It has been 50 days since my last post and I have a lot of catching up to do.
Feb 5, Monday - On my way home from the monthly XXX racing team meeting I got hit by a car.
Q: What happened?
A: I was heading west on Cortland avenue crossing Ashland avenue when I got struck by a car traveling southbound on Ashland. My recollection is that I had my green light to cross Ashland, while the driver claims she had her green.
Q: Did they stop?
A: Yes, the driver graciously stopped and stayed with me while help arrived. In fact I believe we both called 911.
Q: How did you know you broke your leg? Any other injuries?
A: After the impact I was laying on my left side and I immediately tried to get up and survey the damage. I know I never hit my head and I didn’t lose consciousness. When I tried to get up I could tell immediately that my right leg was broken & that it was both bones. All in all I consider myself lucky I didn’t sustain any other injuries
Q: Was it painful?
A: No and Yes. Immediately after impact my leg did not hurt unless I tried to move. My adrenaline was running so high that all I felt was cold & faint. Once the ambulance arrived (~5-7 min later) I was put on a backboard just in case & brought to St. Elizabeth’s for treatment. Pain only registered whenever my leg was moved which meant the x-ray procedure was the worst. Getting a good x-ray seems to involve a lot of moving around & contortion. Not a good idea.
I should add that morphine is terrific.
Feb 7, Wednesday - Orthopedic Surgeon operates. Installs titanium rod in tibia along with 3 screws.
Q: Was it painful?
A: No. I was given an epidural and felt no pain. I was however conscious during surgery and could feel vibrations and the like.
Q: It must suck to set off airport security?
A: Titanium is a non-ferrous metal. Meaning I should not set off any metal detectors. Besides I already have some hardware in my right arm anyways.
Q: When do you get the rode/screws taken out?
A: Unless there are complications the hardware stays in. Removing them would be not only another round of surgery, but also another round of healing.
Feb 8, Thursday - Help arrives. Jenn flew in to help take care of me and helped with the transition from hospital back home
Feb 22, Thursday - 1st Follow up appointment. No x-rays are taken, but my hard cast is removed. Scratching commences.
Mar 15, Thursday - 2nd Follow up appointment. X-rays are taken and I am surprised to see my fibula is still totally broken. Jenn & I are assured by my doctor that this is perfectly normal and that the fibula is the “appendix of the bones” and totally “expendable.”
Q: How long will it take to recover?
A1: At this point I am allowed to put 50% of my body weight on my leg and can “walk” using crutches instead of simply using crutches and carrying my leg like dead weight.
A2: It depends on my x-rays. What we’re looking for is new bone growth. From my previous experience with my arm I know I heal fast.
Q: How the heck do you know what 50% is?
A: I don’t. I can sort of guess that when I am standing up by myself that 50% of my weight is on my good leg and the other 50 is on the bad one.
Apr 5, Thursday - 3rd follow up - To be continued…
