So on Saturday, May 19th I broke my Tibia and Fibula jumping over a chain link fence that was probably less than 5′ high. When I say “jump” you might be imagining me trying to hurdle it, but that is not the case. I simply climbed up and sat on the top, intending to gently slide down and drop the 2′ to the ground, just like I had done twice before to visit the dogs on the other side. This time, I executed a perfect landing which involved at least 3 audible cracks, me collapsing to the ground and eventually a couple of firemen carrying me to our car.
From there, we headed to Northside Hospital‘s ER. Mary Ann dropped me off, wheeled me in and then went to park the car. By the time she was walking in the door (less than 5 minutes later), they were already admitting me. They took a look, took some X-rays of it and while the X-ray tech was developing them, he whistled. You know the whistle, the one that says “holey cow” or “wow”. Of course, he wouldn’t tell me why, so I had to wait for the doctor. I’d broken my fibula a few inches up from my ankle, like you might break a green stick. My tibia got a small chunk knocked off the end. They put me in a temporary cast and told me to see an orthopedic doctor on Monday.
So we ended up going to Resurgens which was close to our house, recommended by my brother-in-law who broke his back only a few weeks earlier and also came with a recommendation from a family friend in the medical business. We brought along the X-rays from the ER. A very nice physicians assistant undid the temporary cast, cleaned up the leg and took a look at it. The doctor walked in and told me I needed surgery and that we’d be doing it this Friday. Wow, the break was bad enough to need surgery. And a metal plate. And about 8 screws.
That Friday, I went in for the surgery and it wasn’t to bad. They prepped me, made me wear a hospital gown (I got to keep my underwear) and then gave me a couple shots. I was out like a light bulb and woke up a few minutes later and it was all done. They had put me in a new and improved (but still temporary) cast. My Mom and Wife threw me into my Dad’s new 4 Runner and drove me right up to the lake house, apparently I was a bit weird while recovering from the anesthesia. Oh yeah, it hurt like the dickens. I can’t even imagine what it would have felt like without the “blocker” on my leg. For about a day or two after I was taking a Vicodin every 2 hours, and putting my leg below my heart for 5 minutes required 20-30 to recover. We also decided I may as well get a Mohawk, since I needed a haircut and I wasn’t at work.
On Monday, June 4th I went for the 10 days after surgery follow up. They took some new X-rays and put me in a real cast which will stay on for 3 weeks. I got to pick my favorite color (purple) and I paid an extra $55 for a “goretex” lining which means I can get it wet. Later that day, I went to my parents pool and tricked my Dad and a couple other people into thinking I had just messed up by falling into the water.
So far I have missed about 3 weeks of work, and while a vacation is nice… this really sucks. Until a few days ago, I could hardly do anything for myself. It is hard to carry anything while using crutches, trips to the bathroom or kitchen are exhausting due to the sheer amount of work required. And don’t get me started on ascending and descending stairs. I think I am going to go back to work on Wednesday or Thursday, right now I am practicing being at a desk for a few hours and it isn’t to bad at all.
Edit: I still haven’t even gotten STD (Short Term Disability) sorted out, so I don’t want to screw anything up by coming back to work and discovering that I can only work half a day or something and that not be covered by STD. So I’m going to just come back on Monday, like I discussed with my HR person.