So - big day today. The cast came off. It actually wasn't the first time it had been cut off, because the cast has been too tight and too loose so I've had to have it re-done a few times. But this time it was off completely.
The process is not too scary as the tool they use doesn't hurt the skin even if it touches it, but it is a bit noisy. The staff had a nice line in sarcastic banter going on between them and the music they had on was good, so it went quite quickly.
The sorest part is the ankle itself which really doesn't want to bend and feels a bit as if it's being thumped internally each time I walk. Of course, I'm still using crutches and being very gentle with it, but I'm hopeful. I have an appointment for physio to follow up, so fingers crossed it will start feeling normal soon. They've also booked me in for a bone-scan to check for osteoporosis, which will be interesting.
Tuesday 31 May 2016
The Elephant's Condom (and other handy tips for showering with a broken leg)
So - you have a cast on your leg and you are desperate for a shower. What do you do?
For us, the options were limited, as we only have a small raised-plinth walk-in shower with sliding doors that leave a fairly narrow gap. The idea of showering with a friend is just laughed at in our house. There really is only just room for one person, and then only if they have pretty short arms. With a 6'3" husband and 2 tall sons, I'm pretty much the only person who can shower without banging my elbows. So - no romantic pampering from my beloved - I needed to get in there on my own and balance on one leg for the duration of the shower without slipping or falling over, and all without getting the cast wet.
First order then was to buy what my friend Elaine fondly calls "an elephant's condom". This is a large waterproof rubberised bag with a neoprene cuff that you, or more likely someone else, puts on the leg. It needs to be pulled up high enough to be a snug fit, then it seems easy enough to use. There seem to be a few on the market, but they don't all seem to work equally well, judging from feedback sites. This is the one that I used, based on Elaine's recommendation, and I can say it performed very well (and no, they aren't paying me to say that!).
Of course there is also the problem of getting into and out of the shower without putting weight on the knackered leg, and balancing whilst in there without risk. We solved that by purchasing a pair of suction handles. Again there are a lot of different types out there, although they pretty much look the same. The brand we bought were called "Helping Handles" and seemed to do the trick. They will only work on a clean, smooth surface, of course, and they did need to be re-attached before each use to ensure they were strongly located, but they performed very well. I used them to take some of my weight as I stepped into the shower on the good foot, so I didn't take any weight on the broken leg. I could also hold on to one or the other so that I could lather up and hold the shower handset without risk of slipping over.
The final bit of kit was a stool with extending legs. This proved a godsend for all kinds of things, but was especially handy for going up and down difficult steps. For the shower, I just sat on the stool outside the shower then grabbed a handle on the wall as I stood into the cubicle. Getting out, I just reversed the procedure, though my beloved insisted on being there for the descent in case I missed the stool as he doesn't have a lot of faith in my acrobatic skills.
For us, the options were limited, as we only have a small raised-plinth walk-in shower with sliding doors that leave a fairly narrow gap. The idea of showering with a friend is just laughed at in our house. There really is only just room for one person, and then only if they have pretty short arms. With a 6'3" husband and 2 tall sons, I'm pretty much the only person who can shower without banging my elbows. So - no romantic pampering from my beloved - I needed to get in there on my own and balance on one leg for the duration of the shower without slipping or falling over, and all without getting the cast wet.
First order then was to buy what my friend Elaine fondly calls "an elephant's condom". This is a large waterproof rubberised bag with a neoprene cuff that you, or more likely someone else, puts on the leg. It needs to be pulled up high enough to be a snug fit, then it seems easy enough to use. There seem to be a few on the market, but they don't all seem to work equally well, judging from feedback sites. This is the one that I used, based on Elaine's recommendation, and I can say it performed very well (and no, they aren't paying me to say that!).
Of course there is also the problem of getting into and out of the shower without putting weight on the knackered leg, and balancing whilst in there without risk. We solved that by purchasing a pair of suction handles. Again there are a lot of different types out there, although they pretty much look the same. The brand we bought were called "Helping Handles" and seemed to do the trick. They will only work on a clean, smooth surface, of course, and they did need to be re-attached before each use to ensure they were strongly located, but they performed very well. I used them to take some of my weight as I stepped into the shower on the good foot, so I didn't take any weight on the broken leg. I could also hold on to one or the other so that I could lather up and hold the shower handset without risk of slipping over.
The final bit of kit was a stool with extending legs. This proved a godsend for all kinds of things, but was especially handy for going up and down difficult steps. For the shower, I just sat on the stool outside the shower then grabbed a handle on the wall as I stood into the cubicle. Getting out, I just reversed the procedure, though my beloved insisted on being there for the descent in case I missed the stool as he doesn't have a lot of faith in my acrobatic skills.
Sunday 29 May 2016
Some thoughts on Tramadol
I was given shed loads of tramadol at the beginning of my broken leg experience, and I found it really helped to stop my legs hurting at night, and with the muscle aches that sitting a lot can bring. However, I'm now trying to come off it, and I'm not thrilled with the experience.
Whilst I was using it, it did have a major side effect of bunging me up completely. I was lucky enough to have an enema kit that helped a lot with this problem, so it wasn't a big issue, but it wasn't ideal. Now I'm coming off what was quite a low dose (maybe 50 - 100mg a day), I'm finding that it's not ideal, and realising that some of the things I'd blamed on a virus that I got, are actually probably the tramadol.
The big problem I've had has been lack of ability to concentrate on anything substantial. My dreams of catching up with paperwork went out the window a while back - apart from anything else, I felt almost paranoid about the activity, which didn't help one bit. I also found that I fell asleep a lot, again not ideal.
Now that I have stopped, I have been getting diarrhoea, sweats and problems with cold, as well as migraines with visual disturbance.
I think the message is, if you can manage without, try to avoid it. A quick google reveals some folk who end up unable to stop using the stuff and even some with horrible depression because of it.
Whilst I was using it, it did have a major side effect of bunging me up completely. I was lucky enough to have an enema kit that helped a lot with this problem, so it wasn't a big issue, but it wasn't ideal. Now I'm coming off what was quite a low dose (maybe 50 - 100mg a day), I'm finding that it's not ideal, and realising that some of the things I'd blamed on a virus that I got, are actually probably the tramadol.
The big problem I've had has been lack of ability to concentrate on anything substantial. My dreams of catching up with paperwork went out the window a while back - apart from anything else, I felt almost paranoid about the activity, which didn't help one bit. I also found that I fell asleep a lot, again not ideal.
Now that I have stopped, I have been getting diarrhoea, sweats and problems with cold, as well as migraines with visual disturbance.
I think the message is, if you can manage without, try to avoid it. A quick google reveals some folk who end up unable to stop using the stuff and even some with horrible depression because of it.
Saturday 21 May 2016
The Amazing i Walk 2.0
I had seen an advert for the i-Walk 2.0 when I looked to see if knee-scooters might help near the beginning of having a broken leg. I was really excited, but the Dr. I saw at the Fracture Clinic took one look at the picture of the device and declared that it would put pressure on my patella and cripple me. I left the idea for a week or 2, then did more digging. No-one mentioned patella problems, and I sent a query to the UK distributor, who confirmed that the device didn't put any pressure on the patella at all. I took the plunge and bought one. The gadget is essentially a strap-on peg-leg with a shelf behind for the lower-leg to sit on.
Getting it set up wasn't quite as easy as the set up video suggested, but not too difficult, and the "How to get walking" video was easy enough to understand. The only thing was the feeling of terror, initially, at trusting something other than your own leg to walk on. However, that passed very quickly. Just standing on the leg and gently swaying from side to side or doing a slight forward bend, really helps the body to work out that this is ok. My initial problem was that my fibula was still moving about, so I didn't really try with the i-Walk for the next week.
So - 4 weeks in, and the doc said "we'll leave the cast on for 3 more weeks" - I was starting to feel quite claustrophobic, but this just took it up a notch. It's hard for the family to drop everything and take you places, so life with a broken leg for me has been quite limited in the main, as I can't drive and getting about with crutches is very tiring and sore on the wrists especially. Time to embrace the i-Walk. I strapped it on again, and walked around the garden, holding on to my husband's hand in case of tripping - it worked ok, though I felt a bit nervous. I also hadn't reckoned with the fact that my good leg would be doing a lot of balancing because of my nervousness with the i-Walk, so I had to call it a day due to my buttock cramping like a bastard (yes, there was swearing!). I didn't try it again until the next day, when I put it on for a little meander around the house, and tried stairs for the first time. It was brilliant! Stairs were suddenly quite easy, though that ease was reduced slightly by members of the family standing behind me as I went up or down, convinced I was going to pitch-pole down the stairs.
The i-Walk also meant that I could go to a long-awaited Eddie Izzard comedy show (which was ace!), because the leg meant I could walk up and down the stairs in the auditorium. There is a bit of an issue of not looking like you need extra space behind for the leg on its shelf. We put my son on point duty, but he actually got too close and nearly tripped me himself! Still - it's actually not to hard to skip and save yourself. We also chose to go up in the lift, mainly because it's slower going upstairs and I didn't want to get stampeded by crazed Eddie fans if I held them up.
I now have just 1 week to go, and the leg is great. I can walk around the house and garden, and I've made a few visits to my place of work (which is a community allotment), though I find having an arm to hang onto is reassuring on rough surfaces.
It's not a perfect replacement for having 2 legs, obviously. The action isn't as smooth as walking, because the leg really can't be modified enough to make it a custom fit, but it gets easier each time you use it. I can now walk pretty well. You also need to be careful of grippy surfaces like longer grass, carpets, rubber floors, as they may stop you swinging the peg leg through abruptly if you don't lift it high enough. It may also be necessary to change the height of the leg if you are wearing shoes. However, the major limiting factor is really the fact that you can only kneel for a certain amount of time before needing a rest, and keeping your leg bent for extended periods of time is obviously not ideal, so you do need to take breaks. The adverts for the device possibly gloss over this, or maybe have some folk who are a lot harder than I am - the woman who reckoned it allowed her to return to work as a hairdresser, for example. I could see it allowing someone to return to a job with more sitting though.
All in all, I'm really pleased I bought it, but anyone doing so will still need to schedule plenty of rests and sitting with leg up time into their day, and it does need practice. I do wish I'd started to use it sooner, as I think some of the sore muscles maybe came from having been sat so much and then getting them back into action. Hopefully I've helped myself get my legs re-conditioned now - we'll see when the cast comes off next week.
If anyone in the UK wants to buy an i-Walk, you need to use this link
Getting it set up wasn't quite as easy as the set up video suggested, but not too difficult, and the "How to get walking" video was easy enough to understand. The only thing was the feeling of terror, initially, at trusting something other than your own leg to walk on. However, that passed very quickly. Just standing on the leg and gently swaying from side to side or doing a slight forward bend, really helps the body to work out that this is ok. My initial problem was that my fibula was still moving about, so I didn't really try with the i-Walk for the next week.
So - 4 weeks in, and the doc said "we'll leave the cast on for 3 more weeks" - I was starting to feel quite claustrophobic, but this just took it up a notch. It's hard for the family to drop everything and take you places, so life with a broken leg for me has been quite limited in the main, as I can't drive and getting about with crutches is very tiring and sore on the wrists especially. Time to embrace the i-Walk. I strapped it on again, and walked around the garden, holding on to my husband's hand in case of tripping - it worked ok, though I felt a bit nervous. I also hadn't reckoned with the fact that my good leg would be doing a lot of balancing because of my nervousness with the i-Walk, so I had to call it a day due to my buttock cramping like a bastard (yes, there was swearing!). I didn't try it again until the next day, when I put it on for a little meander around the house, and tried stairs for the first time. It was brilliant! Stairs were suddenly quite easy, though that ease was reduced slightly by members of the family standing behind me as I went up or down, convinced I was going to pitch-pole down the stairs.
The i-Walk also meant that I could go to a long-awaited Eddie Izzard comedy show (which was ace!), because the leg meant I could walk up and down the stairs in the auditorium. There is a bit of an issue of not looking like you need extra space behind for the leg on its shelf. We put my son on point duty, but he actually got too close and nearly tripped me himself! Still - it's actually not to hard to skip and save yourself. We also chose to go up in the lift, mainly because it's slower going upstairs and I didn't want to get stampeded by crazed Eddie fans if I held them up.
I now have just 1 week to go, and the leg is great. I can walk around the house and garden, and I've made a few visits to my place of work (which is a community allotment), though I find having an arm to hang onto is reassuring on rough surfaces.
It's not a perfect replacement for having 2 legs, obviously. The action isn't as smooth as walking, because the leg really can't be modified enough to make it a custom fit, but it gets easier each time you use it. I can now walk pretty well. You also need to be careful of grippy surfaces like longer grass, carpets, rubber floors, as they may stop you swinging the peg leg through abruptly if you don't lift it high enough. It may also be necessary to change the height of the leg if you are wearing shoes. However, the major limiting factor is really the fact that you can only kneel for a certain amount of time before needing a rest, and keeping your leg bent for extended periods of time is obviously not ideal, so you do need to take breaks. The adverts for the device possibly gloss over this, or maybe have some folk who are a lot harder than I am - the woman who reckoned it allowed her to return to work as a hairdresser, for example. I could see it allowing someone to return to a job with more sitting though.
All in all, I'm really pleased I bought it, but anyone doing so will still need to schedule plenty of rests and sitting with leg up time into their day, and it does need practice. I do wish I'd started to use it sooner, as I think some of the sore muscles maybe came from having been sat so much and then getting them back into action. Hopefully I've helped myself get my legs re-conditioned now - we'll see when the cast comes off next week.
If anyone in the UK wants to buy an i-Walk, you need to use this link
Thursday 28 April 2016
2 weeks in
Up until now, I've dated everything for the day it happened, but frankly, my life isn't full of adventure at the moment, so I'm going to update as things occur.
Don't let someone put superglue on top of your stitches. The glue will still be holding everything together when the stitches need removing, making a complete dog's breakfast of the process. It also means you need to sit and squash each bit of the glue until it fractures and then pull it off the hair without opening the wound - fiddly isn't a good enough word.
This time - I've got a long list of lessons learned. You can probably imagine the stories behind a few of these...
Don't let someone put superglue on top of your stitches. The glue will still be holding everything together when the stitches need removing, making a complete dog's breakfast of the process. It also means you need to sit and squash each bit of the glue until it fractures and then pull it off the hair without opening the wound - fiddly isn't a good enough word.
Fight for a big-wheeled wheelchair - far easier to use than a small one, (and allows you a bit of autonomy) for longer distances than you can manage on crutches. It meant I could visit the main allotment I work on for a quick visit. If you can, customise with a plank and a cushion on top of that, so you can sit with your foot up, or better still, get one with built-in leg raising supports (you may need to kill someone to get one of these...).
You might get almighty muscle spasms in your bad leg, especially at night - I'm finding that taking a tramadol before bed really helps (though tramadol is problematic - see next post).
You do get better on the crutches - but you need to watch out for over-use signs in the wrists especially - arms just aren't designed to take your whole weight. I still haven't worked out a good way to crutch walk up our stairs though, due to the bannister rail stopping half way up.
Make sure you move your legs regularly, even when you are getting pampered to death by the family.
Friends have been great at dropping in, though visitors may come in batches (3 groups in 1 day!!) so stock up on books and box-sets for the gaps.
If you're lucky, one of your friends is studying scalp massage and needs someone to practice on... Thanks Kathy!
Getting the village craft group to meet at yours helps to while away an evening without you having to move about a lot.
Getting the village craft group to meet at yours helps to while away an evening without you having to move about a lot.
Crocheting a squid is actually quite fun.
Don't be scared to get the cast changed if it's loose or uncomfortable.
Keep pushing yourself to do a bit more each day, and you'll build up muscle and stamina, but the buttock on your good leg will probably bitch about it later.
Try to get some sunlight each day if you can.
Thursday 14 April 2016
The woman with the catching crew
You fall off a pair of crutches once, and you get a reputation....
It took me about half a day of my family's increased vigilance before I wanted to say "Damn the leg" and just run away. Fortunately(?) the Thursday was partly taken up by needing to get my cast replaced because it was too tight on the toes, so I had a bit of time being wheeled about in a chair to entertain me, but otherwise every move was shadowed by various family members.
Oddly - the new elbow crutches felt a lot less secure than the perilous under-arm ones, though it was obvious that they were much easier to rebalance by moving the upper body about. That was a relief - I still was never quite sure how far forwards any hop would take me.
Friends and family had been communicating with me via Facebook - everyone had ideas about how to keep myself busy, but they seemed to have voted that I should learn to crochet for some reason. I wasn't averse to the idea, but a bit daunted by the codes that the crochet crowd seem to use, and also found myself recoiling in horror at some of the froufrou stuff that could be made. Several friends had an idea - crochet a squid.... Really?!
In the absence of crochet kit, I found my felting kit, and had a bit of a play. When you are frustrated, a craft that involves repeatedly sticking a pin in things does seem to help a bit! Sadly, I also had to stick a pin in myself every day (not just my many felting miss-hits), to give myself a dose of blood-thinners. I'd been told at the hospital in Scotland to put the needle just under the skin, but I found that this either caused a huge bruise or, once, a kind of bubble / blister to form, so I did a bit of googling. Those that have to dose themselves regularly seem to think the needle should be quite a bit deeper, and to pinch the skin as you do it, so I went with that and it seemed to bruise less. The pain seems to come more after the injection, but it's not that bad - certainly not as bad as a broken ankle!
I was becoming better at going upstairs on my backside too - muscles getting stronger in the upper body and left leg, so, whilst it didn't look elegant in any way, at least it was effective and felt secure.
Tracey's patent going upstairs sitting method -
Stand by bottom of stairs facing away from them. Sit back carefully trying to hit the highest step your bum can get onto.
Hold onto the bannister with one hand and the step above your bum with the other (or if you have a 1960's build house like ours, hold onto whatever they left you with that you can reach)
Lift your good foot onto the step just below your bum
Push with arms as you push with your foot, so you don't overload your knee as you lift yourself onto the next step up.
At the top of the stairs, you might find it easier to pull yourself up onto a stool or low chair placed on the landing, rather than try to pull yourself up on the top bannister or getting hauled onto your good leg by a helper.
Of course, the hyper-vigilant family meant I was doing this with someone below me on the stairs in case I somehow managed to fall off my backside, and someone above me ready to help me onto the stool at the top, so once I was up, I was up, and not too keen to go back down if I could help it. This meant I wasn't overdoing it too much - not really a problem - my left knee hadn't enjoyed it at all to begin with so I wanted to pace myself.
Early bed for the woman with the broken leg...
Lessons learned:
When injecting yourself with blood thinners, swab the area with antiseptic, pinch the stomach fat on one side of the belly button (but at least 4cm away from it) and put the needle in most of the way. Depress the plunger at about the same speed as on a cafetiere! Remember to swap sides the next time as well.
If you want to walk upstairs on crutches, avoid living in a 1960's build house...
Crafts will be thrust upon you - this may be a good thing.
There is such a thing as a crochet pattern for a squid.
It took me about half a day of my family's increased vigilance before I wanted to say "Damn the leg" and just run away. Fortunately(?) the Thursday was partly taken up by needing to get my cast replaced because it was too tight on the toes, so I had a bit of time being wheeled about in a chair to entertain me, but otherwise every move was shadowed by various family members.
Oddly - the new elbow crutches felt a lot less secure than the perilous under-arm ones, though it was obvious that they were much easier to rebalance by moving the upper body about. That was a relief - I still was never quite sure how far forwards any hop would take me.
Friends and family had been communicating with me via Facebook - everyone had ideas about how to keep myself busy, but they seemed to have voted that I should learn to crochet for some reason. I wasn't averse to the idea, but a bit daunted by the codes that the crochet crowd seem to use, and also found myself recoiling in horror at some of the froufrou stuff that could be made. Several friends had an idea - crochet a squid.... Really?!
In the absence of crochet kit, I found my felting kit, and had a bit of a play. When you are frustrated, a craft that involves repeatedly sticking a pin in things does seem to help a bit! Sadly, I also had to stick a pin in myself every day (not just my many felting miss-hits), to give myself a dose of blood-thinners. I'd been told at the hospital in Scotland to put the needle just under the skin, but I found that this either caused a huge bruise or, once, a kind of bubble / blister to form, so I did a bit of googling. Those that have to dose themselves regularly seem to think the needle should be quite a bit deeper, and to pinch the skin as you do it, so I went with that and it seemed to bruise less. The pain seems to come more after the injection, but it's not that bad - certainly not as bad as a broken ankle!
I was becoming better at going upstairs on my backside too - muscles getting stronger in the upper body and left leg, so, whilst it didn't look elegant in any way, at least it was effective and felt secure.
Tracey's patent going upstairs sitting method -
Stand by bottom of stairs facing away from them. Sit back carefully trying to hit the highest step your bum can get onto.
Hold onto the bannister with one hand and the step above your bum with the other (or if you have a 1960's build house like ours, hold onto whatever they left you with that you can reach)
Lift your good foot onto the step just below your bum
Push with arms as you push with your foot, so you don't overload your knee as you lift yourself onto the next step up.
At the top of the stairs, you might find it easier to pull yourself up onto a stool or low chair placed on the landing, rather than try to pull yourself up on the top bannister or getting hauled onto your good leg by a helper.
Of course, the hyper-vigilant family meant I was doing this with someone below me on the stairs in case I somehow managed to fall off my backside, and someone above me ready to help me onto the stool at the top, so once I was up, I was up, and not too keen to go back down if I could help it. This meant I wasn't overdoing it too much - not really a problem - my left knee hadn't enjoyed it at all to begin with so I wanted to pace myself.
Early bed for the woman with the broken leg...
Lessons learned:
When injecting yourself with blood thinners, swab the area with antiseptic, pinch the stomach fat on one side of the belly button (but at least 4cm away from it) and put the needle in most of the way. Depress the plunger at about the same speed as on a cafetiere! Remember to swap sides the next time as well.
If you want to walk upstairs on crutches, avoid living in a 1960's build house...
Crafts will be thrust upon you - this may be a good thing.
There is such a thing as a crochet pattern for a squid.
Wednesday 13 April 2016
Pride Before A Fall
I was starting to really get the hang of the crutches, though it was a bit sore on the wrists, and the buttock muscles on my good leg weren't too keen on much crutch walking. I was pretty confident getting to the loo myself and I could stand on one leg to wash and clean my teeth without feeling too wobbly. I'd started yoga a few months before which I'm sure had helped with that.
But I was feeling a bit wiped out, so I ended up staying in bed for a lot of the day. I also had lots of emails and calls to make, to sort out work cover for me whilst I was off, especially as there was a big project coming up that we couldn't cancel.
I ended up still working from my bed by the evening, so I decided I ought to go downstairs. I visited the loo, then went back to the bed to sort out my clothing, and jumped just a bit too far forward as I got close to the bed. This quickly showed me a major drawback with under-arm crutches - if you end up with your foot in line with the feet of the crutches on the floor, you haven't got a stable support. As they are under your arms, you need to lift your torso up and back fractionally to lift them forwards again, this then pushes you back slightly beyond stability and you go over backwards. You can't save yourself because it takes too long to drop the crutches. I realised this in the blink of an eye as I toppled backwards like a felled tree.
I was in the gap between the wall and the bed, but behind me was a wardrobe that was braced against a wall, so the back of my head hit it hard, and it didn't give at all. Then my backside hit the floor and my legs bounced and I ended up sitting in the narrow gap with blood pouring from a gash in the back of my head. There was some swearing.
J and the boys were all at home, so they piled into the bedroom to see what was going on, to find me bleeding on the floor. I was non-to-gently berated for going to the loo without a spotter, as I demanded something, anything, to stop the blood going everywhere. There was a lot of blood, which I knew tended to happen with head wounds, but because I was on blood-thinners, I was concerned that the bash on the head might be a problem internally too. We called for an ambulance whilst I had a little sobbing session because I was so frustrated at my stupidity.
The first-response paramedic got to us in less than 10 minutes and applied his skills and his wonderful sense of humour to the situation.
"You were right to call. A bash on the head when you have had blood thinners needed a bit more care. Normally, I could have just stuck you back together with superglue, but this will need a quick trip to A & E. Also, we better keep checking your level of consciousness and whether your pupils are equal and reactive."
He took my blood-pressure, which was sky-high, mainly I think, because I was so, so angry with myself. Then the ambulance crew appeared - another pair of lovely, funny folk. There was much giggling and laughter as they decided what to do next. I was hoisted out of my awkward corner and taken downstairs on a special chair that made me feel surprisingly safe. In the ambulance, I got quite emotional again, but this time because we talked about the NHS and I told the guy how much I valued it. Even so, my blood pressure began to come down a little.
At hospital, I was whisked into a cubicle and assessed. I got another X-ray to check that the leg hadn't been damaged further (it hadn't), and they decided that they could close the wound, but that it was too large to glue, so I had 5 stitches - though they glued it as well, which was a bit of a puzzle. My hair was cleaned and combed to get the blood out, which was a relief. The nurse was on the ball though, "I'm going to get someone to assess that cough,"
It turned out that I had an infection in the bottom of one of my lungs, which is a risk after an operation where you are intubated and you have a sore throat (which I did). I was given a course of strong antibiotics to knock it on the head. The nurse also showed me my X-rays for the first time! The ones from Scotland had appeared on the system, so she was able to show me (and J who had arrived to keep me company) the before and after views. The tibia went from being clearly out of place to being nicely re-constructed, but the fibula was in 3 bits that sat alongside each other - not surprising then that I could feel movement.
"Is it really ok that the fibula is in bits that are all moving around?"
"It should be fine. Your body should eventually stick them back together as it heals."
I was re-assured, but still couldn't resign myself to feeling comfortable with the various crunching and clicking sensations.
"Your cast is too tight on your toes though, so I'd get that re-done before you hurt your foot, and am I right that you had under-arm crutches when you fell?
"Yes. That's what they gave me in Scotland."
"Really? I'm surprised. We stopped using them here a while ago, simply because they cause the kind of falls that you've just had. We use arm-brace crutches because they are safer. I'll get you a pair."
In the blink of an eye, a new set of crutches appeared. I was shown how to use them and saw that, because I could lean forward, I could re-balance far more easily than on the under-arm crutches. I also felt a bit less of a pratt, if my accident was at least partly due to the crutch design.
J drove me home, a wiser but more uncomfortable woman.
Lessons learned:
1. Under-arm crutches have a major drawback with stability if the user hops too far forwards.
2. Ask for arm-brace crutches if offered the other type.
3. If you have a cough after an operation where you were intubated, it's best to get it checked out.
4. UK ambulance folk could run an ace comedy club.
But I was feeling a bit wiped out, so I ended up staying in bed for a lot of the day. I also had lots of emails and calls to make, to sort out work cover for me whilst I was off, especially as there was a big project coming up that we couldn't cancel.
I ended up still working from my bed by the evening, so I decided I ought to go downstairs. I visited the loo, then went back to the bed to sort out my clothing, and jumped just a bit too far forward as I got close to the bed. This quickly showed me a major drawback with under-arm crutches - if you end up with your foot in line with the feet of the crutches on the floor, you haven't got a stable support. As they are under your arms, you need to lift your torso up and back fractionally to lift them forwards again, this then pushes you back slightly beyond stability and you go over backwards. You can't save yourself because it takes too long to drop the crutches. I realised this in the blink of an eye as I toppled backwards like a felled tree.
I was in the gap between the wall and the bed, but behind me was a wardrobe that was braced against a wall, so the back of my head hit it hard, and it didn't give at all. Then my backside hit the floor and my legs bounced and I ended up sitting in the narrow gap with blood pouring from a gash in the back of my head. There was some swearing.
J and the boys were all at home, so they piled into the bedroom to see what was going on, to find me bleeding on the floor. I was non-to-gently berated for going to the loo without a spotter, as I demanded something, anything, to stop the blood going everywhere. There was a lot of blood, which I knew tended to happen with head wounds, but because I was on blood-thinners, I was concerned that the bash on the head might be a problem internally too. We called for an ambulance whilst I had a little sobbing session because I was so frustrated at my stupidity.
The first-response paramedic got to us in less than 10 minutes and applied his skills and his wonderful sense of humour to the situation.
"You were right to call. A bash on the head when you have had blood thinners needed a bit more care. Normally, I could have just stuck you back together with superglue, but this will need a quick trip to A & E. Also, we better keep checking your level of consciousness and whether your pupils are equal and reactive."
He took my blood-pressure, which was sky-high, mainly I think, because I was so, so angry with myself. Then the ambulance crew appeared - another pair of lovely, funny folk. There was much giggling and laughter as they decided what to do next. I was hoisted out of my awkward corner and taken downstairs on a special chair that made me feel surprisingly safe. In the ambulance, I got quite emotional again, but this time because we talked about the NHS and I told the guy how much I valued it. Even so, my blood pressure began to come down a little.
At hospital, I was whisked into a cubicle and assessed. I got another X-ray to check that the leg hadn't been damaged further (it hadn't), and they decided that they could close the wound, but that it was too large to glue, so I had 5 stitches - though they glued it as well, which was a bit of a puzzle. My hair was cleaned and combed to get the blood out, which was a relief. The nurse was on the ball though, "I'm going to get someone to assess that cough,"
It turned out that I had an infection in the bottom of one of my lungs, which is a risk after an operation where you are intubated and you have a sore throat (which I did). I was given a course of strong antibiotics to knock it on the head. The nurse also showed me my X-rays for the first time! The ones from Scotland had appeared on the system, so she was able to show me (and J who had arrived to keep me company) the before and after views. The tibia went from being clearly out of place to being nicely re-constructed, but the fibula was in 3 bits that sat alongside each other - not surprising then that I could feel movement.
"Is it really ok that the fibula is in bits that are all moving around?"
"It should be fine. Your body should eventually stick them back together as it heals."
I was re-assured, but still couldn't resign myself to feeling comfortable with the various crunching and clicking sensations.
"Your cast is too tight on your toes though, so I'd get that re-done before you hurt your foot, and am I right that you had under-arm crutches when you fell?
"Yes. That's what they gave me in Scotland."
"Really? I'm surprised. We stopped using them here a while ago, simply because they cause the kind of falls that you've just had. We use arm-brace crutches because they are safer. I'll get you a pair."
In the blink of an eye, a new set of crutches appeared. I was shown how to use them and saw that, because I could lean forward, I could re-balance far more easily than on the under-arm crutches. I also felt a bit less of a pratt, if my accident was at least partly due to the crutch design.
J drove me home, a wiser but more uncomfortable woman.
Lessons learned:
1. Under-arm crutches have a major drawback with stability if the user hops too far forwards.
2. Ask for arm-brace crutches if offered the other type.
3. If you have a cough after an operation where you were intubated, it's best to get it checked out.
4. UK ambulance folk could run an ace comedy club.
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