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...

Ankle Fracture: 12 weeks later

I’m at the three month point since my ankle fracture.  This week I am out of 

the Airboot an into an ankle brace.  I can walk ar a slow pace in the ankle 

brace with a cane but it is painful.  I’m still using the Airboot if I go outside, 

e.g. to pick up my daughter from work, but that is because of the 2-3 feet 

of snow outside.  Once the snow melts, I’ll be able to use the ankle brace 

and cane to get around everywhere.

The problem with the ankle brace 

is that, though it is supposed to fit 

inside your shoe, it actually only fits 

inside certain types of shoes.  I have 

one pair I can wear with the brace

 - a running shoe by Merrell, not 

appropriate for snowy weather.  I 

need to buy another pair of shoes.

So this is progress. Slow, but still, moving in the right direction.  I found an

informative guide to ankle fractures online called So You Fractured Your Foot: 

Secrets to Hasten the Healing.  Wish I had found it earlier.

Other than my ankle, my biggest problem right now is the medical bills, which 

I’ll write about some other day.  But I highly recommend that if you live

within a days drive from the Canadian border, you head north when you have

a traumatic injury.