Broken ankle: One Year Later

It's been over a year since I broke and dislocated my ankle: a trimalleolar break (three
bones) as well as a dislocation (my foot bent down and backwards).  Here's my six
month update which has links to my other ankle posts.

Now it is 14 months later and as snow has hit the town Im living in - I find myself
thinking of my fall last winter and struggling with Snow PTSD. I'm a very slow walker
on icy surfaces now.

I also:
- still have ankle pain daily, but for shorter periods of time. I would guess I pop
    painkillers (2-3 aleve usually) about four days a week.
- still have swelling. every day. Sometimes by noon. Sometimes by the end of the day.
- limp sometimes. Not a lot.  If I have been sitting at my desk for a long time I will
    limp for a minute when I get up.  Or if I take the dogs on a long walk I sometimes
    limp a little afterwards.  I usually try to disguise it as a jaunty boho walk (whatever
    that is!)
- don't wear any sort of heel. No way. fear of wobbling.
- still have visible scars on both sides of my ankle wear I had the surgery. Visible to me
   at least.  I don't think anyone else would notice unless they were sitting right beside
    me and looking straight at them.

All in all, I think I've been pretty lucky.  And if you are reading this due to your own injury,
I hope you'll be lucky too.

Broken Ankle: Six Months Later

This week marks the six month anniversary of my ankle fracture: 

a trimalleolar fracture that resulted in surgery and metal plates and 

screws being put in my ankle.

If you came across my blog by searching for “broken ankle” because you have just 

experienced this yourself, I’d first like to send you warm and empathetic thoughts.  It 

hurts like hell, doesn’t it?  And it’s a bit traumatic.  But believe me when I say that things 

will get better.

Here’s my first post about my break, then there’s one here and here and here is the 

three month update.

Six months later I am walking pretty well.  I have a slight limp, but my guess is that if you 

do the physical therapy you won’t have a limp at six months.  I didn’t have medical 

insurance, so couldn’t get the physical therapy.  My limp is lessening though so I hope in 

another month or two it will be gone completely.

I used a cane from month four-five.  I don’t use it much now but I keep it around for certain 

things like shopping at the mall with my daughter or anything else when I am going to be 

doing lots of walking on a hard surface.  I’d say I am without it 95% of the time

I still have ankle pain every day - though it is MUCH, much less than the first two months.

My ankle still swells every day.  I’m not sure when that will end.  Some days it is bad enough 

that I put ice on it,  some days it isn’t that bad. My right ankle (the broken one) is still bigger 

than my left ankle.  (See photo above) Maybe it will always be this way.

If you have friends and family to help you, things will be easier for you.  (I couldn’t have 

made it without my 18 year old daughter - Thanks Del! And my dogs were my constant 

companions - Thanks Nosey and Seamus!) 

 If you don’t have much support I’d advise surrounding yourself with your favorite books 

or watching seasons of your favorite tv shows on Netflix.  During my non-weight bearing 

time I watched all of PBS’ Bleak House, Battlestar Gallatica and the first four seasons of 

Rescue Me.  I also read lots of Henning Mankill and Jasper Fforde.

The time I spent with Esther Summerson, WIlliam Adama, Tommy Gavin, Thursday Next and 

Kurt Wallander saved me from a slow death by boredom.

So things do get better.  Keep the faith.  The first three months are the hardest but then things 

look up considerably.  Warm wishes going out to you for an easy recuperation.

Now... if I could just find a job...

broken x 3

On the 22, I slipped on the snowy cement and 1. dislocated, 2, broke,
3. broke again and 4. broke again - yes three breaks, my ankle.
It hurt.  It really, really was shockingly painful.  And then I tried to
stand up on it. omg.omg.omg.


I was in the hospital for three days and had a bunch of titanium pieces 
put inside my ankle.  I cannot walk on it for at least five weeks.


I was really unprepared for something like this.  I'm a bit sad about
the whole thing.


I see the surgeon next Monday for follow up.  Right now I have to
use a frigging walker to go to the bathroom.