Reply #8

The number of people who do this to themselves, I'm sure there are dozens here at DU.

Had the surgery 12 days after the break, Feb 22, under proper general anaesthetic, and went home a few hours later. Titanium plate and screws installed. A week later, had the temporary cast removed, xrays, fibreglas cast put on. Another week later, had that removed to check the surgery wound, all was well, new fibreglas cast put on.

Yesterday, three weeks later and five weeks from surgery, had the cast removed, xrays, saw the ortho doc who did the surgery (all hugely efficient, just talked to him at the central desk in the fracture clinic where the other staff, like the ortho tech I'd been seeing and the clerk who needed to do things like make my physio appointment, were also based and could join in, and i could see the xrays and so on). First he said I'd get an air cast, then he said the same thing as the doc I saw for the metatarsal 15 years ago: no supplemental insurance? you don't need to spent the $100, air cast isn't necessary. Suited me fine. So I can go ahead and start weight-bearing a week earlier than predicted. Tofu and cottage cheese and greens and handsful of supplements did the trick, I guess.

So now I have a swollen foot, pretty frozen ankle joint, not quite fully functional knee joint, and undoubtedly some muscle strength loss of course. I'm waiting for the physio appointment.

If I "go private", I can pay $60 per session at one of numerous private physio clinics not far from me in the city core with less wait time. Otherwise, I wait a bit longer and go back to the hospital where the surgery was done. I think I'll do what the co-vivant did when he broke himself: go to one appointment, get all the instructions, and work on it myself. The wait time in the public system is a minor annoyance again.

So I guess it will be a few months before I'm fully functional.


I'd be very interested in other people's experiences with the medium-term recovery process from similar injuries. Especially people who aren't under 30.