Hi there, I just need to vent for a moment. I’m a 60-year-old woman living in a small country town in rural Australia, and about four weeks ago, I suffered a Lateral Malleolus Fracture. It happened while I was simply walking out my front door. My dog was pulling in one direction, the screen door slammed behind me, and before I knew it, I stepped off the edge of the stoop (which is only about six inches high), twisting my ankle badly. The swelling was huge—about the size of an orange—and I had a lot of bruising. At first, I thought it was just a sprain, but I was home alone, so I called an ambulance. Unfortunately, the operator refused to send one, saying it was “just a sprained ankle.” I was furious, sitting there by myself, feeling helpless.
Eventually, my husband came home from the pub (where he spends most of his time) and took me to the local hospital. The nurses there said it was “probably not broken” and wrapped it up. A few days later, I finally saw a doctor, who ordered X-rays, and sure enough, the ankle was broken. It took a couple more days to get the results. It’s a Lateral Malleolus Fracture. The doctor then told me I needed a cast, so we had to drive nearly an hour to the next town to get it put on since our town doesn’t have the facilities for that.
The doctor’s orders were clear: no weight-bearing for six weeks. But let’s be real, that’s just not possible for me. Doctors seem to live in a fantasy world where everything is ideal, but in my reality, I’m virtually alone with no family nearby to help. To put it bluntly, my husband isn’t the best caretaker. He’s not interested in cooking for me, cleaning, or looking after the animals. So, I have no choice but to get up and take care of myself as best I can. Over the past month, he’s made me about three or four meals, but that’s it.
Now, after four weeks, I’m concerned because my cast feels like it’s rubbing against my ankle, and it’s becoming really painful. There’s still a lot of swelling, and my foot has this nerve-like pain. When I try to move, my foot swells, and my toes start to tingle and go numb. The color of my skin looks fine, so I’m not worried about anything turning black or blue, but the constant swelling and nerve pain are concerning.
As I said earlier, I have no one else to help me. My husband thinks he’s doing enough, but when I complain or express any pain, he threatens to walk out, so I just keep quiet. Trying to get help from the government is nearly impossible; applications take months to process, and even if I qualify, I’d only get a few hours of help each week, which doesn’t really improve things much.
I also have a dog I love dearly—he’s a 3-year-old JRT x Mini Foxy, and he’s so hyperactive. Before my injury, I’d take him for long walks every day, usually at least 5 miles around town. Now I’m really worried that it could be a year before I can get back to walking him again. He’s going stir-crazy with all this pent-up energy.
I don’t let him outside right now because it’s summer here, with temperatures between 30–40°C, and since we live on the edge of a rural farming area, there are lots of brown snakes. My dog’s a terrier, and I’m not about to risk him running into one, so he’s stuck inside with me. He’s my rock, my constant companion, and the one who gives me the most affection.
If anyone has gone through a similar injury, I’d love to hear from you. Particularly, I’d like to know how long it took before you were able to get back to walking long distances again. Thanks so much for reading this far.