Duane, I hate that you have the injury! Enjoy this time off if you can. I am still not able to be on my left leg too long at a time and it swells terribly each day. My gardening has become almost non-existent.

Love the picture of the dog enjoying life.

Glenda

I'm wishing you a speedy recovery Duane. Please take care.

Carrie B.

Like I had to, learn to roll the desk chair through the house. Spend a lot of time online and laying down. Drink lots of fluids and eat a balanced diet. Read. And try not to worry about what's going on out there. You can't do anything about it.
Hope it heals quickly. Still walking with a limp myself after 3 weeks.

It sure puts the damper on things when a foot/feet are out of action. When I broke my ankle they patched me up with plates bolts and screws. I came home home two days later with instructions to put no weight on that foot for five weeks then I could start walking on it.
For those who might end up like me, that is without a cast, I got my self a wheel chair with feet planted on the floor not moving them I'd roll the wheelchair back and forth a few times every hour or so. This kept the muscles/tendons limber. When I went for my six week checkup the surgeon was surprised at how well I was walking, hardly a limp.

Tom has given you great advice, take it cool, give your foot time to heal. The garden and everything else can wait. I hope your foot heals quickly and you aren't in too much pain. You take care of yourself.

Annette

Thanks for your kindness Glenda, Token and Carrie!

Glenda I don't remember reading that you were injured. That sounds like you are in more pain than am I. In fact as long as my leg is up there is no pain. I take otc ibuprofen just for the swelling. I hope you recover fully soon as well!
Likewise for you Token; I don't remember your injury.
Yes, I am very careful to eat well, drink milk, etc, to help expedite my recovery.

The very irony of this, is a lady on my team was on light duty for months for a broken foot. Yesterday, she got off of light duty and went on the line. I took her place in the lab. I went to go to her line to tell her they needed to adjust something, when I got hit by the forklift.

GOD knew this would happen in advance so,
I'll just trust and rest.

Duane

Ps Lillie is the best dog. She's my constant companion.

Oh, You Poor Soul! Bless your heart.

It must be the season. My nephew dropped a sheet of plywood on his foot this weekend.

I hope you heal quickly. Take care of it. This will be a good time to sort photos and plan for next year.

Nell

Bummer, Duane . . . just when the weather's getting nice. Thank goodness for safety wear.

Hope everyone recovers soon.

Boy, can I relate to this and you have my profound sympathies for your injury!

Last summer - the beginning of July - I somehow managed to fracture my left foot. It is still a bit of a mystery how it happened as I was just walking inside my house, putting groceries away :-) Regardless, the original diagnosis of fractures of the 2nd and 3rd metatarsals turned out to be incorrect, as the swelling was enormous and extended well up my leg (so bad I couldn't bend my knee). The orthopedist recommended a MIR, which confirmed that I managed to incur a Lin's (compression) fracture of all 5 metatarsals extending across the arch and one other little bone on the outer edge of my foot - 6 bones in all.

What a massive inconvenience, not to mention considerable pain!! I work in the nursery industry as well as garden professionally (consulting and design) so you can imagine how the injury impacted my work life. My truck has a standard transmission, so even driving was impossible. Fortunately, my employer at the time offered use of the company van (an automatic), so I could get back and forth to work when I was finally able to hobble around! And I live alone in a multi-storied house so life as I knew it was hugely interrupted :-)

Long story short, more than a year later I still experience a reduction in mobility. The severity of the break as well as my age have pretty much assured my foot will never be back to 'normal'. Overtaxing and favoring my foot at the beginning of this season resulted in a spinal misalignment and a flare-up of my sciatica (much better now after therapy). Comfortable shoes are difficult to find......recently looking for new shoes for work, I discovered the best solution was to purchase two pairs, as the size which comfortably accommodates the injured foot (there is a considerable bone scar that creates a large bump across my arch) is a full size too large for the non-injured foot. What a headache and needless expense!! And stairs are not my friends :-)

I don't mean this to be a horror story, as it sounds like your injury is not quite as bad. But do take enough time to stay off your foot so it can heal well and then allow yourself some slack after that. If your doctor recommends, do go through physical therapy - it helps a lot. One quarter of the bones in your body are located in your feet and it is difficult to imagine how much we rely on these appendages until they are injured and our mobility compromised. Take care of yourself and you have my best wishes for a speedy recovery.

And let the garden slide :-) It comes down to a matter of priorities and your health should take precedence over everything else.

Good grief, just what a gardener doesn't need.

Many, many years ago I had a 5th metatarsal break. I was a single mother and could not miss much work. I begged the doctor to go ahead and put the walking heel on when he put the cast on. I promised I would not put wait on it. And I did not. Thankfully it was my left foot and my car was automatic.

BTW the metal guide from a file drawer or a fly swatter make good "inside the cast leg scratchers".

It will take time and you will have to endure that.

K

Duane, feel better soon. No fun being laid up in the fall, but just think-you can sit there and give directions while someone ELSE seals the driveway-teehee. Follow the doc's directions, take it easy,throw the ball for that cute pup-or the grandkids- and you'll soon be up and about!

Cynthia

Duane, sorry to here about your foot. That must have really hurt, a lot. I don't post a lot to this forum, but do lurk here from time to time.

These stories are great. I'm sitting here with a cast on my right foot, two more weeks to go. Bored. And yes, it really started itching today. Kathy, thank you for the tip. Literally trying to figure out what I can use. I had my foot broken and reset on purpose, in surgery, and have had less pain after than I did before.

Also sounds like a good tip about flexing. I want to be ready to walk when they take this thing off.

--Shirley

So sorry to hear about your injury, Duane! Too bad it couldn't have happened during the heat when you would have enjoyed staying inside under the AC. Take care of yourself and know you have many friends who hope you will be much better very soon!! Debby

Duane - so sorry to hear of your injury. I think all of us here use our bodies pretty roughly. I tore my right ACL a year and a half ago. Hard to drive even an automatic. Not fun, worse was convincing the Dr. I was actually in pain - guess I didn't whine enough. Anyway, I know that the overtime would be nice, but healing yourself is way better. Take care.

Nancy.

GOSH!
You guys are just the ticket! I sure appreciate all of the encouragement, and the advice too!
I tend to be a little (no, a lot) gung ho: D-mn the torpedos,full speed ahead. no pain no gain. But the last time I had a break I was disappointed when the doctor made me wait 2 more weeks before he would release me to full duty.
So your encouragement of me to take it easy will be heeded, thank you. My wife (DW?) is being wonderful as well. She is looking out for me, and most important, she's relaxed,not freaking out.
Annette You posted while was typing so I did not get to thank you.
Gardengal: wow! so your foot broke in half basically. That sounds like I got off easy. I have no pain so far (except the first several hours). And I get the added benefit of remembering that 1/2 second perfectly, or at least kind of.
Kathy thanks for the itch suggestion.
Shirley good luck with the remainder of your recovery.
and everyone else,
thank you.

Duane

May your healing be strong and swift. Try to sit back and relax during this time, not easy I know.

FlowerLady

Oh fudge, this is terrible, think how all these injuries are damaging the beautification of our communities. Now, hurry up and heal and enjoy your gardens. Seriously, I hope you of your injuries heal quickly and you are out and about quite soon.
gramma jan

I'm sorry to hear that Duane, I wish a speedy recovery for you.
Two years ago I broke my foot on the very top. It was right at Thanksgiving which is a very important time in the garden here...the weather cools off and we can really get moving and do the heavy work. So I can imagine how you are feeling, this is just not the best timing for you.
However, I just did as you know to do - rest it. I had to ignore fall, let things do as they might and very early in the year get back to work as best I could.
There are continuing complications because I did not receive the care I needed for the foot, but I don't much worry about that. Every day I can get out there and get busy I really appreciate it! You're lucky you have a wife who is taking it all in stride. My hubby ended up having no time to help between work and getting me back and forth to appointments (nobody believed my foot was actually broken, the bones never moved and it didn't show up in x-rays, however I had all the "Symptoms" of a break or many breaks) - so without being able to have any control over what needed to be done out there, I just gave in and rested. It helped me slow down a bit, and hand a bit back over to the one really in control.

GGG

Well...I am sorry to hear about Duane's foot and alot of other's injuries and mishaps too...I just found out that I have a meniscus tear in my right knee. Happened Tuesday night just climbing into my husband's truck. Geezz..so I have had x-rays and waiting for my MRI and then surgery to repair it. The pain was unbearable at first but now it is almost gone. So many plans for my gardens are out the window now...like you before me who are injured I will have to wait to do anything in the garden.

Not fair. B O R I N G!!!

(This too will pass though and life will go on.........)

Hang in...maybe we should form a gardening injury forum now-haha.

beca

Hey All!
YA, GGG I've got great care. The young doctor must be up on his stuff, cause while the xray shows just one break, he had me come in yesterday for an MRI to put to rest the possibility of serious unseen damage midfoot. I'll get the results on the 17th. Back to work light duty 6:00 a.m. good night!
Thanks for the good thoughts,

Duane

What a cute dog!!! Hope you and everyone else feels better soon.

Susie

beca,
Get on the internet and research "surgery for meniscus tears". Talk to anyone you can who had the surgery. Question the physician about what type of healing you can expect after surgery. Question wheter therapy alone would do as well.

Ask for and use a serious prescription brace. Put ice on the knee for 20 minutes at the time. Be religious about therapy. Be prepared for the pain to be no better and maybe worse after surgery if you choose to have it. The meniscus does not have enough of a blood supply to heal. The surgeon will simply remove the meniscus or the portion of it that is torn (trim it). You will likely have some bone-on-bone after surgery.

The pain will eventually get better, but the brace would be your "friend" in gardening.

One year and 4 months ago, I tore mine.
kay

Beca and Kay:
OUCH! Get well soon!

Susie: thanks alot. That dog is a most amazing creature.
Some scientist seem to want to explain away animals relationships with humans. They don't like us, they just like what we give.Bah! My dogs are genuinely excited to see Me when I get home, and it just turns me around. They genuinely care for me. And Lillie is very attentive to (oops! She wants to wrastle now.

Duane

"Believing and trusting" - I love your attitude Duane!

Dogs are the creatures that love unconditionaly - we, humans, have a lot to learn from them.

Get well soon!

Hi Kay

Nice hearing from someone who's had a meniscus tear. I've had my mri that showed the tear,etc..seeing the ortho doc in a couple of weeks. I will ask questions and hopefully get a good prescription brace. What a pain this is. I have read tons of info on this subject...I've also heard from friends who've had the surgery. Not sure what will happen...the pain is nothing like it was (thank goodness)..anyway email me if you'd like to share more.

Hang in Duane!! My dogs keep me laughing too!

beca~