Dog walking is dangerous!

Good to hear you're home PaS, must be such a relief. Its amazing how dogs work out quickly that you are injured and not to mess around. I had border collie when I was hopping round the house with a broken leg and he would sleep on the floor inside the frame of the zimmer, just to check I wasn't going anywhere without him knowing. When I started 'walking' he would herd me like a sheep and snap at anyone who came anywhere near. Not great for my helpers but quite amusing for me :)

I found I could go up and downstairs on my bum, it took ages but it did work. I found the most dangerous thing was the kitchen & bathroom with slippy floors, I nearly took a tumble more than once so be really careful on those. Hope your recovery goes well and you are back to mucking out and poo picking in no time :)
 
WandaMare said:
Good to hear you're home PaS, must be such a relief. Its amazing how dogs work out quickly that you are injured and not to mess around. I had border collie when I was hopping round the house with a broken leg and he would sleep on the floor inside the frame of the zimmer, just to check I wasn't going anywhere without him knowing. When I started 'walking' he would herd me like a sheep and snap at anyone who came anywhere near. Not great for my helpers but quite amusing for me :)

I found I could go up and downstairs on my bum, it took ages but it did work. I found the most dangerous thing was the kitchen & bathroom with slippy floors, I nearly took a tumble more than once so be really careful on those. Hope your recovery goes well and you are back to mucking out and poo picking in no time :)
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I was able to go up and down stairs on my bum when I broke the left ankle but unfortunately the frame makes that impossible this time. I did over-tip on the kitchen floor when I was hopping on the crutches but actually I am more stable this time round because I am allowed to weightbear on the broken leg, the crutches mean that I don't have to put all my weight through the leg. I am pleased to say that I am becoming more mobile and on my last trip upstairs I realised that I am actually bending my foot now, which means that I can think about wearing a normal shoe, rather than the device that I was given at the hospital. Alongside that, I then need to do different exercises to develop the movement/muscles. I was contacted earlier by the local physio department, LGI referred me there on discharge and I now have a Microsoft Teams appointment on 2nd November, so things are progressing nicely.
 
misst said:
It sounds as if you are wonderwoman! So pleased to hear how well things are going but I'm in awe of your stoicism and practicality. Have you considered resting?!
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Cinnamontoast said:
Gosh, you are so cool about this! You seem to be very sorted. Allow yourself to rely on others, tho, and feel helpless occasionally. You’re being Superwoman right now, I bet you have a load of adrenaline coursing round. At some point, breathe and let yourself be looked after.
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I very much doubt that I am doing anything different from what most horse and dog people would do. We usually just get on with it, don't we? I think I do have a fairly high pain threshold, too. Although I did nearly pass out onto the physiotherapist on my first walk on the ward when the only pain relief that I had had was 2 x paracetamol! I have been given effective pain relief overall, although I hate the effects of the dihydrocodeine and will be asking the GP in a phone appointment today for an alternative, which is somewhat complicated by the allergies because it is almost impossible to find meds which don't contain maize or lactose.

I am being very well looked after by my sister and 'the lodger' and, as our shower is over a very deep bath in a narrow bathroom, a good friend has offered me her walk in shower for my weekly clean up of the pins and dressing change, which she will help with, so I am certainly accepting help. I am somewhat champing at the bit though to be more independent and as I settle in at home we are working out ways in which we can adapt things and place furniture to allow me to do more for myself. I tried yesterday to order some jogging bottoms with a cuff so that I don't fall over the good leg while negotiating the stairs with either an extremely baggy fit in the leg or with an outside seam that can be opened up but the website was unresponsive. I shall sort that out today if at all possible. Currently I am wearing a skirt. One of the problems with the frame is that because it is metal, it can make the leg very cold and that is incredibly painful, so I am also covered in a blanket and am sitting quite close to the stove, which does a very good job of warming the house and sister is doing a good job of keeping it stoked up.

I honestly did nothing yesterday except sit on the settee between trips to the loo/commode. I did organise food deliveries, which seem to have confuzzled sis while I have been away but I was kept well supplied with food and drink and with meds at the appropriate times.
 
I've just found the next problem! Getting a shoe to fit the bad foot.

I was advised to start using a 'proper' shoe when I got home because the hospital shoe doesn't bend. So, when I realised today that I am now trying to bend the foot while walking but am not really able to do that, so I have been reviewing my shoe collection.:rolleyes: Bearing in mind that my family call me 'Imelda', I have no suitable shoes. o_O The frame nurse suggested crocs but I don't possess any and really want something firm around the heel. Our stairs are quite narrow, both in the tread and the width of the staircase and I cannot cope with the idea of losing a shoe as I am negotiating them.

I have also realised that I need some grippy gloves as our bannister is quite slippy, so I am expending a lot of effort going up and down stairs. Fortunately I have some brand new rubberised yard gloves which will just fill the bill.
Just another example of how horsey people cope with 'stuff':D:D
 
I bought mens’ walking sandals, you know, the type you see worn with socks on small hills when people have walking sticks for the flat? Beautiful! This was when all the skin on my foot fell off the other year.

They are huge on me now, but really useful because they have velcro so can be made very secure, like the ones you linked, PaS. Very sexy!
 
chaps89 said:
I thought of you today as they were discussing hospital food on radio 2 at lunchtime.
So I came back to check the thread and it's great to see you're back home.
You did do a good job of it didn't you?! There's some very impressive bruising going on there. The meccano gives me the heebie jeebies a bit though :eek:
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The pregnant woman who got toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and a sandwich for dinner? And nurses giving people fruit out of their own packed lunches??
 
When i had my first child in a lancashire hospital,35 years ago,all the new mothers were all given a big glass of Guinness by the nurse.She said they gave it to boost the mother and it helped the breast fed babies to sleep.:p
I had my second child in the same hospital,seven years later..when I asked if they still gave us the Guinness,the looks I got! Ooof!
 
chaps89 said:
That was the one. Not being able to make PaS an omelette made sense after hearing that!
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When it became evident that the ward kitchen staff had finally been allowed to make me porridge with teff flakes and hemp milk, I asked if they could cook scrambled eggs in the microwave, the answer was an unequivocal 'No!', in case of 'listeria'. I assume they meant salmonella or C-diff but what a state we have got ourselves into.

I am afraid that I am firmly of the belief that this kind of nonsense is dreamed up by the out-sourced catering companies to ensure that they maintain their vice-like grasp on the provision of food to hospitals. How patients who are truly ill with medical (rather than my surgical) conditions are expected to get enough nutrition from hospital food to make anything like a recovery, I cannot imagine.
I have certainly enjoyed and appreciated my meals since I got home.
 
What size are you? I have some Hotter shoes here, mum's, but she won't be using them as she lives in slippers now. They have been worn, but very little. I think they are size 7, wide. If you won't wear them after, it would be a shame to buy expensive new ones.

If they would be likely to fit, I will dig them out and send a photo. I won't be offended if they are not suitable.
 
Red-1 said:
What size are you? I have some Hotter shoes here, mum's, but she won't be using them as she lives in slippers now. They have been worn, but very little. I think they are size 7, wide. If you won't wear them after, it would be a shame to buy expensive new ones.

If they would be likely to fit, I will dig them out and send a photo. I won't be offended if they are not suitable.
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How kind! I do take a size 6 or 7 depending on the width, my foot is still too swollen to wear proper shoes but I am getting concerned that my foot is turning in somewhat in the slippers that I have been wearing today because of the lack of support- something to discuss with the physio in my virtual session on Tuesday. Yes please PM me a photo if you can, or I could send you my email address, and let me know how much you want for them.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
How kind! I do take a size 6 or 7 depending on the width, my foot is still too swollen to wear proper shoes but I am getting concerned that my foot is turning in somewhat in the slippers that I have been wearing today because of the lack of support- something to discuss with the physio in my virtual session on Tuesday. Yes please PM me a photo if you can, or I could send you my email address, and let me know how much you want for them.
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Sent you a PM. No need to pay.
 
I was just thinking that I ought to update. I was going to send a photo to Cinnamontoast earlier in the week but we had a 7 hour powercut which rather got in the way. Making my way upstairs on crutches by light of a headtorch was fun, too! But all is well as the powergrid people are going to send some torches. Because of my age (65) and now my health status my address is noted as having a vulnerable person living there.

I had an infection in some of the pinsites last week, one of those didn't clear up completely, so I have more a-bs to take this week However in myself, I am fine and my mobility is improving all the time. Getting appropriate pain relief without maize in it was a problem but I have eventually got that sorted and feel as though I am now coming out of the fog.

I was at home on my own for longer than previously on Wednesday and yesterday, I was able to move around the kitchen with one crutch/the worktops to make my lunches, put a load of washing on and then transfer it to the dryer, organise the evening meal yesterday, although I am not yet confident with lifting hot pots out of the oven. I am still only using the stairs to come downstairs in the morning and go upstairs at bedtime.

The receptionist at the GP surgery knows me by name now, I have rung them so many times in the last couple of weeks. I had my 2nd virtual physio appointment on Tuesday, the physio sent me some new exercises and told me that the physio outpatients dept is being closed from today and they are all going to be working on the wards, I assume because of Covid. However because of the frame, I am considered to be a priority, so someone will contact me in a few weeks.

And I happened to buy some Hemp Active Gel (bit like Deep Heat) to see if I could use it on the muscles above my knee. It is extremely gentle and not at all hot but it has made a heck of a difference to my swollen foot in a couple of days, so I can recommend that to anyone who needs something similar. I was very careful to check that it wouldn't inhibit bone healing before using it.

The dogs are being very good and helpful, they are brilliant at moving around me, if I am on my feet at the same time as they are but are also becoming good at staying still on the dogbed if they are on it when I start to get to my feet.
 
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So pleased to hear your progress - you are a trouper for sure. Active Hemp Gel - I will google this as not heard of it and I'm always looking for new ideas for patients who cannot tolerate the "usual" meds.
 
misst said:
So pleased to hear your progress - you are a trouper for sure. Active Hemp Gel - I will google this as not heard of it and I'm always looking for new ideas for patients who cannot tolerate the "usual" meds.
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I am recommending it to a couple of friends who both have osteoarthritis and are waiting for knee and hip replacements respectively.

My foot changes shape almost daily and I keep trying different arrangements of footwear. I have a pair of slippers that I got early on - the 'glamourous' pair that I linked to earlier were no good at all, too soft - the ones that I am currently wearing are not really supportive enough for walking with just one crutch, I have 2 pairs of canvas shoes with a velcro fastening, so that I can wear one of each size to accommodate the swollen foot. They are more supportive but not much good for walking outside, if it's raining. I need to go outside every Sunday for my weekly shower/pin cleaning. And again, I really need more support in order to be able to walk with one crutch.

So I have just bought a pair of extra wide fitting silver trainers https://www.jdwilliams.co.uk/shop/m...dBoUid=3010&optionColour=Silver&pdpClick=true with zips and laces they are quite adjustable but because they are firm they press on the bruising above my heel but below the frame. I am now looking for ideas for something that I can pad the bruise with, so that I am more comfortable walking about, if any-one can help with that? Home-made, preferably:)
 
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