So... You Broke an Ankle or Leg or Both!

A couple of months ago I broke my ankle and leg (three serious breaks) along with multiple minor fractures. I am about 8 weeks post surgery, and the entire experience has been an experience. For those who are currently in the midst of a similar break and those who know someone in this situation, this is for you.

There are four parts that I want to discuss: your mental health, practical adjustments, asking for help, and your physical health.

Mental Health

Your mental health is probably going to be the number one thing you will need to wrangle in as soon as the injury happens. Your sudden loss of nearly complete mobility and ability to do anything is going to do a number on your head. The spiral will start nearly immediately, you will go down fast, and hard. So here are my tips.

1. Allow yourself some grieving time. It is a loss, and it is a hard and unexpected one.

2. Start thinking about things you've always wanted to do or would like to get back to. Example: reading, writing, drawing, catching up on shows, movies, hand sewing, knitting, etc. Try to be creative so you can express yourself through a creative means.

3. Focus on what you CAN do, not what you can't.

4. Be patient.

5. Celebrate every small win. Everything is going to be difficult and exhausting at best. At worse, it will be painful. Discomfort is going to be your new way of life. So the moment you can place your foot on the ground is a WIN. The moment you can hop around a little faster with your crutches or your walker, is a WIN. Focus on the tiniest wins, and relish in them.

6. Talk to your doctor about your mental health struggles.

7. Try to enjoy your showers.

8. Brush your teeth and get ready every day to the best of your ability. It will make you feel better.

Practical Adjustments

One thing that will help your mental health is being able to do as much as you can for yourself. This means you will want to make your home more accessible to yourself. You likely do not have your home set up for someone who cannot get around well or even walk or stand. Here is what you can do:

1. Think about what you would like to have, need, or use regularly. Think about what you like to eat or snack on, water, your medications, etc. Especially after the initial injury or post op, you want everything within arm's reach.

2. Making your shower as accessible as possible. I could not bend my knee for weeks post injury so getting in and out of my shower was nearly impossible. In fact, I still cannot get 100% in my shower simply because of the design (too narrow), and I am not able to bear weight without my boot. The sooner you can shower in peace and comfort, the better. Buy a shower bench. Here is the one I bought for my narrow shower.

   1. Make showering easier by having everything you use within arm's reach. I bought this loofah to help me reach my body parts easily, especially the working foot and leg.

   2. To make getting in and out of the shower easier and to rest while I was in the kitchen, I bought two stools. I keep one next to my shower/tub so I can get in and out safely and with ease, and I kept one in my kitchen so I can easily sit and rest while waiting for my food to warm up. I bought these stools that are lightweight, but sturdy.

   3. Keep a hand towel next to your sink to make it easier to dry your hands.

3. Use delivery apps. I cannot drive, and to ease the burden on those helping me, I use delivery services for my groceries and anything else I can. I bought a delivery pass for the year from my local grocery store, and I will occassionally use Door Dash.

4. Offload as much as possible. Cleaning services, laundry services, etc. Keeping my house clean has not been something I can do. I am grateful for my help, but even with the help I have, having someone else come in once a week to clean would be a dream if you can afford it.

5. Apply for disability so you can take time off work. Your entire focus should be on rest and recovery.

6. Buy frozen and ready made food. Uncrustables, pot pies, lasagna, rice bowls, burritos, taquitos, bags of salad, soups, ramen, microwavable sticky rice, frozen wontons, frozen fritattas, egg rolls, pizza, pre chopped fruit, sturdy fruits like oranges and bananas, yogurt, granola, string cheese, etc. Make sure these items only need the microwave at most. You do not want to have to deal with the stove or oven unnecessarily. Costco has a great selection of delicious frozen options.

7. Eat healthy. You can microwave a lot of healthy meals. You really do not have to compromise on health if the best you can do is microwave. I highly recommend not trying to cook.

8. Buy disposable items. Paper plates, paper cups, plastic utensils, etc. The less you have to do (like dishes) the better. This was a hard one for me because I am very anti plastic/single-use items. But, guess what. That is a LUXURY and a privilege. Don't let your belief systems around these things make you feel bad for utilizing them because you need to make your life easier and more accessible. This is even more important if you have a family you are responsible for. You need to lessen your load wherever possible until you are comfortably back on your feet (literally) again.

9. Get that disability placard! I am able to walk (in a boot) now, but you will be weak. Walking short distances is going to be work so utilize everything that is in place for accessibility that is available to you. It will also be very helpful for those who are driving you around to appointments and for errands.

10. Rest. You must prioritize rest whenever and wherever possible. Your #1 job is recovering. Do not lose sight of that.

11. Set a schedule. This will help with your mental health as well. Set a wake up time, bed time, set your icing schedule, your PT exercise schedule (once you have this going), when you check your mail, when you shower, when you read, when you eat, etc. Keeping a schedule will keep your days moving along, and will make you feel productive. Remember, everything takes longer and is harder than it normally is. Give yourself time. Walking to and from the kitchen is going to be followed by a need for a break.

Ask For and Accept Help

I am someone who is horrible about asking for help, but once this happened I waved the white flag and surrendered. I have accepted every offer of help that has come my way, every bit of advice to make my life easier, and have done everything in my power to not just make my life easier, but my caregiver's (my mom), and my son's life as easy as possible in this very difficult situation. My friends have set up a meal train for me, have sent me money, gifts, gift cards, groceries, etc. My colleagues, friends, and family have come through for me in a variety of different ways, and I did not say NO to anyone or anything. That was really hard to do, but I am so grateful I did not let my pride get in the way.

If there is someone that can come stay with you or that you can stay with so you can focus on recovery, that is ideal. If you have young children, you are really going to need the help especially if you are a single parent. And if you have pets, the same thing applies. Regardless of your situation, YOU NEED HELP. Do not be afraid to seek help, utilize whatever resources are available in your area, and to take the help. If you are not sure what help is available, speak to your medical provider. The RN for my surgeon has been a blessing. She has been on top of everything from paperwork to connecting me to resources, etc. If you are worried about medical bills, talk to your medical provider about what non-profits, etc. are in your area that might be able to help. You would be surprised!

Physical Health

1. Stay on top of your hygiene.

2. Follow your doctor's orders.

3. Aggressively ice and elevate your injury.

4. Do NOT skip PT (physical therapy). You will be amazed at how quickly you begin to regain mobility and strength under their guidance, and expertise. Follow their exercise orders.

5. Rest, rest, and more rest!

6. Eat healthy.

7. Drink plenty of water.

8. Switch to pads and period underwear during your cycle. This was a change I hated the most, but I could not use my menstrual cup for my first two cycles post injury. It was a bloody mess to use pads and the period underwear were okay. But, I did my best. The period underwear have been better since I was able to successfully switch back to the menstrual cup. It is a learning curve to get it right again, which is why I recommend using the period underwear when resuming your menstrual cup use.

Hang in there! As your recovery moves along, you will regain mobility and independence. The physical health part is kind of obvious which is why I spent a lot of focus on the mental health part. The in-home adjustments will provide you with a little more independence and accessibility, which ultimately benefits your mental health. It will take weeks, but you will get there if you focus on recovering. I cannot emphasize enough the need to aggressively ice and elevate, to do physical therapy, and the corresponding exercises they assign you. At my second PT appointment (outside of the home), they had me walking with a walker. Two days after that (my 3rd PT appointment), I was walking with crutches. The following week, I was walking with one crutch. I am 7 PT appointments in (3.5 weeks of PT), and am walking without assistance (in the boot). DO YOUR PT!!! Your mobility and corresponding independence will start to come along sooner than you might have thought.

Please leave a comment if you have any tips, advice, resources, or words of encouragement in the comments.