You may look into a knee wheeler/walker you kneel on it with the bad leg, and keep the weight off the ankle and foot.

Here is a link that might be useful: Knee walker

No I haven't.. but I was on crutches for 3 month. I learned to live like that. My youngest daughter learned to walk during this time. It was tough. I wasn't even allowed to rest the leg on the floor without any weight on it.

Moni

What a bummer and no I haven't heard of it. That wheeler walker sounds like a good idea. Follow orders though. A friend of mine had a break that wasn't diagnosed, it healed improperly and now she is going through excruciating physical therapy to fix it and may have to have surgery.

I broke my ankle in 2 places a few years back. Was in the dreaded 'boot' for about 6 weeks--which is still lot better than a plaster cast, because I could take it off to shower, and after a couple of weeks, was allowed to take it off to sleep.

About the crutches--they were very awkward. At first. I really thought, at age 59, I'd never be able to use them, but it took only a day or two to be able to manage them pretty well. You might want to persevere a bit, and see if you can't learn to use them--they've got to be more convenient than a wheel chair. Just be sure they're properly adusted for you. You aren't supposed to be leaning on them with your armpits. That was probably the thing that took me the longest--the hospital adjusted them, but they weren't comfortable, so I kept changing the adjustments until they were good for me.

Good luck. Hope you have a quick recovery. And I'll just add--wasn't thrilled when they sent me to rehab for a month after I got out of the boot, but it really did wonders for me, and was sort of fun. It's worth the time and effort, truly.

Oh Eileen, I feel so sorry for you. Ravencajun's suggestion of the kneel wheel walker is an excellent one. I have a friend who had foot surgery and had to stay off the foot for several months. She used one of these and it was great. Why don't you look into renting one.

Good advice already given--just wanted to give you a (((Eileen))) Hope you heal quickly.

My nephew used one as well when his achilles tendon was torn and had to be repaired. My friend just fractured her ankle, 5 weeks before her daughter's wedding. She's in a boot right now as it is so swollen, but will probably be switched to a cast. I'm sorry you have to go through this!

you definitely can rent them and most orthopedic centers have them or can tell you where to get them or will get one for you. I always saw several people using them when I went to my doctors building.

A friend who is 73 used the kneel walker for a couple of months during the winter. She had more fun with it. A wheel chair just did not work for her.

Thank You Thank You Thank You....I never heard of a knee walker but right now it's on my List of the ONE THING I HAVE TO HAVE!!!! I knew I could count on you guys!
Eileen

((((( Eileen ))))) The knee walker sounds like a greatidea..

Sorry you fell.

I'm sorry, Eileen. I've seen those knee walkers. They
look nifty! lol I hope you heal soon.

Sorry to hear of your fall and the aftermath, ((((Eileen))))).

I have neither seen nor heard of a knee-walker, so I guess this afternoon is one of those learning days for me!

Hope that you don't have too much discomfort and are able to get things straightened out and to cope reasonably well while healing.

ole joyful

Eileen - I am sorry that this happened; you have my sympathies! I broke my fibula - a clean break through and through - last summer. The fibula is the narrow but long bone that sits behind the tibia. They put me in a hard cast from knee to toes immediately and I wore that for seven weeks. It quickly became clear that I couldn't manage crutches, so I used a wheelchair. Actually we bought one, which was less expensive than renting. We did rent a knee walker for the back of the house, but I couldn't manage the hop up the step without endangering my leg, so gave up. We then moved the walker to the front, but in fact, I liked the wheelchair much better. IMO you should ask your doctor before renting the walker. It might be perfect for you!

We live in an old house with very narrow doorways and a step up to the master bedroom, bath, closet, and laundry room. I couldn't get back there, and also not into the kitchen. We removed the door to the den so that I could live there, sleeping on the sofa, with plenty of books and the TV. Very fortunately, DH had a massive number of sick days at work stored up, so he took six weeks off to stay with me, care for the house and the cats, and run every single errand and do all the shopping and cooking. This was the good part, he enjoyed himself and I loved having him around!

The one really difficult thing was going to the bathroom. There's nothing like having a bunch of male docs telling you to keep your leg as straight as possible and never, not once, let it touch the floor or put an ounce of weight on it. I'll spare you the details, as you will figure it out. One thing that helped me was that I decided to use Depends. Not to pee in instead of the ordeal with the commode, but to catch whatever when I laughed or coughed. They were fantastic, and I'll never be embarrassed if I need to use them again.

One more thing - if you are not doing so already, take Vitamin D! Every doc I dealt with, from the tech who set my leg, to the ER doc, to the orthopedist he sent me to three days later, to my orthopedist once we returned home to California, to my family doctor, stressed this.

And yes, my leg heeled perfectly, and once the initial swelling went down, there was no pain. I wish the same for you!

Oh dear, Eileen, I'm so sorry!

My sister broke her foot and has used the knee wheeler for over 2 months everywhere: Costco, work, home, etc. She lives in northern Washington. It is always wet there, and she is so afraid of slipping using crutches. The knee wheeler has been a life saver for her. I think her insurance provided it; otherwise, they are expensive.

When I broke my leg, I got a rolling stool and could roll around the kitchen to accomplish things without putting weight on my leg.

Best wishes as you adapt to your new (temporary!)lifestyle. Hope it heals fast.

Thanks all for all your advise and sharing your stories! I go to see the Orthopedic Dr. Wednesday morning. Right now I'm in a "soft" cast that Urgent Care put on. I live in a returement community and have access to all sorts of equipment. Right now I have a wheel chair and walker and ....I can't beleive I'm saying this....but I'm soooo excited to get the knee walker on Wednesday! Someone from the community has to come and fit it to my size. Since they lend these medical things for free, they have to make sure that they have taught everyone how to use the equipment.
I'm starting to know what you are talking about, Sable. LOL!! It's hard to "run" to the potty! Actually impossible, so I now have a timer that goes off every 90 minutes. LOL!!!
Thanks all and I'll let you know what the OS says on Wednesday!
Eileen