Topic: loNELY AND Broken AGAIN iN The Redwoods (Read 10195 times)

RedwoodsMama · « **Reply #25 on:** February 25, 2013, 01:42:06 PM »

Just a quick update on my fractures. My wrist is of course in a cast, and I am learning to adjust to the Darn thing. I wish I could rip it off, but that is only cause it is so uncomfortable. At times it makes my fingers feel tingling or numb, but they soon go back to normal. My foot/big toe on the other hand"foot...LOL" is another matter. I see the surgeon on Wed. to see what he has to say. I fell on Dec. 13th, and dislocated, fractured it. After manipulation in his office where he reduced it, I was put in a walking cast boot to wear 24/7 even while sleeping (he is out of his mind if he thinks I will wear that while in bed....)

A few days ago I had a repeat X-ray to see how it is healing. Bad news... it is not. this was 2 days short of 9 weeks since the injury, and the X-ray confirms, No healing taken place, what is called "periosteal reaction or bone formation". by six-8 weeks healing should be complete and usually 4-6 weeks new bone starts forming. My big toe does not hurt like it did, but is still swollen and stiff, and not healing. Another factor is the fact this was a severe fracture into the joint called, intrarticular, means all the joints, muscles were torn, but there still should be evidence of SOME healing. So because this foot has had such a bad history, lots of foot surgeries and previous fractures, It looks like my wrist may heal first. Fancy was right when awhile back I asked which would heal first, my foot or my wrist?
Wed. I see the dr. and will then find out what my options are going to be...if I have any or i just have to wait and wait and wait. The good news is that it looks like I dodged the bullet, and did not get that 3'rd injury I was fearing may happen this month.

( I believe things often happen in series of 3) will update any news i get when i see the dr. in two more days.

RWM

kat · « **Reply #26 on:** February 25, 2013, 04:15:20 PM »

Sorry to hear that your foot doesn't seem to be healing RWM. Hopefully the doctor will have some good news for you when you go. Do you think not wearing the boot in bed may have anything to do with the lack of healing?
Fingers crossed you get better soon.

Talon · « **Reply #27 on:** February 25, 2013, 07:29:35 PM »

I'm sorry to hear that, Redwoods. I hope the doctors will have good news for you on thursday. I hate to be the devil's advocate here but wearing that boot at night may actually help you. After all, your foot will be still and more stable during that time and it will be that way for at least eight or nine hours depending on how long you sleep, giving it ample time to perhaps reduce the swelling and do some healing. After all when you're sleeping, your body does lots of regenerations of its own- new skin cells, all those squished spaces in your bones spread out, your mind has time to process all the stuff it took in during the day. I know it might be uncomfortable but you might want to consider trying it. If the thing is too much of an inconvienence, ask your doctor if there is a lighter, less bulky version you could wear to bed instead of the one you wear during the day.
Talon

RedwoodsMama · « **Reply #28 on:** February 25, 2013, 09:01:13 PM »

Thanks guys for the comments and support. As for the boot, the purpose of the boot is like that of a cast, mainly for comfort and to help protect agaist further injury and the dr. emphasized that it would be really easy to dislocate the toe again. Just as the purpose of the cast on my wrist/arm is to inmobilize my wrist arm enough to help heal the injured areas from further injury. Actually wearing the boot which is about 4 lbs to bed is almost impossible.
Imagine 2 full size beds built together with ooden boards over them instead of a nice fluffy canopy. My husband's side of the bed is near the window and he can go straight out of bed when he wants to get up. I have boards on my side, so my only option is about a one foot opening at the bottom side of the bed. At the top of the bed( where my [pillow is) I am blocked in. To add to this difficult enough problem without injuries, add a boot on one foot and a rock hard hand to elbow cast that i can not put any weight on. When sitting up in bed, ( like watching t.v.) my head is only 6-8 inches below the boards covering the entire bed, so if I sit on my bottom, trying to scoot to the bottom of the bed to get out, I am constantly bumping or hitting my head on the top, the boards. I also can not push down on my hands to help get me ouy of bed, as the dr. said this is thee one position that may help shift the position of the bones. So my only solution is to remove that stupid boot when sleeping, besides, it is no fun getting kicked in the head, back or face, and the cats are not keen on it either.

The other problem is that I have low bone mass or what is called osteopenia, what happens to bone before it is termed osteoporous! This in part from having that same big toe fused with a metal plate and five screws in it, The dr. that looked at my x--rays explained that in order for ostepenia to even show up on an x-ray, you have to have lost at least 30% bone mass already! :oSo that is a lot of bone and helps explain why my foot is not healing, thank goodness it was not my hip...makes me greatful I am not 70 or older, I would probably never fully recover!Anyway, that is a little bit more technical information. Only two more days to go and then I hope to get some better answers. Thanks everyone! :)RWM

RedwoodsMama · « **Reply #29 on:** February 27, 2013, 08:02:53 PM »

.
Well, saw the Dr. today, Feb. 27'th, and it was as I thought after seeing the latest X-rays. seems as though not only has my foot not laid down any bone or "mineralization', but there have been other set backs I was not aware of.

The Dr. told me that not only is my foot not healing, (not laying down any bone mineralization) but also there have been other set backs I did not know of.I allways get copies of all my health care, both written as well as image studies on CD. ( I believe in being your own medical advocate and at least here in the U.S.A., it is the law that you are entitled to copies of your own records. ( I also do this for all my pets.) It seems that my big toe according to the dr., has gone back to 50% of the original dislocation position already, and this explains why I am having so much pain/ discomfort. The good news is that at this point I can take the walking cast boot off, unless I feel better with it on. YEAH

The only option at this point is to try and see if I can live with the pain or go back under the knife. We did not go into a lot of details, but he said one problem (in his words) was that I had "blown out the joint" when I fell, and it was a severe injury. I can no longer bend my toe at all, completely stiff as a board, and the more scar tissue that builds, the worse it will be. I asked him what he would do, and the only thing I remember him saying is that he would have to go in and remove the titanium plate and screws to try and re-position the toe in a correct position, and what after that...I don't know. He said give it 4 more weeks and at this point there is no more need for any X-rays, cause it will not get any better.

(what my gut feelings told me)

On the other hand, he told me that I would definitly need some serious physical therapy for my wrist/ hand when the cast comes off. ( funny cause he is not the dr. treating me for that injury, but he has access to all my X-rays and medical records, because both dr.s that are treating me work at the same hospital and can view all of a particular patient's medical history, films, etc, So now I start the waiting game, 4 weeks of seeing how my toe, foot feels and what it feels like without this boot on. Actually, I prefer to get this foot worked on and trying to fix it before it gets worse which it will. At this point I have had 2 bad fractures of this foot, big toe, 4 surgeries on it, (including 2 failed joint salvages) and a contracted ankle because of the initial fracture in 2001 when I was hit by a truck while on my bike, and a foot that gives me more problems then I can imagine.

So has anyone else beenthrough any thing similiar and how did you deal
with the frustration while waiting? Good news is that I also may have this stupid cadt off my wrist in a couple of weeks.. I hate it,, so tight and uncomfortable.. RWM

Crewella · « **Reply #30 on:** February 28, 2013, 05:44:51 AM »

So sorry RWM, very dispiriting.

If it's any help, when I first broke my hip when I was 20 I ended up waiting 3 years before I could walk on it. Non weight-bearing for 6 months after the first op, followed by another 6 months, another op, another year keeping weight off it, another op to replace the hip altogether ..... back to 6 months .... and so on. It's VERY frustrating, but you just kind of have to poodle along as best you can. I was very well-read by the end of those three years, and a lot better at asking people for help and generally being bossy! My family were hopeless, but some good friends got me through it.

Lunamione7 · « **Reply #31 on:** February 28, 2013, 10:16:12 AM »

I am so sad to hear this disappointing news

As for being through anything similar I can now say yes I have, you know I broke my nose last Thursday (I fell over my own foot...) and because it is my nose they obviously can't put a bandage on it so I have to be so careful not to touch it at all, it is broken in three places and I'm so worried about bumping it and making the bones move out of alignment again because the 'putting back in alignment' procedure was the worst thing to ever happen to me in my life and I never want them to do it again!

To sleep I have to sit up because if I lie down I can't breath and I have to have pillows around me so I can't roll over in my sleep and squish my nose. And I worry about sneezing, trust me you do not want to sneeze when you have a broken nose, it hurts!

My nose is fixing itself though and it should be OK in about 4-5 more weeks. I wish I could give you a hug, you are such a good friend to me and I hate hearing you are in pain.

fancyfont · « **Reply #32 on:** February 28, 2013, 11:55:58 AM »

I think we all need body suits made of Charmin TPaper! So sorry to hear latest news RWM and Luna!

June · « **Reply #33 on:** March 03, 2013, 12:25:53 AM »

Awwwwww, I'm so sorry to hear about your fall and the subsequent complications! Ot sounds as if this last doctor is helpful though, so hopefully things will get resolved for the best!
:hugs:

RedwoodsMama · « **Reply #34 on:** March 05, 2013, 05:10:35 PM »

First of all, I want to thank everyone for reading this post, it gives me a place to vent my frustration, and secondly, I have no-one else to talk to, and it lets me share familiar experiences with others who have been injured.

Crewella, wow that is terrible having your hip broken at such an early age, and then to have a hip replacement also! Was this caused by a accident or something else entirely? I can only assume you must have artritis in that area now because of your hip, and it being replaced. You have excellent attitude to have gone through that and be able to get around now. I hope it does not cause you too much residual pain. Talon, I don't think falling out of a bed, let alone a bunk bed and being blind is any fun at all. The one advantage is that the younger you are with an injury, you tend to heal easier and faster than an adult. And Luna, dear girl, your noseOUCH! I hate the sight of blood and I once had a boyfriend whose parents were in a minor car accident, and I remember his mom suffered a broken nose: blood is what I remember mostly! I can feel for you, having the fractured body part :reduced", or set, hurts quite often more than the actual break.

I remember when the ortho surgeon yanked on my arm 3 times to reduce it,( it hurt worse, more intense)I screamed because of the pain, and the tears were streaming down my face. ( so much for nerve blocks....they did nothing for pain...is thaty your experience also? Please heal quickly and try not to trip over anything, including your own feet. ( I thought only I did that sort of thing.

(hugs to everyone who has had some sort of injury like tis, make the pain go away fast)I can't type much more as my fingers are numb, and also cold.

I saw the ortho Dr. yesterday, March 4th, and the good news is that I had my cast removed!Bad news, is that there are some setbacks. Besides the fact I am shedding like a lizard, ( dry, super dry skin literally peeling off in layers...) is that my wrist is "deformed". I have a pronounced "bump" on both thhe top of the back of my hand, and also the side of the Ulnar. The dr, said I will have to live with that, but he was concerned when I told him that my thumb, forefinger and index finger are tingling and also partially numb, but not the ring finger or pinkie. (he said it is more likely the nerve being pinched from when thw radius and ulnar were fractured and all the ligaments, tendons torn, trapping or pinching the median ? nerve, resulting in something like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. He gave me a special wrist splint to wear at night to help prevent the hand from curling up. He said I may have to have surgery so i go back in 3 weeks, both for my foot and my wrist.

Besides all this, I have very little range of motion in this wrist at all, and when I asked him about how long it would take to "heal". He just said" It is a long slow road". I googled several sites, and they all state up to 2 years, and then you often still do not get back the motion you once had.....So now it looks like I may be having TWO surgeries, and of course the pain is still there, but not severe like it was. Makes you want to not get out of bed !... :(Good thing, is at least my hubby is supportive instead of yelling at me.. Thanks for listening.. RWM

Crewella · « **Reply #35 on:** March 06, 2013, 04:14:41 AM »

Poor RWM ((((hugs)))), it must be awful to have ongoing problems on both an arm and a leg. At least the cast is off for a while, lets hope the wrist improves.

..... and my broken hip was my own fault - I fell off a horse! Due to the blood supply being damaged in the accident, the bone at the joint just wouldn't set and kept crumbling, which is why they eventually replaced it.

zetathix · « **Reply #36 on:** March 06, 2013, 08:34:37 PM »

I wish and hope you will get well soon~

PleoAibo29 · « **Reply #37 on:** March 07, 2013, 05:17:12 AM »

Feel better soon!

Talon · « **Reply #38 on:** March 07, 2013, 09:13:28 AM »

Wow, Redwoods! I honestly don't know what to say. I think I would go crazy if I had a foot and a wrist broken at the same time with possible surgeries ahead for both injuries. You must have nerves of steel. I'll be praying for you and sending good thoughts your way.
Talon

kat · « **Reply #39 on:** March 07, 2013, 03:36:45 PM »

Facing surgery for a broken bone is a very daunting task. I just spent 6 hours yesterday going from doctors to xrays and back to doctors then off the the children's hospital with my 13yo daughter who it seems has broken her finger - on her right hand and she is right handed. She had it hit by a ball in sport at school and has broken it through the joint - last knuckle at the tip of the finger. Because it is broken in the joint and there is a floating bit of bone they are considering surgery. So we cam e home from the hospital last night with her arm and hand in a cast up to her elbow (seems like a whole lot for one little finger) and we are headed back to the hospital this morning to see the surgeon and find out what they are going to do. Apparently if they don't do what needs to be done to make it right now then she could loose the movement in that joint which will affect her for the rest of her life. So If they say they need to operate then that's what we will be doing.
So now I'm off to pack a bag with a good book for another day sitting around in waiting rooms.

Talon · « **Reply #40 on:** March 07, 2013, 05:10:17 PM »

Oh my goodness! I guess I need to start making a list. I'm so sorry, Kat. Having a broken bone yourself is one thing but when it's your child who's hurting that's entirely another. I was so worried when my niece had Belle's Paulsy. I think I was more worried than her mother was. Keep us posted.
Talon

kat · « **Reply #41 on:** March 09, 2013, 01:13:45 AM »

Good news on Paige for the moment

They ended up manipulating the bone fragment back into place and splinting her finger and now we give it a week and see what happens. If we are very lucky the bone fragment will stay put and she will then just need to keep the splint on for about 6 weeks. If we are not so lucky the fragment will have moved and then it will be off to surgery. So fingers crossed the splint will be enough.
We go back next Friday for more x-rays.
One good thing about the day at the hospital was that all the doctors were lovely and a few of them were even nice to look at

Nothing like a nice bit of eye candy to make the sitting around in the waiting room more tolerable

Hope your feeling better soon RWM. Thinking of you. xx

Lunamione7 · « **Reply #42 on:** March 09, 2013, 06:31:31 PM »

First RWM, then me, then Talon's little dog and now Kat's daughter... EVERYONE STOP HURTING YOURSELF!

Best of luck to her Kat, I hope the surgery is not nessisary and she can go back to her piano and sport soon

Big hugs to little Teddy Talon, he is so cute and sweet. What bad luck for him to have to have surgery so soon after you getting him. I hope he will be alright now.

RedwoodsMama · « **Reply #43 on:** March 10, 2013, 12:50:07 AM »

Kat, i hope everything works out for your daughter, she is young and that will help her in the long run,. Talon, glad Teddy is doing better, and I hope he continues to improve. Luna, keep your chin up and you will be back to normal sooner than you think. Having fractures of any kind is no fun, and as this update video shows, bones do not allways heal properly, esp if you are older and have other problems. It looks like I will have surgery for my wrist and foot. My wrist is numb and the fingers tingling and besides the pain, I have very little range of motion . My foot is no better either,, makes me wish I were a lot younger so I could recover faster and properly.

Here is a short video of what my wtist looks like without the cast, crooked and actually almost an inch wider at the wrist, the bone has shifted....

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pntq9bwo8Ww" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pntq9bwo8Ww</a> Glad your daughter is doing better Kat, hope the bone stays in place. RWM

kat · « **Reply #44 on:** March 10, 2013, 03:11:04 AM »

Well it looks better than it did when you first broke it but still looks pretty bad.

I do hope they can do something more for you to improve the situation adn give you back the movement.

Crewella · « **Reply #45 on:** March 10, 2013, 10:07:12 AM »

Me too.

I'd say I'll cross my fingers ...... but with all the injuries recently it would just sound like I was showing off .....

Lunamione7 · « **Reply #46 on:** March 11, 2013, 11:08:46 PM »

Quote from: Crewella on March 10, 2013, 10:07:12 AM

I'd say I'll cross my fingers ...... but with all the injuries recently it would just sound like I was showing off .....

Oh you are terrible!

I hope something can be worked out for you RWM, it sounds like a really tricky situation. I hope at the very least the pain goes away for you soon

Talon · « **Reply #47 on:** March 12, 2013, 11:08:34 AM »

Wow! I hope something can be done for you, Redwoods. I can only hope that surgery will help this time. Well, just to give everyone a brief update. Teddy came through his surgery. He no longer looks like a shark and he was able to eat the same day. I was really nervous I'd have to puray his food or something. Please forgive my spelling. I'm really being lazy and not looking this word up in the dictionary. He's almost back to his normal self. His pain medication seems to be suppressing his apitite a little but he is still eating and drinking. They also found some sort of skin tumor in his ear and he has three stitches in it from having it removed. He is due back in two weeks to get them taken out. Now I'm parinoied and I'm constantly checking his body for lumps and bumps. To me it just looked like a small bump with a scabby sort of place on it. You'd think my being blind I'd be a lot more scensitive to that sort of thing. Luckily the vet hasn't uttered the dreaded C word yet. I am very greatful for that.
Talon

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Author Topic: loNELY AND Broken AGAIN iN The Redwoods (Read 10195 times)