Fractured Tibia and Fibula (Broken Lower Leg Bones) with Fixation Surgery (Part 2) (expensive, dangerous)
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It's been three weeks since surgery and five weeks since I broke my leg.
Lubby - I took a chip out of my left Tibia plateau and fractured my Fibula. I'm 32 - about to turn 33...
Last week I was really struggling to sleep, so my Dr gave me some tablets to help. Been doing a lot better. Although, I like to sleep on my side. Is this ok?
In the last couple of days, I've been getting shooting pains around the break and it feels warm inside. The skin temperature feels normal on the outside. I gather that this is the healing process?
The Tibia around my shin area still feels tender to touch.
Shooting pains, warm skin is part of the healing process, my mom has the same thing. She also has nubness around the area where they operated which is also normal and does get better.
My mom is going home from rehab tomorrow. She practiced getting in and out of my car with the PT today.She did great. Stairs are a bit tricky, we are working on that.
Glad I looked a little deeper in the Health and Wellness forum.
I had 3 compound fractures, 1 in the Tibia and 2 in the Fibula. They put the rod in and a bolt in my ankle. Last week or so, I noticed I am having some "burning" down by my bolt and am developing a lump on my leg below the Tibia break area.
I am wondering if anybody has had their internal rods removed? Or experienced any problems, years after the break.
Update: Had my 6 week appointment yesterday...have been given the all clear to touch bear for the next 4-5 weeks. YAH!! Then hopefully no more crutches. Got to work on my drop foot - it's better than what it was, however still not great. Also, on the sole of my foot I'm having trouble with the nerves. They feel like pins and needles on steriods.
Had my first physio appointment as well. Holy cow...feeling it today.
Update: Had my 6 week appointment yesterday...have been given the all clear to touch bear for the next 4-5 weeks. YAH!! Then hopefully no more crutches. Got to work on my drop foot - it's better than what it was, however still not great. Also, on the sole of my foot I'm having trouble with the nerves. They feel like pins and needles on steriods.
Had my first physio appointment as well. Holy cow...feeling it today.
Gald to hear you can start bearing weight on you leg again. My mom's break was August 24th and as of her last appointment oct 5th still no weight bearing. Her next appointment is Novemeber 2nd and we will find out then if she can finally put some weight on her leg and stop using the walker.
Wow, I can't believe I found this. I have been going through hell the past few weeks. While working third shift at a particle board plant I was standing on an elevated platform helping a coworker. The thing about that is I started at first shift which was very big on safety and while on that platform you need a board so you don't slip because its just rows of rollers. After switching to third shift I would always get yelled at for putting a board down because I was, "taking up too much time." So I stopped. This time it just so happens I lost my balance my foot got caught in between the rollers it stayed there and my whole body fell sideways. Working in that plant is very loud but falling the sound of the bone snapping drowned everything out. So after two coworkers drug me into the lunch room (and lots of profanity out of my mouth) they lay me down first shift and third shift overlapped so it was like a circus in there with my higher up standing there saying he doesn't know what to do. My buddy grabs forums and make me sign them and then calls an ambulance which brings me to a hospital no one in the area ever wants to go to. They xray me and tell me tibia and fibula are broken and twisted. They then cast me up. My GM walks in and makes me sign paperwork and keeps insisting it was my fault... I would explain everything and after everything I said he would just respond with "well it was your fault." and finally gives me a drug screen paper. He tells me I should go asap because the medication they gave me made me feel dizzy. I rested and went to take it. A week and a half later I go for my check up with a different doctor because everyone agreed the doctor who originally casted me was a complete *******. More xrays and find out I now need surgery because the cast made it worse so scheduled for two days from then. The next day I woke up in pain and couldn't smoke a cigarette for 24hrs prior to the surgery.(I know its bad I don't need a lecture) Then get a call from the drug screen lab saying they found drugs... I figured that much because originally applying for the job I tested positive because of one of my prescriptions so I faxed it over and that was that. So I said yea I know I take prescription medicine and he says, "no we found marijuana." I lied there dumbfounded because I've never done that before and said there must be a mistake I've never done that in my life. So he returns with "well you discuss that with your employer after I contact them." And hangs up. Freaking out I call my GM and explain everything and he says he'll see what he can do. Surgery day I get a call from my GM telling me I'm terminated and there's nothing he could do but workman comp is covering everything until I'm better. Great so I just lost my job with no way to prove my innocence. Infuriated I go to the hospital for my surgery and I forgot to mention to them that I was coughing up mucus and runny nose. 100.3 fever and I was sent home until two days from today which would be an extra week in a split cast. Just as an fyi the mucus was grey with brown specs in it... I asked my family doctor and he said my body is cleaning itself from the toxins I inhaled while at work things like formaldehyde. And now for the past few days every time I move my foot up it feels like somethings popping or snapping in my calf. It was so bad last night I had to be rushed to the hospital because it kept happening repeatedly and I was shaking in pain. They gave me morphine and life was good for a bit. Got xrays they said no blood clot and bone doesn't seem to have changed so they gave me percocet instead of what I'm on now vicodin. Call my surgeon this morning to let him know what happened and they tell me instead of percocet they want me down to baby asprin until surgery. So I'm jobless, in horrible pain, and really angry. Sorry about the book it just felt good to vent... Through typing. Hopefully things will get better.
Broke my tibia and fibula back on 09/22 with surgery on the 23rd. I am a fairly active individual and really did not comprehend just what this would mean. I live by myself on the third floor of an apartment. I have been fortunate that I have been able to stay with family so far but how many of you have started or ended getting depressed? This has been the most humbling experience of my life and learning how to deal with different things all over again. I go back to the OS in November for 6 weeks follow up and hoping that I will be able to place some weight on it. Any advice anyone can give would be much appreciated.
Broke my tibia and fibula back on 09/22 with surgery on the 23rd. I am a fairly active individual and really did not comprehend just what this would mean. I live by myself on the third floor of an apartment. I have been fortunate that I have been able to stay with family so far but how many of you have started or ended getting depressed? This has been the most humbling experience of my life and learning how to deal with different things all over again. I go back to the OS in November for 6 weeks follow up and hoping that I will be able to place some weight on it. Any advice anyone can give would be much appreciated.
My mom has been off her leg since August 24th and she still is not allowed to put weight on the injured leg. She had surgery on the 25th of August. She gets depressed alot because she lives alone. I see her twice a week and call her 4 times a day. She lives 40 minutes from me. I do her wash, food shopping and I pick up her meds. She's only 67 and still works, hoping to return December 5th. My mom suffers from depression/Anxiety anyway so she is on meds for that. There are days where she feels really good and has a great attitude and other days she feels down in the dumps and cries. It's ok to feel this way especially when you are used to an active lifestyle like she is and you are. Now you are cooped up inside, nothing good on TV and you are bored out of your mind. She does do very well on her own except showering. She's still afraid to do it alone so I help her with that. In fact I am going to see her tonmorrow and help her take a shower. She uses the wheel chair to scoot around the house, she dusts her furniture and she even vacummed!
Broke my tibia and fibula back on 09/22 with surgery on the 23rd. I am a fairly active individual and really did not comprehend just what this would mean. I live by myself on the third floor of an apartment. I have been fortunate that I have been able to stay with family so far but how many of you have started or ended getting depressed? This has been the most humbling experience of my life and learning how to deal with different things all over again. I go back to the OS in November for 6 weeks follow up and hoping that I will be able to place some weight on it. Any advice anyone can give would be much appreciated.
I'm trying really hard to stay positive...I'm making great progress in PT, after almost 2 weeks of PT we are looking at getting rid of one crutch by the weekend. I've increased 20% in my range of motion. I'm getting a turbo trainer for my road bike this week and have been in the spa on the weekend. However, I still have the bad moments - my leg doesn't feel the same, I want to be out with my friends doing stuff and I really just want my independence back. Try to enjoy the little things...it was really exciting going to the cinema for the first time last week (in 9 weeks). Good luck!
One question for me - my leg doesn't have the pain it did when it was broken, however it still feels weird. When does that go away?
Broke my tibia and fibula back on 09/22 with surgery on the 23rd. I am a fairly active individual and really did not comprehend just what this would mean. I live by myself on the third floor of an apartment. I have been fortunate that I have been able to stay with family so far but how many of you have started or ended getting depressed? This has been the most humbling experience of my life and learning how to deal with different things all over again. I go back to the OS in November for 6 weeks follow up and hoping that I will be able to place some weight on it. Any advice anyone can give would be much appreciated.
The healing process is different for everybody. You didn't include a lot of details such as open/closed, hardware or cast, high fx or lower toward the ankle. Generally speaking, health active adults will make decent recovery in 2-3 months on the more severe fx, I suggest supplements (calcium) and if you smoke, quit for time being to help healing. I think everyone goes through the depression, luckily mine didn't last long since I experienced quick healing time. Just don't expect to be "normal" for awhile. You'll limp, have bad days and depending on your type of injury, may experienced swelling and numbness. Remember the saying "Broken bones heal" Sounds like you are at the low point right now but in 2-3 weeks I bet you'll be feeling a little better. Keep us informed.
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