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!

Plot Thickens

Well I guess I will report that there isn't much of a change to the leg/ankle right now. I've been getting around pretty well with my boot, but I will still be using crutches for another month or so. That is if the crutches make it. I have left chunks of the rubber feet around my apartment and the streets. I have ordered new feet online but it seems like every place I go to order from is sold out.

Also, acupuncture has also been going well. I have a cream and a liquid that the acupuncturist gave me I apply to my leg that is supposed to help reduce swelling and dissipate the bruising. He also gave me the most horrible tasting Chinese herbs to take. After some discussion with him he's going to encapsulate them for me so I can take it in a pill form. Phew.

But that isn't the big story at the moment is not my ankle. It's work. I know I've mentioned before work's been a little harry for the past couple months. We've been busy but we haven't had any new work come in. So with people getting laid off, people breaking ankles, people getting rehired it's been quite a mess recently. Well one of the guys we regretfully laid off has found himself a new job. I am very excited for him and glad that he has been able to find work. So I've been mainly working from home providing support to my other guy in the field, learning engineering software, and doing other office work that I can. Well..... Here is where the plot thickens. Due to obvious uncertainties in the company my remaining guy has decided that he needs certainty for him and his family. He put his two weeks last Friday. So that leaves it to my boss and I.

So how is this going to work? I can't walk and really work in the field and my boss has been really out of the field work for about the last 2 years (it's been my job). So we think we have an idea. In, what I think is Disney Pixar's best movie ever and probably the best movie this summer, Ratatouille. Remy the rat hides under Linguini's hat and by pulling his hair in different directions gets Linguini to do what he commands. It may be our only option for the time being.

At least for right now I've been able to work. I have yet to figure out if I am allowed to work and supplement my disability income or if I am screwing myself. I got a whole 'nother set of papers to fill out. I have started to see the insurance claims come into my insurance company though. They haven't all been processed but anybody want to guess what the total billed to the insurance company is up to so far?

Well, I am off to figure out how I can carry my bags when I head to the airport on Thursday.

Have a happy and safe 4th.

Met with the specialist

What a day. Percocet has kept me pretty much entertained. If I wasn't sleeping then I was trying to work on this blog. I did do a little work today. I got a bit of a nasty gram from a customer on Monday. Something about the storm shutters not working right. So my tech in the field (who was laid off until I broke my leg) and I worked over IM to troubleshoot an issue that was caused by somebody else.

Anywho, my mom was supposed to come down this weekend. We were gunna hang around, go to the movies and maybe do a bit of shopping. But because of recent events she decided to come a bit earlier. So she came at about 2:30 today. It was essentially a changing of the guards, Jacqueline left at my mom was tagged in.

We made our way to the orthopedic surgeon. He is supposed to be one of the best in S. Florida. He took a look at the x-rays I showed you in the other post. His prognosis was not very good. Here is the summary:

• I broke my fibula (the small bone in the lower leg). Although the doc isn't too worried about it.
  
• I pretty much fucked up 2 of the three major ligaments of the ankle. The ligament that basically holds the tib/fib bones together just over the smooth ball at the top of the ankle is pretty much ripped up. Hence in the xrays you see the tibia shifted over 1". Also the ligament along the back of the ankle.
• Surgery will be Monday. After surgery I will be in a splint until the wounds heal and then they can put a cast on.
  
• I would not be able to put any weight on it for about 3 months. After which I would start PT.
  
• So basically in about 6-9 months from now I will be at full-ish recovery. And then maybe longer until I could ride or play kickball again.
  

WONDERFUL eh?

ER

So I make it to the ER probably about 20-30min after the fall. That's when the waiting begins. I started texting people to let them know my status. I was able to get in touch with Jacqueline and she decided that due to me moving her TWICE in 6 months she would come down and keep me company while being my hospital/parental liaison. That way I could stay drugged up and not have to handle finding doctors and what not.

So it took me about 1.5 hours from the time I was admitted to the ER until I got out of the damn backboard/neck collar. Then about another hour later until I got some vicodin, now we're talking!!

So now we got the first set of 3 xrays done of the ankle. The xray tech came back with the portable unit to take one more of my tib/fib. He said he was worried about something he saw and wanted I picture a bit higher up the leg. This whole process only took about 30min. But took another hour for the ER doc to check it out. He comes back and says he ordered another set of tib/fib and ankle on the regular xray machine instead of the portable.

At this point it is about midnight. My boss and his wife showed up to say hello. I think she laughed at me. But she figured I would have done this snowboarding last year. Oh well.

Back off to xray. See below. In the first on you can see at the red arrow where the tibia is about 1" away from where it should be.


In this one you can see the fibula fracture at the top. And a very small bone piece or something at the bottom.


So after researching with Marc's dad, the web, and other people we found a really good orthopedic surgeon. We notified the ER doc and after waiting a couple more hours for my leg to be splinted and wrapped, prescriptions, discharge papers to leave AMR, and a copy of my xrays I was finally out the door. Jacqueline took me home by about 3:15am. Because she is such a good friend she dropped me off and got me settled she went back out to go home, shower, take care of her dog, and get my prescriptions filled. Now at 24hrs of no sleep she showed up back at my place to lay down on the couch just to answer the phone from my dad to discuss finding a doc.