brace fitted, home here i come!

latest update: now i have been told that i don’t need surgery and they are either going to use a brace or splint to immobilize the knee. i must say i am relieved that i don’t need surgery but it has been a lot! surgery tuesday, then surgery on thursday, oh wait now it’s wednesday. hospital transfer at 3am another hospital transfer at 1am [sigh]. i want to make sure everything is confirmed with all the docs before they release me tomorrow as they plan. i am beyond exhausted…

a little banged up but i’m ok [i hope]. waiting on word from the doc

update 1: i have a small break at my knee in the femur [so over it all] 

update 2: been transfered to georgetown university hospital waiting to see the resident. can’t have water to drink in case i have to go into surgery [i really hope i don’t have to]

update 3: top of femur at knee joint is broken. surgery will be needed. going to be at georgetown for a bit, earliest possibility of surgery is tuesday. might have to visit trauma center for operation

update 4: transferred to washington hospital center trauma center at 1am last night/early this morning. this came after the news that my procedure would take place on thursday by my doctor at georgetown. i guess they changed their mind and will now be happening here on wednesday. now if i only knew exactly what the surgery entailed

curly toes

as the leg is lengthened the muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc. around the bone stretch as well. however the force of the pull maybe too strong, thereby resulting in the toes curling under the force of the fixator.  

 x-ray from today. if you look very closely you will see faint signs of bone growth. doc says we can discuss it coming off at my next appointment, april 27. 

 and so we wait [sigh]

3rd pin site this has happened to thus far. no worries, just a minor bleed doesn’t hurt. what does hurt is my knee which makes it hard to move every now and then. and what feels like a radiating pain in the bone at the middle pin site. oh and eased up on the lyrica to discover it was a bad idea. shooting pain back in my foot. apparently it does work, getting the refill tomorrow. will be 3 months on the 8th. can’t do this passed april, just can’t…

yesterday was my 4 week follow-up since stopping the strut turns. dr said the growth seen was about average/a little below average, which is to be expected with the leg due to the effects of polio. even though i wish there was more than sub par growth, its still better than no growth, right?

however they did make this delightful addition to my ex-fix so i can begin weight bearing. it’s like a cumbersome horseshoe [sigh]

it’s sad when simple things like turning off the light or going to the bathroom become difficult decisions that have to be contemplated. like ‘do i really need to sleep with the lights off?’ or ‘how long can i hold it till…oh o.’ damn you pins, this whole skin tearing thing is getting old. i guess i’ll turn off the lights eventually [sigh].

2 months since the surgery

progress report: strut turns complete, ideal lengthening acheived, awaiting bone growth.

side note - i thought of a bad joke the other day: what’s worse that watching paint dry? watching bone grow. it may only be funny to me [lol].

next follow-up on february 28, 2012. in the meantime using exogen ultrasound bone stimulator that i used in the prior, hoping it helps speed things along. 

the waiting game: ex fix comes off when bone begins to grow in the gap

the culprit

seems like i still haven’t been getting much sleep lately, stupid frame! been tossing and turning, playing the pillow shuffle all night [and now all morning] while trying to avoid pin pulling [yeah that’s right, the pin pulling against my skin which leads to pin tears. yep, tearing skin. fun times.]

what else is new? well besides the annoying pain in my ankle i have been getting lately that is. have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, going to bring it up to him but whenever i ask for pain meds he’s so reluctant as if i am a fiend so i’ve been rationing my pills which means not so restful nights or days. i mean they do realize that i am bound to be in pain w/ everything going on with frame right?

final strut turns on saturday then it’s the waiting game. last doctor’s appointment doc says there’s no timeline till frame removal, but needs to see bone growth in the area first. i like having a timeline, it gives one hope for that glorious day to come. well i survived a frame for 12 weeks before, i guess  i can do it again for an indefinite time. [sigh]

attempting to sleep comfortably with this blasted thing is like trying to…trying to…i dunno what it’s like but it is gosh darn impossible. so i shall wrestle with these blasted pillows, shifting and shuffling till sleep takes pity on me and allows me to finally drift away. night night

x-rays after 16 days of lengthening

the reason why i had to go the hospital this afternoon [sigh]. after turning the struts this morning, i heard and felt a pop. it was certainly not a good feeling. found out it was a part of the bone that was still connected breaking. sounds lovely aye?

already looking forward to being really back on my feet. why did i think it would be easier the second time around?