When An Unexpected Broken Ankle Changes Your Life For 3 Months

83 Comments

1. Ai yay yay…
   Hehee… Things happen eh?
   Hopefully Mrs will be back soon as having to do things alone is.. heavy. Take care, Mr Ken and the wife will be well in no time.
   Time to look for a ‘back-up unplanned plan.

   1. Yes, I can commiserate with you. A while back I broke the tip of my fibula; small bone of the lower leg. I too was rushing around and tripped on a concrete step (step was only 1 inch). It doesn’t pay to rush around. And yes life can change on a dime. I feel for you and the Mrs.
      You both will become frustrated being thrust in this situation. Hang in there and tell her to do the physical therapy when it’s time.

   2. I fell from my mobility 4wheel scooter one week before Christmas in 2019 and I have been in and out of hospitals and rehabilitation homes for the last seven months. Just starting to feel better!!! And hopefully be able to get in and out a bed and use the bathroom by myself. And most importantly be able to get around in my New power chair which is more stable. To all be careful and it can happen in a moment!!!

2. Wife broke her left ankle in February. Completely as foot was 120 degrees of plumb. She needed some stuff from Ace Hardware (plates and screws) to repair, just had two screws removed three weeks ago. Five months later and she can limp around for a bit, but is still in some pain.

   I hear you on ‘what if’ – it bit us pretty hard. COVID was a blessing for her of sorts. Being a school teacher, teaching remotely allowed her to continue working.

   Electric warming pad has been of great relief. She weaned herself from Codeine 3 as quickly as possible, she has a high pain threshold but admits when she has had enough.

   A disabled arm is much easier to handle than a leg. She has trouble carrying anything of weight so has to depend on me or one of the kids to help. Thank God for automatic transmission – driving with standard transmission would be impossible without two working feet (or arms for that matter).

   1. Was thinking about some friends back in the early years..
      He broke an arm. He’s a driver. For a vehicle that transport people to and from a factory. For about two weeks, people seating at the back didn’t know about that. His ‘sidekick was the one shifting the gear knob for him. Talking about harmony in action…

3. My best to Mrs. J as she goes through the healing process and I hope she makes steady progress during the next three months.

   I broke my ankle (or rather, I had it broken for me) when some 250lb guy slipped and fell on some stairs behind me, fell into me and then snap! My ankle took all of his weight. The projected length of my recovery was about the same, and thankfully no surgery was required.

   Being relatively immobile and not being able to put any weight on an ankle for that length of time is very frustrating, and that’s putting it mildly. It obviously affects everything you would normally do on any given day, including the routine things, like showering or going to the bathroom. Thankfully I have a patient and supportive spouse!

   Agree with your points about preparedness – when your health gets compromised due to injury or illness, nothing much else matters. It’s a helpless feeling.

   One piece of advice from my own experience – someday (soon, I hope) that ankle is going to feel a whole lot better. I don’t know what the plans are for physical therapy, but don’t quit on that just because the ankle feels fine. I quit my PT too early and over two years later, that ankle and the ligaments around it still painfully stiffen up and I don’t have near the range of motion I should have. Although helpful, walking isn’t good enough therapy. Stretch that thing.

   Anyway, here’s to Mrs. J’s speedy recovery.

   1. Sorry to hear about the fall, but prayers and well wishes for a speedy recovery (for all).

      One note: Gunner and others are correct: Physical Therapy IS A MUST as is sticking with it. Having the appointment makes one do it. Having someone push you during therapy is better than none. This is speaking from experience of a dislocated elbow, blown out shoulder (surgery), blowout knee (4 ligaments) – all separate incidents early in my 20’s. Doing fine now with plenty of exercise, running, weight training etc. minus the other shoulder needed a roter rooter job two years back (and they found the torn bicep and repaired). PT is a wonderful thing and IMHO, quite key for a successful recovery.

      Best wishes and God’s speed on recovery.

      1. YES!!! I was just telling my physical therapist yesterday that they are the unsung heroes of getting people better! I am currently going for an Achilles tear and am so happy it is getting much better. All that with NO meds or surgery. So yes, PT is true healing. I did have a PT who was a torture master when I had a shoulder repair surgery, but he never made me cry – even while all the big guys in the room were screaming from him. (HE tried! haha) But even with all the torture, my shoulder is excellent.

      2. I agree with the physical therapy. After spraining my back, I asked the doctor to send me to physical therapy. I continue those excercises today. My back is stronger today because of them.

4. Ken I hope you have helpful neighbors to help. Can be frightening to leave some one home essentially crippled to do extensive shopping for example.

   Since Mom died on the 4th over a fractured hip I’ve had the help of good neighbors and family to support Dad’s dementia situation while my wife and I had to go for blood work and such.

   Good thing it’s not SHTF right now. Hope she heals well. You might want to ask your Doctor about the Tylenol and Ibuprofen protocol instead of opiates. Worked well on my fractured and plated wrist from a ice fall.

5. Some 25+ years ago. Top step of a 20 foot ladder deer stand. Top step came loose in my hands just as I leaned back to swing my leg onto the platform. Fell the 20 foot to the ground, dead dark, an hour before sunrise opening morning of modern gun deer season. Heard the bones crack as I hit the ground. Couldn’t see the ground as I fell, actually remember wondering why it was taking so long to make the trip while I was in mid-air.

   Pain was excruciating, blacked out momentarily with stars and bright flashes going off in my brain. Every time I tried to stand, the light show would return.

   Laid on the ground for a few minutes to regain my composure, and consider my predicament. I was over a mile from the nearest road, rough mountain terrain, with a flowing stream to be crossed…….and 400 miles from my home.

   I knew my brother was hunting an area about a half mile away. I had landed at the base of the ladder blind, and my rifle was still hanging from the rope used to bring it up after getting up the ladder. I couldn’t stand without dizziness, but was able to cut the rope with my pocket knife while still sitting on the ground. By then, the sky was just beginning to lighten up prior to sunrise.

   I fired three shots in succession, waited for a response. None. I repeated the three shot SOS, and waited again. This time, my brother yelled loud enough for me to hear him. I yelled back “I need help!”. He was able to maneuver his 4wd pickup to within a few yards of me, and carry me to the closest town, some 30 miles away.

   The county hospital had one nurse on duty (who luckily, was also a radiology tech). She took the X-rays and we were studying them together as we waited for the on-call doctor to make it in from home. She confirmed what the nurse and I had already observed.

   Things can go bad in an instant, and when you least expect it. My retirement home now sits at the top of a ridge where I look down on the location of this little adventure, only about 3/4 mile from my perch on my front porch.

6. My sympathies to the Mrs and her assistant. I sprained my ankle in the garden and had to hop on one foot. Just think if you were out on a hike 4 miles into the woods.

7. Yep…….just 4 years exactly after falling from a ladder and breaking five toes on that foot, I was getting something from a shelf in the garage and my tennis shoes just wouldn’t turn on that step.
   The sprain was much worse that the broken toes.

   1. I forgot to say that you can’t help broken toes..just get the boot and tell doc that’s all you need thank you very much. I still have mine just in case.

8. Best wishes to Mrs J and prayer for a speedy recovery,

   I had that wake up call a few years ago when I tripped and tore a major ligament in my leg in two. When you can’t “do” for yourself and depend on your spouse for almost everything it really makes you think about “what if”and “what would I do if”. Thankfully there was no $hit the fan time during my recovery. It really makes you thankful for your spouse, good doctors, surgeons, and nurses, and physical therapist (20 weeks).

   These types of injuries are difficult to plan for and we all need to realize we really need “community” in the long run.

9. Hope the Mrs.is ok, glad it wasn’t worse! Speedy recovery! Yes, things can change in an instant! That’s part of being prepared! Hang tough!

10. God’s grace and healing to Mrs. J. God’s grace to you Ken for patience.

    I was wearing clogs when I bounced down leaf wet steps. My injury was my back. Three yrs post-incident I was in back surgery (Apr 2019). 15 months later and I’m at least back on my feet and able to do for myself again. Even having a garden this yr :)

    Mrs. J. Take the time you need to heal. Follow Dr orders. Thanks to God it didn’t happen in a complete SHTF or grid down situation and good doctors are available to help fix the situation. God bless you Ken as you care for her.

11. Husbands need to learn how to operate the washer/dryer, vacuum cleaner and make pasta.c

    1. – Chevy,
       There are no signs on any appliances that say any are only for use by one gender or the other. I will freely admit DW is a better cook than I am, at least indoors. She is always happy for me to take a turn in the kitchen, though. I also regularly take my turn with the laundry and washing dishes, too. Happy wife, happy life!
       – Papa S.

12. I broke my ankle when I was 12. Because I was living with relatives no one noticed I was limping. I walked on a compound fracture for a while. It was very painful but because my Mom had just died I was in so much emotional pain I couldn’t tell any one. Sounds crazy I know. I have never told this story before. Still ashamed. Any how eventually my aunt took me to the doctor who had to cause me more pain to set it, because it had started to heal crooked. I remember it took a long time to heal. It was a real teacher for me about a lot of stuff. I am super aware how week ankles are. So many ways the body can betray us.

    1. Man on foot – no need to be ashamed! My mom died when I was 13 and I understand how you could not tell anyone. I completely understand – I did not tell anyone when right after my mom died I was bit in the thigh by a German Shepard. Not as bad as your injury, but many things kept me from opening my mouth. Please do not be ashamed.

13. Ken
    Broke my ankle when I was very young & very dumb. Wore out 3 casts before it healed, it was not going to stop me from having fun. Of course I was about 8 or 9 years old at the time.

    Please let Mrs. J know that we are sorry to hear she down for a while. Only advise which can be passed on tell her have patience with the healing process. Yes, it will mean you have a LOT more to take care of in the household. It is only for a short time, a balancing will have to occur on duties.

14. Prayers and best wishes to Mrs. J. I have had 2 back surgeries and DW had to take care of me. Now she has been down for a little over a year and I have been taking care of her. We all talk about the big SHTF event but these medical issues are much more likely to affect us all. If it wasn’t for our food preps we would have had a much more difficult time during these health issues.

    1. Mrs. J
       Please take it easy and allow yourself time to heal before you go back to the hard work.

15. Last summer I has reconstructive surgery on my foot. I was non weight bearing for about 3 months and slowly recovered for six more months. It was scheduled, so I had time to prepare.

    A knee scooter is terrific. You may need to get an additional pad for the cushion if Mrs. J will be using it a lot. If you’re on the scooter a lot, it can take a toll on your knee. A basket on the scooter is very helpful so she can get things she needs and can still use both hands to steer. Tell her to take it slowly at first. Those scooters can come out from under you. Don’t drag race with anybody!

    Also when resting keep her foot elevated. “Toes above the nose.” There are special elevation pillows made for foot and leg recovery.

    Best wishes for her recovery!

    1. Yes Knee cushion !!!!!! My knee was slightly numb after using mine.

16. Never had a broken bone, thankfully. It’s not something I think about much, although I should. From 15 years of dancing my ankles are so flexible that I have twisted an ankle only twice. Other times, I feel the ankle go, half a second of pain and I’m walking on it normally again in 2 minutes.

17. our best to Mrs. J for a speedy recovery, and our best wishes to Ken that you not overdo….while waiting for that recovery.
    DH is scheduled for a total hip replacement next week….will be thinking of you, while I do it all around the house etc.

18. Praying Mrs J has a speèdy and an uneventful recovery!
    I’ve had my own ankle issues (three surgeries) and climbing a ladder is difficult. There is a lot of homestead maintenance that requires ladder work: tree trimming, solar panel snow removal, painting, chimney service, fruit harvesting, roof repair, wind generator service, second story window cleaning, etc.. My hubby and I are 60+ years young and decided we shouldn’t be scurrying up anything larger than a small step ladder so we made an expensive acquisition. We got a used Genie 40 foot man lift. It has been one of the best large purchases we have made and use it all the time. We figured that the cost of the lift was probably equal to the cost of a helicopter flight from our remote location to the nearest emergency room. I know a lift may not be affordable or practical for some people, but we should all be very mindful of our physical safety.
    The smallest thing can greatly impact one’s ability to function in a NORMAL situation. Physical safety and health are an important aspect of homesteading/preparedness success. Accidents happen. Be mindful and identify and eliminate hazards when possible.

19. Sorry to hear that. From experience, consider putting in grab bars in shower, by toilet. Commode if stuck in an area without bathroom due to stairs. A lot in this situation would get prescribed a wheel chair that insurance will usually cover (though scooter better if she’s relatively fit). Like already said, elevate ankle above the heart if any swelling. Good luck to her!

20. I also extend my sympathies. About 15 years ago now I turned in my seat (bus driver) to answer a question from a rider and something went squish. oops. I needed surgery and didn’t get it as workman’s comp didn’t want to pay for it and my private insurance said it is a workman’s comp problem. So. No surgery and it just healed willy nilly and is a lot of the reason for the back problems I still have. It also cost me a year off work and a good paying job. I stumble and trip a lot!
    Next- tripped over the dog and broke my kneecap into pieces. They put it back together but absolutely 0 bending for 3 months. Therapist said it was the stiffest knee she had ever seen. 8 years later and that was the knee I had replaced a year ago.
    Take care Mrs. J it WILL get better.

21. Oh no! Wishing Mrs J a speedy recovery. Spoil her Ken!

22. I’m so sorry to hear this. Hope she has a full and speedy recovery. I’ve never broken an ankle but have trashed my back and knee on different occasions. It really impressed on me how much what I do is physical and how important being in good condition is. I was farming when I hurt my back and friends and neighbors came over to help harvest for a few days. And yeah, it just takes one instant and your life has changed. Hard to factor this into preparedness……..

23. OMG Mrs. J been there done that!!! In 2015 we were on our way to pick up Mr.’s grandson. It had snowed, deep for around here and I was moving out of the way so he could move the van. Stepped in a low place in driveway and boom. Pocketbook went flying and nowhere to grab, POP, heard my ankle. Did not have to have surgery, was a clean break. I am not agile enough for crutches so Mr. bought me a knee scooter. Made the situation so much better. Had a basket on it. Turn ratio HORRIBLE, but gives you one good leg and free hands. I still did dishes and laundry. Buy a grabber too. They are bout 15 dollars on Amazon. Now for TMI. To do number one I had a clean wide mouth cup and Clorox Spray cleaner and just put the cup under you know where. This is good in the night time. You will have a boot in a few weeks. I still have my boot and my scooter and my last foot wrap for when the boot comes off.
    Also I took a thick soft sock, those fleece type that are strechy, cut the foot part off and used the ankle part of the sock to cushion my ankle during sleep time.
    hug hug Mrs. J and on the up side, that part of your ankle will be stronger were it knitted back.

    1. Comfrey ,,,, they don’t call it Knit Bone for nothing. Read up and get a Homeopathic version.

    2. and the knee scooter is also helpful for pulling yourself up from a chair. I was 63 when I broke mine.

24. This will be a big change for Samson too, who is likely to be more underfoot than usual. You both take it easy and take your time moving around. Tripping or rolling over the mighty but little dog is just not on anyone’s bucket list.

25. Broke my ankle playing football and a few more bones doing other activities (skydiving, BASE jumping, etc) and it is no fun. I hope she has a speedy recovery and no long term issues.

    I kept the stabilizing boot from my foot surgery and added it to my medical supplies along with several SAM splints, crutches, ACE and Coban wraps and even got a good deal on 2 brand new military litters.
    You never know what you might need until you don’t have it.

26. Sorry to hear about the Mrs. She’s in good hands! Times like that cause us to reflect on and reconsider what someone means to us. Tends to increase our appreciation for them.
    Perhaps an article by a nurse or doctor with some guidelines on what to do, or not do would be a helpful reminder to all of us. We’re all prone to get in a hurry and place less emphasis on caution because “ we’ve done it so many times before “.
    Praying for you and best wishes for a quick recovery.

27. Sorry to hear about Mrs. J’s mishap! I know you’ll take very good care of her, Ken, if she let’s you. ;-)

    Mrs. U mentioned comfrey. I’ve had personal experience using good old knit-bone, as it’s known in folklore. Twice for my kids, and once for myself when I broke my wrist a few years ago. That herb has quite amazing healing power! Specifically, it speeds up the replication of RNA in your cells, which is quite helpful when recovering from a break or sprain. The doctor who monitored my healing progress with the broken wrist was really impressed as he reviewed the x-rays each week, and finally commented on how surprised he was at the speed at which the bone was healing, especially given my age.

    Praying for a speedy recovery for Mrs. J, and lots of patience for both of you!

28. I feel your pain. Lived on a knee bike for 12 weeks not that long ago. Similar story. One can adjust, make dinner, do dishes, etc. By strategically placing crutches where the knee bike will not go, one can scoot down the stairs, crutch around to do laundry, and scoot back up the stairs back to the knee bike. And that’s about it. Going out to a store unaccompanied is a major logistical challenge on a knee bike. The only plus to being on a knee bike seems to be you can get that thing up to race car speed in a parking lot. Probably not advisable, however.

29. So sorry to read about the DW Mr. Ken. Hope she is not in too much pain and I know that you both will “Survive” this little incident. ” That which does not kill us, makes us stronger” Amen.

30. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

    Lower limb (foot, ankle, knee) injury and surgery regularly hit me and my household. (10 Procedures in all). We bring our own crutches from our supply and buy air casts on Amazon.

    When I was single I had to add hand controls to my manual (stick shift) car to drive while right foot had to non weight bearing. Controls managed gas and brakes, left foot ran the clutch.

    Our recent forays into non weight bearing led us to use an iWalk (iWalk-free.com) for a six month stint (insurance requirement prior to approval for surgery), and knee scooters.

    Also if you toilet is not 17 inches tall, consider upgrading or getting a seat riser so your backside isn’t lower than your knees when getting up from a sitting position.

    Try a traditional walker to help get in and out of bed and onto crutches, scooter, etc

    Add hand grabs to bath (self suction type) for stability.

    Depending on how much time you will spend in a car, try a handibar to get leverage for both hands when leaving a vehicle. And a swivel seat so swinging legs in and out is easier.

31. Praying for a speedy recovery
    My brother broke his leg a couple years ago while mowing his grass. I realized then to have on hand stuff like bedpan,urinal, crutches etc
    I went down the stairs a couple winters ago landed on my back at 2:30 in the morning luckily was able to get up and didn’t break anything as wife doesn’t go to work till 7

32. Osteoporosis should be looked into as a factor. My mom had that.

    1. Mrs. J
       All I can say is ouch. I haven’t broke an ankle, but I still feel your pain. I’ve had my share of broken bones.
       Worst one was a broken left hip and a sixty mile trip back home with a five speed stick
       Well, I hope Mr. J gets to pamper you for awhile, this time around. Need a bell?
       😃
       Hope you have a speedy recovery

33. So sorry to hear, and sending prayers for a speedy recovery! With my DH and I being in the first responder field, we have seen many accidents that made us wonder and talk about how to handle if it happened to us. Consider the snowboarder who fell forward and broke 2 wrists. Hmmm, now how would that affect everyone? How is he going to wipe his tushy – or really the question is who is going to do it for him? We had many laughs about that as to whether the spouse loved him enough to take that on and came up with the cat scratch post and removable paper towels or shop towels. Makes me laugh just to think of it. One that is not laughable is the kid who fell skiing, got himself a good head injury, and kept skiing and walking around not knowing he had a broken neck. Luckily he mended well.

    Events like this make us realize that we are lucky that even with this virus thing going around, the medical professionals are still very much available when needed. In a shtf event these services may not be available so it is good to consider the possibilities of what can happen and what to do, and how it will impact our survival.

    Take good care of her, Ken, and thank your lucky stars it was not 2 broken wrists!

34. Ken you are so right. We are always in a hurry trying to do something and all it takes is one miss step. I missed a step last evening but caught myself. If I hadn’t it could have been bad.
    Old man broke his ankle while we were working at the same company in Alaska. Didn’t know him then and wondered who the guy was that broke the companies no accident streak!

35. Concur with all of the above (PT and do those home exercises too!safety bars/chair etc)
    Wishes for speedy recovery
    Since having a hell on silver tray to summon spouse does not work (screaming “honey can you come here please” each and everyTime also not practical) consider having a handy dandy whistle around your neck and use that when you need help/response
    If TV or radio on-they probably won’t hear you- but a whistle takes minimal energy/effort for high yield response😊

    1. Bell on silver platter
       Darn chubby fingers

36. Ouch-sorry. I was on what I thought was a stable ladder with a chain saw last summer. When I reach up over my head with the saw the ladder gave way. I had time for only one thing-toss the chain saw and land hard or keep the chain saw and try to break my fall. I tossed the chain saw broke two ribs and bruised several more. Set back my prepariness by several weeks and I had to learn to sleep in a chair. At least I didn’t cut off my darn fooled head with that saw.

37. Sorry to hear this about Mrs J! Personally have had health issues come from nowhere and it definitely makes you re asses needed preps. Medical preps are essential, and if you think certain items may be overkill, it wont be when you need it. Severe laceration 2 years ago went through 45 rolls of 2″ gauze, two tubes of triple antibiotic and 10 rolls of coban to get it squared away. Really gave me a perspective on what we need to stock if the SHTF and no resupply available. This was one deep cut on left hand. Not life threatening and Ate up that much stuff. We can never have enough.

38. Deal with quite a few of these in my line of work, lengthy rehab but good news is people bounce back good at the end. Think all the time how much more horrific an injury like this could be during a SHTF scenerio when Health care isn’t available. Prayers to Mrs. J for a speedy recovery!!!

39. Best wishes for Mrs. J.
    I hope she has a speedy recovery, mostly for her sake, but also for yours Ken.

40. – DS was working in the oilfield, was in a pipe yard and several fell across the ground. He attempted to turn and rolled his ankle, resulted in a talar fracture of the ankle (end of the little bone of the lower leg). At the time, he was looking to buy a house and had let the apartment he had go. He and DIL had moved into our spare bedroom while waiting… now 3 and a half weeks later, between Covid, crutches, (Workman’s Comp is paying something) and just this week changed to a boot; they are still in the spare bedroom, so thank goodness for that! We hope to find out in the next couple of weeks if he will need surgery on the ankle. (We do have half of the garage full of their stuff, though)
    Believe me when I say, yes, we do understand and sympathize.
    – Papa S.

    1. – For myself, never broke an ankle, tore up a knee playing “Dope onna rope” (Rappelling), so yeah, I learned how to get around on crutches too. Had a class on using a Stokes Litter Basket (Remember them from Katrina, with the helicopter rescues?) Got through the class just fine, someone challenged my 20-year-old self to “Race me to the bottom of the cliff”. Chalk cliffs get vertical fissures, I stuck my foot in one and twisted my knee around backwards. Massive tendon/ligament injuries, knee swollen up like a basketball. Bad part was going in to the ER, where I worked, and listening to all the “Yeah, some people will do anything to get outa work!” in the Basket we had used for the class all day.
       – Papa

41. Helped a friend move furniture and snapped the navicular bone in my ankle. Local doctor misdiagnosed the injury and refused to examine it with their MRI despite my insurances covering the cost. Long story short my navicular bone jigsawed and will never heal. Swell!

42. Prayers for the Mrs.

43. I broke my ankle in October last year. It broke in 2 places. The orthopedic doc said it was a stable break and don’t put any weight on it. I went back to the doc after 7 weeks. They did x-rays and said I could start walking with a cast (walking boot). I went back after 4 weeks and did X-rays and said no weight on it for 4 weeks. Then walk, then no weight, then walk, then no weight. The bone is now about half fused and I am walking on it. The doctor says I can expect another 6 months before it heals all the way. After 4 months into it the insurance company will cover a bone growth stimulator. Look online for a used one with treatments still left on it so you can start that early. If you can get the knee walker with the all terrain tires it will ride better over twigs on the ground (that can stop a hard wheeled walker) and floor registers. I’ve been thrown when one wheel stops and the handle bars turn suddenly. I rented a knee walker, with insurance picking up some of the cost, but after 3 months I just bought a used one from craigslist. It came with pink handlebar tassels, a basket, a bicycle bell, and a wool covered piece of memory foam over the knee seat.
    My sympathies to Mrs. J

    1. Sam…. do some research and look into Comfrey, common name Knit Bone. This is too long. Take some minerals. Do you smoke? Smoking depletes calcium.

44. Just watched a movie, again. About ‘never leave your partner behind…’
    These firemen are awesome! A prOOf to be held dear.

45. Having my own medical issues right now. I was diagnosed with colon cancer two weeks ago. Will have surgery Tuesday to remove part of my colon. I hope to be fully recovered before the election due to these weird times we live in. This has been the scariest thing I have ever had to deal with. We have had it happen to other family members but when they tell you that you have cancer it takes the wind out of you. It took me three days just for it to sink in. I have two wonderful grand babies that I would love to see become young adults so we will be fighting this with all we have. We will be good financially due to company short term disability and we have some money put back for emergencies. In my early 50s so I have a lot of living left to do. Injuries and sickness can happen at any moment so you have to prep for that also. Be safe and careful my friends.

    1. hug hug Common Man. Find a group to help you understand the outcome and how to deal with the differences in the future. Several of the mushroom family can help with a positive outcome. Some research will be needed on your part. Mushrooms tinctures and capsules are readily available on line.

       1. Thanks Mrs. U. Will research.

          1. Common man, here is you a starting place..begin looking into graviola and reshi. Ginger tea, graviola and Pau de’ Arco can all help nausea and have healing properties.

    2. Common Man

       We’ll hope with you.

       1. I’ve turned it over to the Lord and have trust and faith. In Him all things are possible! Thanks buddy!

    3. I’m just catching up to the forum, and I’m so very sorry to hear this! My DH was diagnosed with the same some months ago, had same surgery plus a little more taken, now doing chemo and doing pretty darn well. I don’t know how to PM, but sharing what we’re going through and the ‘hints/tricks’ we’ve been told and learned along the way might make your path easier.

       God speed to you and yours, it’s a rocky path but it is walkable!

       1. Thanks TxGal. Surgery is in the morning at 7. Would love to hear what you and your husband have gone through. My wife has been very strong thus far. Last Sunday night I had a rough night worrying and being scared, the unknown is tough. If I knew how to give you my info to talk I would. May God and Jesus be with you and yours.

          1. Thank you, and I’m praying your surgery went well. For my DH, the first few day were rough as with any surgery, but honestly he bounced back quickly after that. Eating after the resection was scary, but DH stuck to mostly simple foods like mashed potatoes, green beans, baked chicken, eggs for breakfast, and that helped. Also, simply moving…walking around a room, short walks in the yard, sitting on the porch outside in the fresh air and sunshine. About a month after surgery he had some scans and began his chemo – so much more manageable as I recall than years ago with other family members – and he’s only got 4 more to go. After that radiation may happen. Staging makes all the difference, his was stage 2 b/c, not the worst…had a family member with advanced stage 4 15 yrs ago, and he’s still doing great!! Hang in there :-)

             Ken, if there is a way to get my email to Common Man that would be fine. Any lessons learned we can share might be helpful to Common Man.

          2. It’s Friday evening. I got home from the hospital after the surgery. I understand what you are saying about the food. So far the pain has been manageable and I am getting around very well. Not on any pain meds except for 800mg Ibuprofen. They also removed 15 lymph nodes and two of those came back cancerous. I will have to do chemo but it will be after I heal up from the surgery. The roller coaster ride is the worse part. One day all is great, the next day you go to a low spot. Thank you for talking to me about this. It really helps. My wife has been and is very supportive. She and I have been married for 35 years. I go back to the surgeon on the 29th and then I will see the cancer doctor. I will keep coming back to this thread until we can figure out some way to pass our email or such. Thanks again for listening and talking about you and your husbands issues.

46. Ms. J, Hi this is Blue yapping a little, NRP is still in a rather foul mood, so I thought I’d get on and let you know we’re wishing the best and fastest recovery.

    The Grumpy Old Fart has not broken a bone, except the little toe fight with the Coffee Table in the middle of the dark night; Little toe went totally sideways so he tells me.
    Late Wife I guess just grabbed ahold of it, yanked it back “semi straight” and taped it to the next toe….. I’m wondering how that went???? Happy Woof Woof Woof Woof.

    Anyways I wanted to let Sampson know that he needs to say out of the way for a bit, NO Under Foot Tricks ok? And NO that little scooter is NOT for you to ride around the yard on…..

    Ole Blue here has one last bit for Mr. J, aka Ken, in about a week or so the little miss’s is going to have a need to do stuff, Help he but do not, and I do mean do NOT try to do everything for her, Ms. J will need to feel useful, and if your running all over the place doing absolutely everything Ms. J will feel even worse cause she cant help out around the place.
    Just like My job here…. NRP tells everyone I’m the best dang Alligator Watch Dog around….. Says he’s not seen an Alligator for years… Doing a mighty good job aren’t I ??? gerrrrrrr, ruff ruff and a few WOOF WOOFs mixed in…..

    Blue, Less da Ole Grumpy Fart….

    1. Blue,

       you are doing a find job as alligator watch dog. Got them all run over to the Upper San Luis Valley on the other side of the border. good dog!!!

47. Change in circumstances from my comment above.

    Just got laid off.

    I must have jinxed myself.

    So, I get to look for a new job at 51. Lovely.

    I’ve been trying to get out of the call center work, but I was hoping to have a new job lined up before I left it. LOL

    Good severance package, though. But, still, not the same as the semi-security of having a full-time job.

    Anyone know of someone looking for an entry-level Contract Administrator in the Denver Metro area?

    1. Meep –

       Why are you an entry-level ‘anything’ at 51? Is this a career change? Call centers are rapidly shifting to remote work forces. If that is the kind of work you seek, and if you have a viable work space at home, you can find work. I’m not so sure about “contract administration”; people seem to be more in a survival mindset these days. If you work remote, it doesn’t matter what city you are in. Heck! Go bold! Start your own contracted overflow call center. There are thousands of companies that need real time scalability solutions for their call centers. A quality headset, Ring Central account and a desktop PC and you are ready to go. Set up an LLC now, so you can write off portions of that severance you got before the tax man cometh.

       1. I’m trying to get out of call center work due to borderline severe sound sensitivity. It has to do with being unable to ignore the background noise in busy environments, no matter what I try. White noise machines help, but just barely.

          By “Contract Administration,” I don’t mean contract work (eg for a limited time), I mean working with legal documents. This type of work is generally an administrative position that works with a legal department, or a sales team on behalf of the legal dept. Mostly administrative work with some contract negotiation aspects to it.

          I only said entry-level because higher level usually requires more knowledge and/or several year experience working in that specific type of job.

          1. Meep,

             Maybe you could try noise cancelling hearing muffs? Walkers make pairs that can take audio input, which would allow you to only hear the person on the phone and yourself. It would block the call center background noise. might be way to deal with the issue until you can find a quieter job.

          2. minerjim – Unfortunately, the background noise is from the stores on the phone. The white noise machine helps a bit with distracting me enough to focus on the person I’m speaking with, and not the loud people/noise in the background. I work from home (at least until 7/17), so there isn’t office noise to deal with also, thank goodness. Thanks for the advice, though! I’ll keep that in mind if it’s needed for the new job.

48. Mrs. J,
    So sorry to hear about your terrible injury!
    I agree with physical therapy, raised toilet seat and grab bars to help lift yourself up. It’s almost impossible to get up with only one foot/ankle. Also, eventually the knee scooter will be a little bit of fun…don’t ask how I know. Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’
    luv ya’ll,
    Beach’n

49. Sorry to hear of the accident Ken.

    My prayers are sent for a speedy recovery though we all know it will not be pain free, please listen to and follow the advice of the Physical Therapist.

    I pass on the R.I.C.E. treatment plan though Ice should be replaced by gentle heat after the first several days post-injury: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. In addition to medications for pain, rest and elevation seem to be the biggest pain relievers at the end of a long day.

    MD’s heal or write scripts. Physical Therapists help us get back in the game.

50. Due to prior history of leg and ankle injuries, I no longer have or do the following: Roller or ice skating,

    I no longer own a pair of sandals or flip-flops. These days, I found a pair of close-toed “river walking” shoes that have laces and straps that have open sides for air circulation yet they are secure on the feet like low running shoes. These are nice in hot weather though they provide no protection from stickers, gravel or critters. Wearing breathable shoes at the end of the day with clean socks is a luxury only appreciated by infantry grunts, wildland firefighters, and those who spend a shift walking with or without a load.

    Depending on where you live, one cannot walk around constantly in “snakebite boots” or Sorel Paks. ( they do not breath and you will have to deal with excess moisture and athletes foot.).

51. Common Man
    Letting you know my dh survived two major cancer surgeries in the neck region from AO(agent orange).
    Of course the VA said no way could this of happened. His first surgeon trained in Maryland at the VA for AO cancer. It did come back and the second surgeon made sure it was all gone. He had radiation & chemo treatment on the second round. That was 21 years ago.
    They have advanced in this field of medicine just take it one day at at time.
    AC/Acdh

    1. Thanks AC/Acdh.

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