ankle/foot injury and frustrations

[mrs_p_bear]

In June of this summer I broke two bones in my foot and tore ligaments in my foot and ankle. I was on crutches for several weeks and then allowed to use just the CAM walker (cast-boot)for the remainder of the time. Eight weeks total. That was followed by wrapping the foot and ankle and using an ankle brace. By mid September I was able to walk normally but still have tenderness to the touch in certain areas of the foot and ankle. I was quite excited because it looked like I would have no problem for our November trip.

Well, I never went to PT as recommended by my Dr. and I can tell that foot and ankle are not as strong as the other. Yesterday at a fall carnival, I decided to jump in the moonwalk (you those big blow up bouncy things?) with my son. I came down wrong and injured the same ankle. It is very swollen and quite bruised. I have spent the last 24 hours taking ibuprofen, elevating my foot and icing it, and wrapping it with an ACE bandage when it is not being iced. It is very painful to walk on and feels very unstable, so I'm sure it must be a grade 2 sprain.

So with our very first Disney trip only three weeks away, does anyone have advice as to what action I should take? DH says get the CAM walker out and wear it until I'm pain free. What do you guys think? Or should I go see my Dr. and see what he says? Anyone been in the same situation - reinjure a foot/ankle only a few months after the initial occurrance? And if so how long did it take to heal the second time around? Shorter/longer? Will I still be in pain at Disney? And did I mention that I'm a preschool director who typically works at the school for at least 60 hours a week and am always on my feet doing tours, managing classrooms, etc.? Yes, I know I'm freaking out just a little, but I wanted this to be the PERFECT trip! As I said it's the first time for all of us and my boys will both have their birthdays there, turning 5 and 7, so it's a REALLY special trip!

Advice? Thanks!!

 

[SueM in MN]

First, I'm sorry to hear what happened to you and want to send you a big
We had a foreign exchange student who had done something similar a few years before she came to stay with us. It had never quite healed well - one reason was that she used the cast-boot, but had never done Physical Therapy when she took it off. Over the years, she had to 'baby' the ankle because it twisted easily.
Soon after she came to stay with us, they had a practice bus evacuation at school. When she stepped out the looooonnnggg step down from the bus to the ground, she reinjured her ankle. She didn't want to do anything other than an ace bandage, but we got her in to see a doctor. The end result was that she had a stress fracture of the ankle. The doctor said that she probably got it to the point of feeling good, but not ever totally healed. She had to be in a boot cast for about 6-8 weeks and then, she had to go to Physical Therapy to strengthen the muscles so that they could provide the support the ankle needed. She did all those things and by the time she left us in the Spring, she was back to skiing, jogging and swimming - all things she had not been able to do for a long time for fear of twisting/spraining her ankle. It's been over 8 years since she left us and her ankle is fine now.

So, my advice is:
1) Go see the doctor so that you know what the problem is and what to do about it. He may say to wear the CAM walker, but unless you know where the damage is, doing that may do more harm than good. (You may have hurt a different place than you think).
2) Check out the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of this board for information about ECVs and wheelchairs and don't feel shy about using onje. Better to use one and not be in pain than to 'stiff it out' and spend your trip in pain. Your kids won't really care if you are using an ECV or a wheelchair, what's important to them is that you are all there and you have enough energy (and no pain) so you can do things with them.

Sending lots of pixiedust and hope you have a good trip.

 

[mrs_p_bear]

Thanks for the response Sue. I'm going to call my Dr. tomorrow and see what thinks. I've stayed off of it as much as possible today, but it is still very painful. And I'm not one who is a baby about pain either. I have a very high pain threshold. I promised my husband I'd stay off of it as much as I can and will see what my doc says.

Meanwhile I've taken your suggestion and started purusing the FAQ here as wel as other posts. I just hope that if I do need to use a w/c or ECV at WDW that I will not be too prideful and selfconcious that I wait too long, but rather recognize the fact and do it early.

Again, thanks a bunch!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I just hope that if I do need to use a w/c or ECV at WDW that I will not be too prideful and selfconcious that I wait too long, but rather recognize the fact and do it early.

Please ask yourself the following questions. Here are the suggested answers to go with them.

1. Are you disabled (even temporarily)? Yes.

2. Do the people you are travelling with, such as your family, know you are disabled? Yes.

3. Do you expect to meet anyone you know during this trip who may not know you are disabled. Probably No!

4. Do you expect to meet a bunch of people who you will probably never meet again in your life? Probably yes!

5. Is there any reason at all that you should care what these people think about you? Absolutely No!!

6. Will using a wheelchair or ECV make for a better vacation for you and your family? Absolutely YES!

 

[mrs_p_bear]

Went in to see the doc. I have torn the ligaments again. I should be non-weight bearing for the next couple of weeks and in the cast-boot for probably another 4 weeks after that. So I really appreciate the advice and support. I will be looking into renting a w/c or ecv and figuring out what else I can do to make this trip as much fun as I was hoping it would be and not too much of a pain.

Thanks again.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Bummer! I hope you start feeling better. And don't worry about using a wheelchair or ECV. You'll have a better time if you're not walking around in pain and your ankle will heal faster in the long run.

I did something very similar back in March. I had just walked my sons to their classrooms and was going back to my car. I stepped off a curb and my foot landed on one of those hard, green pinecones. I twisted my ankle badly and landed on my you-know-what! (I also skinned my knee and broke my nice Ray-Bans that were in my hand!)

It turned out I tore 2 ligaments and partially tore another. The bones in my foot and ankle were bruised all the way to the core. I also had bone marrow edema in three spots (where the bone marrow swells up and can't properly nourish the bone). I had the CAM walker for about 3 months and was on crutches for 8 weeks. I also work in a preschool and was ordered not to work for the rest of the school year.

Now it's almost 8 months later and would you believe my ankle still isn't 100% The doctor said it could take up to a year or longer before it feels completely normal. It stiffens up quickly if I've been sitting for a long time and it hurts if I rotate my foot. I still wear an elastic brace under my sock and I'm very careful about where I walk. If I run, even a little, it hurts. I started back to work in August and that's going OK, as long as I'm careful.

So, keep that ice going and keep your ankle elevated! And try to stay out of those bouncy houses for a while! Have a great trip!