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Back again
Apologies for the long hiatus.
As some of you may recollect, I broke two bones in my foot, seven and a half weeks ago. Which made getting to my desktop computer difficult... It's in a corner of our office and is hard to reach on crutches, or when you have to shuffle sideways past a chair to reach it.
I have a tablet, but I normally touch type, which isn't possible on the tablet, so no posting.
Plus, I went down with flu just as the foot started improving.
However, I think I've come out pretty well overall. I can now go on a walk for about 15 mins. I'm tired when I get back, but the foot isn't aching too much.
I can do a little bit of morris dancing - tried for the first time last week. (The physio amazed my by saying I was okay to try step-hops) I can't cover any distance yet with a step hop, but I did manage to get -badly- through the entirety of two dances.
Went sword dancing last night (which is slightly less demanding on the leg muscles, but requires really good balance for some moves) and had a blast. I chose to walk sedately through a spin move, and sat out of a dance that needed fancy stepping, but still got in a decent number of dances.
Not bad for a 65 year old with mild osteoporosis!
I'm making a note here of things that I think helped me to recover reasonably quickly, in case I break it again.
0. If you think you have a really bad sprain or a break (I thought it was a sprain originally), then remember RICE
Rest - two of my fellow dances helped me to a chair and I didn't even attempt to put foot to floor.
Ice - A team member managed to locate a frozen drink in the freezer, so we used that to keep the injury as cold as possible.
Compress - Ankle bandage, as soon as possible. Crepe bandages are best, but you can use all kinds of things in a tight corner.
Elevate - We got another chair, put it in front of mine, and rested the foot on that.
Common sense - after checking her insurance was good, another team member drove me home at the end of the evening.
See the doctor! The doctor diagnosed the fracture and had me off to the fracture clinic the same day.
Post diagnosis...
1. Be reasonably fit to start with - I morris dance, sword dance, and try to for a daily walk if it isn't raining (that last was difficult this last winter...).
2. A really useful exercise to do on a daily basis is to stand on one foot for 30 seconds every day. This really improves your sense of balance and also strengthens muscles around the ankle. I've been doing this for years, and it was on the hospital's list of exercises to do daily once it was safe to put weight on the foot again. I found it very easy to start up again, and it helps reduce the time between the fracture being healed, and being able to do normal activities again.
3. Read the information provided by the hospital. Re-read it at least once a week. Do what it says!
4. There are useful things you can do that aren't on the official list - I checked with the hospital fracture clinic (who give their contact email address and phone number so you can ask questions without needing an appointment at the hospital) - things like lying on your back and doing cycling feet, or going swimming, are fine. Basically, any exercise that is not weight-bearing is likely to be safe in the early phase after an ankle break. The benefit of this kind of thing is that it reduces the risk of muscles atrophying and also helps keep your blood moving while giving your heart and lungs some exercise.
(I was really surprised to find that I could swim gently for half an hour with hardly any difficulty at all. I was harder to get to the pool on crutches, than it was to swim. I had to use different swimming styles, but basically, it's not about elegance, just about keeping moving.
5. I found the official walking boot didn't suit me very well. I used it when outside the house, but indoors, after the first few days, I generally went barefoot and used the crutches.
6. Never put more weight on the foot then is comfortable. A mild ache is okay, anything else is not.
I have a tendency to try and overdo things. This is not good when it comes to broken bones.
7. Keep moving. Don't sit down all the time. It's not good for you. Even if it's only to lie down and wave your legs in the air, or hobble to the kitchen and back on crutches, try and move a little every half hour or hour.
8. Keep in touch with your friends - social contact is important. I kept going to dance practice - courtesy of lifts from friends - I just shifted to playing the concertina rather than dancing.
9. Be married to the most wonderful and helpful man in the world! (I'm very lucky, and I know it)
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I am really glad you are back - here and for Morris. Even the sword dance, yay!
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I'm so aware that I'm getting older. I probably have about five years left in which I'll be able to actively morris dance, and I'm determined to make the most that I can of that limited time.
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Is there any chance of you being able to rent a spare room to someone? That might give you some help around the house. We have Kyrill - he shares our meals and pays for the cost of the food, but Richard cooks it for free and Kyrill washes the dishes by way of exchange.
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When the time comes, I believe my son will move here...seeing the current situation in the world, moving OUT of the town might be a very good decision...
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I promptly tried standing on one foot. Thirty seconds seems long when counting it off and trying not to wobble...
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I'm managing about three seconds with my eyes shut... I'm working on that.
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One of my exercise instructors suggests brushing one's teeth while standing on one leg for the first minute, and then the other. I'm still hoping that will help with yoga balances....
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