Thankfully, I am at a point in my life that I never thought I would get to. After breaking my foot back in November, I have been on an emotional roller coaster and for the most part, I have felt like I was right at the bottom of the very big hill. Seriously, round about January time, I could see no end to the suffering and thought that I would be unable to walk ever as I just could not see how it was going to be possible. Of course, my foot is not fully repaired. It has a fair number of scars on and my toes still won't support me but I am pretty much back to normal and actually feeling better than ever before. I have also learnt a few things along the way too.
First, being stuck in the house for so long and not being able to walk has made me appreciate things more. Not being a naturally active person, I used to quite enjoy walking but could not really be bothered. Now I really enjoy it and me and Nick have been on lots of walks to try to build up my stamina. Because of the recent rain here, I have been walking through lots of mud which is a really strange sensation. My foot still does not feel strong enough to hold me properly, so sliding around in the mud is quite unnerving but fun at the same time! I am waiting for the time when I go sliding on my backside but it hasn't happened yet. All this walking has had it's downsides. A few weeks ago, we got a bit lost and I had to climb over a gate. It became very close to me being impaled on the top of it as I found it so difficult to do in addition to being very ungraceful! Thankfully, only Nick was around to witness it!
Appreciating things more may have sent me a bit mad. When we are out walking, I will stand for ages and listen to the birds. Maybe it's just because I spent so long in doors but I just love it. Also there have been key moments that have made me so happy that I have just burst in to tears. One of these was when I went to my favourite place, Robin Hood's Bay on the North Yorkshire Coast. Hills and steep steps make up this seaside village so I was convinced that I would never be able to got there again. When we arrived there, I was so happy, tears came streaming from eyes and I sobbed uncontrollably for a while.
A couple of weeks ago, I began my gradual return to work and yes, it has made me actually look forward to being there! (Yes, as I mentioned before, the cabin fever has possible affected my sanity!) My first visit to work had me so worried and I was crying in the car on the way there. However, when I got through the door, I realised that very little had changed since I had been off. Also, I had to tell a child off for being rude which made me feel like every thing was back to normal and I had not forgotten what to do. However, I had forgotten how much I actually have to stand up and after just a morning, my heels really hurt so that is something that I will have to get used to.
My toilet, or being able to get upstairs quick enough to reach it, is probably one thing that I really appreciate too. Having to pee on a camping toilet then a commode in the back room for so long, as well as dropping the phone in the camping toilet, have not been some of my finest moments. The day the hospital came to take the commode away was truly a glorious one!
Getting dressed is also something that I really enjoy now for I now know that, unless I have been guzzling too much gin, I know that am not going fall over and sustain a head injury by doing some thing as simple as putting a pair of trousers on!
Finally, I have found out who really cares about me. I have found there are a few people who have let me down and have not been there when I needed them. This sounds like a bad thing but it really isn't. From this, I have learnt not to waste my time over some people and this leaves me more time for others. The real positive of this is that I have found that I have some amazing people around me who have helped me through this mess. Luckily, I have a close family who I could not have managed with out. Also, previously I have mentioned my other half, Nick, who has been incredible and I thank everyday that I have him around me. In addition to this, I have found that I have some true friends who have done their best to help me through this. All the phone calls, texts, emails, visits and awkward trips out with my wheelchair or crutches have really been appreciated.(You guys know who you are, thank you so much x.)
Anyway, I would really like to thank anyone who has taken the time to read about me and my trials and tribulations. This blog became a bit of a life line and knowing that people were reading it made me feel less alone and slightly more positive. I began this blog after I found a website about broken feet that, although it helped me a bit, had lots of comments from people saying about how bad everything was. Yes, it has been bad, but reading all of that made me feel so depressed so I tried to write a blog with a bit of humor as some of my happenings have been very amusing. I really hope that I have made some of you laugh, even if it is just one of you. Thanks again for taking the time to read.
256 days on of living with a broken foot; here endeth this blog. I now have happy feet! x
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| Happy Feet! |
That was so great to read Wendy! I'm glad its all finally come to an end! I'm drinking as I write this! As you know, I found my way out of my broken foot with alcohol LOL
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www.junewantsitall.com
I am so happy to see you've mended! Thank you so much for writing, it is helping me through some darkness myself. Ironically, I broke my foot -a very similar injury - on 7/13/12 - the day before your journal ended . I have my SO and my sister to help care for me as well as my 8 month old son and they have been great. However, nobody can know what this is like except one who has been there. I have a long road ahead of me, but thanks to you I don't feel quite so alone!
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Hi Lisa. Congratulations on joining the broken crew! Keep your chin up. It's hard but there is always light at the end! I have just been to Vegas and I never thought I would get there in a mllion years! Walking on the Grand Canyon made me just think how well my foot has done! Hang on in there and feel free to message me if you go through a bad patch. By the way, how you are coping with a baby, I don't know. You are my hero. Wendy x
DeleteI too suffered from a long recovery from a broken foot...It took mine several months to heal properly.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading. Even now, my foot is still not right. It is now 17 months since my injury and the cold winter has made it ache a lot. However, I can never forget what it was like when I had the cast on-anything is better than that! Wx
DeleteThank you, thank you, thank you. I have just finished reading your blog from cover to cover as I sit here 7 weeks into my broken 5th Metatarsal. I have had a back slab, then a fibre glass pot (yes as a northern lass living in Borneo I call them Pots too much to the confusion of my local doctor), to now a walking cast. A further 10 days to go before I have yet another x ray. Im not holding out much hope as the last x ray 12 days ago showed no changed from the day I broke it just slipping off the bottom step whilst on my way to bed!I can relate to so many points you have made....friends turning out not to be friends you thought they were, pain, logistics of getting around the house, lonelyness, bordem....I get all of it. It has been great reading and knowing that there is somebody else who understands exactly what its like. I hope that now summer is on its way in the Uk you continue to do well and that the end of the cold period sees the end of acheyness for you ( thankfully it never gets cold here in Borneo). Thank you again. Helen in Bruneixxx
ReplyDeleteHi, I have only just seen your comment. So glad you enjoyed my blog. How is your foot now? It is always good to know that there are people out there who understand. To say it was only a broken foot, it didn't half cause me trouble. Have managed to do lots of walking since, it will never be the same but is better than it was! All the best for your recovery. xx
DeleteHi just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your blog .I broke my 5th metartarsil on 26th Sept 2012 ...I still hear the noise it made. Spent 4mths in plaster (white purple and blue ) I thought all my patience had paid off but no ..after having last pot removed the x ray showed it wasn't healed so in January was told I needed an operation. Had to wait until May 10th for that. Very frustrating ....worrying...trying to carry on as best I could. Kept reading that due to extreme weather the beds were full up.
ReplyDeleteFinally I got the date and by this time I was ready for it. My foot was reset and a metal plate and screws inserted. I had bone taken from my heel for a graft. Originally it was going to come from my hip but so glad (well sort of ) they didnt as at leadt pain was alll in the same area. July now and I am out of another cast and learning to walk again.
I have been through all the daily dilemma you went through...all the frustration and mood swings. The one thing that got me through was not feeling sorry for myself. My brother had died from a brain tumour on 3rd Sept and I did this a week after his funeral. Seeing all that he went through gave me an insight into how fragile life is. So thinking of him helped me through
One day my foot will be better...it may not be as good but I will be free to walk my dog and get on with the rest of my life.
Good luck to you
Thank you so such for reading my blog and glad you enjoyed it.So sorry to hear about your complications with your foot and your brother. Writing my blog prevented me from feeling sorry for myself (although not all the time!) I am pretty much back to as normal as I think I can be, 19 months on from the original accident. It definitely made me re-evaluate lots of things in my life and every so often when I am doing something,such as driving somewhere, I remind myself that there was a time when I couldn't do it.
DeleteAll the best for your recovery period. Remember, tiny 'steps' are sometimes the biggest. xx
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI just broke both of my ankles and have to sit in a wheelchair?
Do you have any advise in which way I could deal with it?
I don't know what to do :'(
Thanks for reading my blog. Sorry it has taken a while to reply. How are you getting on? It must be so hard with both ankles broken. You have to keep remembering that it is not forever. I found Twitter a great help as I found people who were in a similar situation who I was able to share my problems with. It is just over 2 years since I broke my foot and live to tell the tale. There is light at the end of the tunnel, believe me. If you want to email me, put your email on here and I will reply without publishing it to the world! Hang on in there. All the best x
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