My Injured Ankle

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lonegreywolf20

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I injured my ankle back on November 29. I went to a podiatrist on December 10 and he let me know that I dislocated my ankle to the point of fracturing it, while tearing the ligaments in my ankle. He put me in a cast that I thought I was going to be in for 4-6 weeks (misunderstood him).

I went today for a followup. The cast came off and after some more x-rays were taken, he let me know that I will need to wear a lace-up ankle brace and high top sneakers the rest of my life. That I will not be able to do physical labor anymore either because the risk of re-injuring my ankle is too great.

I cannot go for a second opinion as I have county insurance, which is the insurance that is for people who don’t qualify for Medicaid and cannot afford to pay for insurance on their own. They will also not pay for surgery, so getting it repaired isn’t an option either.

I guess in a way it’s a good thing that I wasn’t working when this happened and wasn’t sure when I would be working again since I am my wife’s caregiver. However, it’s still not something that I wanted to hear. The only skills that I really have are as an EMT or warehousing, and those two options are now out of the picture.

My wife, mom, MIL, and friends have been saying I should go for SSI (I don’t qualify for SSDI since I don’t have enough work credits in the last 10 years), but I know that is going to be a fight to get.

Essentially, my whole left side of my body is bad. I hurt that same ankle in 2011, where I severely sprained it, just not as bad as it is this time. My hand is bad as I severed a flexor tendon that controls my middle finger, so that finger doesn’t flex anymore and just stays in an erect position. So with that I have lost my dexterity in my hand as well as strength. I cannot type very fast because of that finger. I also have a bad left knee, that gets injured every couple of years. I also have asthma and major depression.

I have been asking God for direction, but have as of yet not heard anything back.
 
I know. God likes to answer in His own time, and often in His own way.

I will be praying for you.
 
It sounds like your injuries do both rule out a lot of manual work and also desk work (which generally requires typing), hence a disability claim is not unreasonable.

I wonder if somebody could point you to a charity or government office that could match you up with appropriate work. Could you operate a cash register, take tolls, or something similar where you don’t need physical strength, but also don’t need to type a lot?

I also see a podiatrist, and I’m in the process of figuring out how to appropriately work around foot issues.

Best wishes!
 
If I were you, I would get a second opinion from a different podiatrist.

The diagnosis sounds rather like the doctor really doesn’t want to deal with you anymore, perhaps because you told him/her that you can’t get insurance coverage for surgery.

Don’t tell your second opinion doctor anything about your insurance situation. Don’t make any assumptions. Just let the doctor give their recommendations.

I was able to receive a $30,000 ankle surgery FREE because it was “experimental.” It was a wonderful surgery that has made my ankle pain-free and functional. And now it’s approved.

I’m not saying you’ll get a free surgery. But there may be things the doctor can do with the coding of your diagnosis that will allow you to be treated with something other than a Colorado brace and a high-top shoe.
 
Cat said:
If I were you, I would get a second opinion from a different podiatrist.

The diagnosis sounds rather like the doctor really doesn’t want to deal with you anymore, perhaps because you told him/her that you can’t get insurance coverage for surgery.

Don’t tell your second opinion doctor anything about your insurance situation. Don’t make any assumptions. Just let the doctor give their recommendations.

I was able to receive a $30,000 ankle surgery FREE because it was “experimental.” It was a wonderful surgery that has made my ankle pain-free and functional. And now it’s approved.

I’m not saying you’ll get a free surgery. But there may be things the doctor can do with the coding of your diagnosis that will allow you to be treated with something other than a Colorado brace and a high-top shoe.
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As mentioned, I cannot go for a second opinion. Because of my insurance being what it is, they will not allow a second opinion.

I also never mentioned anything to him about surgery, nor did he. He knows what insurance I have, just as every other doctor that is contracted with them does. They know what they will and will not do. I never had to say anything, he knew just from looking at my chart.
 
lonegreywolf20 said:
I injured my ankle back on November 29. I went to a podiatrist on December 10 and he let me know that I dislocated my ankle to the point of fracturing it, while tearing the ligaments in my ankle. He put me in a cast that I thought I was going to be in for 4-6 weeks (misunderstood him).

I went today for a followup. The cast came off and after some more x-rays were taken, he let me know that I will need to wear a lace-up ankle brace and high top sneakers the rest of my life. That I will not be able to do physical labor anymore either because the risk of re-injuring my ankle is too great.

I cannot go for a second opinion as I have county insurance, which is the insurance that is for people who don’t qualify for Medicaid and cannot afford to pay for insurance on their own. They will also not pay for surgery, so getting it repaired isn’t an option either.

I guess in a way it’s a good thing that I wasn’t working when this happened and wasn’t sure when I would be working again since I am my wife’s caregiver. However, it’s still not something that I wanted to hear. The only skills that I really have are as an EMT or warehousing, and those two options are now out of the picture.

My wife, mom, MIL, and friends have been saying I should go for SSI (I don’t qualify for SSDI since I don’t have enough work credits in the last 10 years), but I know that is going to be a fight to get.

Essentially, my whole left side of my body is bad. I hurt that same ankle in 2011, where I severely sprained it, just not as bad as it is this time. My hand is bad as I severed a flexor tendon that controls my middle finger, so that finger doesn’t flex anymore and just stays in an erect position. So with that I have lost my dexterity in my hand as well as strength. I cannot type very fast because of that finger. I also have a bad left knee, that gets injured every couple of years. I also have asthma and major depression.

I have been asking God for direction, but have as of yet not heard anything back.
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You should see if a physical therapy clinic can help you rehab that injury. I know around here some hospital-based outpatient clinics will offer so many visits of appointments for free to people who qualify. The brace and high top shoe is doing what your muscles and ligaments aren’t. You still might need to wear them for the long term, but since this is your second injury to the same ankle, it sounds like you need some instruction/exercises in how to manage this going forward.
 
Praying for you also.
My ankle aches just to think of your injury.
Please God you will find a good way through this.
 
Praying. Please check with the county insurance office about what options you have for follow up treatments. Physical therapy won’t cure you but will help - both for your ankle and hand. Also do check into disability and other programs like work training, assistance in the home for you and your wife, etc. Can you or your wife drive?
 
Mrs_Sally said:
Praying. Please check with the county insurance office about what options you have for follow up treatments. Physical therapy won’t cure you but will help - both for your ankle and hand. Also do check into disability and other programs like work training, assistance in the home for you and your wife, etc. Can you or your wife drive?
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We can both still drive, yes, but for my wife it’s getting to the point where she can no longer drive.

I have done some research on physical therapy for this type of an injury, and while like you said it helps, that ligament will always be loose and will cause instability in my ankle. Which is the reason for the brace and high tops.
 
Talk to Goodwill Easter Seals. Goodwill Easter Seals works with people who have disabilities (the office part of it, not the store part).

They can often help people find work they can do. If they can’t help them find work, they can sometimes create a position. They are also familiar with community resources from the perspective of disability. They have people there who can do intakes and assess your needs. What they can’t provide, they can often do referrals for.

They have years of experience with these matters and can possibly give you a few more ideas.

Good luck!

Here’s a prayer that things go well for you.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blest is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. :angel1:
 
ClearWater said:
Talk to Goodwill Easter Seals. Goodwill Easter Seals works with people who have disabilities (the office part of it, not the store part).

They can often help people find work they can do. If they can’t help them find work, they can sometimes create a position. They are also familiar with community resources from the perspective of disability. They have people there who can do intakes and assess your needs. What they can’t provide, they can often do referrals for.

They have years of experience with these matters and can possibly give you a few more ideas.

Good luck!

Here’s a prayer that things go well for you.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blest is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. :angel1:
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Do you know if it matters to them that the closest to my home is over 50 miles away?
 
Prayers for you, lonegreywolf. I broke my ankle a year ago and the recovery took several months, first a fiberglass cast, then a boot, then the lace up brace. I still have to be very careful with my foot wear chices and where/how I choose to step, but I have slowly built my muscles back up to the point that I walk a mile to work then home at the end of the day. I never thought I would be back to this point and I know not knowing is hard. I hope you recovery goes much better than expected.
 
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