foot update

by Alison Green on December 8, 2011

I know I said I wasn’t going to give a broken foot update until I was walking again, but since that’s slightly further off than I originally thought it would be, you’re getting one now.

While I had hoped I’d be able to walk right after Christmas, it turns out that it’s at least five more weeks away.  However, a CTscan has confirmed that I do not need surgery, so that’s good.

I am, however, immobile and basically confined to my couch, and while you might think that sounds pleasant and relaxing, you would be wrong.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

* You might as well learn now not to care so much about your dignity, because a day will come when you find yourself crawling up a flight of stairs in order to get to your bed.

* It’s good to accept people’s help, even if you feel really weird about letting other people vacuum your house, do your laundry, and bring you food. It is not always necessary to be passionately self-sufficient, even if that is a core element of your self-identity and you feel slightly shaken without it.

* But you should make a huge container of rum balls and give some to everyone who helps you.

* When doctors tell you to elevate a limb, they mean above your heart. This is really, really high.

* Black is the best color for casts. And you can buy a matching fuzzy toe cover to keep your toes warm.

* You can get a one-foot pedicure. And they will charge you half-price!

* Crutches are horrible, and the commenter who told me about this thing is a genius. It’s revolutionary.  (And Kerry Scott of Clue Wagon got one too, when she sprained her ankle recently!  They’re now a hot accessory among career bloggers. Or, in Kerry’s case, former-career-bloggers-turned-genealogists.)

* Grocery delivery services like Peapod are there to be used. Same thing for Amazon’s two-day shipping.

* There is a limit to how much Law & Order you can watch. This shocked me.

That’s basically it.

You may also like:
{ 48 comments }

{ 48 comments… read them below }

  2. Sheila*

    I learned just how not-pleasant & relaxing being confined to a couch was when I was put on bedrest during my first pregnancy. The first day was fun – lots of reading and tv and internet surfing.

    By the end of the first week I was about to lose my mind. You have my sympathies & best-wishes that the time goes by as fast as possible for you.

  3. Kerry*

    That scooter thingy totally saved my day-after-Thanksgiving. I used it to keep my annual appointment with my visiting sister for a manicure. Amusingly, my polite Midwestern neighbors at the shopping center glared at me for using a scooter at a shopping center on Black Friday, then apologized profusely when they saw my cast. Plus I’m pretty sure I’m going to be known forever as the Chick with the Scooter at my Aveda spa.

    Also, if you mix the Law & Order in with some Mary Tyler Moore Show and the Real Housewives, it’s not so bad. Also, I discovered that they have quite a bit of American Experience and Ken Burns stuff on streaming Netflix.

  4. KayDay*

    :( for not walking but :) for no surgery. Personally, when I reach my limit of Law and Order, I watch a few episodes of House. But ,where did you get that awesomely comfy looking toe warmer thing?

  5. Rebecca*

    You can’t watch Law & Order all at once – add in some House and The Mentalist, Monk if it’s on, and sprinkle in some absurd reality shows: Say Yes to the Dress, Housewives, etc. Food porn is good too – Diners, Drive Ins and Dives will make you hungry, and Chopped can be really interesting. Try listening to books on tape! You can lie down, put your leg up and relax. Glad you don’t need surgery, and at least you have a cat to curl up with you on the couch! :)

      1. Anne*

        What is it about Say Yes to the Dress? It is so gripping. Even my husband (who fewer than 2 years after getting married probably could not tell you anything about MY wedding dress) gets into it.

      2. CK*

        I find it utterly fascinating and I can’t even explain why.

        Glad to hear there’s no surgery involved but sorry that it’s taking longer than expected to heal. Hope the healing remains on track!

      3. Natalie*

        For police procedurals, Bones is a bit funnier and less depressing than SVU, and is streaming on Netflix. Prepare to suspend all sorts of disbelief, of course.

        If you haven’t watched Better Off Ted, I highly recommend it. It went only 2 seasons before it was cancelled, and the whole series is streaming on Netflix.

      4. K.P.*

        SYttD has such a great formula – high financial and emotional stakes with a heavy dose of Dramatic Personality (yup, a capital P). Don’t be ashamed, it’s designed to be addictive!

    2. Katie*

      lol at too much Law & Order. But seriously, SVU is interesting but so depressing. Have you seen Castle? We’re in Season 4, so there’s a nice backlog for you (you’ll want to start at the beginning to get the backstory). Yeah, people die, often in horrible ways, but most episodes are truly funny.

  6. Dawn*

    Peapod rocks!! It’s helping me through a very busy few weeks right now. I find the quality of the veggies is actually better than in the store.

    Your cat and the toe warmer rock too. :)

  7. Sabrina*

    Peapod does rock, I should have used it when I broke my ankle but I kept telling myself “It’s not that bad” whatever. As for the one foot manicure, I did know that, I know a gal who only has one leg, you can get one leg done or they can paint the prostheses. Who knew.

  8. Heather*

    Glad you’re recovering fairly well, if slowly. A few years ago, I fell while running from a wasp and split my knee right open. It eventually led to months of recovery that included eight stitches, knee braces, wound-packing, immobilization, bed rest and other miseries (BUT HEY AT LEAST I DIDN’T GET STUNG!).

    I so relate to your self-sufficiency and it being hard to ask for help, but boy, my friends really came through for me. I probably would have starved to death in my bed if not for them. And they totally want to help. Just pay it forward and it all evens out in the end!

    1. Long Time Admin*

      Congratulations on your lucky escape from a possible zombie wasp!

      I’m klutzy, and when I feel that I’m going to fall, I try to shift my body so I fall on my big old padded behind. It worked, once.

  9. Christine*

    Really glad to hear that surgery is definitely out of the picture, but boo to the longer-than-expected wait to walk again. Sending warm hugs.

    I LOVE the toe-warmer!

    I highly recommend Big Bang Theory and Mike & Molly :)

      1. Susan*

        Recently discovered Big Bang Theory and both spouse and I are completely addicted – my DVR is full of them! I wonder how Jim Parsons can remember, much less recite back, all the technical jargon but I’ve heard he’s actually a genius…planning on researching this after finals because I’m intrigued. I recommend starting from Season 1 to get the low-down on personalities.

        Really sorry about the continued bed rest but no surgery is great news! Love the toe warmer..now you need a Santa hat for the rest of December, complete with white pom pom at the top. This might be a good time to take up a new hobby, like sewing… think of yourself as a budding Project Runway contestant.

        Too much Law & Order (standard)? Impossible! It has to be the SVU ones that are bringing you down…I also recommend adding in some of The Closer, which has the problem solving aspect w/o such a heavy hand.

  12. Another Anon*

    When I was on crutches last, the part I hated most was cooking. With too few hands I’ve have to choose: should I drop the skillet or fall over? Cheers from your fans, AAM, and get on your feet again soon!

  13. 7th Child*

    Nabiscoworld.com has lots of games to play. Mah-jongg can eat up HOURS. It’s bad, very bad.

    Knitting is also very good. I learned as a child, then took it up again when I had a foot infection from an xacto blade that kept me not walking for 3 months. Then when you are mobile again you’ll have nice new sweaters to wear!

    Feel better and put some pretty ornaments on that cast for the holidays. Lights could be fun… battery powered of course. Black sets off all the colors!
    :)

  14. Stephanie*

    Wishing you well over your extended and re-extended recovery. Is that toe bootie really made for that purpose? Wow!

  15. Andrea*

    I’m so sorry about the continued bed rest. Personally, I think “Bones” and “The Closer” are very good procedural comfort shows. (They might not be as cool, but I am comfortably with my dorkiness–still, I recommend them.) I fell down some stairs two weeks ago and fractured my tailbone, so I have also been down and out on my couch a lot (though at least I can walk around–it is often easier than sitting). I’ve been doing a lot of online shopping and making a lot of lists of things to do when I am moving around better. Other than that, sorry, I’ve got no suggestions.

  16. Rana*

    I’m sorry it’s taking so long! And yes, forced inactivity can be maddening. You might see if you can get some audio books as well; I find holding up books when I’m prone to be tiring after awhile, but you can listen to audio books in any position. Plus they take longer, since you can’t skim them!

  17. Eric*

    This may sound strange, but I actually look forward to your broken foot updates. I’ve been on crutches for 9 months and am not sure when I will be getting off of them. It’s kind of nice to see you have progress. Get well soon!

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      Nine months! You have my sympathies! If the problem isn’t both legs, you should consider getting one of the scooters I linked to — it will seriously make your life so much easier!

  18. Christine*

    I feel for you! I broke my foot a few years ago and the recovery process was pretty maddening. First, the not being able to walk and having to crawl up/scoot down stairs (you’re not alone!), then trying to get around on crutches and realizing that many stores do not make any effort to put the handicapped spaces near the door, and throughout, trying to do simple things like shower, or make food, or get dressed.

    It does get better. A massage therapist who specializes in fascia work did wonders for scar tissue and loss of mobility in the foot and ankle. Almost three years later, the only lingering effect I notice is a loss of proprioception. This causes some balance issues, and means I have to watch my foot when I’m on uneven ground or stairs. But it’s totally livable.

    Take care, and I hope it heals up quickly!

  21. Joanna Reichert*

    Phineas & Ferb. Seriously.

    It really is interesting how any bump and scrape will make you think, “Wow – why didn’t I appreciate it when I felt peachy keen??” I always think that when I have a headache, a twisted ankle – hell, even a poorly located paper cut. So as soon as I’m better I’m off jogging or attempting cartwheels or something to glory in having a still-kinda-young body that works and isn’t feeling down in the dumps.

    I’ll send you some get-well-soon fruitcake, shall I? ; )

  22. Jonathan*

    TV is great, but I’d use the time as an opportunity to learn a new skill. Perhaps learning how to play the classic game Go?

  23. Erin*

    I’m glad you’re healing, but sympathize with the extended on-your-buns time. I broke my foot when my daughter was 9.5 months old and WALKING. This was exceptionally poor timing. After surgery and a couple of weeks on crutches, I have lots of experience dealing with too many things for not enough hands. My two best tips? Get one of those carpenter aprons. You can stick stuff like a drink (closed, obviously) or the phone in there and then be able to carry stuff AND crutch to your destination. Also – a backpack for bigger things helps. As does having someone around who is willing to help wait on you. Heal quickly!

    And I totally second the House & Castle recommendations. Castle is awesome.

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      I was totally thinking of getting one of those sippy cups for kids, with a lid! Now that I have this amazing “knee scooter,” with a basket attached, carrying things has gotten much easier!

  24. Georgie*

    Glad to get your foot update, but sorry you will be down for a while longer. Sounds like you have it under control…just take it easy! We are enjoying all of your blog posts!!

  25. Melissa*

    I’m sorry to hear your foot isn’t healing as fast as you hoped. And I can sympathize with you – I had surgery 2 years ago and was confined to the couch for 6 weeks. After 5 days I was ready to climb the walls and begging for work to do from home. :(

    Castle and Bones are good comfort TV. So is “Leverage” from TNT, and most episodes are up on various TV sites if they don’t stream from Netflix. It’s part procedural, part A-Team, and part The Sting. Plus the DVDs have commentary on every episode, with more hits than misses. You might want to give that a try to recover from an OD of Law and Order. :)

  26. Nethwen*

    I add my vote for Castle and Bones.

    If you’re interested in a new skill, loom knitting is super easy to teach yourself and requires little hand dexterity – you don’t get sore the way you do with regular knitting/crocheting.

  27. Laura L*

    Alright, everyone’s missing the best show on TV right now: Parks and Recreation. I recommend that! (Although I generally tend to watch sitcoms or dramedies and not the straight up dramas as much, so you may not like this show. But I think it’s great!)

  28. Emily*

    Sorry about your foot. I’m glad you don’t need surgery at least.

    And I feel for you about your forcible couch confinement. Sitting around on the couch all day watching movies is only fun when you choose to do it. When you can’t do much else, it drives you nuts.

    Have you ever tried sudoku? Or it’s bigger and meaner brother kakuro? What if you rent a console and a copy of Skyrim or Katamari Damacy or something? If you get absorbed in a game it might take your mind off things.

    I love your toe warmer too. Maybe you should get a little Santa hat for Christmas.

  29. Lynda*

    So glad for the foot update – I hope you find many exciting things to do with yourself (friends can be entertaining as well as helpful, you know). I can just imagine you with that black cast elevated above your heart – the big black thing with a little red head far, far below.

    How about watching Rizzoli and Isles? Crime solving with great shoes! Or making lists of pet peeves (grammatical and otherwise). Be careful with the Sudoku – incredibly addictive.

    I spent a month listening to Law and Order (yes, I said listening) because after eye surgery I had to lie face down 100% of the time for a month. Law & Order was the only show in which I could identify all the actors by their voices.

    I have a cat, so I know this is a futile hope, but it would be nice if your kitties would keep you company by purring and cuddling whenever you want them.

    Feel better very soon.
    Hugs

  30. Anonymous*

    “There is a limit to how much Law & Order you can watch. This shocked me.”

    Spoken likee a fellow adddict…..

  31. Sara*

    I had foot surgery on 11/28 and couldn’t survive without my knee walker. I am renting the same one you linked o on Amazon from a medical supply company. My doctor even got my insurance company to cover it since I have to be off the foot for 6 weeks. It has been a life-saver! I wish you a speedy recovery!

  32. K.P.*

    Hope you continue with a speedy recovery – I’m also a big proponent of the fluffy kitties as medical assistants. It’s hard to saw “ow” and “aw” at the same time :-)

    BTW, love all the great TV recommendations here, and so much practical “get-well” goodness too!

Comments are closed.