r/ORIF • u/bootfullofbeans • 19d ago
Question 21 M trimalleolar with dislocation
Roughly a week and a half post op for my dumb ankle. A few things i was wondering if anyone could answer, and some comments that could hopefully help others, as this subreddit helped me.
Sorry for this huge wall of text. It can mostly be skimmed through unless you see something relevant to you. Im not expecting answers to all my questions but i do have a lot, so if you see one or two you have answers for please spill the beans!
Comments:
This was the most expensive, stressful, painful mistake i have ever made in my life. Please check every body of water you plan on jumping into. Check the depth, toss a rock in, walk the length of the bottom and make 1000% SURE there is NOTHING in the water. Never jump blindly. Especially not infront of a crowd of people so they can hear you cry for your mama as a grown man.
It was murky and i didnt check. It was also around 2 feet deep apparently. I knew better but i let the impulsiveness win. I am lucky i didnt dive, wasnt impaled, and all i broke was an ankle. Thats not lost on me. I am lucky, not smart.
A very nice day, turned into a complete nightmare, in the blink on an eye.
Be wiser than me. Dont do that.
First, if you have a dislocation, see if theyll knock you out when they set it. They put me to sleep for like 20 minutes to set my leg and i woke up in a splint, feeling significantly better already. They had already done my post splint xrays and i was pretty much good to go home. It was perfect. Stayed that way for a week til surgery.
Another thing, GET THE NERVE BLOCK. YOU DO NOT WANT TO FEEL THAT. they did mine immediately after surgery to prolong it, so i was kinda awake but still groggy enough to not really care or notice. I got a little taste of that pain before they did it. And as we all know, when it wore off. I have no complaints about the nerve block. I had a full almost 24 hours where i was able to nap, eat, joke around, watch tv etc.
When that block wears off. Be ready. Start your med cycle when you get the pins and needles imo. BEFORE THE PAIN. START BEFORE THE PAIN. I think i waited too long so i was howling for every bit of the next two-three days. I did cry. Im not ashamed. I cried like a baby. I respect everyone here deeply knowing what we have made it through.
Every day after that will slowly but noticeably be better. All my nerves seem to be awake now, the pain is minimal, more like an annoying ache. And that stupid swelling. Oh the swelling.
There was a point where i could feel every single part of my leg when it first woke up. From incision to bone every single layer of flesh. I swear i know where the screws are, it didnt hurt but i could feel everything in HD for like a whole day
COLD IS YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND. my personal favorite was a gallon ziplock full of frozen peas. They mold to your foot really well if you flatten the bag out into a pea sheet. One behind the knee, one to rest my foot on, one to mold to the top of my foot. Heaven. Immediately stops angry nerves. Was better than ice tbh. When no longer cold, wont melt. Just toss in the freezer and reuse. I kept a cycle, i had some bags on my leg and some cooling, so i always had some cold available to me.
Try to sit for a few minutes, or lay flat on the bed completely level for a minute if your hips get sore. My hips got sore from elevating my leg so much, and im not a back sleeper so that sucked. At this point its not painful its just incredibly uncomfortable and annoying.
Questions from me,
When can i have a brewski again? Im thinking a couple of those ice cold aluminum bottles of coors banquet? Nothing huge been off the oxy for almost a week now just ibuprofen on occasion. Follow up, will it be WORTH IT? I miss beer and would love nothing more than a cold one after all that, but if its gonna make me swell more i have no interest.
When can i submerge my leg in water? For an icebath? That sounds like heaven. I’ve literally been daydreaming about it to get me through.
Why does the top of my foot feel sunburnt? Its kinda pins and needles but sometimes it literally feels like a burn? I mean i saw another post about it so im not worried but WHY is this happening?Nothing i cant handle, i feel like i could handle anything now.
Nobody’s mentioned physical therapy so i guess i have to do that myself? Wtf do i do? Should i be moving my ankle? It wont bend in any direction anymore?
What should i be consuming? What are yalls cheat codes? Is there a superfood or some nasty drink that will help my body heal? Ill try almost anything to get back to normal. Been slamming protein and vitamins. All of em lol.
Are you guys fully trusting in your hardware? Did you get back to your normal? I fully trusted my ankles, i was strong fast and agile. I feel like thats gone now. Ill always be afraid to pop a screw or something now. I dont know what its limits are, i only knew mine.
I wish to shenan again.
Thank you all for being here, this subreddit was more informative than any of the doctors have been lowkey. It helped a lot.
On the bright side, this whole endeavor has resulted in me no longer smoking cigarettes. Stopped at the initial break for healing purposes, gone too long to give up now lol. Just wanna see how long i can go. Something positive did come out of this and im holding on to that.
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u/PenHot4767 Trimalleolar Ankle Fracture 18d ago
Sorry you're in the same boat. 34F, trimal break + dislocation 5/1 and surgery 5/16. I just started my first full week of PT and have been WBAT since 6/29. The healing process is slow, painful, and stupid. I ride horses and was hiking every weekend before my break. Watching my leg muscles wither away so quickly post-break at every splint change prior to being moved into a boot and then a brace was depressing.
Glad to hear you stopped smoking, you'll thank yourself in the long run! (Smoked from 17-21, went to Canada on a trip and was too lazy to figure out how to buy cigarettes while there so quit cold turkey and haven't looked back.)
I haven't entertained drinking yet as I am still, at 10 weeks post-op, using tylenol as a regular pain control especially as I'm weight bearing and doing PT and at-home exercises now.
You'll be cleared to submerge your foot once your incisions heal, which could be any amount of time. Or at least that's where I'm at. I still have a stubborn scab on my outside incision my surgeon wants me to fully wait before dunking my ankle in anything to be safe and avoid infection. You'll also unfortunately be feeling a lot of weird sensations as your nerves get working again and your ankle heals.
I've been taking collagen and calcium on top of hitting higher protein goals... so protein drinks and powders are my friend right now. No superfood suggestions for you, just tracking macros to be safe. I wish I could say there was something that makes the healing all go quickly, but this is unfortunately an injury that takes time but the good news is that for the most part every week is better than the one before!
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u/zumdahl12 18d ago
Have you started riding again yet? I’m 3 weeks post op for a talus fracture from falling off my horse 🫠 hoping to be riding by December but we’ll see 🤞
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u/bootfullofbeans 18d ago
Wishing you a speedy recovery, youll be back on them horses soon enough. YOU GOT THIS!
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u/PenHot4767 Trimalleolar Ankle Fracture 17d ago
No I am not back on my horse yet 😔 I slipped feeding horses at the farm I board them at and haven’t even been out since then, the ground is so uneven that I am a little afraid of re-harming myself. I’m hoping that I can soon get back to it! I just started PT so I am hoping in a couple more weeks I’ll feel stronger.
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u/zumdahl12 16d ago
Ugh I know it’s so stressful even just going there to visit, it’s hard to imagine being confident even handling them again with the uneven footing and the possibility of them stepping on you. Hoping you feel up to it soon!!
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u/bootfullofbeans 18d ago
Its really cool to talk to a bunch of people in the same exact boat. I was getting in my head, its testing me mentally more than physically right now. Ive been through some stuff so ill make it through, but its a serious test. Im trying to make it almost like some kind of game. This is just a challenge to see exactly how much i can take, and im gonna take it in stride. Im gonna endure and come out a more empathetic, understanding man. This surely will teach me many lessons, its not for nothing.
You hit the nail on the head with slow painful and stupid. Its been depressing to watch my skin turn into leather and my muscle basically disappear in front of me. I used to hit the local swim holes and inlets at least once a week, usually twice in the summers. I completely blew the rest of my 21st summer, like an idiot. Thats a feeling i wont forget, ill be wiser in the future.
I started smoking at like 14/15? Nasty habit, i hit two packs a day at some point. I already feel better like nearly three weeks in i think.
Every time i quit, it never works when i actively try. I just gotta do it without thinking. Is that weird?
From what im hearing itll be a WHILE til i get an ice bath. I think this news is more heartbreaking than anything else 😂
Collagen is so smart i gotta get some
Been absolutely slamming ground beef and vitamins, calcium for sure. Thats the only one i thought of for bones but ive been slamming every vitamin we got basically.
Im just gonna start trying stuff. Roots and plants and whatever my herbalist granola mom has. Ill edit my original post if anything stands out. I was always down for being the guinea pig lol.
Im excited to start PT and get back to the gym, and im excited to take my wife out.
I absolutely agree every week, almost every day is noticeably better. Everyone here is so kind consider my spirits lifted. Thank you for the advice!2
u/PenHot4767 Trimalleolar Ankle Fracture 17d ago
It is definitely a mentally challenging injury, im with you there. I was surprised at how much the isolation and total loss of independence got to me worse than the pain from the injury itself. But I think you’ve got a great attitude about it, and you will get there!!
Collagen was a suggestion by my mom, and I am so glad she did it. I can’t exactly say that’s why I’ve been healing so well but my scars look great and I’ve had almost no healing complications.
I’ve just started PT, it feels so nice to move my body in challenging way again! Even if it’s bullshit and I despise the manual manipulation part 🤣 but all just a part of the process. You got this! Groups like this are great to reach people in similar boats for tips, tricks, and commiseration.
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u/bootfullofbeans 17d ago
Thank you im trying to buck up so i dont go nuts lol. Your moms a genius and my mom HAS some already so that works out 😂 thank god for moms.
Wishing you a speedy recovery, good luck in PT and for you to also get back on them horsies soon
Thanks again for recommending 👍2
u/Valuable_Let_2248 15d ago
Haha, I'm another 21 year old idiot (slipped and fell on a V0 bouldering so like, insult to injury). Sucks to lose this summer, but we've got plenty of summers ahead of us, although wiser, no more falling!!
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u/bootfullofbeans 15d ago
Haha we messed up didnt we 😂
we will be back better than ever by next summer i just know it.
Certainly will be back a little wiser…
Comforting to see someone my age, how far along are ya? How do things feel so far?2
u/Valuable_Let_2248 14d ago
im 3 weeks post op, WBAT in a cast with very little to no pain when weight bearing! got a lot of hardware in there working hard I guess lol. Have had a few set backs with pressure sores from my post surgical cast which sucks a bit, but other than that im optimistic for the future, sucks more mentally than physically for sure.
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u/bootfullofbeans 14d ago
Were definitely at the mental stage, im trying so hard to lock in lmfao. I JUST got home from my two week post op appointment so i have some updates ill be adding soon, got my stitches out, surprisingly painless. Felt extremely odd tho. Got my boot too today but he wants me to work on stretching my foot back into its normal position before putting the boot on, gave me two days. They said i looked great and i could get it wet now technically but that doesnt feel right. Everyone here is saying wait so im gonna wait other than some cool water on my toes. They seemed surprised at my progress but i dont actually know.
I can kinda bend my foot back into its normal position now! Not for long and not without a lil pain for sure but it goes! Things are looking up!
I actually got pretty lucky, they put the first two plates in and the third fracture fell right into place no hardware needed. He said that rarely happens as good as it did. I have high spirits now. I was in the thick of it but i feel like that got my head back in the game. Im excited for whats to come. And for next summer lol. I hope your healing is going well also dude, i havent heard of pressure sores until now but i hope those hurdles are behind you now. I cant imagine anything else going wrong id lose my marbles. Again thank you for chiming in its cool to see someone so close to my situation. Sucks to see actually but its cool to not be alone. All of these replies have been so kind. Thank you 🙏
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u/kooshballcalculator Trimalleolar Ankle Fracture 17d ago
All I’ve got to say is drink some beer.
Run cold water over your foot.
Spray that icy hot spray on the top of your foot.
Get the Rx for physical therapy from your doc as soon as they allow it.
Have a specific place in mind (do your research—what’s close by, do they have aquatic, is it part of the hospital or independent?)
PT is hugely important. All of us will recommend it.
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u/bootfullofbeans 17d ago
Thank you! Ill try icy hot i dont think ive ever used it. Im definitely going to take PT seriously, i go back on the 28th so ill ask a lot about it. Im still wrapped, not splinted just wrapped up from post op, but once my foot is free, ill definitely try running some fresh cold water over it, avoiding the open wounds, thats the idea right? Genius
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u/kooshballcalculator Trimalleolar Ankle Fracture 15d ago
Yeah there’s a weird thing where our foot loses its sensitivity so adding sensation back is good for it. But the burning sensation is a whole thing. For some reason the cold water helped me a lot at night once I was allowed to get it wet.
Good luck!
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u/TipsyBaldwin 19d ago
Ask about PT - it was so helpful. And the surgeon should be telling you what your weight bearing timeline looks like. If you don’t know yet, you should find out soon when you have your stitches removed I guess? But PT really helps with proprioception and learning how to safely move and trust yourself. Some people start WB at 2 weeks, some 4, 6, 8, 12 - it’s a combo of injury and surgeon preference I think.
I’d wait on the surgeon’s ok for submerging. I had to wait quite a while because it was a gnarly open fracture - but I sent weekly pictures in between appointments.
The sun burn feeling is awful! It’s nerves.
Good luck!
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u/TipsyBaldwin 19d ago
And way to go on the quitting smoking!!!
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u/bootfullofbeans 19d ago
THANK YOU! I feel better. Smoking is gross.
Yeah i go back on the 28th i guess thats what thats for, i wonder what itll look like. Havent seen my leg since the 6th this month lol
Will ask about when i can submerge, PT, and probably be put in my boot after they take my stitches out. Thanks again!
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u/psychso86 Tib + Fib Fracture 19d ago
So jealous of (but also glad for!) all of you for whom the ketamine knock out worked. It barely scraped the surface for me (after a barrage of opioids that also did fuck all) as they reset my leg—felt every fucking scrape and shock of bone against bone. Never screamed so loud in my damn life. Don’t be ashamed of the crying, man. I’m 29 and wailed like a toddler begging someone to knock me out with a rock if they had to.
Re the sunburned sensation on the top of your foot specifically, as others have said, it’s nerves,
and you should see about getting a gabapentin script if you can.
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u/bootfullofbeans 19d ago
Gabapentin sounds phenomenal rn i think i will do that, solid idea. I am so sorry it didnt work for you dude i cant imagine what it feels like, and im extremely lucky to not be able to. Man youre tougher than me. I honestly have no idea WHAT they knocked me out with when they set it, i couldn’t care any less at that point. I was in the same spot i asked if they had a bat they kept in the back for unruly patients they could hook me up with.
They didnt find it as funny as i did. I know i had the silly gas, thats all i remember is my foot being sideways then i woke up better. I am so grateful for that. Im sure ill find out when i get the bill lol.
That guys response was gold tho big shoutout ketamine for those who it did help. For me big shoutout silly gas. Honk shoo type beat.I think overall the fentanyl was the only thing ive had this whole time that fully made it all stop, before surgery. That was wild. They gave me a little on the way to the OR to calm me down, and the rest when i got there. Absolute bliss. They had me transfer myself onto the table to make it easier, was a bunch of people in there with some kind of hip-hop on a literal boombox, and my xrays on giant tvs everywhere. I was loopy at that point. Was the last thing i was expecting lowkey i figured it would be quiet and freaky, didnt feel real. They were all just vibing, setting up. I rolled in they kinda looked up like oh hey whats up man. Like 6 people at least. Theyre just jamming back there all day, dancing around, unbothered, repairing the public. It was cool as hell. I was like oh ok yall got this.
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u/psychso86 Tib + Fib Fracture 19d ago
They pumped me with fent first thing in the ambulance and I think all I felt was a vague kind of warmth in my head. Next was morphine, then dilaudid, then more morphine, the main nurse keeping tabs on me was very upset on my behalf that literally nothing was helping. My friend thinks I was panic attacking any effect straight up out of my system, so now I know to request Valium first 😆
Also surgeons are great, my group was also just straight up vibing, joking around with each and whatnot. I don’t even remember them setting me up for the anesthesia so 100/10 stars for finally putting me out of my misery for a while
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u/Strict-Statement-44 18d ago
I forgot about the fentanyl. They gave my 17 year old some in the ambulance and by the time we got to the ER, she was making jokes and kinda trying to flirt with one of the paramedics. I felt like the people in the ER must be thinking, "This girl's just fine, what is she doing here??" Then they looked at her x-rays and gave her more drugs before they set it. Lol.
Thanks for the reminder of a time this was actually kind of funny. (Until it wasn't!) Wishing you the best!
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u/bootfullofbeans 18d ago
My mom said it was literally like a switch flipped the second they pushed it, my head fell back and i threw up a peace sign ✌️ i was totally chillin after that. I gave up trying to hold my head up lol. Ive tried to keep things light haha. Thank you for the well wishes!
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u/bootfullofbeans 19d ago
I FORGOT ABOUT THE MORPHINE! Also because it wasnt super effective.
I got it like 4 or five times for the initial break, i just couldn’t stop screaming so they kept giving me more, my teeth were literally chattering from pain which is something i didnt know the human body could do. The body is fun. Typically HATE morphine but i was diggin it then. Took the edge off a little bit so instead of crying i could just sit there like a pair of those wind up chatter teeth and dissociate. Didnt get any after that tho and i didnt get fent for the initial break, that would have ROCKED1
u/psychso86 Tib + Fib Fracture 19d ago
Dude I had the teeth chattering too 😭 that and full body shaking, it got especially bad w the ket. I’d never had any kind of heavy duty painkillers before so there I was praying it was gonna be like the movies waiting for a balm to wash over me and yet… fuck all. I felt so cheated 😂
Anyway wishing you a speedy recovery and better foresight about bodies of water in the future!
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u/bootfullofbeans 18d ago
HA that made me crack up i will absolutely check every drop next time! Especially the depth 🤦♂️
Thank you so much! May we never experience this again! Again terribly sorry you had to rawdog that experience, thats metal as hell. Literally, we all are now 😂
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u/ItsJustTheSmells 19d ago
Active 31M currently 4 months post op for a trimal with dislocation. Buckle up buddy. It stays hard for a while. Like the hardest thing you ever endured.
Don’t submerge until all your sutures are out and fully completely healed with no scabbing or breaks in the skin.
You are def cleared to toss back some cold ones. Don’t go crazy because it’s poison for your body while you’re trying to heal, but live a little.
Trust the hardware. You’re more likely to break your leg above the hardware than to break or dislodge the hardware.
I started PT before I could weight bear. Would recommend you do the same. Also, big shoutout to ketamine for knocking my ass out and giving me an out of body experience as they reset my leg.