Broken Tib/fib journal

[EastBayDave]

Made it into the office for a few hours yesterday - I was actually pretty stoked to get out of the house for a bit, while I'm an introvert, there's a limit, and I've been feeling pretty secluded already :nchantr It's pretty bad when you actually MISS going in to the office, even if my human interaction there is limited, I'm at least around other humans - not that my felines aren't loving having me around more :laughing

My leg on the other hand didn't seem to appreciate the going in as much as my mind did. No real increase in pain or anything, but the swelling in my poor widdle foot got bad again - thankfully went back to where it was (or even slightly better) overnight. It's still pretty swollen either way, but seems to finally be receding a bit. Two toes almost look normal again LOL.

It's actually kind of cute, the cats are definitely more "concerned" than normal, my boy 'kitten' especially...he's normally the most aloof of the group, but has been rather "protective" since I broke my leg - I've heard of other people who've had a cat act similar when they were injured bad...kind of interesting behavior that, from a scientific standpoint, I actually find rather fascinating.....this was him last night after I got home and settled in:

Wow :wow I think I would have stayed home a bit longer; but lately I fully understand how you feel. Been kinda lonely around here. After a few weeks of attention everyone went back to their lives (old friends), & not hearing from them so I been calling THEM lately.

Last time I got hurt like that I was off f/2+ months. I finally went back to work (11 yr. job) before I was ready worried about me job. Wobbling/shaking on crutches (broken toes/foot, hand, ribs= pretty busted up @ speed f/race crash.) Found upon arrival I had been replaced; boss apologetic allright, but "I had to do something/you were hardest worker we had & we couldn't do anything w/o a person in that position."

Oh, so I had been replaced/laid off. I guess I understood his point, but after 11 years there I was still pretty miffed (they could have at least called.) Now I had to go back to job hunting & make a resume after so many years of hard work making a business fly....cry)

I hear ya on the cats; when I initially came back they ran from me. They honestly didn't know me at first. Finally the oldest (8yr old "Bandi"), came to me a cryin' & ah rubbin'. He figured it out quick. Now he won't leave my side; my constant companion now. He's blind but smells his way to me now matter where in the house I am. I think he's afraid I may go away again. Strange.

the younger one (1yr. old "Emma") was quite scared of me for several days. Eventually she came back to me & plopped right down on my (ouch) chest purring loudly. Finally figured it out eh'? I guess they thought I was gone forever after 8 weeks away in hospital/rehab. I'm glad they now know I'm back...:cool

BTW, when you get to swelling/pain/puffing up, try a cold pack on that area for 10-15 minutes. Remove/warm up, then put it on again. Typically will remove worst of the pain, & reduce swelling. If you don't have an ice-pack, a freezer bag full of ice works too. Don't leave it on too long as there's a danger of frostbite. On off, on-off. Works for me...:thumbup

 

[Owl]

glad to hear you're doing well, furry companionship can be the best companionship

cabin fever was definitely one of the most mentally challenging parts of recovery for me too. basically under house arrest, tv and movies ain't gonna cut it for very long. i took up model making for a couple weeks, i was working on a tank and a plane to go with my model motorcycle and race cars (random, totally random haha). i drew in my journal, made up comic strips, doodled randomly and wrote all sorts of random crap just to pass the time. i tried to find anything i could to keep my hands/brain occupied and take a couple hours out of my day.

if you wanna try making a model plane (without having to buy all the little assembly bits, glue, paint, etc) i'll happily share my stuff with you. lmk

have you tried meditation? picking up an instrument?

also +1 on using ice packs regularly, helps manage swelling and pain. i'd wrapped my ankle in a light towel, pile ice packs all over, wrap up with ace bandage.... and basically fall asleep after 20 mins haha, i figured my body heat would warm up the ice packs eventually and the extra towel between the ice and my skin would prevent mild frostbite. not a medically approved method for sure haha

keep your spirits up!

 

[Honey Badger]

Oh, ice and cold packs are a regular use item right now. I threw one on at work for the last hour or so I was at my desk which helped a bit. If I go in later this week I'll just start that a little earlier.

I can at least telecommute for work, so I'm able to stay relatively busy - at least mentally. But despite a desk job, this is really a lack of activity for me...got my dumbells out by the couch and have been doing some upper body and core stuff to keep that going. Leg raises and such even with the bad leg to avoid losing as much muscle as I possibly can. I know there will be rehab, but doing everything I can to make sure it's as little as possible (plus, keeps the blood moving). Gave things a few days after surgery to rest, but pretty much in the "need to move" mode again.

Just discovered that basic vacuuming isn't too horrible on crutches, so ran a vacuum over the big areas of my (very tiny) house. Not sure about mopping the floors though - the crutches are super sketch on damp, smooth surfaces, so I may need to leave that to the roomie - housekeepers are fucking ridiculous, I refuse to pay what they want for something I was doing in kindergarten....the cheapest I've seen so far they want $15/hour MORE than I earn at my job that required a degree and experience to get! F-THAT. I'll get creative...maybe take my rolling chair into the kitchen to mop LOL.

 

[doc4216]

Funny how pets just know that we are not "okay." My last knee surgery was just a simple scope but Kota was just a puppy then and a complete lunatic. We were worried when I came home that she would jump and hurt me but she was so calm and gentle, which was her opposite temperment at that time.

 

[anytwowilldo]

AJ,

I'm sorry to see this. I hope you are recovering and feeling better by now. You probably know this, but you can rent a little wheeled scooter to rest your knee on and scoot around when you get to that point. It is like a skateboard with a knee rest you can steer. My son had one and got so comfortable with it, he crashed it going around a corner too fast. Someone on Barf may have one you can borrow if you need it. Hang in there and take care of yourself. This will pass and soon you will be back on the track.

 

[Honey Badger]

Thanks Tom.

Surgery round 2 is tomorrow morning, if that goes well, he'll be able to plate the tibia and i can lose the the external fixator.

Swelling from the first surgery is going down a lot already, hopefully i can keep that trend up after round two. Have some recoup time built into the schedule so i have a few days to start feeling perkier...work holidays are helping me not burn up PTO at least (that and my job being very flexible about allowing a lot of telecommuting).

Not looking forward to feeling crappy again, but i AM looking forward to being able to really focus on healing.

 

[anytwowilldo]

How are you? How did it go?

 

[Honey Badger]

Got home from round 2 yesterday afternoon - no more erector set on my leg, so that's a good start. Now to focus on healing and setting myself up for the best outcome I can.

At this point the nerve blocks are still working, so not feeling too bad at the moment - hoping the percoset will have built up in my system enough that as those wear off over the next few hours things don't get TOO much worse :laughing

From a post-op standpoint this one was "normal" - I didn't feel like I was struggling to pull out of the anesthesia, and there was no nausea....this procedure was done at the Doc's normal site rather than the hospital where we did the first one. Not sure WTF the hospital did, but that was a miserable post-op experience - sick, my throat was really sore and swollen (like whoever did the inundation had no fucking clue what they were doing) to the point of making it hard to breath, etc. NONE of that crap this time, felt pretty good by the time I was heading home.

I haven't seen x-rays or anything yet, but my understanding is there is a base plate on the end of the tibia now with screws holding the two ends together. Fibula (which was plated at round 1) has a plate to hold it to length with a triangular/butterfly piece that was too small to screw in, so will need to reattach itself, technically still free-floating.

Until my follow up in two weeks, I don't really have even a ball park on best and worst case recoveries. His biggest concern is soft tissue damage and healing. Once things have had a couple weeks to start healing and we re-x-ray things I'm guessing I'll have a better idea of exactly what we're dealing with in that regard.

In the meantime, I'm just focused on setting myself up for the best possible outcome, trying to eat good and supplement the right stuff, and keep active (giving myself a couple days to recoup if I feel I need it, I'm pretty good about listening to my body, but also don't want to get into a routine of being too easy going, either). Even if I'm going easy on that lower leg, no reason to lose fitness everywhere else! Crutching around will be a little easier without the erector set on there again, plus if I were to fall, it's less scary - those huge pins sticking out of my leg really had me terrified of that - it's one thing to have a slow fall and keep my leg out of it, it was another prospect to try and keep those pins out of the way....so I'll probably add some little crutch-walks into my routine during the days once I'm up to it....it's a surprisingly good cardio workout :laughing

 

[1962siia]

Hey AJ:

Glad this round went well and is past. Sending best wishes for a fast recovery. Thanks for posting up your progress. :thumbup

 

[doc4216]

Yay for easier post surgery this time! Hoping that the next two weeks go relatively smooth.

 

[Smash Allen]

glad to hear the second surgery went well AJ, sounds like you are in a good position relatively speaking. wishing you a happy new year and quick recovery

 

[anytwowilldo]

AJ,

I'm glad it went much smoother this time around! It sounds like the Anesthesiologist was a bit rough the first time around.

I have two family members that ended up in non weight bearing lower leg casts -one from a dirt bike injury- and after the pain subsided, mobility became the issue. Both mentioned that the crutches were ok in the beginning but your underarm can become sore if you are trying to cover any real distance and have to do it for a while. Both were in casts for about 3 months. My Sister in Law used the knee scooter that I mentioned earlier. She is Fire Fighter and would have to pass the physical to go back to work, which included lifting the big ladders and carrying weight long distance etc. So like you, she was concerned about getting back in the gym ASAP and the knee scooter helped her get to the gym and get around outdoors. My brother didn't go that route, I don't know why, and ended up hanging around the house for months. The heaviest thing he lifted was a cup of coffee in the mornings and a cocktail in the evening. Both relied on those long grabbers you see people using to pick up trash on the side of the freeway to pickup their newspapers and socks etc. and used travel cups to get around the house with coffee.

Keep us posted on your progress. You have a lot of people here pulling for you.

 

[Honey Badger]

AJ,

I'm glad it went much smoother this time around! It sounds like the Anesthesiologist was a bit rough the first time around.

I have two family members that ended up in non weight bearing lower leg casts -one from a dirt bike injury- and after the pain subsided, mobility became the issue. Both mentioned that the crutches were ok in the beginning but your underarm can become sore if you are trying to cover any real distance and have to do it for a while. Both were in casts for about 3 months. My Sister in Law used the knee scooter that I mentioned earlier. She is Fire Fighter and would have to pass the physical to go back to work, which included lifting the big ladders and carrying weight long distance etc. So like you, she was concerned about getting back in the gym ASAP and the knee scooter helped her get to the gym and get around outdoors. My brother didn't go that route, I don't know why, and ended up hanging around the house for months. The heaviest thing he lifted was a cup of coffee in the mornings and a cocktail in the evening. Both relied on those long grabbers you see people using to pick up trash on the side of the freeway to pickup their newspapers and socks etc. and used travel cups to get around the house with coffee.

Keep us posted on your progress. You have a lot of people here pulling for you.

I'm probably going to look into the iWalk, the scoot I'm not sure how user friendly that would be for me with all the stairs I have to navigate....I've seen them used in the past by friends though.

As for the crutches, I'm supporting most of my weight with my hands, not my underarms - I've gone a bit of a distance a few times, and the only soreness under my arms was a rub from where it was rubbing against the seam of my bra - moved things around and solved that issue.

I've been doing workouts here at home since it happened - I've got a few things here, enough to give me a workout if I do it right, so can already promise I've done more than cups of coffee :laughing

I've also talked to my doc about an aggressive PT schedule once we get to that point - I don't want things to stiffen up too much, I know it will be bad enough as it is already...

 

[EastBayDave]

I'm probably going to look into the iWalk, the scoot I'm not sure how user friendly that would be for me with all the stairs I have to navigate....I've seen them used in the past by friends though.

As for the crutches, I'm supporting most of my weight with my hands, not my underarms - I've gone a bit of a distance a few times, and the only soreness under my arms was a rub from where it was rubbing against the seam of my bra - moved things around and solved that issue.

I've been doing workouts here at home since it happened - I've got a few things here, enough to give me a workout if I do it right, so can already promise I've done more than cups of coffee :laughing

I've also talked to my doc about an aggressive PT schedule once we get to that point - I don't want things to stiffen up too much, I know it will be bad enough as it is already...

So happy to hear you got the Erector-Set off & the surgery went well; your doing just great! :thumbup

Sorry I haven't been around f/a few days; been moving grown kid f/one room to another along w/lots of furniture & pc moves. Got it up in a temp spot now until more is done, then w/go down again f/a few days. Things happen slow here.....:afm199

Don't be shy on using the ice when you need it; if your going to start slowing on the meds you'll surely need it. One thing I learned, if you know what time of day/night the pain is the worst, take a pill BEFORE the pain hits. In other words, beat-the-pain. Doing a pain pill after you feel the pain is too late-so you get hit until it starts taking effect. This method works believe me....

<snip>...and the only soreness under my arms was a rub from where it was rubbing against the seam of my bra - moved things around and solved that issue.

I was trying to visualize that.....:rofl

Sorry, I'm terrible, I know it.

 

[moto-rama]

ER ?

You didn't mention which ER you were in, but it sounds about as lame as Marin General.

Hope that heals up well.

 

[Honey Badger]

You didn't mention which ER you were in, but it sounds about as lame as Marin General.

Hope that heals up well.

Sutter Lakeside - the one up in Kelseyville. I don't know that I've ever had a good story from an ER - either at the time or afterwards I find out their incompetence. Scary to think your life is their hands in a real life and death situation. :nchantr


Thus far things are going fine, planning on starting to get back to the office at least a little more regularly tomorrow onward (probably like every other day). There's not much sympathy from the gal who I have to work directly under (who, incidentally, is 100% remote - of course) and I'm not laid up enough to try to fight to keep a job with disability and shit. I like my job, so I'll deal with it, my actual boss has been very flexible, so I'll make it work. If I can find a better way to get the leg up more it would help, but my current area isn't very conducive to it.

Either way I'm sick of being house bound, so getting out doesn't sound like a terrible idea.

On another note, this past weekend my mood took a dive - or, better way to put it, my sunny disposition seems to have taken a long walk off a short pier. That hasn't changed my determination to set myself for the best outcome I can, but I can't pretend like things are sunshine and roses anymore. Guess it's pretty normal to hit that point, as long as I'm focused on doing everything in my power to help things along, it is what it is.

 

[Cookie Monster]

I think your injury is a lot worse than mine was but after I broke my fib this past summer and got surgery to have a plate put in, I started going to the gym every day and walking in chest deep water in the pool to help my ankle start moving/functioning normally. I also sat in the hot tub and did some mobility exercises (draw the alphabet with your toe, etc) and by the time the boot came off the doctor said I didn't need any PT.

 

[Honey Badger]

I think your injury is a lot worse than mine was but after I broke my fib this past summer and got surgery to have a plate put in, I started going to the gym every day and walking in chest deep water in the pool to help my ankle start moving/functioning normally. I also sat in the hot tub and did some mobility exercises (draw the alphabet with your toe, etc) and by the time the boot came off the doctor said I didn't need any PT.

Once I'm cleared to get it wet, I will probably add back in some water work (right now I can't get it wet yet) - purposefully joined a gym with a pool and hot tub just for that reason.

In the meantime, doing upper body, core, and various leg lift exercises every couple days to keep my fitness going everywhere else. My arm healed way faster than expected when i broke that, and I was less proactive than I'm being with this injury, so I'm hoping that will pay off over the next couple/few months.

 

[Cincinnatus]

How did I not see this??

AJ, if you need anything, let me know. :thumbup

 

[Honey Badger]

How did I not see this??

AJ, if you need anything, let me know. :thumbup

Thanks, will do :thumbup I'm trying to spread out the requests so no friends in particular are feeling too burdened :laughing Doing pretty good on my own, but there are some things I just can't do no matter how stubborn I may be :laughing