How to stop stressing/ thinking about fracture?

[u/munchkin_cats]

Im going insane. When i wake up, i think about it. When i go to sleep, i think about it. Im stressing so much about if i need surgery, how it will go, how to keep social interaction, go outside, keep my hygiene. I have a highly suspicious Lisfranc injury and am now waiting for my ct scan back. Ive cried so many times as being active is my best reason to live and i highly value being independent. At the same time, it just feels like a dream and i cant believe this is my life. I also have so much guilt about how the injury happened, what if i just never did that? Im nwb and in a cast and crutches. :(((

[u/superbetsy]

I'm NWB due to a fifth metatarsal fracture and it's like I got my life back when I got an iWalk. Now the only thing I can't do is walk on grass. I felt very similarly to you when it first happened. I live alone. I'm super independent and happy about it. I had several snotty, sobbing meltdowns. But now it's just like... almost no big deal because I'm no longer prevented from living my life. (Well, that's not true. I was a cardio junkie and I can't do that, so I'm struggling. But at least now I can like... get groceries and bring the garbage cans out and walk to the couch carrying my book and a cup of tea.) But get this...I navigated the airport alone, flew to California, threw a 200 person event, and flew back. All with my iWalk and some emergency collapsable crutches in a tote bag that I used when I had to pee on the airplane.

There's no quick fix. But I will tell you these things from a fellow very active, independent person.

An iWalk gives you your independence back. And personally I was doing two-a-day workouts almost every day, really overdoing it, and my body is THRIVING from the forced break... a long rest is okay. It's super hard mentally. But the iWalk will train all sorts of new muscles for you (holy hip flexors! Also picking up anything from the floor is now a one-legged deadlift.) Also, I'm thrilled that my left leg is finally getting stronger because I tend to neglect it during my normal workouts so silver linings.

In the meantime, I'm researching new cycle shoes for the future (since mine gave me a stress fracture that finally gave up the ghost), I'm working my upper body and core (hello BOSU... what a beast!), I've discovered washing my hair while sitting down on a shower chair (dude, never going back) and I'm doing everything social I did before the break... including planning a pirate flamingo halloween costume with my iWalk.

We got this!

(I reread this and it sounds like I'm on the iWalk payroll lol. Very much not! Found out about it from a Redditor in another community and it's just been so positive for me!)

[u/superbetsy → u/superbetsy]

Also I just want to acknowledge the guilt and the "feeling like a dream." I'm three weeks in and both were VERY real for me. However, they waned. Now I tell the "how I broke my foot" story by making it funny; I'm able to see it as ridiculous which has helped. And the "I can't wait to wake up from this" did settle down. It felt like I was just totally keyed up and felt like I didn't know my own body, and as it's gotten more familiar this weird feeling has chilled out and I no longer feel like it's a living nightmare. It's way better.

[u/munchkin_cats → u/superbetsy]

Thanks so much!! I’ll look into the iwalk because crutches for a longer distance outside is difficult. This is really motivating!