Ouch (possible NSFW pictures of my rear to follow)

Ouch (possible NSFW pictures of my rear to follow)

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Dibble

Original Poster:

12,923 posts

239 months

Sunday 10th June 2018
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PorkInsider said:
How are you doing, Dibble?

I read the thread in its entirety and just wanted to add to those who've already said it: your strength of character is impressive!
Cheers, appreciate the good wishes.

I had the “repair” surgery last Tuesday and I was in and out in the day. It all went (mostly) to plan - knock me out, bent pin out, realign bone, new straight pin in, staple the leg up (again, think this is about the fifth time they’ve used the same scar, I should just get a zip installed until it’s all done). In for 7.30am, being collected just after 4.30pm and home by 6.

There’s been a bit of jiggery with the frame and the adjusters, and I can see now the pins all appear to be much better aligned. The “mostly” to plan comment was that I woke up with a new hole in the “top” of my thigh, which is basically where they’ve stuck an instrument (surgical equivalent to a pry bar!) down onto the bone end from my hip to line it up internally, then whack the pins in and tighten it all up.

I had the staples out for the bit of the scar they weren’t using while I was in on Tuesday, a bit of bleeding and swelling but nothing unusual. Lovely gf did a dressing change yesterday for me and just having it cleaned, even with a stinging alcohol wipe, feels great! I’m really fighting the urge not to scratch the scar.

I’ve got the remaining staples due out a week on Tuesday, either by my GF or the district nurses (that’s my one complaint, despite the hospital doing the referrals, they often don’t turn up, or call to let me know they’re not coming). My next physio is on Thursday and I’m thinking that will be when we start getting going with the Allen key...

Pain is definitely back under control, the only down side to the temporary increase in the oxycodone was that it did rather bung me up... again, that’s resolved now I’m back down to a much lower dose! I’m still pretty much confined to bed, although I can stand long enough to make a brew or similar. Sitting is still a bit awkward, but that’s due more to discomfort around the pin sites. I’ve lost a lot of the bend in my leg again, I was at around 95°, but nowhere near that now, and any bending is really sore under the bottom of my knee cap. It’s just tightness/swelling/tenderness if the tendons and soft tissue and will get back to normal eventually.

Dibble

Original Poster:

12,923 posts

239 months

Sunday 10th June 2018
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Few pictures for the mechanically inclined amongst you!

“Old” setup of full fixation




You can see in this one how the pins closest to the lens aren’t aligned with the rest




All straight (side view)!




Underside view




Top view (white patch is where they stuck the pry bar in!)




Dibble

Original Poster:

12,923 posts

239 months

Monday 11th June 2018
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V10SWC said:
Went through Southport today and thought of this thread for some strange reason.
You should have called for a brew!

PTF

4,252 posts

223 months

Monday 11th June 2018
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Very sobering stuff.

Heal quickly.

Bobberoo99

38,362 posts

97 months

Monday 11th June 2018
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I still maintain that's the worlds most elaborate and expensive meccano set!!!! smile Heal quick my friend, then you can pop down for a brew and I can try to explain the 7axis fiasco!!! wavey

Dibble

Original Poster:

12,923 posts

239 months

Monday 11th June 2018
quotequote all
PTF said:
Very sobering stuff.

Heal quickly.
Cheers.

I think after 12 months already, nothing is going to be quick! Not moaning (much, had a bit of a meh” day yesterday), there are lots of people out there worse off than me.

Dibble

Original Poster:

12,923 posts

239 months

Monday 11th June 2018
quotequote all
Bobberoo99 said:
I still maintain that's the worlds most elaborate and expensive meccano set!!!! smile Heal quick my friend, then you can pop down for a brew and I can try to explain the 7axis fiasco!!! wavey
As external fixators go, it really isn’t! It’s only working in one plane, for starters!

Explain the 7 axis? Screw that (see what I did there?)! I want a go on that big milling job to make something. Even if it’s only a pile of swarf!

Bobberoo99

38,362 posts

97 months

Monday 11th June 2018
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Dibble said:
Bobberoo99 said:
I still maintain that's the worlds most elaborate and expensive meccano set!!!! smile Heal quick my friend, then you can pop down for a brew and I can try to explain the 7axis fiasco!!! wavey
As external fixators go, it really isn’t! It’s only working in one plane, for starters!

Explain the 7 axis? Screw that (see what I did there?)! I want a go on that big milling job to make something. Even if it’s only a pile of swarf!
hehe

Eyersey1234

2,895 posts

78 months

Monday 11th June 2018
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Hi Dibble I've just read all this thread. I hope you are recovered soon and TPs insurance company don't mess you about, I'm not sure I would have been as forgiving.

Dibble

Original Poster:

12,923 posts

239 months

Monday 11th June 2018
quotequote all
Eyersey1234 said:
Hi Dibble I've just read all this thread. I hope you are recovered soon and TPs insurance company don't mess you about, I'm not sure I would have been as forgiving.
Cheers Eyresy, appreciate the good wishes.

My personal injury claim has only just started. There’s no mad rush, having spoken to the solicitor about it at some length, it’s not going to be a quick resolution, even if there’s no shenanigans from the third party’s insurer. I’m fortunate that I’ve had six months’ paid sick leave and now I’m on half pay, I’m insured, which will make up the majority of the shortfall. I can imagine not having such decent terms or being self employed would be a huge issue in these circumstances.

Nothing will really get rolling until the full extent of my injuries and long term prognosis is known (which fortunately, seems to be pretty good for now).

Then of course, I slip today, bang my bad leg and burst the wound where the staples were taken out. I slipped about 3pm and it’s still “oozing”, mainly because I’m on anticoagulants, which of course reduce the clotting of my blood...

The pictures below show the new dressing put on by Lovely GF about 4pm and the second pad, which is still soaking up the ooze... the first one had a lot more blood on it (about 4 or 5 times the area - it was dribbling down my leg and off my foot as I hobbled back to the bedroom). It is slowing down though, thankfully.

It scuppered my plans to go out for some Fika with Lovely GF this afternoon, which has annoyed me, as I was really looking forward to some “us” time, out of the flat.




Dibble

Original Poster:

12,923 posts

239 months

Sunday 17th June 2018
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Finally got to do some adjustments!

Quarter turn of each screw (top one getting longer, bottom one getting shorter, bit in the middle moving towards my knee from my hip), once in the morning and once in the evening. Each quarter turn translates to 0.25mm lateral movement.

We will be getting up to four quarter turns a day, but taking it slower to start with after a slight fall last Monday opened up one of the partially healed surgical wounds, which bled for about three and a half days.

Very dull video here:

https://youtu.be/w36GFSfMiWE

tdm34

7,365 posts

209 months

Monday 18th June 2018
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Followed this thread since it started Dibble, can't imagine what you're state of mind must be like at times.
Just keep going forward mate. I'm a regular in Southport so if you can get out at all i'll happily buy you a pint
if your medication allows..

stuthemong

2,260 posts

216 months

Monday 18th June 2018
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Good luck mate, exiting times to start cranking it out. Crossing fingers and toes for you smile

TooLateForAName

4,725 posts

183 months

Monday 18th June 2018
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Does anything stop youturning them the wrong way?

Dibble

Original Poster:

12,923 posts

239 months

Monday 18th June 2018
quotequote all
tdm34 said:
Followed this thread since it started Dibble, can't imagine what you're state of mind must be like at times.
Just keep going forward mate. I'm a regular in Southport so if you can get out at all i'll happily buy you a pint
if your medication allows..
I’m always up for a beer or two! I’m not supposed to drink - in fact I’ve really cut down to practically zero and not missing it very much at the moment! That said, I do still have the odd pint, so give me a shout if you’re about.

As daft as it sounds, a few years ago (2013) I had work related PTSD and had a really bad time of things. I got some great treatment and got my head sorted out. I think having been through that has actually helped me cope,with this. Sure, I have “off” days, but we all do, even when things are “normal”. I’ve had great support from my girlfriend, family and some friends, the NHS continue to amaze me and I’m doing ok.

Dibble

Original Poster:

12,923 posts

239 months

Monday 18th June 2018
quotequote all
stuthe said:
Good luck mate, exiting times to start cranking it out. Crossing fingers and toes for you smile
Cheers Stu. Still heading in the right direction, despite the minor couple of setbacks over the last couple of weeks. Actually beginning the adjustment feels like a huge step forward and has actually been quite a bit of a “boost”. I’m getting back into a routine in the flat and while I can still only manage a few steps on crutches, I’m managing a little bit more each day, even if that’s only dull domestic stuff like being able to stand up long enough to wash up a few dishes.

Dibble

Original Poster:

12,923 posts

239 months

Monday 18th June 2018
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
Not so far... I “marked” the start position on the frame by scratching the carbon fibre with a penknife, so there is definitely movement.

As medieval as the frame/fixator looks, it’s nit actually painful, I’d say it was “sore” or “uncomfortable”. The most discomfort is the pin sites at the top of my thigh. When they attached it, I was obviously lying down in theatre, so when I sit up, it stretches my skin/fat/muscle around the hole, which stings a bit, but i wouldn’t go so far as to say it “hurts”.

It’s early days yet, but as the pins move down, there is a process known as “cheesing” (that’s the actual medical term!), which is the same as a cheese wire cutting through cheese, with the pin cutting through my leg. It’s only a small amount a day, so again, I’m guessing it will be uncomfortable/sore, rather than actually painful.

Dressing changes around the pin sites sting a bit too, but that’s purely the alcohol wipes/clorhexadine to kill off any bugs, the same as with any wipe on a cut/graze.

As well as the surgical scar, I’ll end up with a few small (<1cm) circular scars when the pins are removed, together with a 15cm or so scar from where the pins cut through my leg while the adjustment is going on. I wasn’t a supermodel before, so I think I can cope with that level of disfigurement!

Dibble

Original Poster:

12,923 posts

239 months

Tuesday 19th June 2018
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TooLateForAName said:
Does anything stop youturning them the wrong way?
T(e short answer is “no”! I’m a mechanical dullard, so that was a concern for me. There are spring loaded locking pins, which locate in the screw every quarter turn, so the process is press the blue “safety catch” in, start to turn, let the catch go and it pops into the next slot as I turn the screw.

Because of the way the screws are set up, I’m lengthening one screw and shortening the other, but working from opposite ends, so I start “horizontal” and turn the screw towards my leg. Because the heads of the screws are at opposite ends it’s basically a mirror image so I’m turning “upwards/towards my leg” on each screw.

My frame/fixator is pretty simple and straightforward. There are other patients with “Halo” or “Ilizarov” frames, with loads of screws, which have to be adjusted different amounts and in a specific order. I’ve got two screws, being adjusted the same amount and I do the top one first, then the bottom one. I could actually do it the other way round and it wouldn’t make any difference, because the adjustment is in one direction and one plane and is only a small distance.

mckeann

2,986 posts

228 months

Tuesday 19th June 2018
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I've read this every time there's been an update and never commented before for some reason. I'm glad you're in such good spirits and things are slowly lookin up. Keep up the good work dude

Dibble

Original Poster:

12,923 posts

239 months

Tuesday 19th June 2018
quotequote all
mckeann said:
I've read this every time there's been an update and never commented before for some reason. I'm glad you're in such good spirits and things are slowly lookin up. Keep up the good work dude
Cheers! I know this next bit is going to be at least three to four months, but then I realise it was 10 April when I had my first reconstructive surgery and the initial external fixator attached. That’s two and a half months ago now. I’m not suggesting that time has flown, but it’s been (mostly) manageable, so far.

I’ve a lot more confidence in my current consultant and I feel a lot more “involved” in the whole process, which I think is really helping me to deal with everything. I went into work for a few hours today and it was good just to catch up with colleagues and shoot the breeze for a coupe of hours. I’m hopefully a bit closer to being able to work from home before too much longer as well, even though initially it will only be a few hours a day.