I know what you're talking about!

I fractured my ankle a few years ago, had surgery to pin and wire my ankle together and was given crutches. It was pretty traumatic for me because I was leaving for a month in Japan in 6.5 weeks.

A week after surgery, while trying to carry a plate from the living room, where I had to navigate one step up to the kitchen, I broke my good foot by slamming it against my crutches when I tried to get forward and upward momentum without putting weight on my broken ankle. I ended up in a boot on the other foot and went to Japan in a cast. :-(

Jodi-

I got very good at going up and down stairs when on crutches...it can be done :o)

Don't know about the naked part, and not sure I want to imagine it...lol!

I do know that it's hard to use crutches, it was very hard for me anyway. My son seemed to do it effortlessly, but I struggled.

I'm glad it's over for you now.

Yup, life on crutches sucks. Specially if you have to run after a little one that just learned to run off from her mom. I lived on crutches for 3 month, while youngest daughter learned to walk.

Stairs are a *()&^*! But they can be learned. Going up, feet first, then crutches, going down, crutches first, then feet! Very important sequence!

Glad you kept your sense of humor! ;)

Are you still using them?

Moni

Oh boy, do I know what you're talking about. In the past few years, I have been on crutches a total of over 6 months. It is an adjustment, and I did some very odd things to adapt in dozens of ways. The biggest problem is not being able to carry much of anything.

One thing I did discover was that to get a cup of coffee from the kitchen to the computer, I could sit it in a shoebox and slide it along the carpet with my foot as I walked. Every little thing just takes so much time and effort to do.

Lunchlady, congratulations on ditching those crutches. Are you using a cane now? Physical therapy? Hope the healing continues.

Susan (walking on 2 legs now--hooray!)

Man can I ever relate! Had foot surgery last September and was on crutches for 6 weeks. I fell a lot, too, especially on the stairs. I mostly just stayed home and used a walker with wheels like a backward wheelchair! Then, my doc told me about this scooter thing where you kneel on it with one knee and push with the other foot. That saved me but I still had to do the stairs with the crutches.

Yes, I am off them now and in a boot and doing therapy. The dr said 'the surgery is no big deal just in and out' I had a deformed bone grouth on the back of my heel. He was right surgery was easy and the pain was even less than I had before surgery~~~BUT~~~the recovery has been slow and not hard just alot of things you can not do and do not realize it til you try to do them.

Oklamoni I can not imagine doing it with a small child or really any children:)

Lucky for me my DH is retired and took wonderful care of me.

I was on crutches for about 6 months with a broken hip and then a couple years later on them again for a few months after the followup surgery. Steps... I remember them well. Did you ever learn the railing way? One hand on the railing and use one crutch. On the commercial railings this was great. How often I thought I'd go tumbling when using both crutches.... Oh and getting on and off the school bus was a treat too. Nice HIGH steps! That was spooky.

Last year when I took a fall and hurt my foot they wanted me to go on crutches for a week or so. Well, my crutches are in the rafters in the garage and getting to them would mean moving out the riding mower and the junk on top of it, then close the garage door, climb a step ladder and hope it was in the spot where the crutches were. I couldn't get myself to buy them when I have them. So I hobbled and "made do". I survived. And cursed having to go up and down steps to the bathroom.

You actually can get used to them but most people don't use them long enough to do that. I've used crutches for about 26 years - the forearm type. I'm an amputee and though I wear a prosthesis most of my waking hours I use crutches before I go to bed and when I get up in the morning. I also use them at my weekend lake place since I don't get in the water with the prosthetic leg. I go up and down 44 stairs to the lake on crutches - sometimes many times a day. I do think the forearm crutches are much easier to use though.

Gibby, you are amazing!! You must have gone through so much to get to this point of having completely adapted to the prosthesis and the crutches. I think you are so courageous and strong. I take my hat off to you as you set an example for us all.

I hate crutches. I'm short and they killed my underarm muscles, bones, whatever.

Most people use them wrong. You shouldn't hang your armpits on them, you should use your arms. Grab the handles with your hands and stiff arm so you carry your weight with your hands, much like a gymnast on the parallel bars, or a better example is the rings since some do different moves on the bars. You'll have much better balance this way and your armpits won't bother you as much. They really harped on that when teaching me to use them and that part was true.

Though I must say, crutches are a pain in other places!

Although I will say, they did work well for grabbing a magazine or newspaper that was out of reach, and when someone obnoxious was around you could "slip" and smack 'em with a crutch! OOPS! I'm "sorry"... Darn crutches! (sniff, sniff) it's just so HARD to get around on these things! hehehe

Gibby you truely are amazing :) I agree if we had to we can get used to anything because we are Amazing Women here:)