Broken Tib/fib journal

[oobus]

Not to put a negative slant, but something to take note of that I didn't know about.

Foot and lower leg surgeries are more susceptible to causing clots mort than other extremities.
I had 7 hours of foot surgery and ended up at the hospital by SF airport (thank god) with pulmonary embolisms in both lungs. Happened two weeks after the surgery. Lucky I was close by a facility that deals with this issue and diagnosed me quickly. Thought my chest was tight from using crutches, but got so bad that I thought it was a heart attack. Ambulance ride from the incoming flights loop. My friend from Australia we were picking up had an interesting greeting upon arrival.
I do not have an issue with excessive clotting either... I was 40years old at the time.

 

[budman]

Got to feel good having that thing off now. Hope that means recovery starts to really make strides for you.

If you need me to tell you jokes let me know. We can't let your mood slip too far.

 

[Honey Badger]

Not to put a negative slant, but something to take note of that I didn't know about.

Foot and lower leg surgeries are more susceptible to causing clots mort than other extremities.
I had 7 hours of foot surgery and ended up at the hospital by SF airport (thank god) with pulmonary embolisms in both lungs. Happened two weeks after the surgery. Lucky I was close by a facility that deals with this issue and diagnosed me quickly. Thought my chest was tight from using crutches, but got so bad that I thought it was a heart attack. Ambulance ride from the incoming flights loop. My friend from Australia we were picking up had an interesting greeting upon arrival.
I do not have an issue with excessive clotting either... I was 40years old at the time.

They're pretty good about talking about this, at least where I'm going. They have me on an aspirin a day just for that reason. I'm doing my best to elevate the leg as much as possible, and move around a fair bit as well. No flights planned anytime soon Get the blood in and out, keep it elevated as best you can when you're not moving around. My doctor has NOT discouraged me from doing anything I've been doing at this point. All the paperwork they send you home with talks about it, plus they send you home with the leg compressor thingies in case you do have a flight or other situation where you can't elevate or more for a longer period of time.

Got to feel good having that thing off now. Hope that means recovery starts to really make strides for you.

If you need me to tell you jokes let me know. We can't let your mood slip too far.

Haha, jokes are good, overall I'm doing okay, it's just getting old with no/unknown end in sight at this point. Seems like most people's sympathy has an expiration date of about a month - after that, I guess it's not as exciting to be just as laid up as you were a month earlier. I know it will end at some point, but I also know it's not going to be tomorrow :laughing

All that being said, this has been quite a learning experience and I can see how, historically, I've been just as guilty of showing a lack of sympathy...

 

[anytwowilldo]

AJ,

It is easy to get depressed when you are used to living the life of an adrenaline junkie and you can't get your fix. If you are able to get outside and soak up some sunlight do it. It is good for your mood. You mentioned you had stairs. If you really need a fix, put your helmet on and slide down the stairs head first while protecting your leg. If that won't get your blood pumping nothing will.:teeth

 

[anytwowilldo]

AJ,
How are you doing? I think I shut down your thread when I suggested you slide down the stairs�� I know very immature, but I'm also a guy that gets his shopping cart sideways in the supermarket and the guy that was nicknamed "Mudskipper" after a trip to Baja.

 

[Honey Badger]

AJ,
How are you doing? I think I shut down your thread when I suggested you slide down the stairs�� I know very immature, but I'm also a guy that gets his shopping cart sideways in the supermarket and the guy that was nicknamed "Mudskipper" after a trip to Baja.

Actually, no, thankfully my mouth was empty or I would have spit coffee all over my screen - mostly because I actually imagined trying to do it without adding a head injury to things :rofl

I'm hanging in there. The day-to-day struggles of dealing with life on one leg have gotten, well - old. Especially since, as of right now, there's still not even a ball-park end in sight. I think if I knew that in X months I could look forward to starting to use the leg again, it would help (maybe - if that is like 12-15 months probably not :laughing).

My first post-op follow up in on Wednesday, I'm HOPING that will give me a chance for some REAL feedback. Granted, that's only 1 1/2 weeks after surgery #2, but, a good month since #1, so hopefully will give an idea of how things are - or are not - progressing.

In the meantime, I've found out that the type of break is called a pilon break. Turns out everything the doc has told me to this point is almost verbatim from clinical texts talking about those kinds of breaks. Thankfully, in my case, I believe the tibia had one single break, instead of the (far too common) multiple breaks. My fibula was the one that ended up in pieces, but was the first repaired, but I do know (from further research) that multiple breaks are where complications come in. Bodies like to fix one break really well, but can tend to "forget" about the other break(s) causing what is called a non-union. Not like everyone has that happen, but it's not unheard of, either. That's when recoveries really start to drag out to the year + timelines that it seems like a number of people with pilon fractures end up dealing with. BUT, most of the ones I see/hear about it's more often the tibia causing the major issues being the weight bearing surface. Keeping my fingers crossed that "luck" is on my side in that regard, and that soft tissue damage wasn't horrible, although the displacement that occurred in my case is NOT in ma favor in that regard.

So, I will probably know more, good or bad, on Wednesday....

 

[doc4216]

AJ, I have off Monday if you want me to bring you some Philz (or a coffee if your choice) or whatever you maybe craving.

Just let me know.

 

[anytwowilldo]

Actually, no, thankfully my mouth was empty or I would have spit coffee all over my screen - mostly because I actually imagined trying to do it without adding a head injury to things :rofl

I'm hanging in there. The day-to-day struggles of dealing with life on one leg have gotten, well - old. Especially since, as of right now, there's still not even a ball-park end in sight. I think if I knew that in X months I could look forward to starting to use the leg again, it would help (maybe - if that is like 12-15 months probably not :laughing).

My first post-op follow up in on Wednesday, I'm HOPING that will give me a chance for some REAL feedback. Granted, that's only 1 1/2 weeks after surgery #2, but, a good month since #1, so hopefully will give an idea of how things are - or are not - progressing.

In the meantime, I've found out that the type of break is called a pilon break. Turns out everything the doc has told me to this point is almost verbatim from clinical texts talking about those kinds of breaks. Thankfully, in my case, I believe the tibia had one single break, instead of the (far too common) multiple breaks. My fibula was the one that ended up in pieces, but was the first repaired, but I do know (from further research) that multiple breaks are where complications come in. Bodies like to fix one break really well, but can tend to "forget" about the other break(s) causing what is called a non-union. Not like everyone has that happen, but it's not unheard of, either. That's when recoveries really start to drag out to the year + timelines that it seems like a number of people with pilon fractures end up dealing with. BUT, most of the ones I see/hear about it's more often the tibia causing the major issues being the weight bearing surface. Keeping my fingers crossed that "luck" is on my side in that regard, and that soft tissue damage wasn't horrible, although the displacement that occurred in my case is NOT in ma favor in that regard.

So, I will probably know more, good or bad, on Wednesday....

I'm sorry to hear that it is not all roses. I believe that your are strong both mentally and physically and you are going to be fine. Unfortunately you just need to go through the process of healing. I hope that does not take too long.

Do you have plenty to entertain yourself at home? Do you need to brush up on your Calculus or French? We can send some books. How about that Netflix acct. or a subscription to Moto GP or something like that? I think you have a bunch of people pulling for you here on teh Barf.

Let us know what the Doctor says on Wednesday. Hang in there!

 

[Honey Badger]

Okay, so follow up completed yesterday, approximately 1 1/2 weeks post-op.

He said my x-rays looked really good. The sutures weren't yet ready to come out though, so will have to go back in later this week to have them looked at again, possibly next week if they're still not ready to go on Friday. It was kind of nice to have the splint taken off and changed though! That had really been irritating me, causing quite a bit of my pain. Last night, for the first time since Dec 3, I was able to sleep on my right side - I was sooo excited. It took a fair bit of mucking around to get comfortable, but I got comfy enough to sleep. It was awesome LOL. I'm a side sleeper, always have been, so being stuck flat on my back the past month+ has been torture :laughing Getting all that changed so it wasn't irritating me as bad also helped with a lot of the pain in general, so that's always a good thing. Still stings, but far more manageable now.

Once those are out and the incisions are well healed, I'll be starting non-weight bearing PT to try to avoid too much scar tissue build up in the joint and get movement back in there, so that'll probably be kicking off in the next week or two.

In the meantime, I'm probably going to look for an iWalk 2, as I think that would make work and getting to/from a lot easier and cheaper if I can actually walk from the ferry to my building rather than needing to get a lyft every time.

My next follow up with the doc is in 4 weeks, I'm guessing things will be evaluated for starting weight bearing PT at that time.

Right now his biggest concern is still making sure that the now-sore (what was the fracture blister) heals and doesn't get infected, so he's keeping me on antibiotics longer for that reason.

Other than that, keep on doing what I've been doing!

 

[Owl]

:thumbup for good news, positive attitude, and more comfy sleep!!

 

[anytwowilldo]

Okay, so follow up completed yesterday, approximately 1 1/2 weeks post-op.

He said my x-rays looked really good. The sutures weren't yet ready to come out though, so will have to go back in later this week to have them looked at again, possibly next week if they're still not ready to go on Friday. It was kind of nice to have the splint taken off and changed though! That had really been irritating me, causing quite a bit of my pain. Last night, for the first time since Dec 3, I was able to sleep on my right side - I was sooo excited. It took a fair bit of mucking around to get comfortable, but I got comfy enough to sleep. It was awesome LOL. I'm a side sleeper, always have been, so being stuck flat on my back the past month+ has been torture :laughing Getting all that changed so it wasn't irritating me as bad also helped with a lot of the pain in general, so that's always a good thing. Still stings, but far more manageable now.

Once those are out and the incisions are well healed, I'll be starting non-weight bearing PT to try to avoid too much scar tissue build up in the joint and get movement back in there, so that'll probably be kicking off in the next week or two.

In the meantime, I'm probably going to look for an iWalk 2, as I think that would make work and getting to/from a lot easier and cheaper if I can actually walk from the ferry to my building rather than needing to get a lyft every time.

My next follow up with the doc is in 4 weeks, I'm guessing things will be evaluated for starting weight bearing PT at that time.

Right now his biggest concern is still making sure that the now-sore (what was the fracture blister) heals and doesn't get infected, so he's keeping me on antibiotics longer for that reason.

Other than that, keep on doing what I've been doing!

That sounds like good news! I didn't know exactly what a fracture blister was so I Googled it and looked at images. Don't as they are images you will never forget. I can see why the DR is keeping you on then antibiotics. Keep up the good healing and be careful on that iwalk2. Who knows what happened to the poor souls on the iwalk1:rolleyes

 

[Honey Badger]

That sounds like good news! I didn't know exactly what a fracture blister was so I Googled it and looked at images. Don't as they are images you will never forget. I can see why the DR is keeping you on then antibiotics. Keep up the good healing and be careful on that iwalk2. Who knows what happened to the poor souls on the iwalk1:rolleyes

LOL at that last bit.

Oh, I had googled it myself as well to better understand what it was. At my first appointment way back when he had looked at it and had talked about it I got to wondering and needed more info, so set to researching as I often do. The findings were, well, interesting. That thing is the reason I had to have the external fixator on for those couple weeks, so that thing would have time to heal/be less "blistery." It was no longer a blister by surgery 2, now it's just a sore that needs to heal up.

 

[doc4216]

Good to hear it went reasonably well and he is happy with your progress. Getting sleep is soooo important when injured. I'm a side sleeper too and having to figure out pillow placements with a broken femur took some time but once you find it, it's money! Hears to hoping you get your sutures out today!!

 

[Caddywumpus]

Holy crap AJ....

YOU WORK WITH OZZY THE UNDYING?

Also heal up.

 

[Honey Badger]

Yesterday had the next visit to re-examine my sutures. She thought they were ready to come out, so, got that all done. They decided to put me in a boot instead of the splint, so got that fitted as best they could (ankle was still swollen and pretty stiff, it had been splinted slightly pointed).

Not sure how I feel about the boot just yet. On the one hand, I can take my leg out of it, itch, scrub, and clean it, which is nice. On the other hand, it's big and kind of awkward and kind of heavy - so not appreciating those aspects. : | I was able to sleep in it pretty well though, so that was good. Also have been able to back off the pain meds a little more, so that's been pretty nice too.

My iWalk 2.0 showed up today, so got that assembled and gave it a try. The first try didn't go so great - it hurt on my leg, and I wasn't feeling too sturdy on it. Decided my leg had been through enough lately, so took a break with intentions of mucking with it another day. After a couple hours, however, I was feeling better so decided to try it again. I adjusted the padding some more to see if that would help (the boot makes getting the padding right more complicated). That made a big difference and it was way easier to use. Figured distracting myself would help a bit, so used it to vacuum the house. By the time I was done, I was feeling pretty good on it. Even finished up by filling and carrying the ice cube trays to the freezer without spilling :laughing

It's still going to take some getting used to, but I'm HOPING I can use it to walk from the ferry building to my office which will save me a fair bit of money. It will also make my part time job (which I plan on going back to next month) a LOT easier.

Still have to make sure my ex-fracture-blister-now-sore heals and doesn't get infected. That's still a big concern, so still having to keep the leg dry until that is healed up - but I can scrub pretty much everywhere else now, so my foot got a good (and needed) scrub this morning.

Now to build up my endurance on the iWalk so I can use it to get to work - if it works for that, it'll pay for itself pretty quickly.

 

[1962siia]

Wow this all sounds really positive! Glad to hear things are healing up and your comfort level is improving. Thanks for the update and I hope this keep getting better for you. :thumbup

 

[EastBayDave]

Wow this all sounds really positive! Glad to hear things are healing up and your comfort level is improving. Thanks for the update and I hope this keep getting better for you. :thumbup

ditto! keep the updates coming please...:thumbup

 

[Kawikiwi]

Really late to the party but glad you're healing up well! I know how long the healing process feels, I shattered my talus and tibia in a (non-vehicular) accident about two years ago. Soon enough you'll be riding and running around, just take it slow and be persistent. You'll definitely be a better rain forecaster (I'm sure you could feel the rain the past couple weeks), which is by far my favorite "superpower" that I gained from my experience. Hope weight bearing becomes easier and easier for you!

 

[Honey Badger]

Things are trudging along. The biggest fear thus far has been that stupid sore healing over without getting infected - if those get infected, the outcome can be tramatic (like, it's not unheard of for people to end up needing a full amputation :wow ). I wasn't pleased with the course of action the med team was suggesting of "just keep it clean and dry." I know from my own research with ground off skin that wounds heal better in a moist environment, and this thing was NOT healing well with their recommended treatment.

So, since it's my leg, I started doing my own research, and reading a number of published medical studies on surgical wounds and sores. That led me to discovering medical grade Maduka honey, and it sounded like a bit of a miracle cure, and EXACTLY what I was looking for - something that would keep it moist AND help with antibacterial properties to make sure this damn thing doesn't get infected. Read up on that a bunch more, including a number of medical and scientific studies, and felt that would be the best way for me to tackle this.

Found some at my local CVS on Tuesday, and used it for the first time Tuesday night. At that time, the wound was still open and sore, and weeping a significant amount, along with a couple weep-points along the incision. By last night and today, the weeping has basically completely stopped, and there is significantly noticeable healing going on already, after only a couple days of use. The wound is looking cleaner and happier with each bandage change.

Makes me sit there and go WTF with so many medical teachings still promoting the "dry and let it air" when it's been proven over and over that does NOT help healing!! I even have friends who are currently going through medical school who are still being taught this.:wtf

Anyways, once that thing heals over, I'll feel a lot more confident about "pushing" things a little bit more as far as activity and such. With the iWalk, once I build up to it, I think walking to the office from the ferry may be a good possibility. Took it out for my first outdoor excursion yesterday for about 10 minutes, and that seemed to go okay other than being tired by the end of it (my biggest complaint about the iWalk is the weight - it's actually pretty darn heavy - well, that, and it takes a fair bit of time to get in and out of it).

Otherwise mostly in holding pattern. My ankle seems to enjoy getting a little stretching, so each day when I have the boot off to change the dressing/get dressed I have started very lightly stretching it out. Already seeing a slight improvement of range of motion, this morning I was like "I could ALMOST shift without moving my whole leg :laughing " *PRIORITIES*

The last couple weeks I got a lazy/frustrated with everything and wasn't really doing much in the way of additional working out. Decided it was time to stop pouting and get back to it, hence yesterday's walk in addition to getting some stuff done around the house. Still don't want to push things until that sore is healed over though, so that is priority #1.

A friend had come and stayed with me a couple days this past week, to help me out, so that was pretty awesome. It was SO nice to just have someone there to help pretty much all day. She also took me grocery shopping (which was great because I could crutch through the store and pick what i wanted rather than trying to decide from a distance), and then took down all my holiday decorations and tree and did some cleaning. Can't thank her enough for all of that, it really helped my mood, too.

 

[anytwowilldo]

Things are trudging along. The biggest fear thus far has been that stupid sore healing over without getting infected - if those get infected, the outcome can be tramatic (like, it's not unheard of for people to end up needing a full amputation :wow ). I wasn't pleased with the course of action the med team was suggesting of "just keep it clean and dry." I know from my own research with ground off skin that wounds heal better in a moist environment, and this thing was NOT healing well with their recommended treatment.

So, since it's my leg, I started doing my own research, and reading a number of published medical studies on surgical wounds and sores. That led me to discovering medical grade Maduka honey, and it sounded like a bit of a miracle cure, and EXACTLY what I was looking for - something that would keep it moist AND help with antibacterial properties to make sure this damn thing doesn't get infected. Read up on that a bunch more, including a number of medical and scientific studies, and felt that would be the best way for me to tackle this.

Found some at my local CVS on Tuesday, and used it for the first time Tuesday night. At that time, the wound was still open and sore, and weeping a significant amount, along with a couple weep-points along the incision. By last night and today, the weeping has basically completely stopped, and there is significantly noticeable healing going on already, after only a couple days of use. The wound is looking cleaner and happier with each bandage change.

Makes me sit there and go WTF with so many medical teachings still promoting the "dry and let it air" when it's been proven over and over that does NOT help healing!! I even have friends who are currently going through medical school who are still being taught this.:wtf

Anyways, once that thing heals over, I'll feel a lot more confident about "pushing" things a little bit more as far as activity and such. With the iWalk, once I build up to it, I think walking to the office from the ferry may be a good possibility. Took it out for my first outdoor excursion yesterday for about 10 minutes, and that seemed to go okay other than being tired by the end of it (my biggest complaint about the iWalk is the weight - it's actually pretty darn heavy - well, that, and it takes a fair bit of time to get in and out of it).

Otherwise mostly in holding pattern. My ankle seems to enjoy getting a little stretching, so each day when I have the boot off to change the dressing/get dressed I have started very lightly stretching it out. Already seeing a slight improvement of range of motion, this morning I was like "I could ALMOST shift without moving my whole leg :laughing " *PRIORITIES*

The last couple weeks I got a lazy/frustrated with everything and wasn't really doing much in the way of additional working out. Decided it was time to stop pouting and get back to it, hence yesterday's walk in addition to getting some stuff done around the house. Still don't want to push things until that sore is healed over though, so that is priority #1.

A friend had come and stayed with me a couple days this past week, to help me out, so that was pretty awesome. It was SO nice to just have someone there to help pretty much all day. She also took me grocery shopping (which was great because I could crutch through the store and pick what i wanted rather than trying to decide from a distance), and then took down all my holiday decorations and tree and did some cleaning. Can't thank her enough for all of that, it really helped my mood, too.

AJ,

It sounds like you are making solid progress. As you have figured out, no one has your interests at heart more than you do. I'm glad to hear your wound and bones are healing. My sister in law found the same thing with the iwalk style of leg. She alternated between the wheeled knee rider, the iwalk style of leg and crutches depending on what she was doing. It does not sound like it, but getting around with a foot or lower leg that you can't put weight on is very difficult and can lead to other issues. I would not be surprised if someone on Barf had a knee rider you could borrow.

Keep up the good work and be good to yourself! You just may need a banana split for dessert tonight. :teeth