Broken ankle has me stopped!

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bclegg
bclegg Posts: 11 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I broke my ankle 3 weeks ago and had surgery 2 weeks ago tomorrow. I already have 90 extra pounds and don't want to make that worse. I'm already feeling pretty terrible about my lack of physical ability and the difficulty my size makes it for people to help me should I fall again. I have to rely on others for so much. How do I eat healthy and get some safe activity???

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  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 1,049 Member
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    eating healthy should not be stopped from a broken ankle- stick with your 6 fruits and veggies a day and within your calorie limit. Exercise- well you can do arm stuff.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/367160-exercises-while-in-bed-from-a-broken-ankle/

    and some of these
    http://www.prevention.com/fitness/seated-chair-exercises
  • TrvlOlive
    TrvlOlive Posts: 2 Member
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    Hi there ! I recently broke my ankle on December 17th, just a day before leaving for a long-anticipated Christmas vacation. I had surgery on December 18th, and got seven screws and a plate in my leg. I feel your pain (literally ). Here is what helps me: The KneeRover Steerable Knee Scooter from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006G0M77C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to roll around the house, and a used manual wheel chair from a local Craig's list ad to stroll outside. I am trying to do most of my regular chores myself. It takes 10 times longer to do anything, but it keeps me active. I am wiped out by the end of the day, which is great, as I fall asleep right away. I also do stretching and push ups two - three times a day just to not feel stiff. YouTube has some exercising videos for people with broken ankles. I also got a one hour full body massage which was great! I am planning to get more ;) How long are you supposed to stay off your leg? My next doctor appointment is on January 25th, and I am hoping to gain permission to start using my leg again after that. I found a "How to Speed Fracture Healing " document that describes healing stages and gives some nutrition advice to speed up recovery (http://www.betterbones.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/speedhealing.pdf) . I hope that my experience helps you. Let me know if you have any questions. Keep in touch!
  • katyotta
    katyotta Posts: 13 Member
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    I broke my foot a couple of years ago and it's been a hard recovery. Are you using crutches or a wheelchair? I was using crutches and thought it would be good exercise to do so, but I think it would have been good to have a knee scooter option for shopping and going to work. I was able to get more things done by myself by using backpacks and bags since my arms weren't free for carrying things while I used crutches. So if I had to get my meal from the kitchen to the dining room table (or the couch haha), I would pack it in a tupperware and would put my water in a sports bottle, throw it all in a bag and wrap it on my arm to carry to the table. I found that if I kept healthier food options in the house, I didn't gain weight since I didn't have the freedom to go out and buy junk food.
  • maybe1pe
    maybe1pe Posts: 529 Member
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    I broke my ankle around this time a couple of years ago and was on crutches. It was frustrating not to be able to get my workouts in but I didn't gain weight during that time. I just made sure we only purchased healthy foods and since that was all that was in the house and I wasn't able to drive (plus we lived on the 3rd floor of our apartment building and crutches + stairs are not my thing) I didn't have the option to just go out and get junk. We went grocery shopping once a week and I made a huge effort to only buy healthy things.

    If for some reason my SO was bringing home dinner I made sure they choose something semi-healthy for me.

    You'll get there. It's not fun and it's not easy but you can do it!

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