Everything about broken ankle

On October 25, 2024 at the end of a seriously fun day out, I slipped and fractured my ankle in three places. Here’s an overview of what happened after that, mostly for my own posterity.

Friday, October 25, 2024

21:45 — I take a slight turn behind the Palace and fall. Two men stop and one calls the ambulance. Iris, a random passerby who happens to be a doctor, comforts me while we wait for the ambulance. I call Anja to tell her I’ve been in an accident, and that I’d like for her to come to OLVG West. 22:02 — The ambulance I’m in arrives at OLVG West. A few moments later, an x-ray confirms three fractures, one hairline. After administering local anesthesia and setting my ankle back in position, a nurse puts a cast on me.

Saturday, October 26, 2024

02:15 — Anja and I arrive home. Later in the day, I’m installed on the sofa, where I spend the next few weeks when I’m not working. During the week, I’m back to my usual work schedule. I enjoy the early birthday present I got myself the day of the accident. The anticoagulants are giving me bruises. I dream about the future.

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

I attend office hours at the casting department to check whether the swelling has gone down enough for surgery to happen tomorrow. The verdict: no. “Foot elevated” means my ankle is elevated above my ankle, which is elevated about my heart.

Monday, November 11, 2024

I’m back for office hours to get checked up ahead of surgery, and yay: the swelling looks good enough, and I’ll come back in two days for surgery.

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Surgery goes well, and besides the nausea, recovering from it is smooth. To my surprise, I’m off pain killers after only a few days. Not being able to bear any weight on my left leg starts to weigh on me, especially during the last stretch of the two weeks.

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

As scheduled, to my delight, the cast comes off! Learning to walk starts with a bit of hesitation, but soon enough I’m strutting across the house and through the neighborhood. I’m back to work, and starting to feel like things are looking up again.

Monday, December 16, 2024

My first time at the gym since the accident. Nothing in the world beats a good lat pulldown. Later, I call the plaster room to get my wounds checked out one more time before we leave for Paris, but the wait time is too long. Still, G., one of the plaster masters (my favorite job title) sees my missed call and returns it. We speak about an appointment tomorrow. She calls me back again, saying she doesn’t trust what I’m telling her. One hour later, I’m at the hospital.

Sunday, December 22, 2024

All that walking made it easier for my ankle to swell. I imagine that, combined with the lack of proper understanding of what it means to have open surgical wounds, made the whole thing go south. By now, my wounds are so infected that I may need more surgery. I spend the evening with Marcin and Allison watching that cool OJ documentary. I’ll hear more from the doctor tomorrow.

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Tim helped me to the hospital yesterday, where things were clear: I definitely need more surgery. I have just enough time to wrap up hosting the IndieWeb Carnival and to clean the house a little bit for when Anja and Lemonade come home from Paris. And so it is: I’m out of surgery and in the recovery room by 8:30 P.M., where I shout “JESUS” in pain so loudly and repeatedly that the surgeon asks me to calm down.

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

The hospital room I’m in doesn’t have a real view, but it does feel very tranquil. It’s the temperature of a botanical garden. I spend seven calm nights there, next to a woman who repulses me. I draw on my iPad a lot.

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Anja takes me home after a chaotic discharge filled with time pressure, waiting for medication, and making it home in time for the technical nurse to hook me back up to my antibiotics.

Week 27: Rhythm

Two bare feet stand on the sand, touching the water
An early morning meeting on the other side of the country had me spend an evening on the beach, where I finally, finally got to dip my toes in the water

Three wins

  1. Walked on the beach barefoot
  2. Leg-pressed 111.1kg at physio
  3. Survived 35-degree weather with little complaint
(Continue)

Week 2: Pruning

A bright pink rose among flowers sits in the sunlight
The Flores boys flowers are still going strong

Three wins

  1. Read the eleven peer reviews I had received at work, and was stunned, inspired, and humbled by the kindness and positivity. Part of me thinks that’s just because people felt sorry for me and my Christmas Eve surgery. A more positive part sees I’m doing things right.
  2. Despite what I was told, my PICC line, which delivered antibiotics intravenously, was able to come out on Wednesday. This meant I no longer have to carry the dispenser pack, that I can pick up the dog again, and that I can take normal showers!
  3. Had my first physical therapy session, where the therapists straightened me out right quick about my posture. The younger one, a senior student, massaged my calf in a way that gave me so much more flexibility it left me speechless.
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Week 1: hibernating

I made it home after seven nights at the hospital! Staying there between Christmas and New Year’s really wasn’t as horrible as you’d imagine. I figured: if anything happens, I’m already at the hospital, anyway. Still, I should confess that I was excited to be released from the presence of my hospital neighbor, a dentureless elderly woman with severe bowel problems whose sounds were revolting. If you’re wondering how petty I am for focusing on that instead of my own fracture-related infection, imagine what Anja’s life is like. (Continue)

Rounding up IndieWeb Carnival December

When I introduced this month’s IndieWeb Carnival theme belief, I was terribly excited to take a quiet Saturday morning and really put together a beautiful piece on how I relate to the theme. We make plans, and God laughs. In late October, God laughed when I triple-fractured my ankle. My original recovery timeline, which included surgery under general anesthesia, had me use first a cast and then an air cast until December 25. (Continue)

Week 46: Raw-dogging

After the swelling in my ankle postponing it with a week, I was finally able to have surgery on my left ankle on Wednesday! I’m surprised by how pleasant the whole experience was. Post-surgery, I’m in very little pain, and I’ve been able to leave the Oxycodone in its designated box. Four days later, aside from the anti blood cloth pill, I’m raw-dogging recovery. My pre-surgery phase lasted longer than expected, all because I didn’t understand what “keep your foot up” really means. (Continue)