6 more weeks of crutches

Been waiting for today for a while as I am sure you have too.. It's been way to damn long since I've posted. I'll be lucky if anybody reads this work has just been nutz.

*updated on 8/1/07 - see below*

I met with the doc this morning to figure out how I have been progressing and what the time table for the rest of recovery is. When I got there they called me in to get x-rays. w00t! I finally get to see my post-op pictures. I never got a copy of the ones they took right after the surgery.

Well... with out further ado here are the pics: (click the pics for larger views)


And to answer your question I can't feel the screws on the inside of my ankle. However, I am sitting here comparing the pics to some scars on my leg. I do actually see two small spots on the inside of my ankle where the screws probably did bruise me. I wish I had the actual 1:1 x-ray so I could compare. But I am pretty sure that's them.

So, again the doc wasn't very communicative but I did get some info from him. Basically he says I am progressing well, the x-rays show that everything is right where he put it. I am still required to use both crutches at all times for the next 6 weeks but I can use them for assisted walking. I am now allowed to place 1/2 my body weight on my leg. He did adjust (by this I mean he said I can adjust it myself) the boot to allow for the additional 30 degrees of planter flextion. I was already allowed to flex my foot up (dorsiflextion) so now I am able to flex my foot down. So the most interesting thing the doc told me was that I may not have to do physical therapy. wha?!?! He is expecting that I will work up the muscle and flex just by starting to walk around on it. So I guess that also means I will just have to do PT on my own. Swimming and working the upper part of the leg is going to be the first steps.

So I started the assisted walking around today. Well.... yeah ankle is a bit sore.

After I got home and started going through the pics I took of the x-rays I noticed something in one of the pics that you may or may not have noticed already. I can tell you what I think it is, but here's the closeup so I'll let you look first. (once again if you click on the pic you'll get the big big version)


So what do you think it is??
Yeah I agree with you. It does look like there is a big chunk of the fibula still just sitting there. Unfortunately I only have FE (fucking expert) at the end of my name and not MD or in my doctor's case DO. So I didn't want to call the guy up first thing and say "yo dude, why does it look like about 1/4 of my fibula is still intact at that spot? and, is it supposed to be like that?"

I have sent the pictures out for a friendly second opinion. I'm not going to go see another doctor or anything. I just happen to know an orthopedic surgeon very closely that is about 1200 miles away. I've sent him the hi-res pics and we shall see.

**UPDATE 8/1/07**
So I've heard back from the orthopedic surgeon that I know. The official name is called a butterfly fragment. He said it is going to take a LONG time to heal but that I am still ok with easing into activity like I am doing. Also he is concerned that my doc is not intending on removing the screws prior to me walking. I have been told by both doctors that there is a good chance they will break. But despite that he wants to leave them in. My thought still remains that backing out two screws is a shit load easier then extracting 4 broken pieces of screws. Related to that he also says that removing the screws will probably allow for the fibula to heal much faster. Finally, he agrees that there should be no problem with me getting back on a bike by Oct/Nov.
**End Update**

The thought did cross my mind tonight... this guy is saying no PT necessary, and that I am progressing well, yet I have a fucking chunk of what appears to be bone floating in my fucking calf......... ok ok ok.. Let's all calm down. Let's just go one day at a time.

So there you have it. 6 more weeks of these bloody crutches. I am glad I bought 2 extra pairs of after market crutch tips. Although the first set of replacement tips I put on are holding up much better then the original (or as some would say the OEM). Does MTV have a show "Pimp My Crutches" yet?

Stay tuned for the update about work this week... oh what a frickin mess. You'll love it!

Oh... There's no quick only Cuban Time

What the hell am I doing working in the field? Well as most of you know we started this off a little different at work this week. Right now it is just my boss and myself. So we've got my boss who hasn't work in the field for 2+ years and me. I've been running the field operations and project management for 2+ years but I am practically useless. Still can't lift things, climb ladders, or even stand for a lengthy period of time. So again, I ask what am I doing there?

*addition 7/20/07 4:00pm*
The housekeeper is trying to kill me! I have setup camp in the kitchen and I walk out for a few minutes to test something. I walk back in and WHOA, holy shit stop... the floor is wet!!! She's mopping. Luckily I spotted it before going in. I have trained myself to spot these situations and I am always scanning the floor for wetness because it don't mix will with crutches. So I didn't want to add a new post for this since it was related. I am actually posting this from a customer's house. So like above.... I will ask, what am I doing here?
*end addition*

Well somebody that knows what going on has to be able to teach and direct the one who does not. Now, don't get me wrong my boss is a very intelligent man and certainly understands the concepts quite well. I mean he should, he has been doing it for 20-30 years. But here's the problem. The processes we go through now, even the cables and connectors we use now are different. Plus I don't think he realized you actually have to be in decent shape to move in and out of tight spaces while protecting the customer's house. Stand up get some parts, sit down put it together, stand up test, rinse, repeat. So not only does he not know the new equipment but the techs that we laid off and/or quit have had their processes for YEARS and know where all their tools and stuff is. My boss comes in and can't find anything.

This is driving me crazy. I feel pretty much useless in the field. I'll sit on the sofa and do some work on the computer and think about the things that I can do myself. So I too am playing a little catch up since I was out for a bit. So I sit there and wonder if part XYZ was installed correctly and working, "oh let me just go check that real quick..... oh damn A) there is no real quick with anything on crutches and maneuvering through the house and B) that part I am thinking of is installed outside in the back yard. How the shit am I going to get to it?" Yeah sure I could but I would end up dirty and really sweaty because I'd be crutching through the damn yard in 95 degree heat. Then get yelled at for tracking mud into the house onto the white floors with my crutches. So I stand there and show my boss how to do something and get him going on it for a bit while I stand around in HYD mode (Hold Your Dick).

Now we can top it all off with the fact that my boss is a true Cuban at heart. So what that means to people that don't know... he has NO concept of time. Prior to moving to Miami I really didn't know about the concept of "Cuban Time." But the clue should have come from the fact that my boss was late to my interview. And, he hasn't been on time since. To this day he defends that by saying when he shows up on time bad things happen. This drives me completely bonkers. I am typically on time if not early to just about everything I do. Sure, I've been late to things or caught up at the office or other things. But generally if I say a certain time I'll be there at that time. The other day he says we'll meet after lunch around 1 at the site. So at 1:30 I call and ask what the plan is. We end up meeting at 2:45. Trust me, I understand the guy is busy he is trying to get shit back up and running again. But I am still going

After I had been with the company for a bit and I was meeting my boss at client meetings I would show up on time and have to dance a jig for the customer or even potential customer for at least 15min before he showed up. Talk about awkward. "Hi, I'm Matt, he's about 20min behind me. I don't know shit about sales and I don't even have the proposal or the plans so I am going to ask you for a glass of water, pet your dog, and say hi to your family and then I'll sit out by your pool. Thanks for having me. Oh... You got any chips and salsa?"

Kickball Cheerleader/Score Keeper

Well the kickball season started again. This time with out me. Well... with out me playing in the field. But I am play right bench for the team "Brickell Slap and Tickle", our division is FL Fuego.

And yes I said kickball. It is WAKA (World Adult Kickball Assoc.). There are divisions literally all over the world. So check out the site and see if there is one near you or if you have enough people you can probably start your own. I have told people many times about kickball I've been talking about it and people say "errr... wait. Kickball?? You mean like...", "Yes just like in the third grade with the big red ball." The look on most people's face is great every time because you can see it just brings back their childhood memories of playing on the playground.

My team was saddened to hear last month that I would not be returning with my all-star like kicking an running abilities. But really the league is all about meeting people and just having a great time. So I figured I had met so many people I couldn't just not show up. I had to show my support for my team either by being the cheerleader or the beer bitch or something.

So I showed up on Sunday for the first game. The best part was the field was still locked and many people were either climbing the fence or walking ALL the way around. Neither was going to work for me. Luckily Miami Parks Dept. showed up to let us gimps and people that decided not to walk or climb in.

Well the game wasn't very successful to our team. We ended up playing the champions from the previous season. I'll leave it at it wasn't a complete shut out. I was the score keeper. Apparently I hit my head when I broke my ankle because for some reason I missed an entire inning and all I had to drink was about 1/4 cup of the punch. The odd thing is I had the correct score but I guess I just doubled up in one column or something. But good thing somebody else was paying attention.

There are some teams or some people here and there that take the game seriously, too seriously sometimes. There are other divisions like the Grove that are a bit more serious then ours. Obviously nobody wants to lose but really it's about having fun and meeting people. I do plan on registering for the next season probably this spring. I'll be back.