Broken foot...Grad Party for My Only Child This weekend..what Else Can Go Wrong?

Updated on June 13, 2012
N.B. asks from Minneapolis, MN
5 answers

I had a bad kidney infection and kidney stone issue just less than 2 weeks ago. Had to close my home daycare for 3 days. Then a scheduled day off last Friday for my only child's fantastic Graduation Ceremony (she goes to...OMG..WENT TO..so sad to say..an Arts High School so we had a music, theater and dance performance, along with student music set to the slideshows for the media and visual arts works..she WAS in Visual arts).

Everything I do lately is at warp speed to get things done for the party, for my daycare, for life! Sunday I fell down the steps..basically forgot the last one was there and missed it. Landed wonky and hurt my foot. Within 2 hours I could bear no weight on it. Swollen and very colorful. I was just at the ER 2 weeks ago for the kidney stuff so I refused to let hubby take me!

I went to the regular DR after work (teen was here to help all day), and sure enough, it is broken. I do not have time to be broken!! I am closed the last 3 days of this week to clean my messy house, cook and cut food for this party, then Friday we have some help coming to set up tables and such. I thought rain was my biggest enemy!

Tomorrow I go to the orthopedic doc to see if I get a boot, a cast or a surgical pin. I do not like ANY of these options! I am not good at delegating and have been planning the party for months to my vision!

I have always been known as a huge klutz, but come on!! Please keep me in your thoughts so I do not come to any further harm before Saturday! My poor body can not take it!

Anyone ever had a broken foot like this? A stupid little fall? For me its the right foot, outer side of my foot. Technically the 5th metatarsal...but onto the foot part, not your actual "toe" part. Its a few lovely shades of purple all over it and I had to wear slippers to the doctor as flip flops would not even go on. UGH.

How am I going to do all of this?

What can I do next?

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So What Happened?

I saw the orthopedic surgeon today. I got a boot! I have never been so happy to get an ugly boot! I got a cane to help me get around but was instructed to do all I can to not attempt walking for a week or more, which is simply impossible, but will do my best. There is a lot I can do seated to prep for the party itself and am back to work next Monday. Thanks for all of the personal stories and the words of advice and support!

More Answers

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S.H.

answers from St. Louis on

my heart goes out to you! & you've brought back smiles & smiles of memories for me: my gma was an impatient hardhead. As South St Louis people (of that era) would say...."she was a Kraut, all the way". :)

Anyway long, long ago on Dec 23rd, she fell & broke her foot. It happened because she wanted something moved...for our Christmas Eve party. She had just mopped the kitchen/hallway floors, & Mrs. Impatient couldn't wait for Grpa & the floor to dry. She tried moving the piece of furniture herself, slipped, & broke her foot.

The very next day, she once again became impatient waiting for Grpa's help....this time for a bathroom break. She tried manuevering on her own, fell & broke her wrist. OMG....the family freaked! I was just a child, but I clearly remember how much she was harrassed over being an impatient klutz.

Soooo, my advice to you: take it easy, smell the roses, & enjoy what the next week will bring. It'll be hard physically on you, but just let the pride you feel for your child....carry you thru this bump in the road! Peace!

& learn to delegate!

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A.C.

answers from Madison on

My daughter had just started Kindergarten (wow, that's a trip down Memory Lane--7 years ago) when I took our new puppy outside for a potty break. She was impatient to get off the front stoop and pulled really hard on her leash, causing me to be pulled off balance. I knew the moment I stepped off the stoop that my leg was broken--the small leg bone right above the ankle bone.

Because of how I broke my leg/ankle, the Urgent Care personnel at first didn't think/believe I'd broke it until the X-ray came back showing the break. Then, because of where the break was, I had to wait until Monday (this happened on Friday) for the swelling to go down, and I had to see a Sports Medicine Specialist to make sure the leg/ankle/foot were properly aligned so that everything would heal right. I wore a removable boot--although I didn't get to remove the boot for a number of weeks. Having the break right there is very tricky to fix. The bone was slightly off, but luckily, it healed just fine without needing pins and surgery.

Breaking a bone in the foot is very hard to heal. Many people I know who have broken a bone in the foot who didn't listen to their doctor's advice have ended up having trouble with their foot to no end for the rest of their lives. Whatever the doctor says to do--listen and do it. Your feet bear all your weight, every day, whether standing or walking. You need your feet to get around and be independent. It behooves you to take care of yourself so that your foot can heal and so no complications arise.

Yes, you have a vision of "the perfect graduation party." That's great. As one poster stated, write down everything you'd like to see done, then delegate all the chores to neighbors, friends, and family members. Then LET GO of your expectations and just enjoy this special day with your daughter. A party should be for celebration and having fun. Really. I don't go home and remember all the nuts and bolts and pieces of a party; I remember the people I visited with and how happy the guest of honor was. All the other stuff is just minituae that no one is going to remember.

Your daughter, however, will remember who came to celebrate this special day with her. What will make her day even more special is knowing you're also enjoying her special day with her--not stuck in the kitchen, micromanaging everything.

Don't sweat what's inconsequential. Give your daughter a wonderful day--and ENJOY it with her! Perhaps having a broken foot is God/the Universe's way of asking you to please slow down, smell the roses, and BE THERE for your daughter that day, rather than running around, making sure all the i's and t's are dotted and crossed.

Have FUN.

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E.S.

answers from Boston on

Hugs! You CAN do this, everything will be alright!!! I totally get the wanting to fill the party vision you have in your head, now you need to make it so- with your foot up. First, get a nice cup of tea (or two). Sit quietly with a pad and paper. Close your eyes, think of the party from the beginning. I like to work in a clockwise fashion around the room, like Table A goes here, it has X,Y,and Z on it. Write everything down, what decorations goes where (Table A gets the green cloth, Table B gets the red), what food goes where. Write it down to the smallest detail. As you write your plan out keep a separate running list of things that need to be purchased or picked up if already ordered. Keep another list of all food being served and from that a food shopping list. After you've made your plan and list set it aside for a while and go over it again. Get more tea, close your eyes, think of what needs to be done, then check that you have it written down. Then, and this is the hard part---DELEGATE. You have lists of what you need and what has to be done. But please, please take care of yourself, it will all turn out all right! Feel better and good luck!!!

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S.B.

answers from Houston on

OMG I just did that as well! My husband and I decided to redo our family room three weeks before graduation! We took paneling down, dry wall up, paint, ripped up carpeting and the installer come in and put wood floor down.

May 7 evening we were moving to wood back into the house, husband lost his grip on the box it fell, mine fell and landed on my right foot. Cracked the top bone by the big toe. My side foot was a lovely shade of purple, yellow. Hurt like HELL!!! I couldn't move my big toe for a couple of weeks. I just got out of my boot yesterday! It still hurts but just needs some time. I was able to drive but with my left foot. That made driving in Houston traffic tricky!!! Good luck!

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R.K.

answers from Appleton on

My daughter had a similar injury a few years ago well more than a few at least 15 yrs ago. Her foot was improperly set and she has had trouble with it since. I suggest you go to a podiatrist who is specially trained to deal with foot problems.

As far as being a klutz it's a matter of coordination. I recommend exercise that works both sides of your body in unison. Something like martial arts or dance, or yoga, Tia Chi is a martial art. The more you learn to work both sides of your body in unison the less klutzy you will be.

The injury will make things more difficult but you have a daughter who is a high school graduate, she can handle a lot of the details of planning and putting together her party with lots of guidence from you.

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