Ouch (possible NSFW pictures of my rear to follow)

[rev-erend]

Dibble said:

It's like stting through a Polo mint...

Proper LOL :ROFL:

[Dibble]

kiethton said:

Separate note, keep receipts/track of payments made for carers etc.

Any decent AMC will expense them as uninsured losses via the TP's insurance co

Glad for the update however and good to see you're on the mend!

Cheers for the advice - have heard the same from a few other people so will do.

[Dibble]

Fleegle said:

I feel for you bud. That's a long recovery period.

Keep your chin(s) up

I'm three months in at the moment. The big thing is the boredom.

I miss my dog, I miss not being able to do anything for myself as I can't get that far or carry stuff on my frame/crutches. So I can't even make a brew or a butty and get it from the kitchen to the lounge... I can just about stand up unsupported, so I did some washing up today. I'm still taking most of my (still substantial) weight on my left leg, so that gets sore pretty quickly and is a limiting factor for stuff like that. I'm not use to having to rely on other people so much.

I can't just go outside, everything is a bit of a production. That in itself is frustrating. But it's nice to be able to just spend som time with my girlfriend that's not in hospital or governed by visiting hours.

I've missed the summer and I'm still on antibiotics for at least another three months. Once I stop taking them, there's the risk the infection round the metal in my leg will flare up again. There's no way ahead of time to know whether that will happen or not, it's just a case of wait and see. I'm also on anticoagulants that have to be injected daily. The dose I'm on means it's two injections as well. I have to take a ton of tablets every day as well.

My follow up at the fracture clinic is in a couple of weeks so I should find out more then.

[PTF]

Dibble said:

Fleegle said:

I feel for you bud. That's a long recovery period.

Keep your chin(s) up

I'm three months in at the moment. The big thing is the boredom.

I miss my dog, I miss not being able to do anything for myself as I can't get that far or carry stuff on my frame/crutches. So I can't even make a brew or a butty and get it from the kitchen to the lounge... I can just about stand up unsupported, so I did some washing up today. I'm still taking most of my (still substantial) weight on my left leg, so that gets sore pretty quickly and is a limiting factor for stuff like that. I'm not use to having to rely on other people so much.

I can't just go outside, everything is a bit of a production. That in itself is frustrating. But it's nice to be able to just spend som time with my girlfriend that's not in hospital or governed by visiting hours.

I've missed the summer and I'm still on antibiotics for at least another three months. Once I stop taking them, there's the risk the infection round the metal in my leg will flare up again. There's no way ahead of time to know whether that will happen or not, it's just a case of wait and see. I'm also on anticoagulants that have to be injected daily. The dose I'm on means it's two injections as well. I have to take a ton of tablets every day as well.

My follow up at the fracture clinic is in a couple of weeks so I should find out more then.

Top tip: get a flask. You can make yourself a batch of tea/coffee. And you can carry it back to your sofa by hanging it off a finger while using crutches. It's a little glimmer of independence but really helped me feel like i wasn't being too much of a burden

Edit to add that 12-18 months sounds like a long time but it does take a while. It's been 18 months since i did my tib/fib/ankle and i reckon i'm still some way off where i was pre-accident, probably only 75% of my former self in that leg

Edited by PTF on Thursday 24th August 13:30

[WinstonWolf]

Pfft, cups of tea used to fill my day when I was recuperating. Make cup of tea, put on floor. Shuffle one 'pace' move tea, rinse and repeat. That's an easy half hour done

Good luck chaps, it's a very long road but there's life at the end of it...

[PTF]

WinstonWolf said:

Pfft, cups of tea used to fill my day when I was recuperating. Make cup of tea, put on floor. Shuffle one 'pace' move tea, rinse and repeat. That's an easy half hour done

Good luck chaps, it's a very long road but there's life at the end of it...

LOL. I got fed up with arriving back at the sofa with 1/8th of a cup remaining. Flask, sudoku and haribo got me through

[Dibble]

I'm out of hospital and I've spent a couple of week's at my girlfriend's house. I heading back home tomorrow as she is off on a prebooked trip to Iceland this week. The bathroom is downstairs at mine, so no stairs to deal with while I'm on my own.

I had my first follow up with the consultant last Thursday, which was a mixed bag. The top of my femur is healing fine but the bottom, where the chunk of bone is still missing, not so much. I've had a CT scan ordered, as from the X-rays it wasn't clear whether or not there was any healing going on.

Reconstructive surgery is still an option but the consultant won't commit until he has seen the results of the CT scan. The issue with the X-rays was lack of "penetration of soft tissue" (I think the consultant was basically calling me a fat knacker) and the metal work is shielding the view of where any healing might be taking place.

I'm also still struggling a bit with betting my right leg straight and lifting it up straight from the bed. The muscles in my thigh are basically "switching off" when I lift it, due to pain, so I have about a 30° bend at the knee. To counter this, I've been given another torture device piece of medical equipment to hold my leg straight when I'm doing the leg raises. I've also got a fit note to get back to work in a couple of weeks or so, which I'm keen to do.

Bike was initially valued at £7,000 then upped to £7,595 when I disagreed with them about it. Second engineer has gone to £8,000 and I have GAP insurance high will hopefully soak up some of the difference. I've finally submitted my claim form and spoken to the GAP people. I'm due to be interviewed by the Police in the next couple of weeks, once I get my solicitor sorted.

And for all you sickos, here's a picture of said device (Thackeray/"cricket pad" splint).

[twizellb]

Bloody hell Dibbs get well soon mate

[RemaL]

good to hear your home bud.

Now I know this is still a long way away and you may have already answered this.

But you going to get back on the horse again when your fit a able?

heal well and quick bud

[Dibble]

twizellb said:

Bloody hell Dibbs get well soon mate

Cheers

[Dibble]

RemaL said:

Now I know this is still a long way away and you may have already answered this.

But you going to get back on the horse again when your fit a able?

Cheers Remal

At the moment, I'm definitely leaning towards yes. I really enjoy biking, it's great for commuting to work and I've been to some brilliant places. The accident, although I think it was someone else's fault, is just "one of those things". The driver didn't set out that day to injure me. It's been hard work and a load of faff, but I'm still alive.

I really enjoy my trips to Scandinavia. I've seen things, done stuff and met people I wouldn't have if I'd not been on the bike - including my 580 euro speeding fine in Finland back in 2014...

That said, I might get well enough and think "Nope, not pushing my luck again". I don't think so at the moment and right now, I'd like to get back on a bike as soon as I can. I guess I'm not 100% decided either way. I'm definitely leaning towards riding again, but I'll know once I'm fully physically fit whether I'm willing to take the risk.

Realistically, being a biker IS risky. We make up just 1% of the road users in the UK, but account for 20% of the KSI (killed/seriously injured) figures. Of course, I could get run over by a bus/have a stroke etc etc. You can't always remove all risk from just being alive. The problem with being a biker is we can be 100% in the right, but still come out of it worse off...

TL;DR - Probably.

[rev-erend]

Horse.

Even more dangereous that bikes..

Best stick to the bikes

[RemaL]

Dibble said:

RemaL said:

Now I know this is still a long way away and you may have already answered this.

But you going to get back on the horse again when your fit a able?

Cheers Remal

At the moment, I'm definitely leaning towards yes. I really enjoy biking, it's great for commuting to work and I've been to some brilliant places. The accident, although I think it was someone else's fault, is just "one of those things". The driver didn't set out that day to injure me. It's been hard work and a load of faff, but I'm still alive.

I really enjoy my trips to Scandinavia. I've seen things, done stuff and met people I wouldn't have if I'd not been on the bike - including my 580 euro speeding fine in Finland back in 2014...

That said, I might get well enough and think "Nope, not pushing my luck again". I don't think so at the moment and right now, I'd like to get back on a bike as soon as I can. I guess I'm not 100% decided either way. I'm definitely leaning towards riding again, but I'll know once I'm fully physically fit whether I'm willing to take the risk.

Realistically, being a biker IS risky. We make up just 1% of the road users in the UK, but account for 20% of the KSI (killed/seriously injured) figures. Of course, I could get run over by a bus/have a stroke etc etc. You can't always remove all risk from just being alive. The problem with being a biker is we can be 100% in the right, but still come out of it worse off...

TL;DR - Probably.

ahhh good to hear what you have been through has not put you off bud. We all know the risks and just glad the government has not banned biking for killing to many people but that may come one day with the amount of numptys we seem to be breeding at the moment.

Anywho heal well, do what the doc's say ( Unless it's bend over I have lubed my fingers) and hope you get the bike money and stuff sorted without to much pain,

[Dibble]

The good news is, I'm still alive. I started back at work on 22 September and driving my car again just before Christmas. Had two weeks intense physio at the Police Treatment Centre at Harrogate in November, which got me into one crutch. All good.

However... My femur still isn't healing, at all, and last week, the metal implant finally gave way and snapped. I spent two nights in hospital, via A & E and I'm off driving and off work again, on bed rest. I am bored out of my tiny mind! The metal was never meant to be weight bearing, it was just meant to hold the bits in place while bone healed. It's no wonder it's given up.

I'm seeing a limb reconstruction specialist consultant at the regional centre of excellence tomorrow, so I'll have more of an idea what the the future holds after that. More surgery is looking likely. Very, very likely.

I'm uncomfortable rather than in pain, although the feeling/sound of the broken ends of my femur grinding against each other is fairly nauseating...

[Vincefox]

Sorry to hear about the temporary setback, fingers crossed you get a good result from consultation.

Not much of a consolation, but it's not riding weather out atm.

[Andybow]

Jesus, hope you get everything sorted, sounds v nasty, get well soon

[3DP]

Sorry to hear that the bone isn't healing. Hopefully will be in a state to ride by summer - These surgeons can do wonders!

Good luck, keep your chin up and get well soon.

[Lee540]

Dibble said:

sound of the broken ends of my femur grinding against each other is fairly nauseating...

So is reading that.. brings back memories..

Hope you heal up soon!

[Mothersruin]

How come it's not healing?

Proximity, lack of nutrients, type of break, etc..?

[Dibble]

Cheers for the good wishes.

The lack of healing is a bit of a mystery at the moment. The previous previous orthopaedic consultant was a wrist specialist (not a euphemism) and punted me off in December to a lower limb specialist. Since day one, my local hospital have been extolling the virtues of the Royal Liverpool as the "go to" place for anything tricky, while at the same time being very much "wait and see". I've been asking for at least a second opinion from Royal Liverpool since July.

The plate giving way was the final straw, so to speak, and rather than let the local hospital "try something different" (their words) I've insisted on the referral to Royal Liverpool. It's been nine months so I think we are safely at the end of the "wait and see" period, something a little more proactive needs to happen.

The consultants I've seen so far think it is down to continuing infection, possibly... I spent six months plus on some fairly hefty antibiotics (Rifampicin, turns everything that comes out of you Irn Bru orange, and Doxycycline). I had a bone scan last Monday, where I was injected with radiation (Technetium) and the scan showed my bone cells were merrily pinging away and trying to heal, so that is at least positive.

I'll have to wait and see what the new specialist says tomorrow.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technetium?wprov=sft...