I did 10 weeks without weight-bearing after a spectacularly messy ankle fracture in 1990, and then another month after fracturing the other ankle four years later. I disagree with Giok on the choice of crutches; I advise the basic wooden hospital-issue under-the-oxter type. Just make sure they are correctly fitted, with the tops four fingers below the hollow of your armpit, and have nice cushy padding on the tops and the hand-grips. Elbow crutches require more strength in the arms, shoulders and upper chest than the long kind, and therefore are less suitable for women who are new to the entire crutch experience. Of course, your mileage may vary, especially if you start your day with ten push-ups from the toes.

As long as your leg is in plaster, spend as much time as you can on the sofa with the cast propped up at or above heart level. During the non-weight-bearing phase, sleep, entertain friends, watch the telly, read, and undertake only such work as can be done in a recumbent position. (I edited an entire manual of government contracting procedures alternating between bed and sofa, carrying the copy back and forth in my teeth.) Let other people feed you and fetch and carry for you. Bumming around is not only good exercise, it is also a safe way to get downstairs until you build up enough strength in your arms to do it upright without risk of toppling headfirst.