Model Sarah wrote:
I can walk okay! My ankle is still sore if I walk more than 10 minutes, so I'm not ready for that yet...but it seems like every 2 or 3 days I can tell I am healing extremely well. Stairs are still iffy. Going down them in particular, I have to go down them at an angle in order for shooting pain not to occur. I don't think I need PT, but I don't know much about and the benefits of it?

I feel like by the end of February I should be pretty okay. By then it will have been 3 months. I'm going to start trying to schedule modeling sessions locally in February. Unfortunately, I can't risk hiking but studio should be fine within reason.

My rent is due in a week and I am about $300+ short on it. But thanks to random help from people, it has definitely helped me not feel as alone. My best friend came back from a family trip and called me last night. I realized at one point I was talking AT her, if that makes sense? That's how alone/lonely I have been. I thought that was pretty funny at the time.

Good to hear you are improving, Sarah.  If the PT is provided at low or no cost to you, I recommend it!  They can show you things that will help.  Otherwise keep doing it, but carefully.

Patrick Walberg wrote:

Good to hear you are improving, Sarah.  If the PT is provided at low or no cost to you, I recommend it!  They can show you things that will help.  Otherwise keep doing it, but carefully.

I can, I just don't have a car. I sold it in December to make January rent.

I think I believe I am a superperson with resilience but it isn't something you can will into existence with bones!

JT99 wrote:
Ouch!  I'm not trying to steal your thunder but I'm wearing an arm cast right now due to breaking my right scaphoid (a wrist bone).  Climbing a 9 foot brick wall and landing on asphalt on the other side to unlock a gate did not go well... so, I can at least commiserate with you.

Well, sir, you are officially in charge of making up a better story for me than slipping on stairs in Maryland!

JT99 wrote:
Haha! Yeah, I tend to embellish my story the more I told it.  The 9 foot wall was close to 12 feet before I started reeling it back in!

But seriously, it's when you think you're safe/indestructible (or just plain foolhardy) that the worst accidents tend to happen.  Still, you could add something to your story about a stray kitten you were trying to run after and help, or something like that

It is THE dumbest story ever. Slipping on two whole stairs on a friend's front porch without the light on.

Hmm... "It was a dark night in a cabin in the woods and a little kitten was cornered by...uh....a wolf? I used my running skills and ran to scoop him/her? up. I kicked the wolf in the head and crawled back to the cabin. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED."

Haha....I am not a good fiction writer.

Model Sarah wrote:


It is THE dumbest story ever. Slipping on two whole stairs on a friend's front porch without the light on.

Hmm... "It was a dark night in a cabin in the woods and a little kitten was cornered by...uh....a wolf? I used my running skills and ran to scoop him/her? up. I kicked the wolf in the head and crawled back to the cabin. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED."

Haha....I am not a good fiction writer.

Sounds like a good start though!  An elementary teacher said she was going to suggest my story to her 2nd graders for a story-writing exercise.  I thought she was kidding but...nope.  You just need some 2nd grade ghost writers!

JT99 wrote:
[/img]
Honestly I’m impressed you can walk at all. The soft tissue, including your nerves, tendons and ligaments, need time  to heal too after all! And long-unused muscles need stretched and used, which will often be painful. I’m told my wrist will need at least 3 months of physical therapy after 3 months in a cast…

I personally don't think I SHOULD be walking but I am not an orthopedic doctor so, I'm just following orders. He said 2 1/2 - 3 months. It has been 2 1/2 months. It is by no means normal, at all. My ankle does NOT look like an ankle. It is very weird, for lack of a better term. I have a feeling it will take 6 months total to be "normal", whatever that means. There is no bruising but swelling and it hurts if I walk more than a mile total - not briskly either. I'm half walking "normally" and half hobbling. I probably need to make an appointment for a follow up but I sold my car (long story) to both get rid of it and pay rent so it is hard to book an appointment to where I need to go because Ubers are expensive. The good news is, when I do make that appointment that whole building is for orthopedics so I can probably see a physical therapist same day. So at least there is that! The sketch artists/classes all know about my injury and haven't hired me because of the limited standing posing I can do. Most photographers seem to be understanding, but when you are limited, it isn't the best advertisement, unfortunately. I think the Spring is a good goal for me at this point. I'm feeling better but the dull pain sucks. If any of you have never broken a bone, especially on a body part like an ankle, it really sucks and the little things bring joy. The progress is slower than a tortoise, but I'll take it. Trying to hang in there, guys.

Speaking of, if anyone reading/following this would like to help; https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-with-re … -i-recover


Here it is today. You can see the swelling and the not normal looking ankle.

Tikeya wrote:
Hi, Sarah! It's so good to see some familiar names still on the forums after all of these years! You and my dear Patrick Wahlberg...yesss! I'm sorry about your ankle though. Hope it's fully healed soon so you can be back at 100%, and you can truly enjoy this upcoming spring (Winter SUCKS...bring on springtime!).

I hope things went well while you were out here in Maryland recently. And I know what you mean about Ubers being expensive.  I've never driven a car in my life, and rely on the $1 bus (It only runs Monday-Friday) to get to/from work, etc. On weekends I take an Uber if I have somewhere I need to go.

A friend of mine was coming back from Florida helping his mom with surgery and basically told me he was going to kidnap me so I could get out of my apartment for the first time in almost 3 months. I really needed this. I am still here. Luckily the weather has been absolutely beautiful.

I had my first shoot while here and...I shouldn't have done that, I think. I don't think I damaged it further, but it hurts. Photographer was VERY aware of my situation and made sure I was okay. There is a LOT of inflammation. Like, my ankle feels hot and there is some swelling. I'm going to make an appointment for PT once I get home on Friday.

It didn't occur to me that maybe I should have gotten a cat scan or mri instead of just an x-ray? I don't know.

Model Sarah wrote:



It is THE dumbest story ever. Slipping on two whole stairs on a friend's front porch without the light on.

Hmm... "It was a dark night in a cabin in the woods and a little kitten was cornered by...uh....a wolf? I used my running skills and ran to scoop him/her? up. I kicked the wolf in the head and crawled back to the cabin. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED."

Haha....I am not a good fiction writer.

Where can I pick up the audiobook?

GSmithPhoto wrote:

Where can I pick up the audiobook?

It goes like this; AHHHHHHH! THIS ISNT RIGHT. SOMETHING IS WRONG.

Model Sarah wrote:
I have a follow up with my orthopedic doctor to make sure I am healing correctly. I have dull pain every day. I thought I would be normal by now.

Oh, and my dad died 5 days ago.

I'm so sorry to hear about your dad passing.  It's a loss I understand, as my dad had passed April 13th 2001 .. we never forget, because love is forever! 

The reality of broken bones is it takes time to heal.  Another reality is that you might have some pain on occasion even after you've healed.  At least that is what I have found.  I've had broken ankles twice, a broken neck, and a badly broken leg.

I hope you continue to heal. Glad that you've been posting here.

Model Sarah wrote:
Orthopedic doctor says it is "well healed". I asked him why it still hurts even though I have a very high pain tolerance. He was kind of a dick. "That's normal" as he smiled with a tone like I was an ignorant child. The only reason I picked him is because his schedule was open at the end of December. Perhaps his bedside manners are why.

Ugh. ANYWAY, since he had no regard for my pain and suggested tylenol (which is not helping AT ALL), I suppose I'm just going to live in physical pain for a while. He suggested injections and I just don't like the sound of that.

Well I'm not a doctor, but I have broken my ankles at least twice since I was in 6th grade camp and in adulthood. It sounds like you might have had a worse break to your ankle though than mine. Did the doctor put any screws in your bone?  Sometimes screws and/or titanium rods can take longer for your body to get used to as it is not normal to have such objects in us.  My ankles do not bother me anymore and it was the Fall of 2007 when I broke my ankle last.  That was also the same year I broke my neck .. yeah I'm a glutten for pain. Fortunately I've healed without metal objects being inserted in me for those injuries.  I have found that makes a difference.. so.If you are still completely biologically without heavy metal in you .. okay.   

-Sigh-  Now I hate to tell you this, as this really sucks.  After I broke my right leg at both the fibula and tibia ..it was the most painful thing I'd experienced at the moment of impact when it snapped.  I was lucky as there were some blessings from that day.  The pain meds were pretty good. I met the doctor who was going to do the surgery right away.  He joked about his own name, which was "Doornik" and I joked back at him asking if he'd done these surgeries before .. which he liked because he was a mature (older) man. Everything went well. 

I healed with a boot and careful slow steps as the leg got stronger over about 7 weeks. Since it still hurt sometimes a year later, I went to see him again.  He told me that from the xrays that I healed fine and just get used to pain every once in awhile.  It still hurt at times.  I have a titanium rod in my leg that had to be attached with screws.  Years later I only have some pain when doing certain things, like crawling for example.

Patrick Walberg wrote:
Well I'm not a doctor, but I have broken my ankles at least twice since I was in 6th grade camp and in adulthood. It sounds like you might have had a worse break to your ankle though than mine. Did the doctor put any screws in your bone?  Sometimes screws and/or titanium rods can take longer for your body to get used to as it is not normal to have such objects in us.  My ankles do not bother me anymore and it was the Fall of 2007 when I broke my ankle last.  That was also the same year I broke my neck .. yeah I'm a glutten for pain. Fortunately I've healed without metal objects being inserted in me for those injuries.  I have found that makes a difference.. so.If you are still completely biologically without heavy metal in you .. okay.   

-Sigh-  Now I hate to tell you this, as this really sucks.  After I broke my right leg at both the fibula and tibia ..it was the most painful thing I'd experienced at the moment of impact when it snapped.  I was lucky as there were some blessings from that day.  The pain meds were pretty good. I met the doctor who was going to do the surgery right away.  He joked about his own name, which was "Doornik" and I joked back at him asking if he'd done these surgeries before .. which he liked because he was a mature (older) man. Everything went well. 

I healed with a boot and careful slow steps as the leg got stronger over about 7 weeks. Since it still hurt sometimes a year later, I went to see him again.  He told me that from the xrays that I healed fine and just get used to pain every once in awhile.  It still hurt at times.  I have a titanium rod in my leg that had to be attached with screws.  Years later I only have some pain when doing certain things, like crawling for example.

That is pretty much what this guy said. Basically like; "welp, that's what happens!" Like ??? ....this can't be normal. It has been 3 months. He said no surgery, no screws, pins, but um...what if it IS worse like you suggest? I was non weight bearing for 4 weeks in a boot, right? He suggested an ankle brace and to start bearing weight on it. This seemed rather fast to me, but what do I know? I'm reading that is HALF the time for healing.

Here is the thing, I had someone tell me back in December that their doctor didn't trust xrays and to get a CT scan? That revealed something else so I wonder if I should suggest that with my primary doctor? This is a dull pain. It's every day. I am greatly scared I have a higher risk for arthritis. What if surgery (screws/pins etc) can save/help this?

Ugh, I got a disconnect for my electric (that is raising rates 50% next month after I already paid them $225 a week ago). I haven't even properly dealt with my dad's passing. My dreams are scaring me. They are greatly worsening my sleep and stress levels.

I'm just a human. There is only so much I can handle.

Model Sarah wrote:
That is pretty much what this guy said. Basically like; "welp, that's what happens!" Like ??? ....this can't be normal. It has been 3 months. He said no surgery, no screws, pins, but um...what if it IS worse like you suggest? I was non weight bearing for 4 weeks in a boot, right? He suggested an ankle brace and to start bearing weight on it. This seemed rather fast to me, but what do I know? I'm reading that is HALF the time for healing.

Here is the thing, I had someone tell me back in December that their doctor didn't trust xrays and to get a CT scan? That revealed something else so I wonder if I should suggest that with my primary doctor? This is a dull pain. It's every day. I am greatly scared I have a higher risk for arthritis. What if surgery (screws/pins etc) can save/help this?

Ugh, I got a disconnect for my electric (that is raising rates 50% next month after I already paid them $225 a week ago). I haven't even properly dealt with my dad's passing. My dreams are scaring me. They are greatly worsening my sleep and stress levels.

I'm just a human. There is only so much I can handle.

Hey Sarah, I'm sorry.  I do not want to cause your stress levels to go up. If we were talking in person or even on the phone, I am more of a calming type, so let me try to explain something?  No, you do not want screws or pins or nothing else artificial in you!  That stuff is what has continued to be the thing that gives me pain every once in awhile in my knee and leg. I know people who benefit from hip and knee replacements. It's when the pain is so bad, as in bone crunching on bone that such surgery is needed.  My own mom had a hip replacement. However it's always better if the solution to the problem is biological. 

Be patient with your healing.  Keep doing any physical therapy that you are told will help, and do your best to keep working at the gigs you can do.  Hopefully the pain is dissipating each week, and even each day.  IF after another month from now you are still having a lot of pain, then see if you can find a doctor who will do a CT scan.  I wish I could help you with a bit of money as I think you are a great model and wonderful person, but I'm dealing with some stuff right now too.  If things work out for me in the next month or two, I will be able to. 

I've lost both my parents now. We all have our own ways of grieving. My parents do come to me in my dreams, and more often times it is good, not bad.  Insomnia is something I battle with too.  Maybe what I'm saying is that you are not alone.  I care.

Patrick Walberg wrote:
Hey Sarah, I'm sorry.  I do not want to cause your stress levels to go up. If we were talking in person or even on the phone, I am more of a calming type, so let me try to explain something?  No, you do not want screws or pins or nothing else artificial in you!  That stuff is what has continued to be the thing that gives me pain every once in awhile in my knee and leg. I know people who benefit from hip and knee replacements. It's when the pain is so bad, as in bone crunching on bone that such surgery is needed.  My own mom had a hip replacement. However it's always better if the solution to the problem is biological. 

Be patient with your healing.  Keep doing any physical therapy that you are told will help, and do your best to keep working at the gigs you can do.  Hopefully the pain is dissipating each week, and even each day.  IF after another month from now you are still having a lot of pain, then see if you can find a doctor who will do a CT scan.  I wish I could help you with a bit of money as I think you are a great model and wonderful person, but I'm dealing with some stuff right now too.  If things work out for me in the next month or two, I will be able to. 

I've lost both my parents now. We all have our own ways of grieving. My parents do come to me in my dreams, and more often times it is good, not bad.  Insomnia is something I battle with too.  Maybe what I'm saying is that you are not alone.  I care.

Thank you for that. It really helped a lot.

I didn't mean I want metal in my body, I just wondered if it would help via a possible misdiagnosis considering the horrible bedside manners of my orthopedic doctor. I know how bones and bone growth works but this guy makes me feel like I am an 8 year old with a sprained ankle.

My dreams are insane. I keep logs of them. I don't know what that is indicative of but...

I still haven't grieved yet. I'm working on things day to day.

MatureModelMM wrote:
Sarah, I am sorry to hear about your injury and your losses.

As far as ongoing pain from broken or fractured bones, it is real. I foolishly went roller skating in my early 30's and promptly fell and broke my arm which required a plate and screws, which are still there nearly 40 years later.  It hurt a lot longer than they said it would, but eventually got to the point where it didn't.  Now I am still aware of the plate being present and you can feel the screws by touching my arm, but everything works OK and no pain after a couple of years at the start. 

A family member who fractured his wrist was told by a reputable orthopedic specialist to expect it to continue to hurt for a very long time, and that a year is not a very long time.  He said it hurt a lot less often after a year, but still could feel it from time to time and did not expect it to ever fully subside.  X-rays, and a CAT scan, verified that the bone had healed well, but that did nothing to affect the pain upon motion.

The fact that you continue to improve is encouraging. But I wonder if doctors intentionally don't tell people how long it might be uncomfortable in order to get them to at least take some precautions during the initial, most crucial healing stages?

That is exactly what I think is happening. Even the internet doesn't talk about how long the pain lasts. I just want someone to be straight up with me about it. I admit I don't know anything about healing with broken bones, like just tell me!

Model Sarah wrote:
That is exactly what I think is happening. Even the internet doesn't talk about how long the pain lasts. I just want someone to be straight up with me about it. I admit I don't know anything about healing with broken bones, like just tell me!

For what it's worth:
I broke my wrist in the Spring of 2019.
I went to the Doctor after six months.
Four or so months later I was finished with plate implant and cast.
I still feel twinges from time to time.

Model Sarah wrote:
I am wondering if PT would help with that?

You can do gentle exercises on your own. Keep in mind that motion helps the bones to knit.
The advantage of PT is that the therapist will force you into painful motion.

Model Sarah wrote:
This made me cry. Completely ruined my day.

I lost four different jobs in the past week and so I can't pay my rent, and I have a disconnect for April 4th on my electric. So I thought, I would post on Craigslist about my availability. Yes, I had to say in all capital letters, do not message me for sex work. But then I get stuff like this. I have been fighting my entire career to not be objectified. I can't control what people do with the shots they take of me but almost all of them have been just trying to work the right side of their brain creating art with an aesthetic female form. I know that. There is nothing sexual about anything I do. So for someone to sexualize me and my work like this just cut me in half.

Jesus! What a creep! It may give you little satisfaction, but definitely report this moron to Craigslist.

Made me sick reading this.

Mark Salo wrote:

For what it's worth:
I broke my wrist in the Spring of 2019.
I went to the Doctor after six months.
Four or so months later I was finished with plate implant and cast.
I still feel twinges from time to time.

The pain is starting to subside, I think! Just in the past couple of days it feels better. I hope I am turning a corner!