Monica,
I fell on the ice last winter and broke my right ankle in 3 places - my foot was just dangling off of the end of my leg - so I've been down this road! Three months off my feet!!! UGGGHHHH!!! And the right ankle means no driving!!!
As hard as it is, what you need to do to reduce swelling is to keep your ankle elevated ABOVE your hip, and keep your hip ABOVE your heart! While doing this, keep ice on it for 20 minutes out of each hour your awake.
To maintain the position, my orthopedist (sp) suggested laying on the couch/bed with a pillow under my (although already generous!) butt to keep my hips higher than my heart, and to keep a sofa cushion or two under my ankle to keep it higher than my hip.
I know it sounds hard - thankfully I had all kinds of drugs to keep me still and make me sleep! (Aleve or Advil should help.) For entertainment between naps, I had my husbands laptop on my chest playing Scrabble and card games. Wish I'd know about YT then!!
Good luck and feel better soon! |