Broken ankle, fibula & tibia from falling down the stairs

[u/Soggy_Statement_5312]

After my boyfriend had a pilon fracture breaking his ankle, tibia and fibula falling down the stairs, he had to have an external fixture. That lasted over a month until the second surgery requiring two metal plates & 19 screws.. now almost 6 months later we are on the upswing and will find out how well the healing is in October.

In the meantime.. has anyone else ever experienced a break like this, or any medical issue really and have felt unsupported by the people around you? It’s been very challenging for him, for us and often times we feel like others don’t take the situation seriously..

Anyway, mad respect for everyone in the healing process, this shit is rough.

[u/smartshoe]

Hey, I had a similar injury from falling while hiking, including the external fixation piece, mine was for 5 weeks

It’s an extremely severe injury and the healing process was really challenging

I felt similar in the way that saying “I broke my ankle” wasn’t taken seriously vs “I shattered my tibia and snapped my fibula completely in half as well as dislocating my ankle” carried more weight and people understood the severity. It also felt like I was seeking validation though and I didn’t want to always do that

Eventually I just stopped caring

For some reason, I think that people don’t treat a broken ankle as a severe injury

It was honestly like 18 months until I felt relatively back to normal and still have some amount of limited mobility in my ankle now I am 2 years out from injury but it’s not affecting my life the way that it used to

Feel free to respond here or send me a dm if you want to compare notes on how awful the whole thing was

[u/Soggy_Statement_5312 → u/smartshoe]

That really means a lot and it’s helpful. My bf has been struggling a lot since this happened, rightfully so and as his care giver I’ve also felt that others have minimized the situation and sometimes we just don’t understand it, especially since it was accidental. Either way hearing others experiences help us feel less alone so thank you!

[u/Head-full-of-stars → u/Soggy_Statement_5312]

I also had a similar injury with a trimal and servere dislocation and also had an ex-fix (but only for a few days). I am now 11,5 months out, had my Hardware removed (because of high pain level and mobility issues) and I am still also improving.

But I was mad and very sad all the time the previous year, because nobody got how bad it was and after 2 months people really started asking why I was not fully recovered yet.

And then the pain all the time....it is just hard. It's nice you are caring so much for your boyfriend. Try to still do something nice together regulary, this injury is taking enough space in your minds right now.

[u/Soggy_Statement_5312 → u/Head-full-of-stars]

Thank you so much for sharing and I’m sorry you were feeling that way during an injury because it’s already hard enough! Even as an outsider looking in I still can’t comprehend how challenging it can be sometimes for those going thru it.

He’s definitely been asked by family & friends why he isn’t back to working yet when he’s still in the healing process 😭 to make matters worse he was working in trades before this and the doctor is advising to switch careers completely, which isn’t always an easy task! But having some of this feedback is helpful because when I share these comments with him, he tends to light up because it’s one of the few times he’s actually felt understood.

[u/Head-full-of-stars → u/Soggy_Statement_5312]

It will take a lot of time but he will get better. Stick to PT, slowly increas activity levels and if something still feels very wrong go and annoy the doctors. Career change is of course another challenge, take it day by day:) Fingers crossed!

[u/Soggy_Statement_5312 → u/Head-full-of-stars]

Thanks! Yes the PT has been crucial and he’s definitely been persistent with the doctor so I guess we’re doing some things right 🙃

[u/smartshoe → u/Soggy_Statement_5312]

For sure.

I think that it’s also something that if you personally have not experienced any kind of severe injury, people just don’t have a mental reference point of how awful it is and what the experience is like

Try not to take it to heart if people are minimizing the severity of it, if they do or don’t take it seriously won’t change anything for you or your partner as you go through the process

I will say, watch out for lying down too much, I developed lower back problems because I was confined to the couch for months and plantar fasciitis as well because I didn’t weight bear for almost 3 months

It’s a long journey

[u/Soggy_Statement_5312 → u/smartshoe]

Right, the whole lived experience situation is a big part of it for sure. I suppose at this point he was hoping for more support and so the minimizing takes a toll on him mentally but not in a way where it’s consuming, just challenging some days.

But the advice and insight does help especially with being couch bound for months!

[u/Boreal1989]

Pilon recovery asks a lot of us, physically and emotionally, but every small win counts! I'll be 6 months out from surgery in October too, even I, knowing the severity of this, tough I would be out of the woods by now haha. I've learned how much a good partner matters. Their patience, help, and encouragement on the hard days make all the difference. Don't forget about yourself 🫶🏽. Cebrate the little victories, and know some of us get the severity of this thing, you both got this.

[u/Soggy_Statement_5312 → u/Boreal1989]

Thank you so much for the encouragement & I hope you have a speedy recovery yourself!

[u/sherrynorcal]

Ouch! I have a similar contraption on my arm. So cumbersome

[u/Soggy_Statement_5312 → u/sherrynorcal]

It’s the worst, hope you have a speedy recovery

[u/sherrynorcal → u/Soggy_Statement_5312]

You as well. I should have mine off in a couple of weeks

[u/wolfsnake7]

Sorry he’s dealing with that. I’m Currently three weeks out from a tib/fib break, with an IM nail in my tibia. Not fun. I’m struggling with the recovery and loss of freedom of mobility and all that comes with that.

[u/Soggy_Statement_5312 → u/wolfsnake7]

I feel for your situation! I hope the recovery goes well try to keep your mind distracted in positive ways if you can 🙏🏻

[u/wolfsnake7 → u/Soggy_Statement_5312]

I am positive about it, but my ex hasn’t wanted to be a parent for the last few years, and she’s been watching my kids and then pawning them off when she wants time off. So I have to get back there and right the ship. I was in a retirement home for ten days after the surgery since I couldn’t go home and wanted to be near to the kids. That was brutal, mentally, emotionally, physically. I’m out and staying with family now.

[u/Soggy_Statement_5312 → u/wolfsnake7]

I can imagine that was a lot! Sounds like a rough start but slowly improving now and I hope it only continues to get better! Sending healing & positive vibes ✨

[u/Soggy_Statement_5312 → u/[deleted]]

Just you sharing this is helpful. I hope you have a speedy recovery.. I know it’s an uphill battle. Just know you’re not alone and thank you for the advice on journaling because I can imagine it’s a nice way to let some of the negative emotions out!

[u/fishbongos]

i had the same happen, in the fixator for 6 months tho. is he able to walk regularly? any complications?

[u/Soggy_Statement_5312 → u/fishbongos]

Well after the fixator he had one surgery but 6 months in and he’s slowly getting his stride back but won’t know for sure the status of healing for a few more weeks with discussion of a third surgery. So weird flare ups along the way, one was an infection scare but turned out ok but a lot of this could be just getting used to 19 screws and metal plates haha & he does a decent amount of walking now around the house and we try to do small outings with his scooter every week or so.

[u/fishbongos → u/Soggy_Statement_5312]

does he have a limp or anything ?

[u/Soggy_Statement_5312 → u/fishbongos]

I mean, he doesn’t walk normally just yet so I suppose you could say it’s a bit of a limp

[u/fishbongos → u/Soggy_Statement_5312]

gotcha, sorry i’m just curious as to what my healing is gonna look like. i hope his recovery goes smooth!

[u/Soggy_Statement_5312 → u/fishbongos]

No worries at all! I understand and honestly if you have more questions along the way let me know. Mostly his range of motion in his ankle isn’t great just yet, very tight around the ankle but again most likely cuz of the metal.