Ankle strain not healing

I injured my ankle back at the end of August. I was told it was a strain and not a big deal, and that I didn't need to even put an Ace wrap on it. There was no visible bruising and very mild swelling, and "no tendon involvement". I then worsened it by staggering rapidly down a steep slope (I was being chased by an angry elk), and it started hurting more and swelling more. I then later set back the recovery by taking an easy hike apparently prematurely- it started hurting again. After a month and a half, I started wearing an aircast, which did seem to help it, and started babying it and avoiding exertion. I got to the point where the swelling and pain mainly subsided, but it still was recovering very slowly. I then tried soaking it epsom salts per someone's advice, but maybe because the water was too hot my foot swelled up considerably, and my large roommate chose that time to step on it with his boot. For 2-3 weeks after that I had serious problems with swelling again, including not just the ankle but the entire foot, so that it was uncomfortable to stand on. Even taking a warm shower seemed to make it swell up. Up until recently it has seemed like even being warm- say from wearing thick socks and having the heater up high- has inflamed it a bit, and I still haven't tried seeing how it will handle a warm shower yet.

The major swelling eventually went away..but its been a couple months since that, and the darn thing still hasnt healed. It seems to be stuck. Usually there is no pain or only moderate soreness, and discomfort that seems to come from stiffness or weakness. But it is still puffy and a little swollen around the ankle (it seems to have become more so since wearing the air cast). I can't walk comfortably in shoes without the air cast- the ankle feels weak and floppy (as if having trouble lifting the shoe due to weakness) and starts to get sore (walking around my room barefoot seems to cause not much trouble). There are still certain motions, mainly turning it to the side, that cause a stab of pain. Up and down motion seems almost normal, but side to side it seems much more limited than my normal foot, and can cause a little pain. I'm also wondering if there are problems with the foot, apart from the ankle, due to the epsom/boot incident, as I seem to experience discomfort on the top of the foot that isn't obviously ankle related. For example, if I put on shoes without the aircast on, after tying the laces it feels like I'm putting uncomfortable pressure on the top of my foot.

I have tried to perform exercises on it, but sometimes its felt too uncomfortable, and other times I've just forgotten. It seems to have gotten pretty weak.

Does anyone have any suggestions concerning this?