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[AllenDeneau]

It's a long"ish" story but I promise, there's a moral to it also, LOL!

Visiting the in-laws, in Wisconsin, and I was simply trying to be the good son-in-law for my father-in-law who had a knee replacement a few years back and has pretty bad ankles now too... Carrying the chairs back into the basement the day after and some things fell onto the stairs and of course I stepped onto them and BAM, down I went from the top to the bottom step, with the chairs still in my hand thank you. Went down the stairs in a hurdlers kind of position and along my journey down I hear the distinct sound of bones breaking

Upon my arrival at the bottom step my ankle in the size of a grapefruit and really purple and I can turn my lower leg while my foot stays absolutely stationary on the floor, not a good sign at all...

My wife the RN comes to check on me and says what I'm already thinking, my leg is broken, and says to call 911. I'm stubborn and don't like attention anyway, I scoot myself up the steps on my butt and good leg and into the car for a fun trip to the local emergency room.

So my wife, a masters holding RN, and my father-in-law,  a paramedic for years, are driving me to the ER, all the while whispering amongst themselves, that in it's self was a bit troubling but the reason why was worse.... They were discussing the lesser of the two evils; closer emergency room and get in quicker or to the better, more trusted and further away ER with a longer wait no doubt... Uh, for the future, if you ever feel the need to question the quality of an ER, opt for the better quality regardless of the distance, LOL!

So I get there and they check me in and as the initial exam begins, I hear over the PA that 2 critical patients are on the way in... I turn to my wife and say, "I'm getting bumped" and she agrees, seems like the better of the options now was the further away hospital anyway...

Anyway, 3.5 hours in the ER I was told that I have a spiral fracture on my fibula, the outer and smaller bone in your lower leg, and there's a piece completely seperate from the rest, surgery may be an option...

They get me in a half cast and sent home with pain meds so I can make the trip back to Tennessee to meet with an ortho surgeon to determine the extent of the damage and to come up with a repair plan.. Not a fun ride, 9 hours in a car with a broken leg none the less... We travel half way on Saturday and grab a hotel to rest then finish the trip Sunday am.

I finally get an appt with the ortho doc, only after my wife having to call in "favors" from her peers because, um well , who knows why really.... My appointment was last Tuesday and the bad news wasn't finished...

Not only did I break my fibula, I also ruptured 2 outside ligaments and tore an inside ligament so my ankle won't even sit straight; surgery was the ONLY possibility.. Surgery went ok and it was discovered there were 4 breaks but all went well and I'm put back together BUT, I have a ZERO weight bearing restriction for EIGHT WEEKS, UGH!

I WAS supposed to fly out for events starting this Thursday but  that's obviously a no go. Now I'm a couch potato for the next couple months...

The good news is my wife has been really attentive, which if you're married to a critical care nurse you'll know is an abnormality for anything more than a day or two, and it's pretty slow this time of the year anyway...

So the promised moral: screw being nice, people can take their own chairs to the basement and break THEIR legs, LOL.

Ok, not really a moral but may be a new standard operating procedure for me from now on... LOL!

Just thought I'd share my "Black Friday" adventure...

[Bob Leonard]

Glad you didn't break the chair. 
 
I fell and hit a wall. My wife saw me just coming around and asked me if I wanted a cup of coffee. You've got it made.

[Geoff Doane]

Unfortunately, I can empathize with you.

I broke both the fibula and tibia of my right leg about 15 years ago on a gig.  It was a stupid alcohol related incident: I slipped in somebody's spilled beer at a rink dance.

I would have thought that if i was going to break my leg, I'd fall off a ladder or a stage, but this was nothing hazardous at all, or so I thought.

Mine was also a spiral break, and happened in a relatively small town, 100 miles from home.  Luckily, their orthopedics guy was on vacation, so they transferred me to the major hospital at home for surgery. Since it was a long weekend, I was bumped too (plenty of vehicle accidents for them to deal with), but the repair job has held up well, with some wicked scars on both sides of my leg.

As you will find out, crutches are a real drag.  I got to practice my cranky old man routine once I switched to a cane. 

Don't be too proud to get a temporary handicap tag for your car.  You'll be as legitimate as anybody while you're on the mend.  As I was lined up at Motor Vehicles to get mine, I noticed the guy ahead of me was on crutches too, except he was MISSING his right leg below the knee.  I guess he was getting a permanent tag.

GTD

[Cailen Waddell]

Glad you didn't break the chair. 
 
I fell and hit a wall. My wife saw me just coming around and asked me if I wanted a cup of coffee. You've got it made.

My wife is a physical therapist. Occasionally I used to ask her to look at something that hurt after a gig. I would say, it hurts when I do this and show her. I don't ask anymore - her response is: if it hurts then don't do it.

Gee so glad we paid all that money for her degree....

[Jason Glass]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLjNzwEULG8

[frank kayser]

Allen and Geoff,
I also have a good idea of what's on the agenda...
I like to call mine a climbing accident -
Three steps up on a ladder, drizzle and flip-flops. I never knew the ground could come up so fast.
Foot was 90 degrees to its normal orientation...
Took a ride in the ambulance.  Whee!
Still no pain...
So you had a choice of hospitals - so do I (but not in the wagon).  The other two had mis-diagnosed previous accidents.  Gee!  Let's try this one.
Dr looking at my ankle area - by now it's much larger than a softball.
Everyone is walking by to see "the foot" - each checks I still had circulation there...
X-rays show the ankle is not broken!  Wow!
Gee, Doc, why is my ankle area still getting larger, and the foot is still facing the wrong way?
Hmmm... Good question.  Probably a soft tissue injury he said.  We'll put you in a soft cast, and you can see your Ortho Surgeon on Monday...
Monday the ortho sees me - two dislocations in the bone mass between the ankle and the tarsels.
One broken tarsel, one crushed tarsel, and two broken meta-tarsels.
That and the tendon wrapping the ankle was no longer attached.
Soft tissue injury?  Sure.
I got a lot of attention from the staff there - "wow, I've read about these, but have never seen them!"  Fracture blisters.  "Hey Sue!  You have to see this!"  That's what happens when the ankle "grows" to 21 inches around.
Three operations, and did not see my bed for all that time (upstairs, you know)
Twelve weeks no load bearing, boot, then walker, then PT. Seven months.
Of course, my right foot so I could not even pretend to try to drive...
I fell 28 months ago - still recovering.  Excellent surgeon.
While I was in a wheel chair, I managed to run a small outdoor event, and a number of indoor events - with help, of course.
I "feel" for you - felt each stair as you described the event.  Chills.
Behave and get well. 

[Larry Sheehan]

I broke my talus (ankle) bone in 2004. Fell off the bank and into a lake while fishing.

It was an open fracture which was repaired in surgery. 10 weeks non weight bearing then boot for 6 then PT.

A year later the bone had died due to compromised blood supply. In 2006 I got an artificial ankle replacement. 8 weeks non weight bearing, 2 in boot and PT.

This year the plastic part in the new ankle needed replacement. 2 weeks non weight bearing, then PT.

By now I've lost so much muscle tonie that my calf is the size of my forearm.

I don't fish anymore...it makes my ankle hurt.

[John Roberts {JR}]

I really hate reading these... good luck with the rehab...

JR

[Tim McCulloch]

Allen-

Make that a "black and blue Friday."  OUCH.

I hope your recovery is full and speedy.

[Tom Burgess]

Having suffered 2 broken feet over the last 2 1/2 years I'll be happy to lend my expertise on the mobility issue.  When you're ordered to be non weight bearing for any length of time rent or buy a roller cart.  Crutches suck eggs and I promise you'll be a happier camper for doing so.  You'll still have to use crutches on occasion but roller carts will make getting around a LOT easier.  Something like this:  http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Medical-790-Steerable-Walker/dp/B003Y7NYWM

[ProSoundWeb Community]