I fell down the stairs a few weeks ago and am totally non weight bearing for at least 2 more months. I am so bored. My kids are older, 12 and 16 so I don't have to worry about them, DH can work from home, but it is stressful!
I feel so useless and helpless. I hate to complain because I know this is temporary, but honestly just sitting here in one room day after day is getting depressing. They moved my bed downstairs and I have a half bath. I can't get to the kitchen so am totally dependent on others. People have brought in food but that is dwindling and DH is not good in the meal dept.
Maybe some craft ideas?
Great ideas, keep them coming. I have to use a wheel chair, my left foot has severe plantar faschiitis so even a walker if very painful and I can really only use one for standing at the sink, and even then I already fell once. It is my right foot, too, so it will be awhile before I can drive. I don't go upstairs because even scooting up and down (which is really scary to me) there is no way to get around once on the other level. The ideas are helpful though!
Janel, I am on the main level, my family moved a bed down to the family room. The kitchen is two steps up, though. We have figured a technique for me to hop backward on the first step and then sit on a chair and hubby can drag the wheel chair up. I wouldn't try on my own here. I can't use a walker either because my left foot is pretty bad in general and crutches scare me! I think I will look into the picture thing, probably see if I can get a new printer with some left over Christmas money that never got spent :) I couldn't imagine doing this with toddlers and little ones.
Knitting is a great hobby. Easy to learn and you can make a lot of different things. There are a ton of videos on line so you can learn and a lot of free patterns on line to use.
If you like crafts, maybe you could make things and sell them on Etsy? A friend of mine fell and was non weight bearing and it started to drive her crazy! So she started crocheting American Girl doll hats and shawls and little blankets. Then she sold them on Etsy. She ordered all of her supplies online because she couldn't get to the store. It made her feel good to be doing something and making a little pocket money!
She also started writing a novel. And made an online business of writing resumes.
I know it's hard, but it could be God's way of telling you to slow down! Or tha there's an important task for you to do. My friend made more money when she was couch-ridden than ever before! It wasn't about making money, it was about keeping busy and feeling productive.
Good luck! Hope you heal fast!
Oh you poor thing! Best of luck to you! I have never broken anything,but my Godson recently did and it seems very painful and life changing I'd say...
Anywho, theres a whole range of things you can do to keep busy!
1. Internet - blogging, shopping (my personal favorite)
2. Definitely Crafts, such as knitting, scrapbooking, stitching etc..
3. Reading books, if you have a kindle you can download for free from your local library
If I think of any more I will post!
Work on your Christmas card list, organize computer files, scrapbooking, get a laptop or tablet to read/play games/watch movies, make some teacher gifts, plan a garden, make a list of movies you wish to see, write letters to long lost friends, organize your photos, research your next vacation spot, plan summer activities, type out favorite recipes, make a Father's Day craft with your children, investigate upcoming entertainment/concerts in your area and buy tickets, jewelry making, sell items online that you've been meaning to, offer to do behind the scenes work for an organization you belong to.
I hope this helps. After some outpatient surgery, I struggled with the same thing.
I did that myself a few years ago. I fell down my own stairs and did a fabulous job of breaking my ankle in several places. I didn't know I had such talent.
I used the time to read, to write, to craft (needlework is do-able in bed or on a sofa; I'm sure there are other things too). I also borrowed a wheelchair so I could get around at least a little in the part of the house where there aren't carpets, and a walker and crutches for the parts of the house where there are. I watched all the cooking and DIY shows I could find (mostly on PBS - this was before we had cable). I borrowed movies and books from all my friends, including non-fiction books about things I was *totally* unfamiliar with. I got hooked on logic puzzles (I still like them). I planned backyard projects for my husband to do in the summer (he actually did a couple of them!). I introduced myself to different kinds of music on the radio. I listened to teaching CDs about various subjects. It's a matter of keeping your mind busy when your body can't do much. You have to go outside the box!
I went up and down the stairs on my bottom, because I was afraid to try steps with crutches. A friend rigged up a little pulley system on the banister so I could move lightweight stuff from one floor to the other. My hardest problem was that, once I had "bottomed" my way up the steps, it was fiendishly difficult to get back up off my bottom without putting even a bit of weight on my bum leg! It's easy when someone else is around to pull you up, but I had a rough time balancing and lifting myself with one leg. I was so glad to see that weird-looking walking boot at last!
Speaking of friends, I took *any* kind of help friends offered, and enjoyed their company when they came.
You do sound bored and frustrated. Others can help, but they have their own lives. You are right to want to deal with it yourself. Use some of your time to plan easy menus that your husband and children can fix, and write a grocery list so they will have all the ingredients they need. Get your kids to help you with this planning. Go online and look for interesting craft projects that you can do from one spot, and see if you already have the materials or if they're things that will be easy for your family to find at your local craft store. Let your husband and your children know how thankful you are that they're taking good care of you.
(P.S. For standing at the sink, borrow a high stool - like a bar stool - and sit instead of stand. You'll be working from a different angle, but you can still do things, and it's much more restful than trying to stand on one leg for a period of time. Do you have a friend who can take you out once in a while? Let the friend help you figure out how to move from your house into the car and back. Some stores have motorized carts for disabled people like you, and they can be fun. Like trucks, they beep when you back them up. Figuring out this sort of thing - with help - is a way to keep your brain active.)
Can't you rent a wheelchair for a few weeks? I would think a local hospital supply might have one that you could manage. I don't have much upper body strength so a manual one would be harder for me but they may even have some sort of scooter. Just because you can't put weight on it doesn't mean you can't sit up and roll around...just sayin' maybe it's a possibility.
I would have to get one so I could get out of the house and go places. It's lovely outside and sitting on the porch would even be a treat in this situation.
A home health aide might be covered by your insurance too, that way they could come in and help you transfer to the wheel chair or scooter, you know, they may even have some for customers to rent. Anyway, laying in bed sitting up can be done in a wheelchair too. Use the leg support and you can get the leg and foot high if that's what they need it to do.
Once you feel better, I agree with the others who recommended perfecting your crutching skills. Switch your purse to a backpack. Figure out how to make the house more crutches or wheelchair accessible. Learn to go up the stairs on your butt, step by step. Have another set of crutches upstairs.
What about making homemade Christmas gifts? Scrapbooking? Reading every book on Oprah's Book Club list? Organizing your recipe clippings into something more usable? Starting a blog or Facebook page? Putting your addresses on a program so you can print out labels for your Christmas cards? Listing and selling stuff on eBay? Calling friends you haven't heard from in a while? Make a list of things you want to accomplish once your cast is off.
If you decide the day ahead what project you're going to work on, your daughters and husband can have everything set up for you.
Best of luck to you.
Get some cross stitching you can do.
You can do word puzzles or have a bed table to do a small puzzle on.
You can read a good book.
Have a good friend come and hang out with you and paint your nails and toes and give you a mini spa thing.
Do you have a tv in your room? Can watch a marathon of movies your DH never wants to watch :)
Do the kids have DS's? Can play some Mario lol.
I'm sorry that you have 2 more months to go :( Hang in there, and hugs!
Maybe you can learn to knit and make blankets for the homeless or make stuffed sock monkeys for kids in the hospital or tie fleece blankets for soldiers overseas. I guess I am thinking if you are able to find a way to help others you may feel less depressed about your situation.
I like to cross stitch, which keeps my hands busy while I'm watching tv. We have netflix, which you can watch through your blu-ray player if you have one (or just on your computer), and you can watch whole series of tv shows through it.
I would use this time to get all my pictures organized and printed. Or make digital albums.
You can find simple recipes and a 12 and 16 can cook. Check out http://www.kraftrecipes.com/home.aspx
Oh the memories. ;-) I broke my leg in three places missing one step at our house, steel plate and 8 screws later! I was non-weight bearing for 3 months. (And can remember how much I hoped that the doctor would come off that 3 month time frame, especially since he said I was healing so well and wanted me to start bending my knee earlier than expected, but he didn't!) Mine was my right leg as well, so driving was an issue. And I always felt weird, because I did not have a cast (I was in a brace then they wanted to start getting flexibility back in my knee before I was walking, so no obvious reason to need the wheelchair/crutches.
My kids were younger (my son wasn't even 2 yet, when I did it) so I will admit, I spent most of my time with them. Is there no way for you to be on the main floor? I think that was my life saver, I could be on the main floor where the kitchen, laundry, etc are all at. And could access it all from the wheelchair I used in the beginning. I don't know how you do the walker! They had me try it in the hospital and I just felt too unsteady, I did crutches.
I like to cross stitch, so I think that would have been a big time killer for me. Maybe you can get someone to take you to a craft store (or even Target or Walmart) and find some crafty things you would like to do. Or a puzzle that you think would look good in a room of your house (or as a gift to someone else...) I know a lot of people do pintrest. Have you looked into Gooseberry Patch, they usually have a lot of fun, crafty ideas. I'm sure someone else has already suggested Christmas gifts... ;-)
I think you will find yourself most content with something you enjoy doing. But make sure you get out of the house! I would have went stir-crazy being stuck inside the house! Have your hubby take you out to dinner, any restaurant is handicap accessible now.
Best wishes, J.
My MIL and FIL both had surgery on their feet within a month of each other. I know my FIL was going stir-crazy because he can't stand to sit for more than the time it takes him to eat. Hahaha. My MIL made these really cute necklace for her girls and daughters-in-law. If I was in your situation, I would crochet and sell, make beaded necklaces and sell on etsy (getting my account set up soon-super excited), reconnect on facebook, learn a new craft (youtube rocks!), make cards or scrapbook with my cricut (still need to learn to use it), and search for super-easy recipes that even my hubby could make (or contact whoever is in charge of that and church and request more help. There is no shame if you really need the help and it sounds as if you do. Allow others the blessings of service. Good luck.
Broken leg? Been there. Done that. It really stinks.
To make matters worse, I broke my right leg so even when I got to the point I could have physical therapy, I still couldn't drive for the longest time. I've broken my left ankle a few times, but I could still drive as long as I had an automatic transmission. Break your gas pedal leg, and you are stranded.
I actually got pretty good at crutching around. I'm single and did have people who would bring food, etc. My son could ride his bike to get a few groceries at a time and he knew how to cook really well. I got caught up on writing letters, read, folded laundry. I wasn't much in the mood for being as crafty as usual. When the weather was good, I got outside as much as I could and just soaked up some sun. During the day, I rested and watched movies or would have my son bring me a box or two of things to weed through and toss things out. I sat and got paperwork in order.
Like I said, I actually got pretty skilled at doing things on crutches. I could use them for balance to wash things at the sink or unload the dishwasher and put things away in the cabinet above it. My left leg got pretty strong during the time I couldn't use the right one.
My recovery was long and arduous so I just found ways to manage and do the things I could get done. I was flat on my back for a while at first, but heck...I even went on a houseboat with my broken leg. I crutched as far as I could go and had to be carried the rest of the way, but I hopped and crutched and managed just fine.
You'll get through this!!
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
You'll get through this!
Hey...sorry about your troubles...I was incapasitaded last summer because of sciatica. My doctor made a suggestion to me that I should try to keep at least my upper body strength up by using 10 or 15 pound weights. Just use them to work your arms. You'd be surprised how much muscle tone you can lose in a short amount of time! Other than that....I love puzzles...they are fun and the whole family can get in on it. The food part....I don't know....just healthy sanwiches and soup I guess. Lay off the junk food...or else you know what happens! Good luck to you.
All of the previous posters had good suggestions. If possible.. get that wheelchair and figure out how to also get outside so your friends or family can push you around.
Your husband is not a great cook, so get those daughters to make some snacks and meals for you. Borrow a mini fridge and place it on a sturdy piece of furniture in your room. This way you can get to it.
I agree to get netflix for just a few months and watch their online movies and shows and get some of the new DVDs to watch.
Play online games, there are a ton of free ones.
I like to get ideas on Pinterest and then work on a craft.
Let your friends know you are up for visitors. Place a key to the house somewhere so they can let themselves in when they arrive.
Work on puzzles.
So sorry, I would also go bananas being stuck in the house. I need to see and be with people and I need to be able to go outside.
