HELP!!! DH broke his ankle

[wdwaholic]

DH broke his Left ankle yesterday while shoveling show-outpatient surgery is scheduled tomorrow(snow predicted) to put pins in it and then 6 weeks of a cast,crutches and no weight bearing.Thank God that the MD said he could drive after but what should I expect in the coming weeks? Does anyone have any tips or been there done that tales to tell that will help us be realistic and not kill each other To keep this budget related what things should I buy that will help him and what equipment is not worth it? I am beginning to feel overwhelmed at doing it all and it' s only been 24 hours
Thanks
Trish

 

[Swimalie]

No real advice here for what to do with him other than let him have the remote. But be glad it was a break and not a sprain. I sprained my May, 2008. After 18 months of trying to fix it, I finally had to have surgery. Ankle surgery is hard so be prepared for him to be in a lot of pain. You might want to get him a good back pack so when he can get around on crutches he can carry things. A good water bottle so he can get water around from room to room and a pillow he can carry to prop his foot up, too.

I've had 3 c-section-like surgeries, a knee realignment and other surgeries and nothing was as painful as the ankle surgery. So make sure he stays up on his pain pills, too. Good luck to him.

 

[annsteere]

BTDT (July 3, 2009)

The good news is that I'm fully recovered.

Don't remember the proper name, but there is a thing that is a two wheeled scooter type of device that you can prop you leg up on. I found it MUCH easier to deal with than crutches.

DH rigged up a tent at the bottom of our bed that kept the linens up out of contact with my leg/ankle. It turns out that you can buy such a thing at Bed Bath and Beyond. It made it possible for me to sleep with less pain. I found the pressure of the sheet and blankets on my leg was quite uncomfortable for many weeks.

Depending on your home, you might also think in terms of adding a shower head that is on a flexible hose. It is easier to sit on a plastic stool and maneuver the water than to try to wiggle yourself around on one leg. And, putting a towel down on the bathtub bottom helped me not slip while standing on one leg in the water. Being able to shower on my own was a mental plus.

 

[pmickus]

My mother needed a scooter several years ago. We rented from Walker Mobility (www.walkermobility.com). They were great. The CM's at Disney were very nice about helping her on and off buses/ferries and getting us to each attraction. Some rides have separate entrances for those in a scooter and the whole family gets to go in those entrances. We were given front row seats to the Lion King show at AK. My mom and the rest of the family were seated before they let everyone else in. Disney is very good about making sure all members of your party can enjoy the experience, even those with recent medical needs.

 

[Shmily1]

Good luck!! DH broke his ankle about 11 years ago. The Dr told him it would be 6 to 8 weeks but it ended up being 4 months and he had no surgery. Things I got for him was a small cooler to put by the couch while I was working. I work 2.7 miles from home so at lunch, I would go home and fix him something and refill his cooler. It had ziploc bags of chips and/or cookies and water and sodas. The second day he was home without me, I came home and saw these little circles all in yard (we didn't have much grass yet because we had just moved in and had the yard seeded). I went in and said "how are you" and he said "so tired of being inside this house" so I said "really-- so who did you loan those crutches to since there are little marks all over the yard where you've been outside!!" I was trying to act mad but was really cracking up because he was acting like a 3 year old that had been caught doing something bad!

Needless to say, if he's use to being outside, help him walk to a swing outside if you have one. That was our one saving grace!!

 

[carone0318]

My dd just came out of a plaster cast and is now in a boot for a broken 5th metatarsal. Her plaster cast couldn't get wet (obviously) and she was casted with her toe slightly pointed so she couldn't stand on it. For showering purposes we put a plastic lawn chair in the shower stall so she could sit while she showered (cast had the plastic cast cover over it).

My other suggestion would be if your home has stairs, if you have 2 sets of crutches one to leave upstairs the othe to leave down that would make life a lot easier than carrying the crutches up & down with you. Dd usually liked to come down on her tush and she would just hop up on one foot.

Good luck and safe healing!

 

[Wendaeh]

My DS broke his ankle on Sat in a basketball game -- luckily he doesn't need surgery. I ordered the Gore-Tex Procel cast liner to have put on rather than the cotton liner so that the cast will be waterproof -- makes it much easier for showering, swimming, etc. I am not sure whether it is feasible after the surgery - but maybe something you could ask about. It can be ordered from http://www.castliner.com/

Good luck to him!

 

[*Seanaci*]

Oy. Talk about a headache!

I rolled my ankle really bad last year...no surgery. But I was in a walking boot for like 6 weeks. It was a life saver over being wrapped in an ace bandage and on crutches (as my son was 18 month old).

All I can say is make sure everything he'll need (if you work outside the home) is within reach for him. It'll be easier on him and you.

 

[crispychicky]

Make sure he gets good physical therapy when his cast comes off. Getting full flexibility and strength back on his bad side will help prevent future problems with that ankle.

Lots of hugs and patience for you and your family