Titanium Connecting Rods, Oh My! (Update 21/1/14)

[Veefer800Canuck]

Took a few steps today. Not very far, so keeping the stress on the ankle low until it feels better.

Doc said I could go 100% weightbearing immediately after surgery (5 days ago), I told him thanks, but no thanks.

Should get stitches and staples out on the 22nd. Then we'll see.

Dorsiflexion feels MUCH better than before (given the limited walking I've done after surgery #3 anyhow), plantar flexion is about the same, but the former is more important for good walking than the latter.

Attached pic is what I have left for hardware. Old Xray, modded in 'Paint'.

[vfrcapn]

Hope you're getting some nice meds, or a nice bottle of scotch??

Keep working it, every doc I've met has had different opinions, don't settle for the most pessimistic. Hopefully it will work out in the end! We're pulling for you. :rolleyes:

[Veefer800Canuck]

Hope you're getting some nice meds, or a nice bottle of scotch??

Keep working it, every doc I've met has had different opinions, don't settle for the most pessimistic. Hopefully it will work out in the end! We're pulling for you. :rolleyes:

No meds at all!!!

Hell, I'm back at work tonight!

I took two percocet immediately following surgery, after leaving the recovery room and arriving on the ward, before the anaesthetic wore off, but it turned out I really could have done without it at all. I took them initially as a precautionary measure, not knowing how I would feel afterwards.

Haven't taken so much as a single regular tylenol since! :fing02:

The sutures on the outside of the skin hurt the most, but really only when there is external pressure applied on the inside of the ankle.

I'm wearing "Das Boot" again, but only when I'm outside just to prevent any bumps or hits to the foot. Indoors, I've just got the bandages from the surgery and a tensor over the entire foot.

In addition to the hardware removal, he took out a small floating shard of bone from the joint that was missed in surgery 2.0, plus cleaned up (removed) some damaged cartilage that was not really helping anything.

[V4 Rosso]

Attached pic is what I have left for hardware.

And those will stay in there?

Anyway, good to hear there's still progress.

[Dutchy]

Your thread reminds me how lucky I was to walk away from my crash with a sprained ankle only.....

[The Phantom]

Great news Rob. I've been moping around for two-odd weeks with a broken bone in my ankle, just thought I'd read your topic to cheer myself up a bit.

:fing02:

I actually twisted both ankles within 5 minutes of each other while out for a late night wander/stargaze on a mate's property... the first one was the right which had never really recovered from a previous effort back in October, so it really went this time (and broke a bone) - down I went. Gave it a minute, got up, started limping back... cattle can really rough up sodden ground, and when it dries it's lethal, in the dark anyway. The left went next and I ended up winded and lying alone in a very dark paddock wondering "now what the %$@ do I do"... I've done some dumb things in my time but this one is up near the top of the list!

Especially given that I was sober at the time :rolleyes:

Keep at it mate! You and BR are doing bloody well.

[Veefer800Canuck]

And those will stay in there?

Almost with certainty, yes.

Unless I get fusion in the future, then they will come out to make way for much larger hardware, like this:

[Veefer800Canuck]

Great news Rob. I've been moping around for two-odd weeks with a broken bone in my ankle, just thought I'd read your topic to cheer myself up a bit.

:goofy:

I actually twisted both ankles within 5 minutes of each other while out for a late night wander/stargaze on a mate's property... the first one was the right which had never really recovered from a previous effort back in October, so it really went this time (and broke a bone) - down I went. Gave it a minute, got up, started limping back... cattle can really rough up sodden ground, and when it dries it's lethal, in the dark anyway. The left went next and I ended up winded and lying alone in a very dark paddock wondering "now what the %$@ do I do"... I've done some dumb things in my time but this one is up near the top of the list!

Especially given that I was sober at the time :fing02:

Keep at it mate! You and BR are doing bloody well.

YOU IDIOT! What were you thinking? :blink:

Sorry to hear Mur!

[JES_VFR]

Just got out of the Horsetable this aft.

Removed the plate on my tibia, the long nail that went through the tib/fib and all the other screws on the tibia. :laugh:

Still have all 4 screws in the talus bone though.

Pain wasn't much yesterday, but it's settling in today all right. :angry:

Doctor is still seriously talking about total fusion in 2-3 years time.

Might need one of these by then:

Don't give up yet,,,

The last quactor that I saw about my leg said that I might as well let him fuse the tib and fib at the knee as they were just going to develop necrosis anyway.

I told him, that I wanted to think about it for a bit.

That was 21 years ago.

11 Years ago, I had a doctor suggest that I let him fuse the last thoracic, first, second and third lumbar vertebra's together. He said it was the ONLY real solution to the compression fractures in my back. I kept putting him off as the time off my feet was not possible with my family at the time. It was also Fortunate a physio I knew was busy pointing out that I was overweight.

Finally I got serious and lost nearly 100 lbs and suddenly my back was 99% better. (which reminds me, I've got to get this spare tire off).

I may not be as young as I used to, nor are you, but we still can heal.

If the injured bone is getting enough blood and is healthy, I'd STAY hesitant when it comes to letting them fuse joints.

Better to prove those Practitioners of medicine wrong than let them make you handicapped forever.

[Veefer800Canuck]

Don't give up yet,,,

The last quactor that I saw about my leg said that I might as well let him fuse the tib and fib at the knee as they were just going to develop necrosis anyway.

I told him, that I wanted to think about it for a bit.

That was 21 years ago.

11 Years ago, I had a doctor suggest that I let him fuse the last thoracic, first, second and third lumbar vertebra's together. He said it was the ONLY real solution to the compression fractures in my back. I kept putting him off as the time off my feet was not possible with my family at the time. It was also Fortunate a physio I knew was busy pointing out that I was overweight.

Finally I got serious and lost nearly 100 lbs and suddenly my back was 99% better. (which reminds me, I've got to get this spare tire off).

I may not be as young as I used to, nor are you, but we still can heal.

If the injured bone is getting enough blood and is healthy, I'd STAY hesitant when it comes to letting them fuse joints.

Better to prove those Practitioners of medicine wrong than let them make you handicapped forever.

Oh, I'm in your movie all right. :angry:

Hey, as soon as I get these latest staples and stitches out (monday 22nd), and the incision heals over, I'm back to working out the foot and attending Physio.

I'm alternating now between the cane and the crutches. Cane one day, crutches the next. Going across the parking lot last night with my cane to get into Wally-World before they closed up for the night, I discovered that I can now HURRY, which was not possible before. :laugh:

And every time I work the foot and it hurts in response, I find that the recovery time is getting shorter and shorter until it feels OK again.

Damn if they are going to fuse my ankle unless I crawl in there on my hands and knees and beg the Doc to do it because I can't walk and I can't take it anymore. Until it gets that bad, I'll be walking, perhaps slower than most, but walking.

[Baileyrock]

Rob, all we have to do is Do It, the only thing that can stop us from being successful is unbearable levels of pain. Otherwise just get out of our way brotha! :biggrin:

BR

[spinalator]

Eeeek! Hang in there buddy. We have had patients that have had similar accidents and are fully back playing hockey, waterskiing, and so on.

It seems to be twice as slow as it should be, especially after (cough cough) age 40.

Some of our chronic knee and hip patients are coming in because they have an anatomical leg length inequality, and it throws off the biomechanics of their sacroiliac and lumbars.

[JES_VFR]

Some of our chronic knee and hip patients are coming in because they have an anatomical leg length inequality, and it throws off the biomechanics of their sacroiliac and lumbars.

Yeah I've heard about the leg length issues from my surgeon for about 12 years now, but then I ask him what he intends to do about the fact that my pelvis is distorted and the fragments would have to come out to straightent it and he suddenly decides that if I'm not complaining to shut-up about it.

Rob, if you can stand the discomfort and are satisfied with how you can walk, then stay the hell away from the OR.

[Veefer800Canuck]

Hey John, got the staples and stitches out yesterday, very glad to have that over with.

I can walk unaided, but I've still got a WICKED limp, and when I'm using the cane, it's quite apparent I'm leaning heavily on it.

Also, walking speed is very, very low.

But things are conimg along, every time I work it, the pain subsides more quickly, there are some days I walk better, and some days it feels way worse, but on the whole, there is improvments being made.

Though truth be told, I really think I'm going to have a permanent and noticeable limp no matter what. Just being realistic.

I'm still working the physio, looking forward to getting back with that, now that the staples are out. Cycling too, once the snow and ice are gone. Crack out my MTB and do some easy trails to start with.

[HispanicSlammer]

Its been at least 4 years since I broke my pelvis and I walk pretty good but I have knee problems, ankle problems and general soreness after a days work in the left leg. It is noticably weaker too, I am hoping some cycling will improve the knee weakness. I was 40 when I broke it so this breaking bones stuff is not so good! I gave up trail riding because of it, too out of control to be doing that stuff. I was breaking somthing everytime I went out, pelvis, ribs, fingers, no more!

Rob I hope you fully recover, and definitly do the rehab it will hurt but its much better for you!

[Veefer800Canuck]

Just got back from the Sawbone's for my 4 week checkup since surgery 3.0.

Next adventure is to shorten a screw that is sticking out too far from the bone into some soft tissue and causing me pain with every step during flexion.

He kinda messed that one up in surgery 2.0 and selected a screw that was too long for the application.

Rather than remove it, as that would be VERY complicated and involve sawing off the end of my tibia (which was broken off in the accident and plated/healed already) and reattaching same, I talked him into going in the other end, and simply cutting the pointy end of the screw off, just the short bit that's protruding from the talus bone into my soft tissues.

He's going to also tighten up the ligaments running to the heel while he's in there, should hopefully help the lateral stability.

Also hired an injury lawyer to help with the insurance settlement.

[vfrcapn]

Man, none of that sounds like fun. What's the overall schedule when you expect to be done going under the knife and back to somewhat normalcy / riding the bike?

[Veefer800Canuck]

Man, none of that sounds like fun. What's the overall schedule when you expect to be done going under the knife and back to somewhat normalcy / riding the bike?

Dunno. I do find that I'm rebounding quicker and quicker to working the foot harder.

If I did a bunch of walking in late Jan, through Feb, the foot would be bitchy for a long time. Now, it feels bitchy the next day, and good the day after, so recovery time is shortening.

I'm doing physio formally at a clinic, and do my own work at home, stretching, riding a recumbent bike, etc.

I'm hoping I can get in for the next surgery at the end of march, otherwise my Doc takes off for 2 weeks holidays in early April. I want to get it going sooner rather than later so I can be in better condition for summer.

After that, it's anybody's guess how soon I'll be better. Doc just gave me a fresh excuse note for 3 more months light duty at work.

The red circled screw below is the end he's going to trim off:

[Infidel]

lol looks like a few wood screws are jammed in there. :unsure:

hope you recover soon!

[Baileyrock]

The red circled screw below is the end he's going to trim off:

Rob, it really sux that surgeons can do such shoddy work, that's just total BS! :biggrin: But I guess just like any field there's good and bad ones. :dry:

My first surgeon did similar work and I've already have had one corrective surgery on the right side and will need the rod removed from the center of my Tibia because the same surgeon didn't drive it down enough and the end of the rod protrudes into my knee joint! :biggrin: But my guy says he has to wait 9-12 months before he can remove it. :biggrin:

Sorry your going through this crap buddy!

BR

[Veefer800Canuck]

Well, the guy really is good, but I didn't leave him much material to work with, it was quite mangled up in many many little pieces. I mean, any mechanic can rebuild an engine, but what if you put the cast-iron block in a 500 ton press and smash it to bits, then gave him the parts and told him to weld it all back together straight and square and THEN rebuild it.

He did as well as anyone could have, as for the screw being long, well, it's like running a screw into a 2x4 and having it be 1/4" too long and stick out the other side. Small matter if there's nothing there to interfere with, big deal if there's wiring or something else right against the board. In my case, there's some soft tissue and nerves.

But what if you couldn't SEE the other side of the 2x4, as it was obscured on three sides, and you could only see the 1 side that was presented to you? So you don't really know the total thickness. You ASS-ume that it's 1-1/2", but what if it isn't?

Maybe it's a 1x4 instead but nobody told you and you had no good way to check besides tearing the whole wall apart?

I see it from his side too, he's working on a best-efforts basis, no guarantees sort of thing because every case is different. And I trust he made his best effort and it's not that he isn't qualified or experienced enough.

I'm a pretty understanding and patient guy as you may have guessed, this hobbling thing is getting old fast, and I just want to be pain-free ASAP.

[Baileyrock]

Hey, that's what X-rays are for, to show them all sides and what there are trying to work with.

OH well! :biggrin:

[JES_VFR]

I'm with you on this course of action Rob.

I had the choice with the pelvis of having a large chunk of shrapnel removed or trimmed off as close to flush with the bone as possible.

Removing it would have meant completely separating three fractures on that side of my pelvis and then god knows how many screws to pin it all back together. It also would have meant 12 weeks in traction and certainly complications in other parts of the leg.

Cutting it flush meant that the surgeon got to move on and devote his time to other serious issues in the first 14 hour trip into the OR.

So what if you have a limp?

I did for so long I thought that I would have it forever, but its faded to not even noticeable in the last oh 5 years or so..

[Veefer800Canuck]

Looks like I won't be getting in before Doc goes on vacation in April. I'm on the cancellation list, but that's anybody's guess. :woohoo:

I was hoping to have it done sooner rather than later, but oh well. :unsure:

[Veefer800Canuck]

Surgery 4.0 scheduled for May 3rd! :fing02:

Shorten a screw that's sticking out into soft tissues and causing pain, plus tighten ligaments going down to my heel on both sides.

See post #143:

OW. :tour:

In other news: Mowed the lawn today! But just the front. :happy:

That wiped me out and my foot will hate me tomorrow, but oh well, gotta be like a shark: always moving forward.