. Sleep is comparable to having a newborn baby. It’s in short snippets of time. And when you do sleep you might dream about weird stuff. Or food you do not eat (like pumpkin waffles, maple syrup and walnuts and pecans…)

31. You learn that you have a whole host of things to learn once the cast is off…

My 3rd x-ray; all healed!

My calf shrunk!

My 2nd attempt at a boot, lighter weight...

Part 2:

1.     When you are out of a cast and into a boot, it’s also okay to borrow shoes from your 77 year old mother. Better to be walking at the same height/level as your boot then acquire more problems from limping along.

 To be continued…

Grandma shoes, same height as boot!