Hi all. At home May 12, 2007 I shattered my left calcaneous/heel into so many pieces they could not be counted. I fell 12 ft off a ladder onto concrete. Emergency Room for 5 hours, two or three morphine and dilaudids later doctor said they are sending me to an Orthopedists. I could not believe my appointment was so long just to see about how to fix it (5 days). Ortho doc came in and said you have a bad injury. He said either let it heal like a bag of bones and have to fuse it later or surgery now and arthritis for sure, cane for 6 months and the rest of my life as needed. I picked surgery. Surgery was finally able to be done 10 excrutiating days after the injury - not because of swelling but because of scheduling. Was I somehow wrong to wonder what in the heck they were doing waiting so long to fix my foot!? Every professional acted like it was not a big deal. It might have been nice to tell me that this was normal for this type of injury. They had to have known I was freaked out by everything - I probably should have asked more things but I was scared, in pain, out of it.
Surgery was May 22, 2007. My Ortho said that he and a colleague operated on me and the surgery went BETTER (thank GOD) than he expected. They put in a plate and 10 pins. I must say the reconstruction looks very good.
I am scared about the next few weeks and months and fear of the unknown has always killed me. Does anyone have these fears? It would be nice to hear some other stories.
As you have seen for yourself, many of the docs are technicians. With most broken bones its put on a cast, schedule a follow-up, and they and their patient goes about their business. A calcaneous fracture is in a different league. The pain levels, wait times, and recovery are much longer. But the docs just handle it in the same manner. That leaves you a lot more issues, anxiety and worry time. Your 10 day wait was actually shorter than average, with a three weeks being within the norm. The standard Non Weight Bearing time (meaning not even touching the foot down) is 12 weeks. The cane would come in a few weeks after that. Arthritis and whether fusion is needed depend on if the joint was damaged severely. There's some chance due to the nature of the injury, the films should tell the likelihood, but the indicator will be how well you are doing months after being back on your feet.
For the next weeks and months your biggest activity might be just being patient. Having a confidant to share with and possibly (yes even for us guys) a shoulder to cry on is very therapeutic. The best things you can do are keep the foot elevated fanatically to promote healing, stay involved in normal activities to help keep you sane during the wait and do as much exercise for your general stamina, legs and then foot as the doctors allow. Some of us started physical therapy immediately. The guidance, motivation and feedback are invaluable. Push for it with your doc.
You are not alone in that information helpful to you is available from the docs on a 'by request only' basis. I'd recommend reading up on the injury. There's a few years worth of posts on this forum alone. Before going to the doc, write your questions down. When you go bring someone to help ask, listen to and remember the replies.
There is one plus. With life slowed down you will have more time to appreciate the sights sounds and smells around you. And you've always wanted to read Shakespeare, no?
WOw! Thanks, that was very insightful. Sounds like you have been there. I have been trying not to feel sorry for myself but it is hard. My wife is a great shoulder to cry on. I would definitely like to appreciate the sights sounds and smells around me as soon as I figure out how to stop the worry. I have promised myself as many people before that if I make it through in one piece without much pain I will change a few things. How could I have ever taken so many things for granted?
Thankfully, pain and swelling are beginning to subside so I am finding little things to bring me up. Stitches out June 5th and then cast for 4 weeks I think.
The best cure for worry is to change your focus. There are those that say to think happy thoughts (aka: behavioral modification). In the real world what can work is setting goals, being disciplined about them and then content that you are giving your best effort. Your assignment is to keep the foot elevated, be active enough during the day to be sleepy at night and eat properly. Later, with the doc or physical therapists OK, you can work on your range of motion on the foot, followed by strength then mobility. The bottom line is that nature does the healing and it is going to take time. All you can do is pitch in and create the best conditions for it to happen. When you do you can be satisfied that you've done all you can for the best outcome.
Progress will often seem slow. Every time I complained to my wife "I can't even do this...", she would come back with: "Well two weeks ago you couldn't do that." And you'll have a laundry list of new worries - the foot swelling, hurting and turning dark when you keep it down, tingling or shocks as circulation returns to nerve endings, and more. Ask about those as they come, then move on to the next. Before long you'll see a newbie here saying: "Oh my God I broke my heel!" and you'll be able to help them out.
As for taking things for granted, that is the prize. When you get to the point where you put things off just because you don't feel doing them, get in too much of a hurry and don't even notice other people limping, then you'll know things are back to normal.
Any advice is highly appreciated- Hi there, I haven't been on the forum for a few weeks now as I had been devoting time to try to deal with my post op (15 pieces, used 1 plate and 5 or 6 pins and some carbonate something to put in the space between the fragments to help them heal back together) and still try to lead as normal a life as possible (which is rather hard). Rouletteyou, coincidentally I had the operation the same day as you but in the UK. I logged onto the forum a few days after I had the accident back in late April and I was discharged from the hospital 3 days after the accident. A very insightful guy gave me some very valuable opinions but I was in so much distress I forgot his name on the forum now but had the gut feeling he was TCChair (thanks again). Currently my situation is up and down. I stopped taking Tromadol and Diclofanac as it grossly upset my stomach and days I wanted to vomit all the time. I am now on Paracetamol with Codine 30/500mg and with 400 Ibuprofen. The pain can be so intense especially when I wake up in the morning (still taking sleeping pills to help me through the night). I realise that if I went out one day (with some crutching around and on the wheelchair with a foot rest) I would pay the price the next day or two. The doctor told me I should expect around 3 months before being able to walk again (with a limb and the help of a crutch) so if his prognosis is correct, I have another 2.5 months to go. From someone who had shattered a heelbone before, what should I expect in the coming few months and is there anything I should do to help myself (I will try to take up a new hobby now that I can't do outdoor activities much and be positive whenever possible)?? The pain level sometimes scares me. I am trying to be positive (I can be when the pain is bearable but I become quite negative when the pain become ridiculous). The doctor said despite my serious injury he would place me on the top end of recovering to ''normal' but still, I am scared. Is there anyone who could share your post op experience with me? I am elevated my foot as much as I can already (at night, my foot is elevated higher than my heart). Also Rouletteyou, I wish things will go well with you. I will check the forum from time to time so if you need to talk remember, I am having very similar situation as you right now.
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