Ouch (possible NSFW pictures of my rear to follow)
Discussion
Jiminycrocket said:
Kbo as Churchill said. Great to see the progress beginning for you. Very best of luck with the ongoing recovery.
CheersHad more physio Tuesday and git more Friday, as well as a visit to the consultant. I’m hoping we get to increase the “turn rate”. So far, so good, I scored the top of the fixator (it’s carbon fibre but marked as “single use only” and apparently goes for destruction as clinical waste once they have fixed me and removed it) and there is definitely movement from Friday when I started turning.
Pain is still under control, boredom is still an issue - so much so I’m looking forward to going to the dentist tomorrow (well, this) morning as it gives me a reason to get up, get washed and get out of the flat. I’ll also see some actual human beings, other than my poor, patient, long suffering girlfriend.
defblade said:
Oh, no, no, no! You have to keep that piece of very cool CF sculpture as a trophy... I'm sure it would come in handy for something 
I asked for the broken plate and screws/pins they removed from my leg back in May, when they started the limb reconstruction and I was initially referred to the new consultant. I was told they didn’t give people the “bits” any more as someone had cut themself on some metal they’d been given and had then tried to sue the trust. Whether or not that’s true, I’m not quite sure. I’ve got a bit more of a “relationship” with the consultant now, so I’m going to ask again for a/some souvenirs. She can only say “no”, so nothing ventured, nothing gained. I would like a “souvenir”. Up to now, although I’ve kept all my damaged clothing, the only really souvenir I’ve got (apart from some modified jeans with zips up the sides and a few scars!) is the one piece of clothing they didn’t cut off me, which was my left sock. That’s getting framed at some point!
I also had to return my loan wheelchair from the Red Cross (I should’ve actually had it back to them a good couple of weeks ago). I’m in the bizarre situation where my injuries aren’t bad enough to qualify for a NHS wheelchair. At the same time, if my injuries weren’t as severe, I would actually qualify for a short term loan chair from the NHS. It seems you either have to be REALLY inured, or barely injured at all, to get an NHS or social services chair. “Moderate” injury puts you in no man’s land! I’ve managed to sweet talk the Red Cross into another short term loan chair and I’m buying a reconditioned one from them, which I’ll then donate to a charity when I’m done with it. I’ve donated to the Red Cross too.
Like many things in life, it’s only when you see stuff like this up,close you realise just how f
ked up and disorganised it can all be, while at the same time being really good in a crisis (I’ve still not had any recent visits from the district nurses, despite me being referred again by the hospital and my GP, as well as me speaking to them directly. Utterly baffling and useless in equal measure - the system, not the people, as I had two visits after my first surgery and they were both really good). I’ve no idea how people living on their own or without family/friends to help actually cope.
WinstonWolf said:
There are actually mole grip marks on the end of that nail. That and a hammer is how they get it out 
The consultant said she was very impressed with the strength of my bones and the “breaking” bit, which would normally take them half an hour or so actually took nearer an hour and three quarters... it’s nice to know I’m made of string stuff, but worrying that I actually managed to break my femur quite so spectacularly to start with!And yes, it is all very much “hammers and chisels”. Fancy, orthopaedic ones, but hammers and chisels nonetheless.
WinstonWolf said:
Dibble said:
WinstonWolf said:
There are actually mole grip marks on the end of that nail. That and a hammer is how they get it out
The consultant said she was very impressed with the strength of my bones and the “breaking” bit, which would normally take them half an hour or so actually took nearer an hour and three quarters... it’s nice to know I’m made of string stuff, but worrying that I actually managed to break my femur quite so spectacularly to start with!And yes, it is all very much “hammers and chisels”. Fancy, orthopaedic ones, but hammers and chisels nonetheless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFLJmnI_aqs
“My” consultant is easily 6’ 0” tall and looks like she’d be useful on the rugby pitch. I think she’s ideally suited to orthopaedic work.
As previously mentioned, she is also utterly bonkers! I think she’s fantastic and I’m so much happier now. That’s not to say previous orthopaedic surgeons weren’t any good, but she is in a league of her own. I can’t praise her enough. The “mechanics” of the “fixing me up” stuff must be similar across the board, but it’s her manner and how she treats me that gives me that extra confidence.
After a week or so of adjustment, I got practically no sleep last night and have been in a fair bit of pain today. On a scale of 1-10, I’d say it was a solid 7, when up until know, it’s been about a 4 at most, but really around a 3, tops. Luckily I was due to see the consultant for a follow up today.
First off, this picture is from the inside of my leg, looking out and up. Basically, if you imagine my right bk is the camera... this shows the misaligned bones and bent pin after the osteotomy, which explains why this was so painful. This is all sorted out now. The metal on the right are the original plates in my pelvis.
This one is a view from the front of my leg, looking backwards, right hip at the top, right knee out of shot at the bottom. The red marker is a measure, showing the 10.25mm of new bone growth so far since last Friday. The 3 pins at the top are fixed and the five underneath are the ones attached to the “floating” bit of bone, which is slowly working it’s way downwards, towards my knee.
The last one for now, again in the same orientation as the previous one, from the front of my right leg, looking backwards, with my right knee at the bottom. The more observant amongst you will notice a slight gap in the bone... this is where all the rubbish was removed. That gap is just a midge’s knacker under 10cm. You can also see one of the original pins is still in situ in my knee, which would create more problems by removing it, rather than just leaving it where it is.
What you should also be able to see is everything is now nicely lined up. There’s been a bit of tweaking of the fixator and screws today in clinic, just to get the last bits lined up properly, so we are now all good to keep going with the bone lengthening. It’s off to a good start with everything pretty much already aligned and growing how it should. They will keep an eye on things as it progresses. The pain overnight is just one of those things, due to some muscle spasms, so I’ve got yet more tablets to keep a lid on that. I’m going to be taking it easy for a couple of days with the lengthening but come Monday, we’ll be breaking out the Allen key again...
First off, this picture is from the inside of my leg, looking out and up. Basically, if you imagine my right b
k is the camera... this shows the misaligned bones and bent pin after the osteotomy, which explains why this was so painful. This is all sorted out now. The metal on the right are the original plates in my pelvis.This one is a view from the front of my leg, looking backwards, right hip at the top, right knee out of shot at the bottom. The red marker is a measure, showing the 10.25mm of new bone growth so far since last Friday. The 3 pins at the top are fixed and the five underneath are the ones attached to the “floating” bit of bone, which is slowly working it’s way downwards, towards my knee.
The last one for now, again in the same orientation as the previous one, from the front of my right leg, looking backwards, with my right knee at the bottom. The more observant amongst you will notice a slight gap in the bone... this is where all the rubbish was removed. That gap is just a midge’s knacker under 10cm. You can also see one of the original pins is still in situ in my knee, which would create more problems by removing it, rather than just leaving it where it is.
What you should also be able to see is everything is now nicely lined up. There’s been a bit of tweaking of the fixator and screws today in clinic, just to get the last bits lined up properly, so we are now all good to keep going with the bone lengthening. It’s off to a good start with everything pretty much already aligned and growing how it should. They will keep an eye on things as it progresses. The pain overnight is just one of those things, due to some muscle spasms, so I’ve got yet more tablets to keep a lid on that. I’m going to be taking it easy for a couple of days with the lengthening but come Monday, we’ll be breaking out the Allen key again...
2ndclasscitizen said:
Dibble said:
WinstonWolf said:
Dibble said:
WinstonWolf said:
There are actually mole grip marks on the end of that nail. That and a hammer is how they get it out
The consultant said she was very impressed with the strength of my bones and the “breaking” bit, which would normally take them half an hour or so actually took nearer an hour and three quarters... it’s nice to know I’m made of string stuff, but worrying that I actually managed to break my femur quite so spectacularly to start with!And yes, it is all very much “hammers and chisels”. Fancy, orthopaedic ones, but hammers and chisels nonetheless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFLJmnI_aqs
“My” consultant is easily 6’ 0” tall and looks like she’d be useful on the rugby pitch. I think she’s ideally suited to orthopaedic work.
t out of his leg while smacking the metal in.By the time we’re done, my right leg is going to be quite the scar “catalogue”! Back up to two adjustments a day now, physio this afternoon and hoping to get to three adjustments by the end of the week. I reckon I can see about a centimetre now on the fixator from where I marked it at the start to where it is right now.
DuraAce said:
Stick with it.... I know someone a very similar injury.... Almost 2 years have passed and he's now sorted and back to full mobility after almost 10cms of growth.
Stick with the physio and do as much as you can to keep the rest of you fit/mobile
Cheers. I would’ve been a bit further on had I been referred sooner, but no use crying over spilt milk, as they say. If I thought like that too much, I’d never have had a bike, because then I’d never have had the off so wouldn’t have been injured in the first place.Stick with the physio and do as much as you can to keep the rest of you fit/mobile
Physio at 2pm today, so collection is about 1145 onwards. Just getting “showered” over the edge of the bath is quite the workout! Balancing mostly on my good leg and washing/rinsing with a combo of shower house, “scrubby net thing” and “rinsing” with a flannel leaves me sweatier when I’ve finished than when I started!
I do really feel like I’ve turned the corner. I’ve a couple more surgeries to come to properly fuse the bone at the “knee end” once the gap is closed, but that is a few months away yet and I’m less hung up on a fixed date for that. It will happen when the time is right.
The good thing is my appetite is pretty small at the moment and I’m practically tee total, so one benefit is I’m keeping the weight off. I can’t just nip out to the shop and cooking is a bit tricky, so my girlfriend is doing most of the catering, with the added benefit there that My diet is actually pretty healthy, with lots of fruit and veg!
Once again, I do really appreciate everyone’s good wishes on BB. You guys will never know just quite how much you’ve helped me keep (mostly) sane and keep my general mood up. I’m really grateful for everyone chipping in, even when you are taking the piss! That actually helps me personally a lot more than “there, there”. I’m loving seeing the various build threads and while a bit jealous, seeing everyone’s photos of trips and just day to day bikey goodness is brilliant too, so keep it coming.
psychoR1 said:
I haven't posted before but often read your posts, see your progress and its great to see how positive you are keeping and probably rightly so.
I had some pretty serious bike RCA related head injuries many years ago, ended up with a four post external fixator of jaw into temples etc and my jaw wired. Of course my first visitors into ICU brought me Guinness (good for the bones) and a large bag of chewing toffee - lol - its things like that that keep you going - plus of course your loved ones who take care of you and make allowances. I also ended up with a detached retina and remember my surgeon telling me that the human body was such a wonderful thing in being able to self repair after they had done their bit. He was right and I have no real after effects other than less than perfect vision in one eye.
It was big step to get back on a bike and I had a lot peer pressure not to but I'm glad I chased away the demons and got back on two wheels. And yes I ride an R1 now when it was a motocrosser I crashed.
My brother, a non biking truck driver at the time was one of my harshest critics but several years later he had a really bad RTA in his truck breaking his pelvis, femur, wrist and being resusitated twice on the way to hospital. Once he was back on his feet I introduced him to bikes and within a week he had booked his test and has ridden ever since.
I just want to wish you the best and say keep posting - every day is day closer to normality and i can guess that's probably what we all take for granted and what you miss at the moment!
Keep up the great work Dibs.
Cheers mate. Sorry for the delay replying, I somehow missed your addition to the thread and I’ve had (for me) a busy week. Tuesday was physio, which was really hard work! Wednesday I was in work giving a presentation on PTSD and Thursday I was just knackered after Wednesday, so spent most of it asleep.I had some pretty serious bike RCA related head injuries many years ago, ended up with a four post external fixator of jaw into temples etc and my jaw wired. Of course my first visitors into ICU brought me Guinness (good for the bones) and a large bag of chewing toffee - lol - its things like that that keep you going - plus of course your loved ones who take care of you and make allowances. I also ended up with a detached retina and remember my surgeon telling me that the human body was such a wonderful thing in being able to self repair after they had done their bit. He was right and I have no real after effects other than less than perfect vision in one eye.
It was big step to get back on a bike and I had a lot peer pressure not to but I'm glad I chased away the demons and got back on two wheels. And yes I ride an R1 now when it was a motocrosser I crashed.
My brother, a non biking truck driver at the time was one of my harshest critics but several years later he had a really bad RTA in his truck breaking his pelvis, femur, wrist and being resusitated twice on the way to hospital. Once he was back on his feet I introduced him to bikes and within a week he had booked his test and has ridden ever since.
I just want to wish you the best and say keep posting - every day is day closer to normality and i can guess that's probably what we all take for granted and what you miss at the moment!
Keep up the great work Dibs.
Things are still going ok, managed to drop back down on the pain meds a fair bit, still only half a millimetre I. Total of adjustment per day but going to be upping that to three quarters as from today.
I’m not on the home straight yet, but I’m in the taxi on the way to the stadium and I can see the floodlights if I stretch!
More issues this last weekend. We have another infection in the duff leg. 
As great as the NHS is at the point of crisis, it’s sometimes less great when different bits need to join up, outside the normal “rules of engagement”. Very long and frustratingly complex story slightly short, I came into A&E at my local hospital on Sunday afternoon. They liaised with the Registrar on call at the regional limb reconstruction centre, on Sunday, someone I’ve never seen. He was at a different hospital, albeit part of the same trust. I cannot simply just tip up at this hospital, despite them being part of the actual trust who are treating me, with not only an A&E, but access to my clinical history...
I was admitted (locally) via A&E for “close observations”, but no antibiotics prescribed. “Close observations” means having my temperature taken at 0500, yesterday morning... 38.2° C and climbing. We peaked just under 40° C, a couple of hours later, despite IV paracetamol. Still no antibiotics.
Local A&E were pretty keen for me to be someone else’s problem so I was transferred (on paper) at 11am, yesterday morning. It’s 12 miles away from where I am now. I was collected at 5.30pm, because I wasn’t an urgent priority.
I got to the hospital where I’ve had the latest round of surgery, about 5.30pm, saw the doctor about 7pm and then finally got plugged into some industrial strength IV antibiotics about 7.30pm last night - Teicoplanin - and oral Ciprofloxacin.
Now my duff leg is spasming like billy-o. This smarts. It really smarts. A very lot. My temperature is hovering around 39° C. They are going to keep me on the antibiotics for now and hopefully we can avoid a surgical washout. Time will tell. My duff leg is not playing ball at the moment.
I’m tired, grumpy, in pain, with a tender, swollen leg that is oozing “gunge” at a fairly impressive rate. Things are finally settling down a little bit.
As ever, the A&E staff and orthopaedic staff have been top notch.
Have some gunge, from Saturday night while I was still at home:
Have some gunge from tonight, less than 48 hours later...
As great as the NHS is at the point of crisis, it’s sometimes less great when different bits need to join up, outside the normal “rules of engagement”. Very long and frustratingly complex story slightly short, I came into A&E at my local hospital on Sunday afternoon. They liaised with the Registrar on call at the regional limb reconstruction centre, on Sunday, someone I’ve never seen. He was at a different hospital, albeit part of the same trust. I cannot simply just tip up at this hospital, despite them being part of the actual trust who are treating me, with not only an A&E, but access to my clinical history...
I was admitted (locally) via A&E for “close observations”, but no antibiotics prescribed. “Close observations” means having my temperature taken at 0500, yesterday morning... 38.2° C and climbing. We peaked just under 40° C, a couple of hours later, despite IV paracetamol. Still no antibiotics.
Local A&E were pretty keen for me to be someone else’s problem so I was transferred (on paper) at 11am, yesterday morning. It’s 12 miles away from where I am now. I was collected at 5.30pm, because I wasn’t an urgent priority.
I got to the hospital where I’ve had the latest round of surgery, about 5.30pm, saw the doctor about 7pm and then finally got plugged into some industrial strength IV antibiotics about 7.30pm last night - Teicoplanin - and oral Ciprofloxacin.
Now my duff leg is spasming like billy-o. This smarts. It really smarts. A very lot. My temperature is hovering around 39° C. They are going to keep me on the antibiotics for now and hopefully we can avoid a surgical washout. Time will tell. My duff leg is not playing ball at the moment.
I’m tired, grumpy, in pain, with a tender, swollen leg that is oozing “gunge” at a fairly impressive rate. Things are finally settling down a little bit.
As ever, the A&E staff and orthopaedic staff have been top notch.
Have some gunge, from Saturday night while I was still at home:
Have some gunge from tonight, less than 48 hours later...
You guys keep my spirits up!
Seen the orthopaedic consultant today, who liaised with the regsitrar by text (while she was in the middle of another surgery at another of the trust’s hospitals.
They’re hoping to whizz me into theatre here this afternoon to slice me open and drain all the gunge out. They’re just trying to jiggle the theatre list so I can get in but no one else gets bumped. If they can’t, I’ll be getting washed out first thing tomorrow, but their preferenc is to do it today.
Had the transfer happened a bit quicker yesterday, I’d have been on this mornings theatre list. The good news is that the infection is just in the soft tissue, not the actual bone, so it’s a relatively quick procedure to slice me open, wash all the gunge out and stitch me back up! Takes longer to type it than do it... apart from a slight “hold”, where I can’t do any bone lengthening, this won’t delay things too much.
It’s sore right now, so I’ll gladly get rid of it this afternoon!
Cheers again for all your positive thoughts and messages of support. I do really appreciate them and I’m grateful for your time contributing to the thread.
This is the leg this morning. You can see how swollen it is...
Seen the orthopaedic consultant today, who liaised with the regsitrar by text (while she was in the middle of another surgery at another of the trust’s hospitals.
They’re hoping to whizz me into theatre here this afternoon to slice me open and drain all the gunge out. They’re just trying to jiggle the theatre list so I can get in but no one else gets bumped. If they can’t, I’ll be getting washed out first thing tomorrow, but their preferenc is to do it today.
Had the transfer happened a bit quicker yesterday, I’d have been on this mornings theatre list. The good news is that the infection is just in the soft tissue, not the actual bone, so it’s a relatively quick procedure to slice me open, wash all the gunge out and stitch me back up! Takes longer to type it than do it... apart from a slight “hold”, where I can’t do any bone lengthening, this won’t delay things too much.
It’s sore right now, so I’ll gladly get rid of it this afternoon!
Cheers again for all your positive thoughts and messages of support. I do really appreciate them and I’m grateful for your time contributing to the thread.
This is the leg this morning. You can see how swollen it is...
Well the surgery went well and the6 drained about 350 millilitres of “gunk” from inside my leg. It’s looking more like a soft tissue infection than a bone infection (good news) but they’re still scratching their heads about what the infection actually is (less good news, but will hopefully be made clearer after some lab tests) and they’re still really unsure what’s causing it (bad news).
The pain and swelling is much reduced today, which is great. I’m feeling pretty well and much less groggy. I think when the pain/illness is constantly, gradually increasing, you get a bit used to it, so consequently it doesn’t feel quite as bad as it “should”. It becomes the new normal and you just get on with it. It’s only really when you get back to normal “quickly” that you actually do realise just how grim it was.
The pain and swelling is much reduced today, which is great. I’m feeling pretty well and much less groggy. I think when the pain/illness is constantly, gradually increasing, you get a bit used to it, so consequently it doesn’t feel quite as bad as it “should”. It becomes the new normal and you just get on with it. It’s only really when you get back to normal “quickly” that you actually do realise just how grim it was.
And thanks again for all the good wishes since yesterday’s update. As always, I really appreciate them and welcome to the lurkers. I’m sorry if I’ve “outed” you.
Gizmo750, I’ve no problem being your go-to for “I’m glad that’s not me”! At least I’m providing some sort of useful function.
Thanks again.
Gizmo750, I’ve no problem being your go-to for “I’m glad that’s not me”! At least I’m providing some sort of useful function.
Thanks again.
As it was a temporary fix, I went with non-braided lines, front and rear:
Leg drain
Leg drain close up
Leg drain close up right before it was pulled out
. There was a good 10 to 15cm of tube inside my leg. I really wouldn’t recommend it. Other than for draining gunge, that is. Then, it’s pretty useful.
I “did” some physio today, which consisted of the physio taking the weight of my leg over the edge of the bed and bending it at the knee to about 40° while I winced, sweated, huffed and puffed a bit and tried to think happy thoughts. I then slept solidly for three hours.
I also “walked” to the toilet this morning and after about 45 minutes of straining, “produced” something the size and consistency of a rolling pin. Actually, the diameter was probably about 50% more, but the length and consistency were about spot on. It was, as they say, “better out than in”. It was certainly better out than actually getting it out...
Leg drain
Leg drain close up
Leg drain close up right before it was pulled out
. There was a good 10 to 15cm of tube inside my leg. I really wouldn’t recommend it. Other than for draining gunge, that is. Then, it’s pretty useful. I “did” some physio today, which consisted of the physio taking the weight of my leg over the edge of the bed and bending it at the knee to about 40° while I winced, sweated, huffed and puffed a bit and tried to think happy thoughts. I then slept solidly for three hours.
I also “walked” to the toilet this morning and after about 45 minutes of straining, “produced” something the size and consistency of a rolling pin. Actually, the diameter was probably about 50% more, but the length and consistency were about spot on. It was, as they say, “better out than in”. It was certainly better out than actually getting it out...
Edited by Dibble on Thursday 12th July 20:44
A bit of an update, from a Facebook post I did a few days ago. Sorry it’s a bit lengthy thank you to everyone who has continued to message me, I really do appreciate your good wishes and apologies to anyone I’ve not messaged back, or taken an age to reply to.
[i]Plan... “B”?
For those of you that may be interested, I thought a short update on my leg might be in order. That said, it’s a bit involved, so it’s not going to be short (unlike my right leg, but more on that later). It’s lengthy, because there’s quite a lot been going on over the last few weeks. Here goes...
Rewinding to last year, one of the suspected causes of the non union of my femur was the infection in my leg, with bugs gathering around the metal work like recently divorced sales reps on their first singles night at the bar. This needed a “wash out” and six months on oral antibiotics.
When I had the first reconstructive surgery in April this year, all the swabs, blood tests and samples came back as clear, with no sign of infection. Despite this, my consultant said she wasn’t happy there wasn’t something still lurking in there, despite everything being negative. She said it was nothing more than a hunch, but she wasn’t convinced by the test results, which completely went against her experience and everything that had gone on with my leg thus far.
Everything was going - mostly - to plan. The initial two surgeries were as scheduled, although the second left me with a couple of bent pins and a misaligned femur at the top, where the surgical break (osteotomy) had been done. This caused quite a bit of pain, but was easily rectified by surgery number three and the acquisition of some unexpected scars, but hey ho, I was back on track, albeit with a ten day or so delay on the bone lengthening and transport to regrow my femur from the top down and fill the gap where all the dead/infected bone had been taken out above my knee.
Once the bone was realigned, I was good to go with the lengthening, which was a quarter turn of each screw on the fixator, four times a day. Each quarter turn equates to 0.25mm of lateral movement, so one complete turn meant I was lengthening my femur by 1mm per day, while closing the gap at the bottom by the same amount, meaning my leg stayed the same length.
About five weeks ago, the pain in my leg started getting worse. All along, I’d been told the process would be painful, so I put this down to the fact I had a broken leg, albeit a planned one this time, as well as eleven pins going through my skin, fat and muscle into my bone and the bones inside my leg being forced into place through the lengthening process.
Then my leg started swelling up, getting redder, hot to the touch and oozing “gunge” through the pores. I’m no expert, but I guessed the infection might have returned, so off to A&E I “trotted”. Top tip, don’t get ill on a Sunday and go to Southport A&E. They’ll keep you in for “close observations”, which in reality means taking a blood sample for them to lose and then taking your temperature at 0630 the next morning. No pain relief, no antibiotics, nada. I’m fairly underwhelmed with Southport Hospital and it seems I’m not a lone critic.
First thing Monday morning, I got on the phone to Broadgreen Hospital, so when the ward round took place, I was able to give the Southport team some “direction”, which resulted in me going straight from there, back to Broadgreen as an “emergency” admission. One look at my leg by one of the consultants I’ve been cared by saw me in theatre first thing the next day for a washout and debridement (surgery number four). A blood test showed my CRP (a marker for inflammation and infection) was at 307. Normal CRP is around 10...
I had over 350ml of “gunge” (think can of Coke size, plus a couple of shots of spirits) drained from my leg, taken from the void where the bone had previously been removed. As soon as I woke up, I felt loads better, even though my leg had been sliced open in the same place for the sixth time. I should probably look at getting a zip or some Velcro fitted... The issue now was that there obviously had been bugs lurking all that time, so The consultant I’m under had been right all along. Over the next couple of days, another 50ml or so came out through the surgical drain in my leg.
Leaving the void was no longer an option, as it was giving the bugs somewhere to hang out and gather and I was likely to keep getting infections, which could seriously jeopardise my femur ever healing. If my femur doesn’t heal, the second worst case scenario is I have a very real risk of having my leg amputated, above the knee. Worst case scenario from repeated infections is that I develop sepsis and die. Call me a bluff old traditionalist, but I don’t find either of these options that appealing.
The week after surgery four (the wash out), I was back to theatre for surgery number five. At this point, had I still been on Plan “A”, I would only be at surgery number two. This surgery was to “shorten” my leg by about 4cm, reducing the size of the void. I also had some more antibiotic laced cement put in there as well. The reduction of the void means there is less physical space for bugs to hang out, with the cement making the space that’s left a more hostile environment at the same time. Having got used to managing the external fixator, I now had to learn how to deal with one leg being shorted than the other. I’ll cover that by saying “It’s a bit of a faff”...
Even though up to this point my duff leg has only been “toe touch” weight bearing, it’s surprising how useful it is for balance and taking some of the work away from my good leg. Having to rely completely on one leg for support and balance is really hard work, even using crutches to get around. About a week or so after surgery five, I was able to start lengthening my femur at the top. It’s important to keep doing this, because if I stop, the gap the new bone is growing in will form fully hardened bone and the only way to get the lengthening started again would be more surgery to perform another osteotomy (surgical break). Not ideal.
The problem is that there is nowhere for the other end of the “floating” portion of femur to go to, so in a few more weeks, my duff leg will be longer than my good one. I was always going to need more surgery to join the “knee end” bits of femur together, but now, it’s going to be another shortening, to make both legs the same length, as well as joining my femur at the bottom, so more complicated as it’s a bit of a BOGOF deal, with two ops in one. The consultant is happy she can accurately match my leg lengths so I’ll be matched up and back to “normal” (yes, I know, it’s all relative...).
At the moment, I’m also lengthening my femur by six quarter turns (in three lots of two) each day, so 1.5mm a day. I’m already at the point where I can sort of get my right foot flat on the ground and I’m also able to use my duff leg for “partial” weight bearing - 30% or so... it makes a huge difference to what I can do, just around my flat, but I’m holding off signing up for any 10k fun runs for the time being.
Because of the infection, I’ve been put on a course of IV antibiotics. Getting these in hospital is no problem, the nurses just hook me up and away I go. Even better, I’ve had a PICC line inserted in my arm, which, while it looks a bit gruesome, is way better than being cannulated every three or four days. Cannulas hurt way more than they should. The PICC line goes into a vein in my upper arm and then to the superior vena cava, a blood vessel right behind my heart. The PICC line is used to both administer the IV antibiotics (or any other IV drugs I might need) and to take blood samples, so no need for needles there, either. Win win win.
The (sort of) downside is I have to have a visit every day from the community IV team to administer the drugs, but because their list of patients changes daily, they can’t give an actual appointment time. I just have to be up and ready from 8am onwards, as they normally come in the morning. As my sleep pattern is absolutely buggered, getting up and washed every morning at 7.30am isn’t my favourite thing. The real downside is I’m not supposed to drink alcohol, although the nurses have said a small amount every now and then is ok. I’ve actually found a low alcohol cider (Stowford, 0.5%), which is actually quite drinkable, as long as it’s chilled. It’s nice and dry, so it’s not too bad (I’m trying to convince myself here, don’t ruin it for me). Hopefully, I’ll only need the IV stuff until the end of August, but it all depends on blood results.
The other issue is that once my femur is at the right length and joined, the options while it heals are to have a metal plate attached to the inside of my femur to keep everything in position, or to keep the external fixator attached for another six weeks, then a final surgery to remove all the pins and fixator. The internal plate would stay in my leg permanently. You might remember the cause of all the infections to start with was the metal work inside my leg... it’s looking like I’ll be keeping the external fixator for that extra six weeks. To be honest, it’s doable and to me, an absolute no brainer to keep it, rather than risk yet more infections with internal fixation.
The good news is the bone is growing really well and is nice and strong/dense. My infection markers are back where they should be (CRP is down to 7), physio is going well and I can already tell I’m regaining some of the function in my duff leg. Once the bones are all grown and joined, the fixator is removed, it’s physical rehab time. I foresee quite a few weeks being spent in Harrogate over the next few months or so. I’ve nothing but praise for all the staff at Broadgreen. They continue to be unfailingly brilliant.
I’ve even been given the go ahead by my consultant to start working from home, which will get me off half pay and start my brain turning over again. I finally feel like there is some actual sustained progress on a few fronts. The Idiot is back out of kennels and at home with me, which again, is a huge boost for my mood.
TL;DR - I’ve had some complications with infection, again, so I’ve had to have extra unscheduled surgeries, the original plan has been changed, but I’m still heading in the right direction, although it’ll take a bit longer than if I was still on plan “A”. I’m still upright and breathing, so it’s all good.
Sorry for the lengthy post, but a few people have asked where I’m at, so I thought this would be the easiest way to let as many people as possible know what’s happening. Thanks also to all of you who have messaged, visited and helped keep me sane(ish).[/i]
The down side is I’m probably looking at February next year before I get rid of the external fixator... meh.
On the plus side, from last week’s physio, I got to “measure” just how much 30% weight bearing is. I got weighed (115 kilos, still a fat knacker), so 30% of this is about 38 kilos. The way they measure this is to stand with your good leg on the floor, then push down with my duff leg on a set of bathroom scales until the needle hits 38 kilos. The amount of “force” needed to do this is way more than I’ve been using to date and despite this having been going on since May last year, this is actually the first time anyone has actually every shown me what 30% weight bearing is/feels like, so it was really useful to get a sense of it.
I hope everyone’s had a good weekend, I’m going to have a trawl on the BB threads and catch up with what everyone is up to.
[i]Plan... “B”?
For those of you that may be interested, I thought a short update on my leg might be in order. That said, it’s a bit involved, so it’s not going to be short (unlike my right leg, but more on that later). It’s lengthy, because there’s quite a lot been going on over the last few weeks. Here goes...
Rewinding to last year, one of the suspected causes of the non union of my femur was the infection in my leg, with bugs gathering around the metal work like recently divorced sales reps on their first singles night at the bar. This needed a “wash out” and six months on oral antibiotics.
When I had the first reconstructive surgery in April this year, all the swabs, blood tests and samples came back as clear, with no sign of infection. Despite this, my consultant said she wasn’t happy there wasn’t something still lurking in there, despite everything being negative. She said it was nothing more than a hunch, but she wasn’t convinced by the test results, which completely went against her experience and everything that had gone on with my leg thus far.
Everything was going - mostly - to plan. The initial two surgeries were as scheduled, although the second left me with a couple of bent pins and a misaligned femur at the top, where the surgical break (osteotomy) had been done. This caused quite a bit of pain, but was easily rectified by surgery number three and the acquisition of some unexpected scars, but hey ho, I was back on track, albeit with a ten day or so delay on the bone lengthening and transport to regrow my femur from the top down and fill the gap where all the dead/infected bone had been taken out above my knee.
Once the bone was realigned, I was good to go with the lengthening, which was a quarter turn of each screw on the fixator, four times a day. Each quarter turn equates to 0.25mm of lateral movement, so one complete turn meant I was lengthening my femur by 1mm per day, while closing the gap at the bottom by the same amount, meaning my leg stayed the same length.
About five weeks ago, the pain in my leg started getting worse. All along, I’d been told the process would be painful, so I put this down to the fact I had a broken leg, albeit a planned one this time, as well as eleven pins going through my skin, fat and muscle into my bone and the bones inside my leg being forced into place through the lengthening process.
Then my leg started swelling up, getting redder, hot to the touch and oozing “gunge” through the pores. I’m no expert, but I guessed the infection might have returned, so off to A&E I “trotted”. Top tip, don’t get ill on a Sunday and go to Southport A&E. They’ll keep you in for “close observations”, which in reality means taking a blood sample for them to lose and then taking your temperature at 0630 the next morning. No pain relief, no antibiotics, nada. I’m fairly underwhelmed with Southport Hospital and it seems I’m not a lone critic.
First thing Monday morning, I got on the phone to Broadgreen Hospital, so when the ward round took place, I was able to give the Southport team some “direction”, which resulted in me going straight from there, back to Broadgreen as an “emergency” admission. One look at my leg by one of the consultants I’ve been cared by saw me in theatre first thing the next day for a washout and debridement (surgery number four). A blood test showed my CRP (a marker for inflammation and infection) was at 307. Normal CRP is around 10...
I had over 350ml of “gunge” (think can of Coke size, plus a couple of shots of spirits) drained from my leg, taken from the void where the bone had previously been removed. As soon as I woke up, I felt loads better, even though my leg had been sliced open in the same place for the sixth time. I should probably look at getting a zip or some Velcro fitted... The issue now was that there obviously had been bugs lurking all that time, so The consultant I’m under had been right all along. Over the next couple of days, another 50ml or so came out through the surgical drain in my leg.
Leaving the void was no longer an option, as it was giving the bugs somewhere to hang out and gather and I was likely to keep getting infections, which could seriously jeopardise my femur ever healing. If my femur doesn’t heal, the second worst case scenario is I have a very real risk of having my leg amputated, above the knee. Worst case scenario from repeated infections is that I develop sepsis and die. Call me a bluff old traditionalist, but I don’t find either of these options that appealing.
The week after surgery four (the wash out), I was back to theatre for surgery number five. At this point, had I still been on Plan “A”, I would only be at surgery number two. This surgery was to “shorten” my leg by about 4cm, reducing the size of the void. I also had some more antibiotic laced cement put in there as well. The reduction of the void means there is less physical space for bugs to hang out, with the cement making the space that’s left a more hostile environment at the same time. Having got used to managing the external fixator, I now had to learn how to deal with one leg being shorted than the other. I’ll cover that by saying “It’s a bit of a faff”...
Even though up to this point my duff leg has only been “toe touch” weight bearing, it’s surprising how useful it is for balance and taking some of the work away from my good leg. Having to rely completely on one leg for support and balance is really hard work, even using crutches to get around. About a week or so after surgery five, I was able to start lengthening my femur at the top. It’s important to keep doing this, because if I stop, the gap the new bone is growing in will form fully hardened bone and the only way to get the lengthening started again would be more surgery to perform another osteotomy (surgical break). Not ideal.
The problem is that there is nowhere for the other end of the “floating” portion of femur to go to, so in a few more weeks, my duff leg will be longer than my good one. I was always going to need more surgery to join the “knee end” bits of femur together, but now, it’s going to be another shortening, to make both legs the same length, as well as joining my femur at the bottom, so more complicated as it’s a bit of a BOGOF deal, with two ops in one. The consultant is happy she can accurately match my leg lengths so I’ll be matched up and back to “normal” (yes, I know, it’s all relative...).
At the moment, I’m also lengthening my femur by six quarter turns (in three lots of two) each day, so 1.5mm a day. I’m already at the point where I can sort of get my right foot flat on the ground and I’m also able to use my duff leg for “partial” weight bearing - 30% or so... it makes a huge difference to what I can do, just around my flat, but I’m holding off signing up for any 10k fun runs for the time being.
Because of the infection, I’ve been put on a course of IV antibiotics. Getting these in hospital is no problem, the nurses just hook me up and away I go. Even better, I’ve had a PICC line inserted in my arm, which, while it looks a bit gruesome, is way better than being cannulated every three or four days. Cannulas hurt way more than they should. The PICC line goes into a vein in my upper arm and then to the superior vena cava, a blood vessel right behind my heart. The PICC line is used to both administer the IV antibiotics (or any other IV drugs I might need) and to take blood samples, so no need for needles there, either. Win win win.
The (sort of) downside is I have to have a visit every day from the community IV team to administer the drugs, but because their list of patients changes daily, they can’t give an actual appointment time. I just have to be up and ready from 8am onwards, as they normally come in the morning. As my sleep pattern is absolutely buggered, getting up and washed every morning at 7.30am isn’t my favourite thing. The real downside is I’m not supposed to drink alcohol, although the nurses have said a small amount every now and then is ok. I’ve actually found a low alcohol cider (Stowford, 0.5%), which is actually quite drinkable, as long as it’s chilled. It’s nice and dry, so it’s not too bad (I’m trying to convince myself here, don’t ruin it for me). Hopefully, I’ll only need the IV stuff until the end of August, but it all depends on blood results.
The other issue is that once my femur is at the right length and joined, the options while it heals are to have a metal plate attached to the inside of my femur to keep everything in position, or to keep the external fixator attached for another six weeks, then a final surgery to remove all the pins and fixator. The internal plate would stay in my leg permanently. You might remember the cause of all the infections to start with was the metal work inside my leg... it’s looking like I’ll be keeping the external fixator for that extra six weeks. To be honest, it’s doable and to me, an absolute no brainer to keep it, rather than risk yet more infections with internal fixation.
The good news is the bone is growing really well and is nice and strong/dense. My infection markers are back where they should be (CRP is down to 7), physio is going well and I can already tell I’m regaining some of the function in my duff leg. Once the bones are all grown and joined, the fixator is removed, it’s physical rehab time. I foresee quite a few weeks being spent in Harrogate over the next few months or so. I’ve nothing but praise for all the staff at Broadgreen. They continue to be unfailingly brilliant.
I’ve even been given the go ahead by my consultant to start working from home, which will get me off half pay and start my brain turning over again. I finally feel like there is some actual sustained progress on a few fronts. The Idiot is back out of kennels and at home with me, which again, is a huge boost for my mood.
TL;DR - I’ve had some complications with infection, again, so I’ve had to have extra unscheduled surgeries, the original plan has been changed, but I’m still heading in the right direction, although it’ll take a bit longer than if I was still on plan “A”. I’m still upright and breathing, so it’s all good.
Sorry for the lengthy post, but a few people have asked where I’m at, so I thought this would be the easiest way to let as many people as possible know what’s happening. Thanks also to all of you who have messaged, visited and helped keep me sane(ish).[/i]
The down side is I’m probably looking at February next year before I get rid of the external fixator... meh.
On the plus side, from last week’s physio, I got to “measure” just how much 30% weight bearing is. I got weighed (115 kilos, still a fat knacker), so 30% of this is about 38 kilos. The way they measure this is to stand with your good leg on the floor, then push down with my duff leg on a set of bathroom scales until the needle hits 38 kilos. The amount of “force” needed to do this is way more than I’ve been using to date and despite this having been going on since May last year, this is actually the first time anyone has actually every shown me what 30% weight bearing is/feels like, so it was really useful to get a sense of it.
I hope everyone’s had a good weekend, I’m going to have a trawl on the BB threads and catch up with what everyone is up to.
NDA said:
It has been a long and slow road to recovery..... keep smiling. 
Cheers mate.I’ve finally managed to get a bit more mobile, so on Saturday, I took myself for a haircut (all of 0.7 miles, but by taxi). The barber’s is next door but one to a local bar, which just happens to be owned and run by a former colleague (which I only found out when I saw him in there after a few visits). I had a couple of beers and a spot of lunch, which was very pleasant.
Same deal yesterday, I had a social visit from a colleague and I treated him to lunch in the same place, so I managed to get out for a couple of hours yesterday.
Both jaunts have knackered me out, even though I’ve only walked about 50 yards in total each day, so I had to have a “nanny nap” when I got home!
Thanks again for all your comments and good wishes. I really can’t tell you just how much I really appreciate each and every one of them and how much they really do help. I’d happily buy you all several beers!
It’s not been plain sailing and I was pretty cheesed off a few weeks ago to find myself back in hospital (yet again), having more surgery (yet again) and the plan changing (yet again)... The consultant really is fantastic. She helps me keep (or rather, get) things in perspective. She’s said that these aren’t particularly unusual complications, while understanding how frustrating I’m finding it, but that they aren’t anything they haven’t encountered and more importantly, successfully dealt with, numerous times already.
I’m also lucky I’ve only got a rail attached to me, rather than the Ilizarov/halo frame. That would be even more of a pain in the arse (and of course, it is still an option if it’s needed, as are a few other treatment options).
A colleague from work, not someone I was close to, more just to say “hello” to around the building, was diagnosed with gall bladder cancer a while back. He had chemo, but was told although it had slowed the cancer down, it hadn’t cured it and the cancer would kill him, but he had “a while” left, the inference being years rather than anything else. He was back at work and doing “ok” (as ok as anyone can, I guess), then about six weeks ago, he got very ill, very quickly and within a month had died. Recently married, two kids of about 8 and 10... so I’ve really not got much to complain about in the grand scheme of things.
I’ve got stuff to look forward to, like getting rid of the frame at some point, being able to go away on holiday, driving, doing my own shopping in actual shops, not wearing the same “altered” jeans all the time, potential new motorbike shopping. I’m in the early stages of planning a trip to the US next year to meet up with a couple of people, eat lots of meat based food, drink too much craft beer, visit some random museums and galleries. It’s already being dubbed “FemurFest ‘19”. T shirts and other merch will be available...
Despite the contact from work being a bit lacking and being generally fairly bored, I’m lucky that I’ve got good sickness benefits and insurance to cover my half pay, which I’m now on, so financially, I’m not struggling, which is a huge load off my mind. I also qualify for some benefit payment (Personal Independence Payment, what used to be called Disability Living Allowance). It took a bit to get my head round claiming benefits, but I’ve worked all my adult life and paid taxes. There are plenty of people who haven't/don’t, so if they’re claiming, why shouldn’t I? I’m certainly not going to be claiming it long term or when I no longer qualify, but while it’s there, I’ll use it.
It’s not been plain sailing and I was pretty cheesed off a few weeks ago to find myself back in hospital (yet again), having more surgery (yet again) and the plan changing (yet again)... The consultant really is fantastic. She helps me keep (or rather, get) things in perspective. She’s said that these aren’t particularly unusual complications, while understanding how frustrating I’m finding it, but that they aren’t anything they haven’t encountered and more importantly, successfully dealt with, numerous times already.
I’m also lucky I’ve only got a rail attached to me, rather than the Ilizarov/halo frame. That would be even more of a pain in the arse (and of course, it is still an option if it’s needed, as are a few other treatment options).
A colleague from work, not someone I was close to, more just to say “hello” to around the building, was diagnosed with gall bladder cancer a while back. He had chemo, but was told although it had slowed the cancer down, it hadn’t cured it and the cancer would kill him, but he had “a while” left, the inference being years rather than anything else. He was back at work and doing “ok” (as ok as anyone can, I guess), then about six weeks ago, he got very ill, very quickly and within a month had died. Recently married, two kids of about 8 and 10... so I’ve really not got much to complain about in the grand scheme of things.
I’ve got stuff to look forward to, like getting rid of the frame at some point, being able to go away on holiday, driving, doing my own shopping in actual shops, not wearing the same “altered” jeans all the time, potential new motorbike shopping. I’m in the early stages of planning a trip to the US next year to meet up with a couple of people, eat lots of meat based food, drink too much craft beer, visit some random museums and galleries. It’s already being dubbed “FemurFest ‘19”. T shirts and other merch will be available...
Despite the contact from work being a bit lacking and being generally fairly bored, I’m lucky that I’ve got good sickness benefits and insurance to cover my half pay, which I’m now on, so financially, I’m not struggling, which is a huge load off my mind. I also qualify for some benefit payment (Personal Independence Payment, what used to be called Disability Living Allowance). It took a bit to get my head round claiming benefits, but I’ve worked all my adult life and paid taxes. There are plenty of people who haven't/don’t, so if they’re claiming, why shouldn’t I? I’m certainly not going to be claiming it long term or when I no longer qualify, but while it’s there, I’ll use it.
Stone Cold said:
Good update Dibble and glad to hear it’s going in the right direction.
I have been using you to help keep a mates pecker up who is in a similar position (nowhere near as bad) but a break that won’t heal and keeps getting infected, he’s on a permanent drainage pump. So your story is having a small positive impact on him, so thanks for sharing.
Something tha5 was suggested to me was treatment in a hyperbaric chamber, which may be worth him looking into.I have been using you to help keep a mates pecker up who is in a similar position (nowhere near as bad) but a break that won’t heal and keeps getting infected, he’s on a permanent drainage pump. So your story is having a small positive impact on him, so thanks for sharing.
Another option is an ultrasound machine called “Exogen”, available on the NHS. Unfortunately it didn’t work for me, but it usually has about an 85% success rate and is approved by NIHCE.
Reconstruction surgery is hard work as a patient, but there is a lot they can do now, that they couldn’t, even a few years ago. You have to keep pushing for referrals/second opinions though. Basically, you need to be just enough of a pain in the arse that they want to get rid of you by referring you “up the chain”, but not so much of a pain you become “that patient”...
Here you go, The Idiot (Jussi, as he’s actually named. Or J-Dog, Mr a Jussi, Prunes, The Prunester, Prunesticle, Jussle-Pussle and probably a few others I’ve forgotten!):
And he blummin loves his Piggly! The “oink” in this one has died, but we have a few of them in residence, which he will cart round with him. It can be slightly disconcerting when he starts chomping on one in the middle of the night though...
And he blummin loves his Piggly! The “oink” in this one has died, but we have a few of them in residence, which he will cart round with him. It can be slightly disconcerting when he starts chomping on one in the middle of the night though...
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