I f**king HATE being on crutches!!!!! Can I get some sympathy?

[davsand]

I fell going out my back door this morning and blew out my ankle. I thought I had broken it. I managed to crawl into the back seat of the car and hubby drove me to the ER.

5 X-Rays later, I now have an ace bandage, an "air cast" and a set of crutches and I get to KEEP them!!!

:puke:

I feel like such a moran that I can't even walk down three steps and not fall...




Laura

[SeattleGirl]

1. I'm glad you didn't break your ankle, but being on crutches sucks.

x(

[backscatter712]

2. Been there, done that.

Was born with club feet, had multiple surgeries, had to wear casts for weeks at a time (full casts, not just splints or air-casts,) did the crutches thing quite a lot.

Kick back, take some time off of work, sit back and get waited on hand and foot. That's my advice. Oh, and painkillers are good, though I don't know what the doctor gave you. Last time I had surgery, they gave me Percocet. Wheeeee! :crazy:

[davsand]

5. Ohh no--not even any "good" drugs!

"Ibuprofen for pain." How bad does THAT suck?

Man, I am a pain-weenie--I want a Morphine pump or at a minimum something beyond what you buy at a quickie mart in packets of two. They used to give me Tylenol Threes for ear infections--ya know?


Backscatter, all my joking and bitching aside, I am sorry to hear about your early surgeries. I was born with a Cleft Palate and Harelip and I also have had multiple corrective surgeries in my lifetime. It sucks a great deal and as a kid I hated being "different." I thank you for sharing this. In no way do I think my sprained ankle comes close to what you have endured...



:hug:



Laura

[backscatter712]

11. As far as ibuprofen goes...

I don't know what the doctor told you, but I've had mine tell me that I can take more than the over-the-counter dose (which is six 200mg pills a day). When I got tennis elbow a few weeks ago, the doctor told me I could take nine pills, and since you have a bigger injury than that, you can probably take more for a short time.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

22. Same here

My doctor gave me 600 mg ibuprofen for tendinitis, 3 times a day. Just don't take it on an empty stomach......

[Inchworm]

3. Be careful

And give yourself a break. If anyone is around make em get stuff for ya :D

Hope it heals quick.

:hug:

[davsand]

7. Oh yeah--hubby is gonna be my main "go-fer" at home!

Dunno about dinner--looks like that is gonna have to be take out stuff for a few days. Tonight was supposed to be "chicken taco night" but I doubt THAT is gonna happen now unless somebody else cooks it!


Laura

[LynzM]

4. Ugh, that sucks :(

I'm sorry you're hurt... many hugs and quick healing to you, and glad you're not broken! :hug:

[davsand]

25. Not broken--only a little "bent" I guess.

Thanks for cheering me up!

:hug:


Laura

[CottonBear]

6. I broke my ankle, had surgery and was on crutches for 4 months. It sucked.

Hang in there! :hug:

Adjust the crutches properly and use your hands to support yourself NOT your uderarms. Be careful going down any slopes over 5% (maximum handicap accessible slope). To go up and down stairs put both crutches in one hand and use the other hand to hold onto the stair rail. Sit down on your butt to go down stairs if you have to do so. (I did that at home when I was home alone.)

I hope that your ankle feels better soon! Take it easy. It sucks to be on crutches. :(

[backscatter712]

10. Good advice here.

"Up with the good, down with the bad." was how I remembered to do stairs on crutches - lead with your good foot when going up the stairs, lead with the crutches and bad foot when going down the stairs. I did stairs on crutches without too much hassle - it was slow, and occasionally terrifying, but I was able to crutch the stairs without having to sit down or crawl or anything like that.

Also, as CottonBear suggests, put your weight on your hands, not on your armpits when using the crutches - if you spend too much time supporting yourself on your armpits with the top of the crutches, you could injure nerves - very Bad. Put your weight on your hands using the crutches' hand-holds. Yes, that means you'll get very strong arms after a while...

[davsand]

16. 4 months on crutches?

You must have had the strongest arms ever after that long!

Stairs are not much fun, and the hospital gave ZERO advice about dealing with them. Thank you. You may well have saved me from a fall. My family room (and my nighttime computer) are in the basement of our house. It isn't a bad stairway--and it does have rails on both sides--but I'm gonna have to deal with it for a while. y biggest problem is that the bathroom is up on the main floor--so I am drinking my water sparingly right now. :)

Probably not a good idea to wait to long to head upstairs too. Somehow I doubt this is gonna be a fast trip when i do have to go...

Again, thanks for the advice!



Laura

[CottonBear]

31. Yep! I had strong arms before and even stronger afterward! No flabby arms for me!

backscatter712 has good advice for going up and down stairs in their post.

I found that a small backpack helps when one needs to carry things around the house. I would put my samll thermos of coffee and a coffee cup and a container of snacks in my backpack along with other items and carry them from the kitchen to the living room! One finds a way to do things!

BE CAREFUL and go slow! You'll be OK eventually! I hope you're feeling better soon! :hug:

[Bullwinkle925]

8. you poor baby . . .

hope you can get off those things quickly!!


hugs to ya . . .

[davsand]

21. Thank you. Didn't I just see that YOU were ill?

Wasn't that you?


Hope YOU are doing ok!



Laura

[scarpa43]

9. I can feel your pain

I am in an air cast as well, 11 weeks ago I completly ruptured my achillies tendon.
After the surgery I spent 8 weeks in a cast with the first 6 allowing zero weight on that foot.

I have been in the air cast for about 4 weeks, I have another 2 to go.
I started physical therapy yesterday, I have 4 weeks of that.

So my short lived softball career left me without a shoe on my right foot for about 3 months by the time everything is done.

[davsand]

15. That was my biggest fear given where it hurt.

The ER Doc poked around on my foot for a bit and announced that the Achilles seemed to be ok--and I heaved a quiet sigh of relief. I HAD a friend years ago who did the same thing you did (except she was running across a yard and found a hole) and I think it took her a year or so before she was without pain. (She managed to re-injure it somehow in that year--so don't panic--ok?)

He said the xrays all looked clear for any fractures so I'm feeling mighty lucky in spite of my bitching on here...

Glad to hear you are progressing well, and I hope to see you out dancing sometime!

:hi:


Laura

[backscatter712]

17. Glad it wasn't the Achilles.

Part of my club foot surgeries involved an Achilles tendon lengthening, when I was about 2 years old, and I still have a big battle scar running from my heel to half-way up my calf from that surgery.

[soleft]

12. Before I had my knee surgery I practiced walking on crutches

Because I knew how hard it was going to be.

Make sure you put something cushy on the arm things.

[davsand]

23. Practicing in advance makes good sense.

I remember a girl in High School who messed herself up because she did not know HOW to use the crutches they gave her. Seems like if you know you are gonna need to use them it would be smart to "practice up."

Good thinking!

I cleared the deck at my office this afternoon--I do not plan to go in for the balance of the week. I could do it if I really needed to, but right now it is slow enough that I'm burning some sick time. I think I'll take tomorrow and put a bag of frozen peas on my ankle!


Laura

[Critters2]

13. Sorry to hear!! Make kevsand cater to your every whim.

I mean, hell, you might as well get something out of this!

Hope you feel better soon! :hug:


Critters
whose inner advocate can't help but worry about you dealing with those hospitals down there

[davsand]

18. Hey, Carle's caregivers treated me in spite of who I am.

The Doc and everyone else was just super this morning. I always joked that if I ever DID need to go to the ER that I'd probably bleed out while laying in the carport, given who I am. Not so. I was getting my X-Rays within about ten minutes of hitting the exam table.

To be fair, I DID ride in the ER in my wheelchair waving my Health Alliance card, so they probably figured I was good for some form of payment, at least. You know what ELSE I saw this morning? A SIGN--a BIG ONE(!!!)--advertising the availability of Charity Care!!! It was right there where they check you in, and it was impossible to miss.

NEVER used to see that mentioned...

They still refuse to accept medical cards in the clinic, but at least they admit they have a Charity Care program if you are forced to go to the ER. Amazing how much things can change when doing the right thing becomes fiscally prudent, isn't it?

Laura

PS, Kev is spoiling me rotten, and so is the kidlet. I am not enjoying this sprain much, but I sure could get used to this "new" family I suddenly have.

:evilgrin:

[Critters2]

37. "A SIGN--a BIG ONE(!!!)--advertising the availability of Charity Care!!!"

Yay!! You apply pressure to the right points, and things begin to heal! I'm glad to know they're actually advertising this!

As for your "new" family...kevsand is a great guy, but, yeah, I would milk it for all it's worth.

Hope you're getting better.

[grateful581]

14. I hate crutches too

I just got off my crutches last week. On February 2 I broke my leg(tibial plateau fracture). I couldn't do anything.
I highly recommend http://www.walkeasy.com/ "> forearm walk easy crutches.
hope you have a speedy recovery with no problems. [br />

[davsand]

20. They make the kids' crutches in colors! That is so cool!

I sure didn't get anything that cool today. They "gave" me the basic model Medline with the foam rubber toppers and the adjustable grips. I hope I don't need them for too long because not only do I hate needing them, I think that foam rubber smells funny.

Sounds like you had a long time to deal with crutches. I'm sorry! Hope you are feeling much better now!


Laura

[nytemare]

19. Try not to get calloused armpits

That sucks.

My heart goes out to you, because I have been there.

:hug:

[davsand]

24. Thank you for the support, and may you never need to come back to 'em!

There are SOME things in life that "once" IS enough!


:hi:


Laura

[triguy46]

26. Exactly how long did it take for the fun to wear off those crutches?

[davsand]

28. It took long enough to get out of the exam room in the ER.

I screwed up, I should have accepted the wheelchair ride out to the car. You never park by the door to the Emergency Room--EVER. Today was no exception.

I was on crutches about 20 years ago when I tore the muscle that runs across the top of the thigh. I lasted about four days with them and then I found myself in one room and the crutches in the other.

The lack of mobility just annoys the crap out of me. Just going to the bathroom becomes a big deal involving minutes of time rather than simply walking across the room and doing what I need to. (Forget about cooking anything or going grocery shopping...) If I was gonna need crutches for a while I could adapt and cope, but this stuff of using them for a week or so makes me nuts.



Laura

[triguy46]

36. My experience in our clinic is that is ALWAYS less than 5 minutes.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

27. I can COMPLETELY relate.

All it took for me was a nice stroll across a parking lot- or so I thought- three steps out of my truck and my fake knee locked up on me. I ended up needing the bloody thing replaced because it had simply worked itself loose after just five years.

At least you didn't need the use of a walker like I did... :cry:

My advice: keep the foot up and make hubby do all the work for as long as you can sucker him convince him it's in his best interest to.

:evilgrin:

[davsand]

29. When those knee things go wrong it gets ugly!

My friend's Mom had a knee done last Fall and she got a staff infection in it. They ended up doing something like four or five more surgeries to remove that new knee and clean out the infection. THEN they put a new one in.

She was in a rehab center for about six months and JUST got out a couple of weeks ago. Her new knee is doing great and she has no pain.

Walkers...

:scared:


Laura

[ThomCat]

30. I am very sorry.

I hope you at least got good fore-arm crutches, and not the under-arm type.

:hug:

I hope you recover quickly. I'm glad it's not broken.

[Elidor]

32. Crutches suck

They hurt my armpits so much, I cast them away and hopped about on one foot for two weeks. Sorry about your ankle. Here's to a speedy recovery.

[JVS]

33. You have my sympathy

[TK421]

34. I had the crutches and the stupid air cast, too...you have my heartfelt sympathy

x( ankle injury with me, too...broke two bones and torn ligaments slipping on the ice

[DFW]

35. Been there TWICE!

I have had both knees operated on. Being on crutches SUCKS big time.

You have all the sympathy I can muster!

[NJmaverick]

38. Been there done that (although my problems were with the knee)

I feel for you. Hang in there, before you know it they will be just a bad distant memory.

[applegrove]

39. My nephew just broke his ancle in 7 places. Be glad it wasn't any worse.