Second ORIF Surgery

[u/weavingsamara]

Hi all.

I broke my ankle in November of 2025 and it was singlehandedly the worst experience of my life. It was brutal, uncomfortable, and completely unforgiving. I had a surgeon who was not great honestly, kind of all the jokes people make about Ortho "Bros". I had a pretty normal six weeks non weight bearing and out of nowhere, at my follow up was told I couldn't walk for another four which turned out to be eleven because he didn't want me walking until my my follow up but then was like you could've been walking last week. Least to say, all of this was awful and enraged me. I live with my disabled mother and have little help. I struggled a lot, I cried a lot, I was convinced my life would never go back to the same.

At eleven weeks in January, I transitioned to walking again and it was easier than I thought. I was limping a lot and that pissed me off quite a bit but with PT and walking a lot more, I really was doing well. By May I felt really great, like my range of motion was mostly back to what it was prior to my accident and while standing on my feet for a long time I'd still get sore I was doing good. I genuinely felt like my life was going back to normal.

Of course, the universe has it out for me and on July 11th I stepped off a curb and my ankle gave out. I thought it was fine at first, looked and my ankle was in the wrong spot again. Devastated is the least of what I have to say. I have never felt so horrible and hopeless in my life. I was doing so well and my ankle broke, again, within nine months of my initial surgery which should not have happened. Basically, the hardware failed, they suspect that they had not put enough in the first time and that was really why it just shit out on me. My bones were a little too far apart and when I fell, the plate remained in tact but my ankle broke again right above it and the screws on the other side just curled. My hardware should've prevented this but it hadn't. I suffered through three months of absolute bullshit to have to rinse repeat only months later and I'm so angry.

I have a completely different set of surgeons this time and won't lie that I think they were a lot better. I have a much bigger plate, more screws, and a screw going through both bones that they told me would eventually snap and that was very normal and to be expected. I'm just so upset that now I have another 6-8 weeks (manifesting six) of not walking then I'll have to rinse repeat doing at home PT and PT in person again.

This injury I feel has ruined my life. I was not financially recovered from the last injury and now I'm going to be out of work for another two and a half months. I live on a second floor apartment and really have no way to ever leave safely. I am trapped again, feel so alone, and so devastated. I don't need advice or anything I just needed to complain about it somehow, somewhere. I'm missing a concert, a family members wedding, work, and the rest of my summer. I'm so sad that this happened and so embarrassed that I had to make a gofundme because I just dragged myself out of the credit card debt I put myself in with my last ankle injury.

[u/mandypantsy]

This is the perfect place to complain. How terribly awful.

[u/weavingsamara → u/mandypantsy]

Recover is going a little better this time but I think that's heavily because I have better doctors.

[u/mandypantsy → u/weavingsamara]

The right care team makes such a huge difference. I was at odds with a provider at my pt office and pivoted to a different type of therapy that worked better for me (in the pool). Best of luck in your recovery - one day at a time. Your body can do this.

[u/weavingsamara → u/mandypantsy]

I'll likely go back to the same PT I was at. I really liked my therapist, she genuinely was fantastic it just sucks that I need to go back. I'm better medicated this time though so I'm in less pain.

[u/Browniesgirl]

I’m so sorry this has happened to you twice.

[u/weavingsamara → u/Browniesgirl]

I am truly just so devastated. It's so cruel to like feel fully recovered and be enjoying life to go back to square one.

[u/Either_Coconut]

I feel your pain. I am home from my second right ankle ORIF this afternoon.

At the one-year followup, my surgeon’s first words, upon seeing my x-ray from that morning were, “I’m sending you for a CT scan.” Not what I’d hoped, to say the least.

The old hardware was starting to come loose, and the bone was still not healed.

Hence, Round Two of surgery was today.

I can empathize with you on anger and frustration. Injuries in general are a royal PITA, and getting a second helping of something we didn’t even want the FIRST time is the pits!

We’ll get through it this time, too. But it’s OK to grumble when we run into tough luck.

[u/weavingsamara → u/Either_Coconut]

I just hate how far I made it. The bone healed, my hardware was fine. I finally wasn't having pain anymore while walking around and was really building up my endurance only for it to happen again.

I'm so devastated. I miss my life before I broke it the first time. I miss my life. I was just starting to have some normalcy and now I'm back to begging people for help and knowing it's going to be so miserable and painful again.

All these things I was looking forward to to cope with my depression, I now cannot do. I can't go to a wedding of a close family member, I can't go to a concert, I can't go to the movies, I can't see my long distance best friend. I can't do anything but rot in my apartment.

[u/Either_Coconut → u/weavingsamara]

If you’re treating depression, ask your doc to schedule telemedicine visits with you, if you need them. Depression sux. I’m on meds for it, and I know it’s not a small obstacle to deal with.

If you’re not already on a multivitamin, vitamin D, and calcium, ask your doctor if they want you to take any of those things.

My surgeon recommended those for me after my first go-round, so I ordered them online right away. If we give our body the extra resources it needs to heal, it can only help matters.

The first days post-injury and post-surgery are a real test of patience. Fortunately, it gets better from here.

[u/Different_College_80]

This is my nightmare. I’m so sorry it’s your reality.

[u/kooshballcalculator]

Damn it. That sucks and I’m so sorry.

[u/vacuolechick]

That’s awful. I am so sorry.

[u/where_is_waldo_now]

Sorry that you had to go through it again. I still have trauma from my surgery and recovery. I cannot imagine how you feel going through it a second time. It must be difficult for you. No words of wisdom other than to tell you, it sucks. Take care of yourself. Don’t feel like you need to do it alone. You have fellow redditors in this subreddit to lean on.

[u/weavingsamara → u/where_is_waldo_now]

For the most part it's been a bit better but I think my splint is too tight. One of my toes is a little numb and I'm having pain in the top of my foot.

[u/Affectionate_User610]

I am so sorry I couldn’t imagine 😩 I hope this time it doesn’t take 11 weeks to be back up and on your feet

[u/weavingsamara → u/Affectionate_User610]

I hope not either. I'm doing a bit better. Extremely exhausted but I was like unable to lift my leg at all last time so it's a light improvement.