Broke My Ankle - Non Moto

[Matzoballa]

BARF -
Don't know if this belongs here but I'm posting this after a week in bed. F'n miserable.
Last Monday, I was riding my bicycle behind the ballpark, nice day, got off work early. I looped a wheelie and came down wrong on my right foot, dislocating and fracturing my ankle. All I know is I was falling behind the bike instead of running like usual. My ankle felt hot. Looking down, I discovered my foot pointed completely 90° outward to the right.. UM this isn't good. I was not wearing the shoes I usually ride in, could have been a major factor.
Called for an ambulance and within 3 minutes two of the coolest Paramedic EMT guys and a bunch of SF firefighters got me all loaded in to the ambulance. Lesson learned? Wear supportive shoes and don't overloop it.

Got my ankle reset and splinted at UCSF. Great facility and staff. Everyone was real surprised how well I was managing the pain. I had a bad back injury 5 years ago and am pretty accident prone already, so I must be used to it.

I am scheduled for surgery at the UCSF Orthopedics center tomorrow. It is broken in two places and I have a torn ligament. I don't remember all the details, they are in the stack of paperwork sitting next to me.

All I can say for sure is that even in the splint, it is unstable. The feeling flips flops between being clamped in a bench vise or having a greyhound bus parked on it. If I get up for anything, within 30 seconds my whole leg and foot turns purple and swells up. I've managed to get to/from the doctors but at home, I don't know what I would be doing if I didn't have my personal hot nurse esq girlfriend to help me with everything. She's awesome, everyone should have one just in case

At this point I can't wait for tomorrow, and to get through this and into physical therapy to start this road to recovery.

I am praying for a successful procedure. All forms of cycling and boarding are defining activities in my life and I can't imagine having other hobbies.
I am getting kinda tired of just veggin' out in bed, and hopping around. Can't wait to get into PT and start getting back into even better shape. At least that's how it was with my lower back fusion. I hope I don't have unreasonable expectations, but optimism is the only thing getting me through this. I can't stand the pain pills, they suck..they make the pain much more focused and pinpointed so I have been just dealing with it.

Don't really know the point of this thread, but I'm stuck in bed so why not.
Can anyone recommend a good therapist in the city?
Any success or horror stories?

Blake

 

[Cincinnatus]

Skyrim :thumbup

 

[Matzoballa]

I see a new gaming PC rig in my future. Hopefully once the swelling starts to go down I can use my free time to build this CX500 I have here too.

 

[EastBayDave]

Yep, good time to have a laptop while your sitting up in bed.

I hear Battlefield 4 is about to come out? Weeee.....

Get well soon!!!

 

[KWeezyXB12]

Skyrim :thumbup

:rofl agreed

 

[Mr Pepsi]

My brother in law was on his BMW GS on a ride from Oregon to Baja. On his return trip he fell in silt and broke his ankle. He had to ride 20 miles in to town to a hospital. All I can say is, 6 months later he flew back to Mexico to pick up and ride his bike back. He's still riding today. Be patient. If the doctor says not to ride for 4 months, then DON'T FRIGGING RIDE FOR FOUR MONTHS. This is not an injury you want to mess around with.

 

[Matzoballa]

I was looking forward to hearing something like that, Mr. Pepsi.

Well, 4 hours till I'm on the OR table.

 

[Mr Pepsi]

Good luck, we look forward to hearing from you after.

 

[Matzoballa]

Been about 18 hours since surgery. I was told that everything went "well" and I'm home now waiting for my 2 week followup. The nerve block injection they gave me is almost worn off and the feeling is now very "tight", Feels like everything is screwed together real well in my ankle..just f'n hurts right!

Any exercises I can do laying in bed?
Hope my Roku 3 gets here soon too.

 

[EastBayDave]

Any exercises I can do laying in bed?

well when the pain meds start to wear off....there's things you can do w/both hands to take your mind of your ankle....:laughing

 

[Matzoballa]

Nerve block officially wore off at 4pm. Bout 24 hours after they injected me... I thought I was ahead of the pain with my meds but Holy fuck, I didn't know pain even existed at an intensity level this high. The doctor said the first 3 days are like this, and after that there is a dramatic decrease in pain. No weight on my foot for 3 months now.

My hat's off to anyone recovering from a major injury. Don't know how anyone does this. Much worse than when I broke my lower back.

 

[Mr Pepsi]

Just keep up with your meds, and take them before the pain begins to return, or that will keep happening.

 

[Matzoballa]

Little update:
Stopped the pain meds yesterday morning. The pain is much more manageable now, no more melting walls and junkie jitters, too! I can tolerate this now, much much easier.
Last day of antibiotics, they were tearing my stomach up so I am happy to be ending them. My dad came out to visit and stay for a few days to help out. Working on getting this e36 BMW running and smogged for me to use in the next coming months.
Picked up a new couch to hang out on, put the cable service back on. Guess I'm tryin to make the best out of this situation. Let's just say I'm feeling 100x better than I did a few days ago. I wanted to update this from my last post, wasn't doing that well a few days ago. Thanks for all the real kind words you guys.

 

[EastBayDave]

yep, first 3 days are the worst= i would say day 2 late it's nasty. After day 3 will subside a bit. Some bones hurt worst than others. My foot I think was worst, hand/wrist second, shoulder/collarbone third tied w/ribs. etc. etc.

Broken bones hurt like hell, but at least is only a few days for the worst of it; then it starts getting better from there. Soft tissue injuries can hurt just as bad, but take months/years to get better! Sometimes they never get better (been there done that.) Feel lucky it's just a break.

Don't over due it early, as you need those bones to heal together the right way. If you move too early (I did once) they have to re-break it (OUCH!!!), & I will never do that again.

Just relax, rent some video's or something, video games, etc. until you can start putting weight on it w/o pain.

Get well soon! :teeth :ride

 

[Matzoballa]

First post op shower: That hot water.. mmmm

Thank you everyone for the support.
I have been reading though the ROTM threads. This is by far the best section of BARF. The sheer display of selflessness and camaraderie in here is absolutely humbling. I will definitely be hosting a BARF-BQ when I'm back on my feet and can man the grills.

 

[carries an axe]

First post op shower: That hot water.. mmmm

Thank you everyone for the support.
I have been reading though the ROTM threads. This is by far the best section of BARF. The sheer display of selflessness and camaraderie in here is absolutely humbling. I will definitely be hosting a BARF-BQ when I'm back on my feet and can man the grills.

Kick ass!:thumbup
Big props for kicking the pills. As a former addict I can say that nothing hindered my recovery as much as the unnecessary pills I was encouraged to take.

Stay off them. (Im not a doctor)

I know that feel. BARF is truly what keeps me going somedays. The amount of support I receive from the membership is beyond my ability to ever repay.

Host the :bbq I'll be there.

*EDIT: I noticed that you are In SF. If you ever need to get out of the house or could use a distraction let me know. I live by SF State and Im usually free most afternoons, chilling by the bbq. Just give a shout

 

[Matzoballa]

That's awesome of you Adam. I live on Treasure Island (I know, who the hell lives there?!?!?) but my lady lives up on Taraval so I'm not too far most of the time.

For now, I'm chilling out, had a small mis step on my crutch 2 nights ago. My right crutch slipped out a little on a rug and before I could catch myself, my bad foot was on the ground and a shocking blast of nerves fired up in my ankle. No major pain, just tingly nerves that have been dormant for a while and I feel like I set myself back a few days for the swelling. If I knocked something loose or out of place or cracked something I'd think I would be in a whole lot of pain. Either way, I have my 1st post op appointment at the doctor on Thursday so we will see where I stand then..or sit..or limp..or whatever.

Blake

 

[eric9877]

Damn! Bolts and screws are no fun dude. Just give it your all at physical therapy when you get to that point. I had one shoulder get bolted back together and it turned out great, I had the other get injured and I went on the 12oz curl lager recovery plan- got fat and lazy and my shoulder never healed right.

 

[napmonster]

You are very fortunate (despite the obvious misfortune) for several things. First, you have access to what sounds like great medical care (yes, I realize it's likely not free). And also, you have, more or less, an end date in sight. It sucks during the recovery time, but with responsible use of pain killers you can have a decent quality of life until you are back on (both)feet. The worst, absolute worst, is to have a debilitating injury or condition that cannot be diagnosed, and where the docs essentially say, sorry, can't determine the problem, and don't know how to fix it, and hence, you are stuck like this until some miracle occurs.

I mean not to dismiss your obvious suffering and frustration, but a few months, even one year, is a blip. My spine condition has been going on 12 years and has stolen all activites that made my life enjoyable, and has destroyed me financially. The chronic, relentless pain is another nightmare in itself that robs you of your sanity. I'm speaking of injuries so severe that they affect relationships, marriages, friendships, your ability to work....everything.

And yet, even I am ashamed to complain of my own situation. I think of those who have had far more devastating, permanent injuries, or those who have no access to painkillers or cortisone injections and what not, or not even a comfortable bed for recuperation. The fellow user Carries An Axe is a shining example of a man who deals with this type of life changing experience, yet has managed to keep his sanity and smiling face. I think of people like Dave Stanton, Eric Arnold and others and am reminded how much worse things could be.

Crutches suck, nasty breaks suck, hardware sucks, pain sucks, but in the grand scheme this is an injury that will not turn your life upside down and will be no more than a blip in the long term. I do not doubt your pain for an instant, but I could only wish I were in your shoes.


Heal quick, and well.

 

[carries an axe]

You are very fortunate...

Thank you for your kind words, I do my best with what Ive been dealt. When we created this forum there was a discussion amongst the MC over what ROTM should be. Originally I had felt it should be a place for serious moto accidents exclusively.

Some agreed, but I am happy most did not.

What I learned is simply put: Injury is not exclusive. It's shared in someway by everyone around it, as Im sure you know.

So then, shouldn't our support be shared as well? I certainly have no right to judge what qualifies for compassion. I am glad Blake turned here for support and I encourage anyone lurking to do the same.

We play the hand we are dealt, I for one am glad I don't play alone.

PS. napmonster, you should start a thread as I would love read it. SCI is something little talked about. I learn something new about my own injuries each time I listen to someone who's had experience.
would you mind?