Chairlift up...Snow stretcher down...The mountain always wins!

[TheDoctor]

Oh, dear Gawd I feel for you..

I am currently into my 6th week of recovery from a tibia/fibula/spiral fracture from a ski spill I took on DAY ONE OF A FOUR DAY VACATION.!!!!

I''ll be bumping around on crutches until June.
Spent 3 days in hospital, most of which i cannot properly remeber due to the MORPHINE RIDE I took.
Needed to aplogize to several nurses for my...um.. let''s say advances. I was stoned, they were there and loving every minute of my preposterous indignations.
(Sigh)

 

[miraclesrule]

Yes you can!! You can still drink. I once decided to give the bunny slope a try and bought lift tickets because I was going to learn to snowboard. Well, after trying to plow for over 45 minutes, my daughter got tired of watching me fall and decided to go up the lift for their excitement down. I finally got up and as I was flailing my arms wildly and screaming for her to look at me, my board went sideways and I started flying down into a pack of kids. I sat down quick and decided that I would just go over and sell my lift ticket for a discount and go get cozy in the warm bar. It turns out that my daughter spent must of her time riding down on her bum because the visibility was so bad and the slush was awful. I made a decision right then that I would never again attempt to ski or snowboard. It just wasn''t my thing. (I do like to fly down on a saucer though into a wall, I don''t know why...It''s just fun as hell)

I do have mad massage skills from 330 hours of training, so I can take care of those that biff it on the way down.

Atrophy...you may suffer a minor decrease in muscle mass, but it is easily remedied with physical therapy. Immobilization is necessary at this point. 800 mg of Advil is good. That is what you would get if it was RX strength.

We''ll make sure you get the best orthopedist. Make sure you get copies of, and read, all of your diagnostic studies. Start a file now.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I too am sorry for your injury and sorrier that you have to wait on these doctors! If I were in your shoes, I would want to get it fixed as soon as possible so I could get on with the healing. Being in pain and discomfort now seems like a waste - it would be different if it was post-op rather than pre-op! You are being a good egg about the wait - I''d be pi**sed!!

Hopefully you will get a definite diagnosis shortly and the repair needed to put it all back together. Down time like you have causes us to go stir crazy and head for the internet to diagnose ourselves! I would so be doing that - and worrying myself even more! Hang in there - you''re a trooper - and let us know what the doc says!!

 

[Dee*Jay]

O

M

G

Holy sh!t... I just woke myself up... by stretching. Judging my the position that I woke whimpering in, I must have put my hands above my head and pointed and extended my toes for a big ol' goooooood morning stretch. Mother of mercy, help me. That hurt *almost* as much as when I rolled over in bed that second night. Breathe deep, Dee, just breathe...


Doctor, oh you poort sweetheart! See, it's injuries like yours that make me know I'm *lucky* to have only done this. Seriously, if a torn whatever is all I got, well, I'm really doing OK. As for the *propositions* you made to the nurses, I firmly believe it's people like you and me that make their lives worth living. The x-ray tech in the emergency room told me I was the only patient he'd ever had who'd outsworn him. Let's just say I consider fvck to be useful in noun, verb, adverb and adjactive forms, with other cuss words to be used as supporting structure in a sentence. That's under normal circumstances, so in a time like that you can only imagine the color that was being lent to my language! All kidding aside, I wish you a speedy and easy recovery. And if you aren't already telling a story that involves my and Treefrog's little boy and baby bunny and avalanche, feel free to start using it now. You are welcome to the pregnant nuns too.

Miracles, I was actually thinking it might be fun to try to snowboard. I have heard that the most common in juries with that are broken wrists and tailbones though. And my girlfriend, who is an expert skiier, tried snowboading ONCE, and slammed her knees down so hard that she had no feeling in one kneecap for six months and it took the other one almost a year to come around.

I obviously forgot to take my ibuprofin last night BTW because I went to the kitchen, put 4 in my pocket, hobbled back to the couch with my can of diet Dr. Pepper, and when I reached into my pocket there were 8 in there... I feel like those old people that need to get the plastic thingies with days of the week on there so they remember to take their pills...

MissGotRocks, I am trying not to self-diagnose any more because soon I'll be convinced they have to amputate... Although after the pain I caused myself this morning, I might agree to that at this point! As for being a good egg; patience is not my strong point (as I'm sure you've figured out after so many years here together) but I am learning to recognize the things that are out of my control and just react appropriately--like by drinking! Miracles gave me permission, I have it in writing just two posts above!

 

[marcy]

Dee, you poor thing. That sounds awfully painful. I hope they get you in to surgery soon and get it all fixed. At least you got to ride in comfort through the airports.

 

[treefrog]

How are you holding up? What''s the countdown to the doctor visit?

Treefrog

 

[Dee*Jay]

Thank you Marcy!

Treegfrog, the doc spent considerable time poking around my leg yesterday (YOWCH!) and his conclusion at this point is that it's both the ACL and the MCL. There also seems to be some trauma to the ligament on the outside of the knee (is that the LCL? PCL? Too many "CLs"... I lost track at some point), but that doesn't seem to be torn, just strained, and I do have a bruise there that I never noticed before, but honestly I don't really spend that much time looking at the outside of my knee, so I'm not surprised. Anyway, MRI on Friday to confirm, but that's the current thinking.

Good news is I convinced him to let me jettison the crutches. A small victory, but I'll take what I can get!

 

[treefrog]

Wow, sounds like you did a pretty good job taking out your knee! The MRI will tell the full story on Friday. Is the doc offering any possible suggestions yet? MCL is medial (toward the midline) so that''s toward the center of your body. The LCL is the outside ligament. The PCL is posterier so that''s in the back.

Jettison the crutches? I''m guessing you''re still in the brace. How in the world do you move? Is it your left knee so you can still drive?

Treefrog

 

[Dee*Jay]

Treefrog, doc said the MCL is one that will heal without surgery, so if (a) the ACL is not clear through and (b) the MCL is not *TOO* bad I may be able to go with physical therapy, but we''ll know more on Friday. And the other one is the LCL then, because it''s to the outside.

It is indeed my left knee (thank god!) so I am driving, but you should see me getting in and out of the car, LOL! I have to put the seat clear back (which is a whole new experience for me since I''m only 5 feet tall, ha ha!), maneuver myself in there, then put the seat forward again. Fortunately my left foot rests right beside where the emergency brake is (which I now have to put on and off with my hand...) so it''s not too bad, but I certainly wouldn''t want to do any long road trips.

And yep, I''m still all braced up, so I''m just gimping along as best I can with one straight leg. Ack!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Oh Dee Jay!!!!!! you really did a number on the knee huh? You got pretty much every ligament

hope that the MRI offers some answers and that you can PT your way back. (((((((((((((((((((((BIG HUGS))))))))))))))))))))))))))

 

[Dee*Jay]

Boy oh boy, when I do something I really DO it...

ACL completely gone. MCL "shredded." Big bone bruises both above and below my knee on the outside. And concern about blood clots due to the high degree of swelling, even 13 days later. Super...

And the b!tch of it is I have to get my range of motion back before then can even due surgery. So I will spend 4-6 weeks in PT getting "better" so they can then go in and slice and dice me like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Oh well, it could have been much worse, right? I mean there could have been a tree involved, or I could have wiped out a child on my way down, or something...

Bella, I'm hoping for a cute PT guy!

 

[Kaleigh]

Oh Dee, you poor thing. Yeah here''s hoping your PT guy is a HOTTIE!!!

 

[cara]

Oh Dee. Not the greatest news I know. But PT is what its all about, the docs can reattach the ligaments and it woln''t do much to improve your life if the knee is full of scar tissue and woln''t track properly and causes you pain... Honestly arthiscopic surgery is not that big a deal, the big deal is rehab. Take care of yourself and good luck!

 

[Catmom]

Oh Dee I really feel for you! I do hope you have a hottie for PT. Keep icing girl. You''ve got to get that swelling down.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Lisa, I''ll have to report in after my first session next Tuesday on who I get!

Cara, I promise to be 110% failthful to whatever they tell me to do! I agree that it''s all about PT and I''m to do everything possible to fix this the "right" way.

Michelle, will icing help even now (we''re almost 2 weeks in to it)?

Also, for anyone who knows, I''m supposed to take a baby asprin a day because of the clots, but can I do that in addition to the ibuprofin? And what about compression at this point; any help at all? I wish I had thought of these things when I was at the doctor''s today but of course I didn''t...

 

[Catmom]

Date: 3/19/2010 6:53:37 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Lisa, I''ll have to report in after my first session next Tuesday on who I get!

Cara, I promise to be 110% failthful to whatever they tell me to do! I agree that it''s all about PT and I''m to do everything possible to fix this the ''right'' way.

Michelle, will icing help even now (we''re almost 2 weeks in to it)?

Also, for anyone who knows, I''m supposed to take a baby asprin a day because of the clots, but can I do that in addition to the ibuprofin? And what about compression at this point; any help at all? I wish I had thought of these things when I was at the doctor''s today but of course I didn''t...

Well I had a knee issue a couple years ago where my knee was very painful and swollen. It turned out to be an inflamed plica. I was in PT for quite a while with it and they wanted me to ice constantly, especially any time it was swollen. Not the same thing as you but if your knee is still swollen then ice can''t hurt.

 

[TheDoctor]

Now, the baby aspirin would have been my choice following my surgery, but...the docs prescribed a blood thinner that I had to self-inject into my abdomen after returning home. I''m not squeamish, but that was a stretch. Between that and my new love for morphine, I was fully prepared for intravenous drug abuse as a new hobby.
7 more weeks on crutches as my spiral fracture will be slower to heal than the ankle breaks, which are looking "perfect" according to the doc.
Still can''t put on a shoe or boot. I''ve lost 2 inches to atrophy in my left thigh. Curiously, my belly is now flat from hoisting my leg around, but only on the left side!

So, Dee, there ain''t no easy way out of this, and once you''re outta drugs the time passes very slowly! Keep your chin up. Crutch with care, falls are painful (I wiped out in the airport on my way home on wet flooring, not to be repeated..)

Cheers
David

 

[marcy]

Good luck with the PT - I hope you get a cute and funny PT guy! Sorry to hear you have to wait so long for surgery. Thinking of you.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Hello all from the land of gimp!

Have been going to PT a couple of times a week. And let me tell you how much fun that is -- NOT!

Marcy, thanks for the well wishes. Unfortunately no cute gut for PT, but a very qualified and pleasant girl, so I''m good with that!

The Doctor, no, no easy way out, but I''m just plowing on. You should be down to about 5 weeks on crutches now, how''s it going for you?

Michelle, I''ve been better about icing and it seems to help.

Not much else to report. Can use my leg to go up the stairs now (although by the end of the day I''m tired and it''s a real effort to get my toe to clear the tread), but down is still not a possibility. Oh well, I''ll take what progress I can get!

 

[TheDoctor]

One foot in front of the other, so to speak.
This morning I was finally able to put a shoe on it. After 2 months, I have given the crutches notice.
Yes, Dee, about 5 weeks left but I can sort of stand using the affected leg, at least in a balancing role.
The spiral fracture needs to be protected from stresses for the remaining time, so easy does it.
I have visited one of my motorcycles. It wished me a speedy recovery.
Everything in its time.

 

[Dee*Jay]

David -

Congrats on giving the crutches notice!! Definitely be careful; everything is in such a delicate condition right now. You should see the bruise I have on my right knee now because I started to fall down my stairs the other day so I threw myself to the right to protect my left knee. Purple and pink and blue -- oh my! And very nice of your motorcycle to wish you a speedy recovery. I''m sure it misses you!

Dee -