Broken Ankle

[PattyF]

Three weeks ago, my husband and I were riding with friends on our motorcycles and a kid ahead of us decided to do a wheelie on his sport bike. Unfortunately, he did not have his helmet strapped, it flew off and started bouncing down the road towards us. Our bike and a friend's got tangled up trying to avoid it, both went down and my ankle was "mangled", as one of the ER doctors put it.

I am 54 years old and now am using a walker and a walking boot (the surgeon did not put on a cast, just Ace bandages and the boot). I went in yesterday for my first post-op visit and came out crying. This doctor says that my ankle will never be normal again, that I will always have a limp, I will never dance, never exercise or do anything else physical again unless it is VERY moderate. As long as he thought I was in my 40's, he had all kinds of encouragement. When I corrected him and said I was 54, he changed his tune. My bones are soft, I've gone through menopause, I'm in my 50's, etc., etc. Recovery is a matter of YEARS, not months, to him. By then, I figure everything else will be falling apart and my ankle will be the least of my worries.

He never showed me X-rays of my ankle pre-surgery, never explained exactly what was broken and what he had done to repair it. I didn't ask in the hospital because I was doped up on morphine and I didn't ask yesterday because I started crying and couldn't even think. I assume what broke, from looking at pictures of the ankle bones on the internet, are my tibia and my fibula. He said "both bumps" on my ankle were broken and he put in plates and pins.

So, what's the prognosis, given my "advanced age", menopausal status and the fact that I have "soft" bones? He hasn't mentioned therapy at all. The nurses aide that I had for a couple weeks says she's dealt with him before and he does not believe in home therapy and I'm inclined to think that he doesn't believe in therapy at all unless you're young. When I started crying, I said something about cancelling my gym membership and he said nothing. I told him that exercise is important to me, otherwise I put on weight. He still didn't answer. So then, I said, "What are you telling me, that I'll weigh 300 pounds and be in a wheelchair the rest of my life?" and he STILL said nothing. However, I DID get a 5 minute lecture on the evils of my smoking a couple little cigars a day and how this was the cause of my soft bones. As soon as I left his office, I lit one up because I was so stressed.

Is this doctor nuts or just unfeeling? I am so depressed, I'm ready to ask my husband to get one of his guns and put me out of my misery. Yes, I'm alive but I feel like I've been given a death sentence anyway.

[mtcpt]

You need to request physical therapy, the more that the "soft bones" are stressed, the better they will heal. This Doctor must know that! Or is he too old too? Remember, there is always swimming.

[PattyF]

He's probably about my age, I think. I was talking to a friend this weekend that has gone to the physical therapist that is in the same building as this doctor. He said to stay away from them because all they do is very lightly massage the area and then say, "How's that? Better?" I can do that at home! I already go to a gym that provides physical therapy, so I will demand to go to them.

That's what I thought, that exercise makes your bones stronger, especially with free weights or weight machines. I can't see where laying around doing nothing is going to help my bones or muscles. I think what he is afraid of is that the bones are so soft that the pins are not going to stay in. However, he never took the time to explain that. My husband says to make another appointment with this doctor, before my next visit and we'll both sit down with him and get some answers. Like I said, I just wasn't in any shape physically in the hospital or mentally at my first post-op visit to ask anything. Anyway, even when I did ask questions, he didn't answer them.

What bugs me is that in the hospital, this doctor told my husband that everything was fine, in 3 weeks the walker would be gone and in another 3 the boot would be gone, also. I wish he had never said that because I went into the post-op visit with a lot of hope and came out crying. I think this doctor has a horrible bedside manner and I would like to get a second opinion but because I have no health insurance, just accident, I don't know if it will be covered. My next step is to see my regular doctor and see what she says. At least I know that she will listen and advise and not make any judgments!

Thanks for the advice and support, I really need it!