Tuesday, May 29, 2012

One week later...


It's been a week since we flew home from Belize and 8 days since my fall.  I have been in a full leg cast for 6 days now.  It's no fun and I really miss my independence, but I am starting to get into a bit of routine, and finding lots of things I have put off doing for a while now, that can all be done via the Internet (read online shopping).

The day after we flew back to North Carolina, I went into see an orthopedic surgeon  He confirmed that I did have a pretty bad break in two bones, above and below my ankle, but that there was a slight chance I could recover without surgery.  Part of me thinks he only said this to give me a week to calm my nerves, because I was an emotional wreck and when he mentioned screws and plates as a part of surgery I lost it (again).   I know its very common and many people have gone through this, but the thought of screws and metal plates being left in my body after a surgery give me, as my dad would say, the heebie-jeebies.  But, if that's what I have to do to walk again, then bring it on.

Tomorrow morning, I'll go back to the surgeon and he'll determine whether or not I need surgery.  If I need surgery, it will be on Thursday morning.  If I don't, I think I'll get a new leg cast and continue the recovery process.  We'll see.

I keep thinking how lucky I am to have such an awesome partner to take care of me through all of the pain, my emotions, and all the awkward, random things I can no longer do myself - like wash my hair.  He's also an excellent cook - so that helps a lot.

Let's see what tomorrow holds!

4 comments:

  1. Wow,and I thought I had it bad breaking my ankle and foot in a different state,you broke it in a different country! So, I wish you the best of luck for tomorrow but I will tell you that I was in the same situation,full leg cast for 5 weeks! Just last week I ended up having surgery. I dreaded it and really didn't want it but to spend another 4 months in casts and serious physical therapy just didn't appeal to me nor my job. So I took the plunge and here I am! How are you feeling by the way? Has the pain and swelling gone down? Are you using a lot of pillows under your knee and ankle? Ice? Feel free to email me and vent,Amy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Amy! I have been sleeping A LOT. It seems the pain is worse in the morning, when I first move from the bed to the couch - I am thinking its because I have been sleeping with my leg elevated (usually 2 pillows, sometimes 3) at night, and then all the blood is rushing back down to my leg when I first stand up? Not sure if that's accurate, but that's what I tell myself. So sometimes there's an awful throbbing pain right around my ankle, and other times there's a pain that shoots up my shin, or the back of my leg. I haven't seen my leg, so interested to see what it looks like when the cast comes off tomorrow!

    Good luck on your journey - let's definitely stay in touch to share our stories :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Allyson! Yes,that is very accurate and the same thing happend to me,you just have to do it slowly,first off the pillows so it's down and then off the side of the bed.As for the pain,it's normal just from the breaks and from muscle spasms because it's stuck in the cast and not being able to move. Is your cast tight? Did you buy the cast cover for the shower? I used to take a bath or a shower in the bathtub while sitting on a chair. How long have you had it on for?

    Thank you,good luck to you as well and email me if you like!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sorry if this is comment only. I fractured my tibia and fibula over a week ago in my ankle. I neared weight on it for 4 days before e.r. painfully! But they just sent me home in a boot and said I could walk on it and see xrays in 2 weeks. Since I'm weight bearing I shouldn't need surgary, right? They weren't sure.

    ReplyDelete