Soooo - I have a metal plate on the outside of the ankle and two screws on the inside. Doug called me a Bionic Woman, but since none of this enhances performance, just will get me back to 'normal'......
No, there was no ice involved in this. I did it in the kitchen - the second most dangerous room in the home. :( I stumbled, twisting my left foot and went down on it.
While many people complain about our health care system, I have had nothing but excellent care from the orderlies on through the nursing staff and the various doctors. And there seemed to be rather a lot of them! :)
I was extremely fortunate in being able to have a spinal block so I'm not dealing with the after effects of general anesthetic - just swelling from the injury and surgery which should subside after 3 or so days.
Tylenol 3's made me ill, so I have Tramaset (sp?) for pain management.
Many people assume that we have 'free' health care in Canada. Not so.
It just seems that way because if you are employed, the insurance premiums are deducted from your paycheque before you ever see it. :} They are considered a taxable benefit if your employer pays the premiums for you.
If you are unemployed or self-employed (as Doug and I were for 9 years) you pay the premiums yourself.
For example, the Tylenol and injection of anti-inflammatory I was given in emerg were covered under the insurance but the prescription for the t-3's Doug had to pay for. We bought the crutches ($19.00) and I'll be getting a bill for those in the mail.
Since I'm not to put any weight whatsoever on my left leg for 6 weeks (yikes!) Doug has talked to my family dr's receptionist and she is arranging for a walker and a temporary handicapped parking pass.
Doug has been a prince stepping and fetching although I rather suspect he will get tired of that long before the 6 weeks are up. However he had a similar break eons ago and knows what I'm going through - although he didn't have surgery and was able to walk on his walking cast during healing.
I'll be taking it 'easy' for the next 3 days. After that I should be in much less pain and won't need to keep my leg elevated at which time I can do things like make lace, do jigsaw puzzles, or just read.
There is also PixeLoom to learn and fibre-y dreams to dream.
Currently reading First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher
13 comments:
Oooh...so sorry for your pain! Hope healing is quick and complete.
Those $19 crutches would have cost at least $60 in the US.
Good to see you comfortably at home! I understand about no weight on the foot for weeks. I had to use crutches and no weight on my left leg for 9 weeks after hip replacement surgery in 2001. Its a long time!
The Red Cross does loans of any medical equipment you may need. I had two walkers, one for each floor level and a set of crutches for each end of the staircase as well. Made life so much easier. If you have stairs, get someone to show you the trick to negotiating them.
Get well soon!
Susan
Sorry about the pain. Hope you feel better soon!
Take care, and let that ankle heal. The time off your foot may seem long, but if you don't follow orders, it'll be even longer! I'm sure you'll find lots of handwork to keep you occupied, and time for all the reading you want. That's a luxury all in itself!
I am so glad the surgery went well. Enjoy catching up on those books stacked in the corner!
I'm taking the admonition to not put any weight on it very seriously. :) It's also an opportunity to sit back and think about the future without the pressure of deadlines. Or to just go a bit brain dead and not think about anything at all. :}
One thing that I likely will do is work on bobbin lace. Don't need feet for that! :D Or to go down the stairs to the studio - all my lace stuff it upstairs.
I'm sure Doug will make copies of the prickings for me.
Laura
So sorry to hear about your ankle!!
When I had a foot injury a few years ago, I used office chairs with wheels in my house. I had one on each floor, so I could push myself around with my good foot and carry things. (So I could make lunch, put it on a tray, sit down and wheel myself to the table for example.) Hugely helpful when I was home alone (and so that my DH didn't want to leave after being asked for one too many items!!)There are different types of casters for different floor surfaces....so my DH swapped the original casters out to make it easier for me to scoot around.
A lot of people also use a little cart with wheels to move stuff around with them on their crutches or walker. (I got used to crutches fast enough, and had well-honed armed and shoulders by the end of that....but it's hard to carry anything when you're on crutches.)
Good luck!! Hope it heals up quickly and well!!
Sue
Oh dear, I am so sorry. Just when you were getting the new Ashland dealership going, and now you are not going at all. You go every second! I hope you can use this for mind time and take advantage of the six weeks. Wishing you a rapid healing~
That's quite a challenge to look after your ankle properly and not use it. I hope you manage.
A good read I've just enjoyed is "A Carpet Ride to Khiva: Seven Years on the Silk Road" by Christopher Aslan Alexander, here's a quick quote from a review "Alexander recounts his efforts to rediscover the lost art of traditional weaving and dyeing, and the process establishing a self-sufficient carpet workshop" (this is in Uzbekistan). I'm sure if you could get a copy it would help time pass more pleasantly.
Sorry to hear about your accident, I wish you a speedy recovery! Please enjoy your enforced rest and the pampering that will come with it. All the best! Caroline
Do you spin? And there is knitting, and hemming of towels, and designing new projects,... The 6 weeks will go by quickly. Take care!!!
Laura, I'm so sorry about your foot! Hope your pain level decreases soon.
Condolences on your boo-boo. And don't take this wrong, but to your husband, too! When one person in the house is injured, everyone is injured.
Speedy recovery!
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