How Fracturing A Bone Changed My Life
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How Fracturing A Bone Changed My Life
Back on October 6th I fell down my basement stairs. The result was a spiral fracture to the fibula bone close to the ankle. I never imagined how much doing something like this could change my life.
A Bit Of Back Ground
When I first went to the hospital they put on an air cast. Thinking at the time I would be keeping this cast for the duration of six weeks. I was told to go to the fracture clinic five days after having the air cast put on. They told me in emergency that the only time that I could remove the air cast was while taking a shower. When I went to the fracture clinic the doctor that I saw there recommended a fiberglass cast for the following five weeks. He said to me “You haven’t taken the air cast off at any time have you?” I then told him that yes I’d taken it off to have a shower and then put it back on again. He then proceeded to tell me that you should not have done this and I explained how the nurses in emergency had told me I could. Anyways air cast came off and fiberglass cast went on.
Top Ten: How This Changed My Life
- Putting on my winter boots is quite the challenge as my foot, ankle and leg are still quite swollen.
- Housework takes me three times longer to complete than it used to. You should see the state my house is in!
- Stairs are fun. But I’ve graduated from bumming it down to walking down with the help of my new best friend the cane. The stairs stayed cleaner though when I was going down them via my butt.
- The only shoes that will fit on my one foot are my Birkenstock sandals, without socks.
- I had gone on a diet last year and lost 20 pounds. Because I have become less active I’ve put most of the weight back on. Thank goodness I still have Slim Fast left.
- Before this happened if my dogs were outside, I had no fear of retrieving them if they would not come into the house. Now I just pray that they’ll obey me. They are pretty good, but then are those times when they just want to bark at the world. I do a lot of knocking on the window when this happens.
- If there is not a phone close by there is no point in trying to hobble to find it to answer it, as it will usually quit ringing by the time I get to it. Thank goodness for answering machines.
- Cooking dinner takes a bit longer these days and we seem to eat at late hours now, even though I have all day to prepare a meal.
- Hearing "you're slow" from my husband is really annoying. Even though it’s the truth.
- Putting socks on some days can be a bit painful, so I am usually bare foot now.
Top Ten: Good Things
- Have had so much support from my husband and my sons. Thank you family!
- Have not had to go into the basement to do laundry for 3 months now. Sadly I’m sure this will change shortly.
- The first 2 months I didn’t have to do any grocery shopping. Have started going with my husband now though.
- My husband has become an excellent bargain hunter when it comes to food shopping. He never went food shopping before I hurt myself.
- I found out what a good cook my husband is, except I gained weight from his cooking.
- I’ve been able to spend more time on the computer.
- Family members do way more around the house now than what they ever did before.
- All I have to do is ask for the garbage to be taken out and poof it’s gone.
- I’m not asked to shovel the driveway.
- I hate winter so being inside has not bothered me at all this year.
I got the fiberglass cast off at the beginning of November. I used crutches for a few weeks then graduated to a cane. I now only use the can when absolutely necessary. I think I am doing all right except for the excessive swelling. RealHousewife ordered me to go see my doctor a few weeks back. I finally made the appointment and will be going this Tuesday. I was a bit surprised that physcio was not recommended but it could be due to the back up they have at our hospital. Who knows? I don’t think much of our Health Care system lately as you can see from one of my Hub Rants.
I do hope by the Spring that I'll be able to run in a marathon, not that I've ever run in a marathon before however. But stranger things have happened.
Hope you enjoyed my hub. All comments will be greatly appreciated...good or bad.
Update
I went and had x-rays taken after my doctors appointment, and apparently my bone is not healing properly. My family doctor has made an appointment with a surgeon for me, as he feels that I may need to have a plate and screws put in. For some reason though my appointment is not until March. It is now the end of January. I'm not happy about having to wait so long and hopefully will be able to get into the surgeon before March. Called the surgeons office and now have a new appointment on the 15th of February.
Update as of March 4th
Thank you everyone for all of your concern. I promised that I would update this hub as soon as I learned something.
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What Is RSD
The following is from Canadian RSD.
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) is a debilitating disorder involving the human skin, nerves, blood vessels, and bones. The sympathetic nervous system reacts to a stimulus for example, an injury. Blood flow may be affected in reaction to a burn, cut, or severe temperature changes. To prevent you from further using an injured limb, the limb swells. Sometimes inexplicably an abnormal or prolonged sympathetic reflex begins in a limb as reaction to a trauma.
- Chronic Pain Treatment -Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
The symptoms, diagnosis and pain treatment for Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome is covered in this article. The psychological problems associated with chronic pain are also covered.
I've had two appointments with the surgeon. After seeing me the first time he sent me for a cat scan, blood work, and an ultra sound that same day. When he looked at my leg and ankle and saw how red and swollen it was he thought that perhaps I had an infection. He prescribed antibiotics for a week. From the ultra sound he discovered that I had two blood clots in the bottom of the injured leg. Because of where they are in the bottom of the leg he is not too concerned about them, but will keep an eye on them with further ultra sounds. The cat scan showed what I already knew about the bone not healing properly. I also had a bone scan done. He felt that I should be wearing an ankle support and be applying ice to the area. I went and purchased an ankle support lace up boot along with an ice pack similar to what you see here on amazon.
The antibiotics did not work at all in bringing down the swelling. From all the testing that I've had done, his diagnosis is that I have RDS or Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy AKA Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. He told me that the blood is flowing in my leg too fast therefore washing away the calcium buildup needed to properly heal the bone.
I've been recommended to go for physio therapy, which I will start on March 12th. The surgeon hopes that the bone will heal, and that the physio will help with the RSD. So for now I suppose only time will tell. I have another follow appointment, x-ray and ultra sound to go to in April.
Update April 12th
Good news: The bone is healing. The RSD is still present but the swelling has gone down with the help of physiotherapy twice a week. The physiotherapist feels that through acupuncture, which is done twice a week, and daily exercises the ankle and leg should be almost back to normal. He is not sure how long this will take but is pleased with the results so far. Follow up appointment with my surgeon to check on the bone is in June.
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Have You Ever Broken A Bone and Has It Changed your life?Loading...
You still have swelling? I thought you surely had run a marathon by now. This hub goes to show anyone how in a matter of seconds your life could change. Fantastic hub my friend and I'm wishing you to be swell-free very soon!!
Susan - I think this is an excellent hub:). Tales of a down 21st century housewife and how to! Lol.
I am so glad you are getting back to the doc:). You should update us. I so hope you are feeling better! You are the ultimate 21st century freelancing, mother, wife and friend:)
No or rather yes i like the way you have done this ^
ahorseback, When I was 12 I fell off a roof and fractured the 4th and 5th lumbar. To be that young again. All it took was a ten day hospital stay flat on my back. I have a tendency to over do it and I know that this sure doesn't help with the swelling. I'll take your advice about the cane and thank you so much.
Sunshine, Still swelling and not just a little. That marathon is gonna have to wait :). Thank you, I'll keep you posted.
RH, Thanks so much. You're DA Best!
Thanks Barry, I'm glad you liked it.
Susan - what a story! I can't even begin to imagine all this has put you through. Wishing you all the best!
Bummer story, but awesome hub
Get well soon! Voted up!
May you continue to heal, Susan. I had a broken shoulder from an auto accident once so I know where you are coming from. It sounds like you had a lot of support during your ordeal.I like the way you look on the bright side. Living in Southeast USA all my life I can only imagine but shoveling snow must be a real chore, and you got outta a that!
Good job, Susan, you "do" have my sympathy.
I didn't know you fell, i'm so sorry. Finding out your husband is a good cook is a winner..Hee.. Best wishes for a full recovery my friend..Cheers
Missolive, Thank you. I always try to look on the bright side of the road (Van Morrison Song) might just have to link that song here. I figure everything happens for a reason. Maybe I just need to slow down a bit.
Rebecca, I just wish someone could tell me how long this is going to last or expected to last. It seems too long to me to recover but then I am older now and injuries at a younger age were way easier. Thanks so much!
Ron, Thank you.
Ruby, I was surprised myself at what he could actually do in the kitchen. It was a pleasant surprise, one he'd been hiding me:) Thank you.
Ouch! a spiral fracture sounds very complicated to fix and painful.
It is amazing that we take these everyday things for granted that you listed. In recent months those words that our parents always banged on about. 'As long as you have your health and strength, that is the main thing' ring so loudly when we are ill or injured.
Good to here that your husband's hunter gatherer skills surfaced and the family all mucked in. Did all the washing stay the same color and size? lol
Great hub Susan shared, voted up useful and interesting.
Thank you for a most insightful hub, Just Ask Susan. I do hope that your recovery will be complete with no follow up issues. The title of the hub caught my attention as I was on the Home page. The reason for this was that two years and 11 months ago, I was working, making excellent wages, installing equipment in the back of ambulances with a good crew. Out of the clear blue, all of that changed. A trip and fall over an exposed anchor bolt in the warehouse floor resulting in two shoulder surgeries over a two year period of time, with complications, and now limited and having to re-train, attending school.
In a split second, the security you have in life can change without a doubt.
Great hub Susan. Injuries take the wind out of our sails for sure. Will keep you in my thoughts and glad you are mobile again.
A great hub. It's good that you can look on the positives as well as the negatives.
Can we now expect recipe hubs from hubby? It is amazing the things they find they can actually do when they have to.
I am surprised you are still getting swelling after all this time though. But hope your foot is healed very soon.
Morning Susan.
Great hub, and I must say you brought a smile to my face as well as a silly grin.
Glad your hubby fell back on his boy scout survival trainning and you all survived.
I've gone across the board as I can relate to your problem. UP/A/B/I/U/F first time I've ever hit all the stops.
Take extra special care Susan.
LOL Ghaelach
molometer, You don't realize the importance of things such as being able to walk until you can't:) Yes all the clothes stayed the same color and size...makes me wonder why I sort them into colors, dark's and white. Thank you.
this only shows you're a determined woman, overcoming those things is not that easy yet you presented the brighter side of the situation...i salute you...
Catching with you my friend. What a heartfelt story! I hate being sick and had my share of losing a baby before birth, to my older son diagnosed with Steven-Johnson's Syndrome. The ups and downs are pretty much balanced. Hubby has shown you that, "...in good times, and bad times...that's what Husbands are for!" Glad this experienced is being shared with us and your loyal readers. Hope you had a wonderful holiday my friend!
LORD
It just shows what kind of woman you are.. a fighter-- a good role model-- someone who shouldn't take stairs.. that's what kids are for.. use them! Kidding I hope all goes well in the end.. and just hang in there Snoopy!!!!!!
Dale, I do hope that your shoulders do not bother you too much. My son is a drywall taper and he has had many problems with his shoulders lately. That must have been very painful for you.
Nice to meet you and thank you for your comments.
mljdgulley, Thank you so much.
Rosemay, It was nice that he and my sons could take over everything that I do. For the first 4 or 5 weeks I tended to stay in the upstairs of our home. It was really nice as I would have all my meals delivered to me. I miss that now :) Thank you.
Ghaelach, Thanks :)
raciniwa, Thank you. I try to look at the good and bad in many situations.
LORD, Thank you and hope that you had a good Holiday too.
Frank, Well I am a little frightened to go into the basement now but am tackling the other stairs in the house. Thank you.
Snoopy :)
I am lucky enough that I have never yet broken a bone... of course I am an extreme klutz so that is likely to only last for so long. I sprained my ankle and I've done some major damage to random areas of my face, but not a broken bone yet. I am glad to see you recovering, but I hope nothing went wrong. Keep taking care of yourself :-) I think this is great because a lot of people can relate and it shows how you have to take care of yourself when something happens. You just couldn't do all the work that you are used to. When that is not possible some people get frustrated and hurt themselves worse, but you show that it is more important to let your body heal.
Hi Susan, these things happen in seconds and end up altering your life for weeks or months, it sounds as though you are making good progress, best wishes for a speedy recovery.
mythicalstorm, Thanks for stopping by, have missed you here at HubPages. I just wish it would heal a little faster :)
MM, Thank you, I really appreciate the good wishes.
Regret your accident, Susan, but it reminds us all that we cannot take a single thing for granted. I can empathize with you since I once broke 9 ribs and would not want to endure that episode again. Take care of yourself and stay healthy. And get the family to take out the garbage for as long as possible. :)
9 ribs ouch! I know people that have broken a couple and saw the pain that they went through. Thanks drbj.
Hi Susan, oh how painful!! I hope you are feeling a lot more comfortable now and here's hoping you continue to heal!
Isn't it amazing just how much family can do for themselves when Mum needs to rest up? LOL! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that all these helping hands will continue even after you have started to 'run your marathon'!
Great hub + voted up!
Susan, I can say that, yes, I hobbled about for awhile and the cast, wheelchair, crutches, and bathing with one foot outside the shower on a chair was not much fun. There were some good things to come out of that, but some days when the resulting arthritis grips my ankle, I must dig deep. Thanks for sharing your story. There's nothing that makes you as depressed as feeling that you are all alone. We are never alone.
Thank you, Susan! I hope that your son's shoulders do not escalate into needing any surgery! It was painful for me and still is, and it is one of those pains that will remain for the rest of this life. You know the type, I am sure..you just have to live with it, and adjust.
Hi Seeker, I am so grateful to my family as they are pretty amazing, not only in times like these. Thank you so much.
ruth, Arthritis is painful. I hope that that your ankle doesn't bother you too much. Thank you for your comments and nice to meet you.
Dale, Yes I do know and thank you for the well wishes for my son.
I hope you are doing fine Susan and have got on with your regular schedule. It sure is a bummer when things get changed by a simple mistake.
Being an arthritis patient, my mornings and evenings are kinda slow as well..
Wishing that you DO run a marathon :)
Good luck for this new year!
I could so relate Susan...who hasn't fractured or broken a "Body Part" and had to rely on family to help out...And it sounds like HELP they did. It does changes one's life, and makes us think, "I'm never going to go through this again"...hopefully. And yes, it does make us a little cynical of the Health Care System. Good Hub Susan.
Ruchira, I went in today to have x-rays of my leg and ankle done as the swelling is pretty bad. Hope it will all be back to normal soon. Thank you.
b.Malin, I used to rave about the health care system in Canada ... used to :) Thanks for stopping by, it's always nice to see you.
Sending you positive vibes for a speedy recovery Susan. Walking must be painful with that swollen ankle. Take care!
Ruchira, Thank you so much.
I broke my ankle, and never realized how much it impacted my life. I couldn't do anything! I hope you heal well and soon.
A.A., I wish it would hurry up and heal. Hopefully when I see the doctor on Thursday for my x-ray results he can tell me what's going on with all the swelling. Thank you.
It is so funny how something done daily can really knock you on your behind. I hurt my foot awhile back (no doctor needed because I didn't want it to slow me down) However I did rest it for a few days. I can't imagine how antsy you got because even after a day or two of keeping my foot up... I was ready to go out and run a marathon! Hope you heal up real fast! Or at least that they figure out what is going on with the swelling still! :(
barbergirl, You never do realize the importance of a foot until something happens to it. Hopefully I'll hear back from the specialist that I am awaiting an appointment with this upcoming week. It's been such a long haul. Thanks.
glad you feel better, susan. i did you read my latest hub about when I broke my leg? no fun!
Morning Susan.
Almost two weeks since we last spoke about your leg.
Hope the swelling has gone down and the pain with it. It looks like you've still a long way to go before you are 100% fit.
Take care Susan and have a lovely weekend.
LOL Ghaelach
PDX, Thanks and yes I read your story earlier. Not fun at all, but I did enjoy your story.
Ghaelach,
How are you doing?
No improvement to the swelling. I am now waiting to go see a surgeon to see if a plate with screws needs to be put in as the bone is not healing well at all. Thanks for stopping by and I'll keep you posted.
Have a good weekend.
susan, thanks for reading. I'm actually doing a big revision on it, so I'll be sure to share that when it's done. I hope you feel better soon!
PDX, I thought the story was great as it was. Please do let me know when you have the revision done and thanks.
Gee you need to get into the doctor sooner than that.. So sorry.. Hope you heal all right .
Debbie
Deborah, I know I need to see a doctor sooner than March. My husband is going to go and pick up some forums that I need from my family doctor for the surgeons appointment, and he plans on talking to him to see why such a long wait. Thanks so much.
oh, after workshopping and rereading, there were a lot of things that needed to be changed :-)
PDX, Thanks, and I will go and read again your hub about how you broke your leg.
You should try Chinese medicine
I got a patient who broke her leg with just a weak twist.
She went on cast for 3 months and was hopping all day long. When 3 months was over, she was still in pain. I gave her acupuncture and prescription. After her first try, she was much better and was cured in one month.
ChyNCHyN, Thank you. This might be something I may have to look into.
It's just for your information. Hope you get well!
Good luck on your surgery. A plate should sort it out and you'll be back to normal in no time :)
Izzy, Thank you. I see the surgeon in one week. Have to see what he says.
SO, what did the surgeon say? We want to know! Good news I hope...
A.A. Thank you for asking. I'm still waiting on test results from a bone scan and cat scan I had done over the past two weeks. I'll find out this week what the surgeon has to say and post an update. Thank you again.
Well, Susan...you have certainly kept your fracture under wraps...no pun intended. Sometimes bad things have to happen to bring out the good that is around us...such is love. Glad to hear that you are on the road to finding solutions. One note of caution, I had a friend who suffered a similar fracture in which they used rods and screws to fix it. She was in pain after that until the doctor finally agreed to remove the screws and the pain went away. Hopefully, you will have that experience. WB
Wayne, The surgeon that I've spoken with is not sure if the screws and plate are the right way to deal with this. But I should know more by Thursday hopefully. Thanks for letting me know about your friend.
I've seen many of my friends after accidents getting broken legs and arms, that is something sad. Thanks God I've never had a broken bone. Hope everything ends up great.
cmontijo, Thank you, I hope all ends up okay in the end :)
Thanks for the up date Susan, I broke my ankle, well the bottom bit of my tibia which took most of last year to heal, Fortunately I didn;t need an op it repaired itself, but it took twice as long as they said, Good luck, roll on March hey.
Susan - just wanted to comment that maybe you should write a hub about RDS? I bet I am behind in reading and you are already working on it:) lol
Thanks Brian, When I first fractured the bone they told me that it looked like it would heal fast. I just assumed I would would be back to my old self in six to eight weeks. Wow was I ever wrong. Now I'm hoping by maybe the end of the summer. Thank you.
RH, I was in the thinking process of it :)
Hi Just: I too hubbed about my fractured ankle and torn ligament which occurred in January. I did not have a spiral fracture and I'm so sorry that you've had some complications. I had surgery in February, and I had a great surgeon. I'm still two weeks out from not needing crutches but I feel your pain both physically and psychologically. Hang in there and keep you Hubpages friends informed on your progress. (This too shall pass.) And feel free to contact me should you need some extra moral support.
KaisMom, I've had two physio appointments so far, one which included acupuncture, that brought the swelling on my leg down a wee bit. I've been told that it will probably take awhile of continued physio to get almost back to normal as far as the RSD goes. I have to go for more x-rays next month and see the surgeon again. Hopefully the bone has healed more by then. Thank you so much for offering moral support, and I'll keep you in mind :) I'll have to have a look at your hub too.
Susan, I too have a spiral fracture , fibula, right leg. Did it Feb 16, 2012, two days before my trip to Mexico. My story is the same is yours. had a roboboot or a week, then cast for four, roboboot or four, and then x ray showed no healing..still in robot and walking now, with pain. Hardest. Walk bare feet but I try. I live alone but have been supported bt my mom, 77. I'm 42 .I cried yesterday Shen at the hospital getting my last x ray he said I ay need a plate put in if it isn't healed in six weeks, iv been doing physio and researching things to help. Good luck with it. It's helpful o be understood and read such. Similar story as mine.
Lisa, I'm still going to physical therapy, having the acupuncture done and now wearing a compression knee high on the right leg. The swelling is still present due to the RSD but not as bad as it was a month ago. I do see improvement and am hoping that I'll be done with the therapy in a few months.
Thank you for reading and I wish you well. I'm sure you feel the same as I do in regards to this being a life changing event.
Morning Susan.
Just popped by to see how things are going with your problem. Nice to read that the swelling is going down slowly. It's amazing how long it has taken to get this far.
Hope the therapy does it's job and you end up with some sort of a normal life.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
Ghaelach
Hi Ghaelach, Nice to see you. Yes it has taken a long time to get to this point. The acupuncture and physio seem to be working and I hope that it won't be too much longer, but only time will tell.
How are you doing?
ahorseback Level 7 Commenter 4 months ago
Susan , What in the world are we ging to do with our Canadian friend? Hmmmm? .....I did the same thing except I fell off a roof 4 years ago . The swelling will continue off and on for a year or even more when you over do it....use the cane [as I did] for as long as it takes . Poor baby ....:-} Bless your big heart and get well fast ...I didn't have the heart to push "funny"...