Sorry Twickster! Feel better! Know what really hurts? A broken shoulder! Uh huh, it does! Especially when the bone gets pushed up into your arm and has to be pulled back down. Not fun. All better now though. I can’t recommend it.
-Lil
At least the bones didn’t grind together like they did with my collarbone. I landed square on my shoulder, the collarbone broke, and the bones slid across each other. When I stood up they pulled apart and grated again.
For an idea of what I mean, take your index fingers, put the fingertips together, push, and then slide one of your fingers over a little and watch them cross each other. That’s what it was like.
Anyway, get well soon. Yeah, it hurts, but you won’t even notice it in a few days.
Get well soon. Get lots of calcium, and ease up on the iron. AFAIK, (Can someone please verify this?) iron inhibits the healing if it’s a broken bone. Good luck,twickster
Thanks, everyone! As I said to Sunspace, I’m not sure how a regimen of lots of SDMB and chocolate will differ significantly from my pre-fracture habits, but I’ll hobble up to the plate on this as best I can.
At this point, it’s sore but not painful, as long as I don’t put any weight on it – though this isn’t entirely under my control, as I discovered in the middle of the night when I awoke to the sensation of 15 pounds of cat walking across my ankle. Mr. Clever Kitty indeed!
I’m hoping the doc will give me a walking-type cast; I live alone, and realistically I’m going to skip the crutches a lot of the time. For one thing, my house isn’t that big. I’ll admit I haven’t touched them since I got home Saturday night. Ah well, we’ll see – I’ll call at 9:00 to get an appointment and report back later as to what happens.
Again – thanks to everyone for checking in and sharing stories and hugs and advice – this is why I love the Dope!
twicks having conferred with Drs. FCM and Sunspace we have come to the conclusion that large doses of chocolate and the SDMB along with much fawning attention by suitors and a cool cast are definitely what you need to heal. You may, of course, add ice cream, alcohol (if you choose) and other such comfort items, as needed.
Get better soon!
Dr. swampbear
A-Fucking-Men. I broke mine when I was about 12, and I still have problems with it at times (and I’m 47).
I think you have just begun to compile a minimum sized-sample from which to form an opinion as to what a break feels like.
For example, my left wrist (the first time) was quite similar to both of my ankles. A pretty intense ache that worsened until it became an all-consuming throb impossible to ignore some hours later. But OTOH, the 2d time I shattered my left wrist, I was able to continue boxing (wrapped tightly) and do whatever I wanted (other than pushing open a door), until the bone chips migrated to some inconvenient places. And my fractured right foot barely slowed me down at all. And I didn’t even know that big toe had been broken (repeatedly) until the arthritis got really bad.
Ah yes. Arthritis. Let me tell you all about vitamin I.
All I can say is further testing on your part is definitely called for.
(Damn. Looking at that list, I’m either completely reckless or quite the clutz.)
Oooh, I’m sorry twickster. I broke my ankle rather spectacularly last winter, and I remember that my first thought on my way down to the ground was, “Oh, that’s what a broken bone sounds like”. I’d broken small bones in my feet before, and just tied on the boots a little tighter and went on, but this was a whole new ballgame.
Keep it elevated and let people wait on you hand and foot. That worked for me anyway. And ice cream. Ice cream’s always good.
Bummer twick. I hope the heel heals.
When I was in 3rd grade I had to stay after school one day for a conference. I actually wasn’t in trouble and a few other kids were asked to attend the same conference. I can’t remember now what it was about.
Anyway, we were playing a little basketball while we waited and as I ran down the court my left foot suppinated (I’ve always had a little trouble with that) and it felt like I’d sprained my ankle. My teacher sent me home and I limped the 8 blocks. I told my mother what had happened and she had me put some ice on it, but that didn’t help much.
The next morning my ankle was pretty swollen so my mom and I walked to the doctor’s office, which was admittedly, just half a block away.
When the doctor looked at my foot he had us go to the hospital for an X-ray where they confirmed I’d broken my heel. So, I had to wear a cast for about 6 weeks.
To this day I tease my mother the nurse about that incident. (She wasn’t a nurse yet at the time and she did feel pretty bad, so I don’t tease her much.)
Still, that’s not as bad as when I fell on my elbow while rollerskating with my then-wife and her daughters. She took me to the emergency room the following morning where it was confirmed that I’d fractured the elbow and they put it in a splint, but because she was planning a trip out of town the nex day with her girls she wouldn’t even drive me to the orthopod to have a cast put on. I had to drive myself, in a car with a stick, with my right arm in a sling.
We weren’t together very long after that. About a month, most of which we weren’t really together, anyway.
That’s the nice thing about a compound fracture… there’s no doubt that the thing’s broken. Generally speaking, when I see marrow I know it’s time to head back to the ER again.
This is far more romantic. Get him to cook for you.
He doesn’t cook much – nor do I. He did, however, drive me to the hospital to pick up my x-rays then over to the orthopedist for a cast, then took me out to dinner and bought me a T-shirt. (!!!) Being an unmushy sort myself, I thought this was utterly charming of him.
So, yup, I’m sitting here with a nice purple cast on my ankle – all the way up to my knee, in fact. The PA (physician’s assistant) who put on the cast on showed my my x-rays – cool! there’s a big ol’ split in my fibula! Plus I chipped the whatchamacallit – the bone that sticks out of the ankle on the inside. So a fracture on one side and a chipped bone on the other. I’ll be in this cast for probably at least five weeks before he’ll consider an air cast – during which time I’m supposed to not use the right foot at all. As in, I’m not supposed to drive my car. If I were to drive my car and get in an accident, the insurance would probably not cover it, since I’m not supposed to drive my car.
Naturally, I looked him right in the eye and told him I wouldn’t drive my car. And that I would use both crutches at all times. And that I wouldn’t so much as allow my foot to touch the ground. Heh.
Be careful. A friend of mine had surgery on her rotator cuff or shoulder or something. Anyway, she was not supposed to drive for a long time. When she was somewhat but not completely healed, she went out to run a couple of errands one day when her family (her usual chauffers) were all busy. Guess who my friend ran into at the video rental store? Her doctor, who looked all around for her driver, and refrained from making additional nasty comments about how she should know better. She was terribly embarassed.
Years ago I was playing tennis and turned to chase a lob and my foot stuck to the court and I rolled over my ankle. It was blindingly painful and I couldn’t even stand talking to my tennis partners. I went home and the pain didn’t subside so I went to the local hospital and had it x-rayed. The doctor came out with x-ray looking really concerned. “It’s broken isn’t it,” I said. “Unfortunately not, you’ve sprained it,” he replied. He explained that breaks heal very well, often stronger than before, but severe adult sprains are more problematic.
Turned out he was right. Years later my ankle makes strange noises when I rotate it and it needs strapping for most physical endeavours. My boss, who fractured his ankle went through a rehabilitation period like yours and is playing football again. It’s like it never happened.
Hope yours heals as well as his did.
Thanks for that info, don’t ask! I’m definitely looking for all the silver linings I can, and this is right up there with “chocolate has lots of calcium in it, it’s good for you”!
I was suprised, with this latest episode, how many older people pulled out limbs that they permanently and significantly screwed up because they didn’t follow doctor’s orders.
Amen to that! I have had (deep breath) nine broken ankles. As I only have two actual ankles, that comes out to 4 on the left, and 5 on the right. My doctor informs me I’m going to be bionically delicious at some point.
The most important thing is to stay the hell off it as long as possible. The reason I kept on breaking them (apart from apocalyptic stupidity) is that I didn’t give the tendons and ligaments time to heal, and they stayed stretched out. There was also some nerve damage that didn’t heal properly. Now, I can’t feel when I’m going over on it until it’s too late. SNAP!
Hope you heal up nice. Did I mention to stay off it?
Ouch! I just read about your injury today twicks. Hope you are up and about very soon and that your chocolate supply doesn’t wane.
Feel better. 
I heartily agree… I did that 6 months ago, the Dr. sweetly told me that it may never heal and I may always have pain… yippee… of course it hadn’t bothered me (much) in a couple of weeks and this past weekend I decided to go sledding with DH… big big big mistake.
Just got back from the orthopedists, where they took follow-up x-rays. Looks like the ankle is healing well, and I haven’t screwed anything up by my failure to do the full-tilt no-touching-the-floor-with-the-bum-foot crutch thing, or, for that matter, by driving with it, hopping around the house without any crutches at all, or any of my other misbehavior of the last 10 days.
The cast comes off March 11th!
Woo hoo!
Thanks again to everyone who posted here, IMed me, emailed me, sent good vibes, etc. I really appreciate everyone’s support and concern! (what, no “Dating-Game”-sendoff-big-smoochie-smack smiley? Guess I’ll have to settle for this old standbye… 
)