Fractured Tibia and Fibula (Broken Lower Leg Bones) with Fixation Surgery (redness, tired)

[Nannyof2]

Originally Posted by cristina1

Well, I just got the call from the wound center that I'm scheduled to get the PICC inserted again at 12:30. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to handle crutches with a PICC in. Their advice? Just be careful. Nice. Any advice out there?

So sorry you have to get another PICC line, at least you have been through it and know what to expect. Hopefully this will be another step in the right direction to make sure that the infection is cleared up and you can heal.

I agree with the advice about a walker, I never did use crutches, just did not feel stable enough.

[cristina1]

The PICC nurse called in to the doctor's office for me to get a walker, but they said that there were no docs in the office so it might have to wait until Monday. My arm is sore as it is, and trying to maneuver crutches hurts, so I'll probably just hand on the couch except to use the bathroom for now. lol

[stinkydonkey]

QUESTION: What is it about surgery that may stop me from running ever again?

My specialist has been moving the goalposts again.

Meeting 1 - a plate SHOULD sort my problem. There's only a small chance of any problems
meeting 2 - i may never be able to run again with a plate fitted.


The plate (10cm long) would be fitted at the top of the ankle bone up the fibula.

Currently, i am at least thankful that i'm in a much better position than many guys here as my leg isn't THAT bad (as in, mine hasn't been mashed), so for that i'm thankful.
I can do 99% of things unlimited.
I can run ......... BUT running for a period of time (30mins e.g.) over a period of days (lets say a week) will cause my leg to flare up (with pain).
But as i just said, although it's painful.....i can run.



The specialist says i may never be able to run again with a plate fitted. How would this LIKELY stop me?
I don't understand it & neither does my GP & the specialist seemed too busy to discuss.

My GP told me that as my case would be a simple op - just one 10cm plate onto the fibula, that it shouldn't make things worse but MAY make things better.
I can live with & understand that.

I can't understand why the spcialist now says there's "a" chance i may never be able to run again. I can do it now. My leg isn't mashed & i'm not having 2 bones plated together.


I'm hoping someone with experience could possibly shed the light that the consultant was reluctant to.

At the moment, i'm thinking twice about going ahead with things, even though i think it's the only way it'll stop the pains i get when i've been running on it for a while.

Any help much appreciated.

[simms]

Originally Posted by mike perry ia

I hate crutches!! walker is safer for me.. QUESTION?? for those who have had a tibia plateau fracture... how long does your foot turn red and purple and does your knee look weird and bigger than your other knee for very long? looks like i am deformed. doesnt hurt though...

I do not know if the answer is the same for everyone, but I had to wait until my second surgery before my foot stopped swelling and turning the nasty redish purple color. I think the first surgeon at the Trauma center did not have the viens and blood flow right because after this new surgeon did my leg it stopped swelling and it came back to the right color. My knee is still messed up because they opened it up to take the rod out. I think my knee actualy hurt more than my leg this time!!!!!

[simms]

Originally Posted by cristina1

Thanks, green. I'm going to have to ask the doctor if I can get a walker when I see him on Monday. I hope this line doesn't have to stay in all too long. I can't say I missed it any.

Hi Cristina,

I dont mean to sound stupid but what is a PICC line? I keep hearing you guys talk about it and I dont have a clue!

Mike

[kattatro]

Just a update on the post below. We got a second opinion and they had my husband (Jeff) start on a bone growth stimulator. We tried this for 4 months and the fracture of the fibula did not heal and he was still in pain and his leg was very swollen. So the Dr. said we needed to go back in and put in a plate and a couple screws to put the fibula back together. While in there they discovered lots of scar tissue and scar tissue between the two pieces of the fibula which is why it did not heal. They also found one of his nerves and got wrapped up in the scar tissue which is most likely the cause of the pain. They cut out the scar tissue and straightened out the nerve and they said that even before the end of the surgery they could see the swelling going down. They had to scrape the ends of the bone to get to good bone and they put a bone graph in along with the plate and screws. It has been two weeks now; the swelling in his leg is way down, and he does not have any where near the pain he had. He does have some ulgy scars though. Anyway thought someone may benefit from this story...

Originally Posted by BikeMessenger

Dear Kattatro:

Certainly the fibula is not there just for ornament... It indeed bears some weight (about 10-15 % of the whole leg) but its vital function is to articulate the lower leg: to balance, regulate the movement between the knee and the ankle.
To leave the fibula to heal alone or to put a plate on it depends on the way it broke: a spiral fracture (which makes the fibula to break in two, or three or more pieces) in general terms will requiere a plate, since it is really difficult that the fibula heals by itself with such damage.
So, I think that you require a second opinion ASAP. Also, you can surf through the net to get more information, for example the site of the AOS (Association of Orthopedic surgeons) is quite technical, but it shows the general accepted ways to treat every fracture.

My best wishes for you and your husband.

Manuel
healing broken ankle bike messenger

[cristina1]

Originally Posted by simms

Hi Cristina,

I dont mean to sound stupid but what is a PICC line? I keep hearing you guys talk about it and I dont have a clue!

Mike

Basically, it's a line that goes through the vein in the arm and leads directly to the heart. Mine is 48cm long. It works just like an IV but is for long term treatment. I'm scheduled to have a 3 week antibiotic treatment, but they told me to be aware that it could be longer.

Each night I have to flush out the line, and then hook up a bottle of antibiotics to it. The bottles of meds look like baby bottles, and they are pressurized to drip at a certain rate. It's a major pain in the butt, but better than having to go into the hospital daily to have it done.

[HoptJosh]

Originally Posted by codeman

Greetings HoptJosh,

I have been in a shoe 11 days now and I also am having real difficulty moving my foot up towards my body. Just like you, when I try I don't experience any pain but my foot just will not move much past 90 degreed. How long did it take you to get your upward mobility back and did you do a lot of stretching to get it back? The lack of mobility is forcing me to limp bad.

Sorry for the delayed response. As I reemmber there was not one day where all of a sudden I got the mobility back. I had PT for 5 weeks or so and just walking (after I was fully weight bearing) made a huge difference. Within a couple of weeks of that, I got the mobility back but the pain was pretty bad. It's been just about 8 months now and I can pretty much walk fine. I really should have continued the exercises that they gave me in PT but I didn't. I can hike in the woods agaiin, walk up rocks (maiking sure they're not slimy with algae of course) but I still have some discomfort. My knees both hurt but my right knee has more pain -- that's where they cut to put the rod in. If it doesn't get better, I may have to have the screws removed but for now, it's not so bad that it stops me from doing anything.

[HoptJosh]

Originally Posted by UofTLaw

Hi everyone,


My minor setback right now is for some reason my left knee which is still swollen feels numb still and it doesn't compare to my right knee yet. Also, when I do my physio exercises, my knee cap seems to move less than my good knee and it still feels stiff. Has anyone felt this before? Is this normal or is something wrong with me?

Looking forward to all of your great advice and ideas.

Thanks.

UofT--

If they did your surgery the way they did mine, they actually moved the patella out of the way to drill down through the tibia. It took a while before my knee would bend all the way again. I remember that if I tried a few times, it would finally bend all the way. It was painful and felt like the skin was going to tear. It was also swollen and puffy. But, over time, and especially with use, it gets much better. I'm overweight and older than you (I'll be 52 on Monday) so I'm sure you'll do better. Are they planning on removing your rod and/or screws? My doctor told me that if I was younger, he might want to remove it but that it can stay in unless I have problems.

Josh

[theqbaby]

Originally Posted by mike perry ia

I hate crutches!! walker is safer for me.. QUESTION?? for those who have had a tibia plateau fracture... how long does your foot turn red and purple and does your knee look weird and bigger than your other knee for very long? looks like i am deformed. doesnt hurt though...

Its been 4 months today for me. My foot is no longer turning colors. I am FWB and my knee still looks deformed. Probably going to be like that unless I opt to have hardware out, which will not be any time soon.