How to Survive a Broken Ankle
Five must-haves to make it bearable.
I’m 58 years old. Up until very recently was able to brag that I’d never broken a single bone in my body. Then on the fateful morning of June 8th, 2018, while on a routine walk, that declaration came to an end. My foot slipped on some pine needles on a small incline and down I went. I prayed that the horrible cracking sound I heard was the sound of a twig that I’d stepped on breaking, but alas it was my splintering ankle bones.
There is no describing the agony I was in. Childbirth could not compare. There would be no bundle of joy to celebrate at the end of the tortuous event, just more pain, discomfort, tribulations, and inconvenience. I’m seventeen days into this crucible and I’ve found some wonderful items that are making it easier to endure. The word easier should probably not be anywhere in this post, there is nothing easy about a broken ankle. Let’s just say that without these five helpful items I may have lost my mind long before my patience went out the window.
I have an A-type personality which compounds this situation. For those of you who aren’t sure what that means I’ll share the definition: A temperament characterized by excessive ambition, aggression, competitiveness, drive, impatience, need for control, focus on quantity over quality, and unrealistic sense of urgency. It is commonly associated with the risk of coronary disease and other stress-related ailments.
So as you can imagine, being rendered helpless by a broken ankle is more than challenging for me. However, the following five items have made it bearable. It was imperative that I share them in hopes of helping someone else that may be hanging by a thread because of a similar mobility hardship.
Listed number one of importance is my Drive Medical Dual Pad Steerable Knee Walker with Basket. It literally saved my life. If you’ve ever used crutches you know how horrible they are. The feeling of unsteadiness while using them is only surpassed by their inconvenience. They constantly fell over no matter where I placed them. Going up the slightest step with them, while placed painfully under my armpits, was terrifying. The two-inch ledge that I had to negotiate to get to my bed filled me with dread hours before bedtime. I hated those suckers.
I went to Amazon.com to find an alternative. I’d seen my pastor with a knee scooter device and I knew it had to be better than crutches. There were quite a few choices on Amazon ranging from $109.00 all the way up to $399.00 for the Knee Rover All Terrain Quad. I read lots of reviews for the midrange scooters. I have no desire to go four-wheeling with my scooter. I chose the Drive Medical Dual Pad Steerable Knee Walker for $124.99. I loved the fact that it came with a basket. Not only do I feel safer when going from point A to point B but I can carry stuff.
I can fix dinner again. I roll from my kitchen counter to my frig and load up my little basket with what I need to cook my meal. I rest my leg on my scooter while I prepare my meal and am able to roll from my cooktop to my sink with ease. It’s a cotton-picking lifesaver. When getting ready to go out for doctor's appointments or church, I can rest my leg on my scooter while I sit on the toilet seat to blow-dry and curl my hair as well as put on my makeup. I love this scooter!
Drive Medical Dual Pad Steerable Knee Walker with Basket, Alternative to Crutches
When ordering my scooter, Amazon’s “frequently bought together” feature brought up my Plush Synthetic Faux Sheepskin Cover for the seat of my scooter. It is number two on my must-haves. It is so much more comfortable to rest my leg on my scooter with the addition of this accessory. It’s soft and plush and I’m thrilled with it too.
The third item on my can’t live without it list was also suggested by the good folks at Amazon. The Seal Tight Freedom Cast and Bandage Protector is a godsend for taking a shower. Before I purchased it I had to leave the shower door open with my leg propped up on a chair and a plastic bag stuffed into my cast around the top of my leg. It was terribly uncomfortable and made showering another dreaded event. Touted to have the best watertight protection, this puppy lives up to its claim. It was really tough to get it over my original 50-pound cast but my husband managed to do it. I was able to get into the shower and close the door with my foot resting on the floor.
Today, for the first time in 18 days, I was able to take a shower unassisted by my husband. I rolled to the bathroom, sat on the toilet seat, and rested my foot on my scooter while I slid the Seal Tight Freedom Cover over my walking boot. I still can’t put any pressure on my ankle but the boot is a huge relief from the 50-pound cast.
It was much easier to get the cover over the boot and even after being stretched over my huge cast, the seal around my leg remained watertight. I stood on my good leg and swung my butt around and sat on the seat in my shower. I rolled my scooter forward so that I could close the door and took a nice long hot shower. When I was done instead of having to hop out of the shower on my good leg, which always scared the heck out of me, I just put my knee on the soft seat of my scooter and roll forward. Once my leg was out of the way I closed the shower door.
It was exhilarating! Oh, the feeling of independence.
Two of my must-have items were already in my possession but have proved to be invaluable. My Kapoo Portable Laptop Stand has made it possible for me to write while seated comfortably on my couch with my leg elevated for hours. It’s easy to set the legs of the stand at different angles which is important because I have blankets on one side of me and not the other. I can set my computer at the perfect hight on my lap, leaving my hands and elbows in a comfortable position for writing. Since reading and writing are just about all I can do right now, this too is a godsend.
The last item I’ll mention is one that has multiple uses. My Cat Claw Back Scratcher has really come in really handy. I find that my back itches terribly due to being stuck on the couch for over twenty-two hours a day. There’s nothing like the relief of scratching an itch. It feels so good it can take my mind off of my ankle when it’s throbbing because I went too long between taking painkillers. Bonus, when I can’t reach my computers power cord I extend my back scratcher to full length and grab the cord with my claw and plug it in. It’s actually come in handy for pulling many light things within my reach.
The Faux Sheepskin cover and Cat-Back Scratcher.
So there you have it folks, five of my life-saving items for enduring a broken ankle. I hope that if you are suffering from a broken ankle or foot you will get yourself these tried and true items from Amazon. Needless to say, shopping from your couch and having them delivered is a huge bonus. I don’t know when I’ll be able to drive again and having these items delivered to my mailbox was imperative.
God bless and hang tough. This too shall pass.
