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an end to my unbroken streak
People always tended to be shocked when I would tell them I've never broken a bone in my body (except chipping my tooth playing ultimate frisbee). Well, that streak has come to an end.
Monday night, at the first soccer game of the season (and my first time playing in a co-ed league in years), i ended up colliding with two guys (both bigger than me). I *think* my left leg collided or got caught by their legs or something. Anyways, heard a snap and felt a twist and went down. And the pain wasn't *that* bad at first, but if felt wrong, like it was just hanging limply. Hobbled off with help to the side and then iced it for twenty minutes. It still looked *wrong* and any weight bearing sent pain shooting up my leg so I was like "okay, self, I think this is one instance where I can't / shouldn't tough it out." Have the coach bring my car around closer and two guys practically carry me to my car. it's my left ankle and so i'm like I can drive myself home / hospital. Decide to go home so I can grab my crutches because it's pretty much not up for bearing weight and any jostling hurts like hell. Grab cructches, ipad, shoulder back and drive myself to the ER.
Now, we've been here a year, but I don't have a PCP or a hospital that I use, so I just googled the closest one to me. Which turns out to be this tiny little ER. Like, the only people there were the doc, the RN, and the admin clerk. And they had to call in the xray tech from home. So I got kind of spoiled and everyone was shocked that I wasn't totally sobbing from pain or something. Maybe it was the adrenaline or something but I was like, "well, as long as it stays perfectly still, it's not that bad."
Anyways, x-rays come back, and it's clear it's a break, and the ER doc wants to transfer me to another hospital for an immediate ortho consult becasue they're worried about my toes. Well, the closest hospital ortho takes a look at the xrays and recommends transferring to the big hospital downtown with a better trauma unit. So they splint it, drug me and transfer me. They advise me to have a friend drive me rather than take an ambulance to keep costs down so I do. (And it sucks not to have my person here while all this happens). A classmate comes to drive me from tiny ER to big hospital downtown. We sit there in the ER, doc gets another set of xrays in the splint and talks with the ortho who says "admit them, surgery tomorrow, they're an emergency case"
Apparently the severity of it means I merit one of the top trauma ortho surgeons in DFW. It's 2:30am by the time I'm admitted and settled in a hospital room (nice private room) and they give me the good drugs making me go numb and pass out. Wake up at 4:30am and watch some netflix (yay free wifi), send some emails and call my aunt to give her an update (since it's 6am by then in CT and she's an MD). Of course, my parents are incommunicado in Europe and J is in RI, so it's kinda a bummer to be alone. still chlling and then before 6am they come in and say "alright, we're prepping you for surgery now, you've got the first slot."
Next think I know I'm in pre-op (which is really the only time I was lonely because I didn't have my electronics & my Australians keeping me company becasue of timezones) and doing all that. I remember being wheeled into the OR, transferred to the OR bed and adjusting my arms and that's it.. next thing I know I'm in post-op recovery, thirsty and hungry. Everyone seems shocked by how quickly I'm bouncing back.
Move back to the room and they're thinking maybe I'll be here another day - between antibiotics, pain meds, and PT to make sure I can get around without weight bearing. They have be test the walker (which is clunky when you can't put weight on it) so they let me move to my crutches that I brought and the PT guy is like "you are way to comfortable / good on these" and I let him know I spent most of my junior year in high school on them. and have been on them a few times since. Ortho comes by, said my ankle was more of a mess than they thought.
Turns out I manage a spiral fracture of the fibula, broke a bit of the posterior of my tibia, tore the ligament between them and dislocated my ankle as well. So they had to realign it, screw a plate onto the fibula to stabilize it, and then screw the fibula to the tibia for stability. (the last screw might be removable in 3-4 months).
But ortho was happy with my progress and happy to sign me out after the afternoon round of antibiotics. so had friends come and pick me up.
I'm in a big ol' splint for two weeks until the followup and then probably a boot after that. No weight bearing for 6-8 weeks. Crutches for now, but I'm hoping to maybe get a scooter since it's going to be awhile and crutches do a number on arms and armpits.
Planning to make cargo pockets and cushions for my crutches once J gets back to help me sort through fabric and navigate stairs.
Luckily I don't have work to be missing, but I am bummed to be out for the whole season and this is making the independent work and applying for jobs a bit more difficult. Trying to give myself a few days of straight up recuperation before trying to multitask, but the hydrocodone /norco makes my brain race with all sorts of connections. (until the point where i pass out randomnly).
Anyways, I'll probably be touch and go. Brain can't handle too much but i'm pretty immobile and boredom looms.
Monday night, at the first soccer game of the season (and my first time playing in a co-ed league in years), i ended up colliding with two guys (both bigger than me). I *think* my left leg collided or got caught by their legs or something. Anyways, heard a snap and felt a twist and went down. And the pain wasn't *that* bad at first, but if felt wrong, like it was just hanging limply. Hobbled off with help to the side and then iced it for twenty minutes. It still looked *wrong* and any weight bearing sent pain shooting up my leg so I was like "okay, self, I think this is one instance where I can't / shouldn't tough it out." Have the coach bring my car around closer and two guys practically carry me to my car. it's my left ankle and so i'm like I can drive myself home / hospital. Decide to go home so I can grab my crutches because it's pretty much not up for bearing weight and any jostling hurts like hell. Grab cructches, ipad, shoulder back and drive myself to the ER.
Now, we've been here a year, but I don't have a PCP or a hospital that I use, so I just googled the closest one to me. Which turns out to be this tiny little ER. Like, the only people there were the doc, the RN, and the admin clerk. And they had to call in the xray tech from home. So I got kind of spoiled and everyone was shocked that I wasn't totally sobbing from pain or something. Maybe it was the adrenaline or something but I was like, "well, as long as it stays perfectly still, it's not that bad."
Anyways, x-rays come back, and it's clear it's a break, and the ER doc wants to transfer me to another hospital for an immediate ortho consult becasue they're worried about my toes. Well, the closest hospital ortho takes a look at the xrays and recommends transferring to the big hospital downtown with a better trauma unit. So they splint it, drug me and transfer me. They advise me to have a friend drive me rather than take an ambulance to keep costs down so I do. (And it sucks not to have my person here while all this happens). A classmate comes to drive me from tiny ER to big hospital downtown. We sit there in the ER, doc gets another set of xrays in the splint and talks with the ortho who says "admit them, surgery tomorrow, they're an emergency case"
Apparently the severity of it means I merit one of the top trauma ortho surgeons in DFW. It's 2:30am by the time I'm admitted and settled in a hospital room (nice private room) and they give me the good drugs making me go numb and pass out. Wake up at 4:30am and watch some netflix (yay free wifi), send some emails and call my aunt to give her an update (since it's 6am by then in CT and she's an MD). Of course, my parents are incommunicado in Europe and J is in RI, so it's kinda a bummer to be alone. still chlling and then before 6am they come in and say "alright, we're prepping you for surgery now, you've got the first slot."
Next think I know I'm in pre-op (which is really the only time I was lonely because I didn't have my electronics & my Australians keeping me company becasue of timezones) and doing all that. I remember being wheeled into the OR, transferred to the OR bed and adjusting my arms and that's it.. next thing I know I'm in post-op recovery, thirsty and hungry. Everyone seems shocked by how quickly I'm bouncing back.
Move back to the room and they're thinking maybe I'll be here another day - between antibiotics, pain meds, and PT to make sure I can get around without weight bearing. They have be test the walker (which is clunky when you can't put weight on it) so they let me move to my crutches that I brought and the PT guy is like "you are way to comfortable / good on these" and I let him know I spent most of my junior year in high school on them. and have been on them a few times since. Ortho comes by, said my ankle was more of a mess than they thought.
Turns out I manage a spiral fracture of the fibula, broke a bit of the posterior of my tibia, tore the ligament between them and dislocated my ankle as well. So they had to realign it, screw a plate onto the fibula to stabilize it, and then screw the fibula to the tibia for stability. (the last screw might be removable in 3-4 months).
But ortho was happy with my progress and happy to sign me out after the afternoon round of antibiotics. so had friends come and pick me up.
I'm in a big ol' splint for two weeks until the followup and then probably a boot after that. No weight bearing for 6-8 weeks. Crutches for now, but I'm hoping to maybe get a scooter since it's going to be awhile and crutches do a number on arms and armpits.
Planning to make cargo pockets and cushions for my crutches once J gets back to help me sort through fabric and navigate stairs.
Luckily I don't have work to be missing, but I am bummed to be out for the whole season and this is making the independent work and applying for jobs a bit more difficult. Trying to give myself a few days of straight up recuperation before trying to multitask, but the hydrocodone /norco makes my brain race with all sorts of connections. (until the point where i pass out randomnly).
Anyways, I'll probably be touch and go. Brain can't handle too much but i'm pretty immobile and boredom looms.