"Being Unable to walk without crutches for 12 weeks"

I broke my knee in December, I was seen by the fracture clinic at Crosshouse Hospital until it was confirmed healed on my last appointment at the end of Feb. At this appointment I mentioned that my foot was totally numb from just above the ankle down. They immediately took X-rays and said nothing was broken and it was probably just nerve damage that would heal in time. I hobbled around the whole of March with the pain getting progressively worse. So I saw my GP first week in April and they gave me Naproxen for 3 weeks and a repeat appointment at the end of the prescription. 

On the second week of the prescription in mid April the pain was so bad that I attended A&E at Crosshouse Hospital because I couldn’t immediately get a GP appointment. 

I was seen by the triage nurse but because I couldn't give them a specific incident that I injured my foot they told me that I wouldn’t be seen. 

I then insisted on being seen and they told me I would have a considerable wait then because I couldn’t give an incident or time that I injured my foot. 

I waited two and a half hours for the same triage nurse to ask me to follow them a considerable distance around the hospital even though I was complaining of pain with every step to the Minor Injuries Clinic. 

I was told to take my sock off and I would be seen. I waited so long (40 minutes) with my sock off I put it back on because my foot was cold. I was seen by a nurse practitioner who had a quick look, no examination, and told me that I should be taking paracetamol 4 times a day and try to keep my foot moving. I wasn’t too impressed with this considering my symptoms and asked them to compare the painful foot with the normal foot. When they saw the painful foot was nearly twice the size of the normal foot they immediately said that this was for Minor injuries and they can’t deal with that. 

By this time I’d been in the hospital for nearly 5 hours and was getting more despondent by the second. The nurse recommended I go back to my GP and I thought what was the point in coming in the first place. 

The next day I managed to get an on-the-day GP appointment as by this time I had been in crutches for over a week. My GP immediately ordered an X-ray, told me it looked like severe nerve damage and prescribed tablets for nerve pain. The X-ray took 5 days, even though it was urgent, and by this time I had been on crutches over two weeks and in constant pain. 

I’ve told every medical professional that has seen me that I live on my own, was finding it hard to even get to the toilet and I had to get friends to bring me the shopping basics as I can’t get out or drive. 

Luckily before my follow-up appointment with my GP to discuss the X-ray (3 weeks later) I had an appointment with Rheumatology at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. They reviewed the X-ray and told me I had a fracture in my foot that must have happened at the beginning of March and again nerve damage. I was told an appointment for a nerve study would be made. 

I then saw my GP, who obviously told me the same thing and discharged me as rheumatology were dealing with it. Which I was happy with.  

The point I’m trying to make is, I have been in pain and on crutches for 6 weeks now. I live alone can’t get out to do the shopping or drive. 

Luckily I am retired as if I worked I would have been off work for 6 weeks and the foreseeable future as now I’m waiting for a nerve study, then I’ll be waiting for an action plan. I’m wondering how many more weeks that will be? 

I’ve been stuck at home on crutches for 6 weeks now with a friend having to bring me shopping and I have no idea how many more weeks I’ll be here without any treatment. I’m not an old man but I’m unsure if I can be confined to the house for another few weeks or months hobbling around on crutches still in pain waiting for some help. 

Is there anything else that can be done?

Waiting time

Access to outdoors

Treatment