Ankle Surgery

I haven't posted to my blog in ages but as I sat in the Hospital for 2.5 days my Physical Therapist seemed to clue in I was obviously down in the dumps about my situation. I can handle a ton physically, but being stopped physically really messes with me mentally. She turned to me and said. Well maybe you can write about this experience and help someone else out, and donate the things you no longer need after you recover. So here we go, I will edit this as I go along. Holy crap our ankles are important, and I now have a basic understanding of them. I likely wouldn't have been in this situation has I not been wearing the shoes I was, heeled clogs, Danskos, because I'm in the service industry and I was heading to work, but it happened, I looked down at my foot and saw my foot hanging there, I saw my ankle bone, I heard sirens I was told because it was what they thought at the time it was an open fracture that an ambulance was necessary because it was life threatening. Cue next scene, they give me some trippy drugs to put my ankle back in place and I beg and plead with them NOT to cut off my Betabrand dress yoga pants, I just bought them for work and they weren't cheap. Next scene: a room where I am to stay for the next 2.5 days, where I realized I'm really screwed, everything I do to make money is on my feet. I am lucky in a sense that because my wound is open, they are doing same day surgery because I'm at a high risk for infection. When the nurse came to get me for surgery I was so excited. Accident occurred at 10am, Heading into surgery at 4pm. I am going in there all alone and start to slightly worry and the pain hits me really really hard. I beg to go to sleep. I wake up in a giant room with quite a few people coming to, it's like 6pm. I pull something out of my mouth and take the mask off. I'm told surgery went amazing and I miraculously didn't break a single bone, however my injury would be more painful to recover from. I'm placed back in my room and start letting people know what happened, that I already had surgery and I'm okay. Okay on the the useful stuff. First of all, if pain starts to get bad, it really sucks having to tell your nurse while in tears that you need more pain meds. You're going to pay thousands of dollars for this, let them know you're in pain when you're at a 6. Second of all. I highly recommend the animal channel, nothing embarrassing comes on during your very frequent visits from nurses, doctors, billing, food delivery, physical therapy, cleaning etc. But for me, having the tv on helped distract me from the pain. Keep that sucker elevated, and give yourself a ton of time to call for help to get to the bathroom. Ice water is delicious, drink a ton of it, and keep your ankle iced. Hop on amazon, if you're not already a prime member you will most likely be because you can get the things you can't explain to other people, or you're too embarrassed to ask for. I ordered underwear because I seriously didn't want someone trying to find some for me. I also ordered some loose comfortable clothing, my choice was a few $10 dresses from walmart. Speaking of amazon, here are some product I swear by: Get a leg elevation pillow, The ones that are shaped with help keep your leg in place and cause less pain. elevate your leg above your heart to help control swelling and also ice, yes even if you can't feel the ice. "MonMed Post Surgery Leg Elevation Pillow, Leg Rest Pillow, Foam Wedge Pillow - Leg Wedge Pillow for Legs, Foot Pillow"

Depending on your climate, you might need some button pants, think the Adidas snap on pants but there's also cheaper options. This will help at your appointments etc. Nihsatin Women's High Waist Slit Wide Leg Pants Long Lounge Palazzo Pants

And roll around ice helps a ton too!

Believe it or not, you're going to use a reacher grabber a lot more than you think, especially fetching those amazon packages ;) Reacher Grabber Tool, 32" Foldable Grabber Reacher for Elderly, Lightweight Extra Long Handy Trash Claw Grabber, Reaching Assist Tool for Trash Pick Up, Nabber, Litter Picker, Arm Extension (Blue2)

You're going to need a shower chair that fits in your shower or tub, for me the handles helped, it wouldn't have been possible to get in and out without them: Bath Seat Shower Bench with Arms, Adjustable Shower Chair with Arms Padded Handles, without Back, Medical Shower Chair Bench Bath Stool Safety Shower Seat for Elderly, Adults, Disabled, 300 Lbs, White

On to the stuff I used less but still definitely worth the purchase: Shower protection for your leg, I still use this at 5 weeks because I don't always want my leg wet: Adult Leg cast Protector for Shower, Waterproof Shower Bandage and Cast Cover Full Leg Watertight Protection to Broken Leg, Knee, Foot, Ankle Wound, Burns 100% Reusable (Full Leg 43.5"20"9.8")

Non Stick gauze, the other stuff is fine but it hurts! Curad Non-Stick Pads - CUR47396RB , 2 X 3 Inch(5.1 x 7.6 cm), 20 Count

More elastic bandages: GT Cotton Elastic Bandage Wrap (3” Wide, 2 Pack) with Hook and Loop Fasteners at Both Ends | Latex Free Hypoallergenic Compression Roll for Ankle Knee Wrist Sprains, Foot Elbow Shoulder Head Injuries

And if your in colder climates I really enjoyed this product, but remember it doesn't fit on a boot, just a smaller cast, so I didn't get much use. Pembrook Cast Sock Toe Cover - Great for Leg, Foot and Ankle Casts.

These are incredibly helpful in general ( I nurse a knee injury) ut they help on your healthy leg quite a bit. I haven't posted to my blog in ages but as I sat in the Hospital for 2.5 days my Physical Therapist seemed to clue in I was obviously down in the dumps about my situation. I can handle a ton physically, but being stopped physically really messes with me mentally. She turned to me and said. Well maybe you can write about this experience and help someone else out, and donate the things you no longer need after you recover. So here we go, I will edit this as I go along. Holy crap our ankles are important, and I now have a basic understanding of them. I likely wouldn't have been in this situation has I not been wearing the shoes I was, heeled clogs, Danskos, because I'm in the service industry and I was heading to work, but it happened, I looked down at my foot and saw my foot hanging there, I saw my ankle bone, I heard sirens I was told because it was what they thought at the time it was an open fracture that an ambulance was necessary because it was life threatening. Cue next scene, they give me some trippy drugs to put my ankle back in place and I beg and plead with them NOT to cut off my Betabrand dress yoga pants, I just bought them for work and they weren't cheap. Next scene: a room where I am to stay for the next 2.5 days, where I realized I'm really screwed, everything I do to make money is on my feet. I am lucky in a sense that because my wound is open, they are doing same day surgery because I'm at a high risk for infection. When the nurse came to get me for surgery I was so excited. Accident occurred at 10am, Heading into surgery at 4pm. I am going in there all alone and start to slightly worry and the pain hits me really really hard. I beg to go to sleep. I wake up in a giant room with quite a few people coming to, it's like 6pm. I pull something out of my mouth and take the mask off. I'm told surgery went amazing and I miraculously didn't break a single bone, however my injury would be more painful to recover from. I'm placed back in my room and start letting people know what happened, that I already had surgery and I'm okay. Okay on the the useful stuff. First of all, if pain starts to get bad, it really sucks having to tell your nurse while in tears that you need more pain meds. You're going to pay thousands of dollars for this, let them know you're in pain when you're at a 6. Second of all. I highly recommend the animal channel, nothing embarrassing comes on during your very frequent visits from nurses, doctors, billing, food delivery, physical therapy, cleaning etc. But for me, having the tv on helped distract me from the pain. Keep that sucker elevated, and give yourself a ton of time to call for help to get to the bathroom. Ice water is delicious, drink a ton of it, and keep your ankle iced. Hop on amazon, if you're not already a prime member you will most likely be because you can get the things you can't explain to other people, or you're too embarrassed to ask for. I ordered underwear because I seriously didn't want someone trying to find some for me. I also ordered some loose comfortable clothing, my choice was a few $10 dresses from walmart. Speaking of amazon, here are some product I swear by: Get a leg elevation pillow, The ones that are shaped with help keep your leg in place and cause less pain. elevate your leg above your heart to help control swelling and also ice, yes even if you can't feel the ice. "MonMed Post Surgery Leg Elevation Pillow, Leg Rest Pillow, Foam Wedge Pillow - Leg Wedge Pillow for Legs, Foot Pillow"

Depending on your climate, you might need some button pants, think the Adidas snap on pants but there's also cheaper options. This will help at your appointments etc. Nihsatin Women's High Waist Slit Wide Leg Pants Long Lounge Palazzo Pants

And roll around ice helps a ton too!

Believe it or not, you're going to use a reacher grabber a lot more than you think, especially fetching those amazon packages ;) Reacher Grabber Tool, 32" Foldable Grabber Reacher for Elderly, Lightweight Extra Long Handy Trash Claw Grabber, Reaching Assist Tool for Trash Pick Up, Nabber, Litter Picker, Arm Extension (Blue2)

You're going to need a shower chair that fits in your shower or tub, for me the handles helped, it wouldn't have been possible to get in and out without them: Bath Seat Shower Bench with Arms, Adjustable Shower Chair with Arms Padded Handles, without Back, Medical Shower Chair Bench Bath Stool Safety Shower Seat for Elderly, Adults, Disabled, 300 Lbs, White

On to the stuff I used less but still definitely worth the purchase: Shower protection for your leg, I still use this at 5 weeks because I don't always want my leg wet: Adult Leg cast Protector for Shower, Waterproof Shower Bandage and Cast Cover Full Leg Watertight Protection to Broken Leg, Knee, Foot, Ankle Wound, Burns 100% Reusable (Full Leg 43.5"20"9.8")

Non Stick gauze, the other stuff is fine but it hurts! Curad Non-Stick Pads - CUR47396RB , 2 X 3 Inch(5.1 x 7.6 cm), 20 Count

More elastic bandages: GT Cotton Elastic Bandage Wrap (3” Wide, 2 Pack) with Hook and Loop Fasteners at Both Ends | Latex Free Hypoallergenic Compression Roll for Ankle Knee Wrist Sprains, Foot Elbow Shoulder Head Injuries

And if your in colder climates I really enjoyed this product, but remember it doesn't fit on a boot, just a smaller cast, so I didn't get much use. Pembrook Cast Sock Toe Cover - Great for Leg, Foot and Ankle Casts.

I'll be updating this as I go along but here's the basic for now, as well as some useful gift suggestions wondering what they can grab their loved ones that they'll actually use following ankle surgery. A side note about medication, ask for pain relief that doesn't include acetaminophen, you can always throw in a few extra strength Tylenol when needed. Use those stool softeners or you'll be sorry! I actually bought some myralax as well after I ran out to use for a few days. And keep up on your blood thinners, my Physicians assistant also told be to take one aspirin a day for a month after my Eliquis was out. I'll check back in soon! Also grab yourself your amazon prime and enjoy some shows, grab netflix and hulu too if you want and are able too. Oh before you check out of the hospital they'll ask you if you want a walker or crutches. I highly recommend a walker. Yes they look lame but they're more stable and easier to use at your pace around the house and you can get crutches just about anywhere and for cheap, so grab crutches too from elsewhere, the store, good will, online, because you'll need those for any steps. I didn't go the scooter route because I couldn't do my jobs in the shape I'm in, so I didn't need to add that to my costs. Besides, I recommend renting them monthly locally, or buying from classifieds to save some money if you trust it's safe.

Also a few more random things. My nurse talked me into the flu shot during my injury, she said the virus is attracted to places of trauma. Side note that I just learned on the tv, if you have insurance at all, insurance will cover the flu vaccine. My first flu shot ever! Second thing, if you're not taking a multivitamin, start. I got so sick of swallowing pills but I love my gummies. Also up your protein, help your body heal up. I start my day with a slim fast shake and try to add protein at dinner. I'll be updating this as I go along but here's the basic for now, as well as some useful gift suggestions wondering what they can grab their loved ones that they'll actually use following ankle surgery. A side note about medication, ask for pain relief that doesn't include acetaminophen, you can always throw in a few extra strength Tylenol when needed. Use those stool softeners or you'll be sorry! I actually bought some myralax as well after I ran out to use for a few days. And keep up on your blood thinners, my Physicians assistant also told be to take one aspirin a day for a month after my Eliquis was out. I'll check back in soon! Also grab yourself your amazon prime and enjoy some shows, grab netflix and hulu too if you want and are able too. Oh before you check out of the hospital they'll ask you if you want a walker or crutches. I highly recommend a walker. Yes they look lame but they're more stable and easier to use at your pace around the house and you can get crutches just about anywhere and for cheap, so grab crutches too from elsewhere, the store, good will, online, because you'll need those for any steps. I didn't go the scooter route because I couldn't do my jobs in the shape I'm in, so I didn't need to add that to my costs. Besides, I recommend renting them monthly locally, or buying from classifieds to save some money if you trust it's safe.

Also a few more random things. My nurse talked me into the flu shot during my injury, she said the virus is attracted to places of trauma. Side note that I just learned on the tv, if you have insurance at all, insurance will cover the flu vaccine. My first flu shot ever! Second thing, if you're not taking a multivitamin, start. I got so sick of swallowing pills but I love my gummies. Also up your protein, help your body heal up. I start my day with a slim fast shake and try to add protein at dinner.