5 things, broken ankle edition

[truepenny]

Storytellers Unplugged for Augsut, "Verisimilitude. Plus a sestina," is live. And, yes, this is the sestina I wrote stoned on Tylenol 3. It may not be very good, but it's the best blank verse I've ever written.

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I'm sorry to have been confusing. There are, in fact, nine screws in my ankle. The one they didn't have to put in was the one that would have held the two bones of my ankle to each other. It's also the only one they would have had to go in and take out again, so it is a very good thing it wasn't necessary. But it's not the same as not having screws in at all.

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mirrorthaw, who is a Hero of the Revolution, helped me wash my hair this afternoon. I feel much more human, but also exhausted.

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The worst thing, bar none, about the broken ankle, is the involuntary twitching. Especially when I'm asleep, as it causes me to dream that I've missed a step on the stairs or fallen forward or something like that, so I wake up with both a bolt of agony and a burst of adrenaline. If I take my maximum dose of painkillers just before bed, I can knock myself far enough out that it doesn't happen (and, I should add, this was the doctor's suggestion, not something I made up for myself). I don't enjoy the Oxycodone hangover--and hopefully will be able to ease off over time--but it's worth it for being able to sleep.

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The ninjas are terrified of my crutches.

Comments

use a "dogbone" pillow

[(Anonymous)]

When I broke my ankle, I found using a "dogbone" pillow helped cushion and restrict unwise movement while sleeping. A "dogbone" pillow is a type of pillow for sleeping in a car or plane - fat ends but slender middle - (not the "U" shaped type of travel pillow). The fat ends of the "dogbone" work just as well to support the ankle as a nodding head.

hoping you feel better soon

[(Anonymous)]

I forgot to say that I do hope you feel more chipper soon. Don't push yourself too hard.

[casacorona.livejournal.com]

Have you been able to get out to visit Milo in all this?

Deepest sympathies. And congrats on getting the hair washed. I think that was one of the very worst parts when I broke my leg -- not being able to bathe properly.

[saoba.livejournal.com]

Having had a spiral fracture of the ankle- though not one requiring screws- I tender my deepest and most heartfelt sympathies. Even after several years I can remember how thoroughly unpleasant it all was.

I was given (pauses to wave at rivka) a cunning little bag that strapped to my crutches and allowed me to carry small items. Like my pain meds.

I got a good deal of use out of having a small cooler stocked with drinks and snacks each day to keep me from having to cope with the 'trying to carry food' issue. And having a shower seat was a such blessing. Being unbalanced and stoned on pain pills and in the shower is not my idea of a good time.

ETA for not being able to spell

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

The twitching drove me crazy after my (recent) ankle surgery; I knew that my recovery depended in large part upon keeping the joint immobilized at 90 degrees, so every time it spasmed in my sleep, I woke up in panic that I'd just undone some of the surgeon's work.

You'll probably continue to have a degree of twitchiness; it seems to be a consequence of limited mobility. But it'll stop hurting, and you'll get enough accustomed to it that you won't get woken by an adrenaline rush. So things will improve -- but yeah, in the meantime, the Oxycodone hangover is probably a fair price for a good night's sleep.

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

I had the twitching for the first week after my break, but then it relaxed and went away. Makes me feel less crazy that you have it too, but hate that you have it.

ETA: and my cats were very terrified of the crutches--at first, also. They also relaxed (the outside cat, not so much).

[larryhammer]

Mmm -- tasty sestina.

---L.

[madam-silvertip.livejournal.com]

Been through that. All sympathies. And let us know if there's anything the two-footed can do.

[elisem.livejournal.com]

[redacted]! Just found out. Eep. Glad about no tenth screw, but yikes on the whole thing in general.

A little carrypouch on the crutches is a fine idea. I repurposed an old convention badgeholder-tiny-wallet on a string to hold my inhaler and a few other things, and fastened it to my walker. What the world needs, though, is a good drinkholder that can fasten to crutches or a walker.

Yay on getting hair washed! I agree with casacorona that it makes a person feel a LOT better. (Makes note to tell shower story in own LJ, rather than clutter up yours, but hey, much MUCH empathy on that one!)

Do you need anything that I can reach? If so, please do ask. Want to help, if I can.