Ouch (possible NSFW pictures of my rear to follow)
Discussion
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I'm not sure... It's one of thosethings one really doesn't want to Google too much! I did ask the consultant how the rods from the external rail through to the bone move... They basically slice their way down, 1mm at a time, through my soft tissue, which then "reseals" behind it.Apparently.
I'm still getting my head round how long it's all going to take, which is 12-14 months. That can't be helped, I'll not be getting a bike for this summer, that's for sure! Once the rail/fixator is in, after about six weeks I'll be able to fully weight bear and drive, so I'm hoping to get back to work again. The only reason I'm not there at the moment is that I can't drive and there's no real other way to get there, other than the bus, which is about a 90 minute trip each way. That's too much with my unstable leg at the moment.
telecat said:
Looks like with a bit of fiddling you can get a cup holder fitted to that!!!
If Dibble can find another £1.83 per month plus vat over the length of the lease he can also get a sat-nav holder, iphone connectivity and the storage pack which includes three extra cubby holes and a cargo net 
'kin 'ell...just caught this - wow. Best wishes, and well done for keeping the spirits up; it looks a long haul already and a further long haul to come. And while I accept it was a mistake by the car driver, I'm not sure I could be so forgiving.
Makes you think though - breaks on big bones genuinely can be life threatening; I was told it's to do with marrow getting into the bloodstream or something? In my (far less spectacular) case it was in France so the risks of messy bone breaks was conducted in Franglais and sign language, but marrow in blood was my interpretation of the risks.
In my younger day I'm sure I would have had a 'won't happen to me' thought, but now I'm only too aware even the simplest of errors with other road users (or me) can have very serious consequences. Ride safe everyone.
Only way I suppose, but sends a shiver through me just thinking about it.
Good luck with it, and I hope it all heals up properly in the end.
Makes you think though - breaks on big bones genuinely can be life threatening; I was told it's to do with marrow getting into the bloodstream or something? In my (far less spectacular) case it was in France so the risks of messy bone breaks was conducted in Franglais and sign language, but marrow in blood was my interpretation of the risks.
In my younger day I'm sure I would have had a 'won't happen to me' thought, but now I'm only too aware even the simplest of errors with other road users (or me) can have very serious consequences. Ride safe everyone.
Dibble said:
...Second lot of surgery, the cement and temporary rod are removed, an external rail/fixator is attached to the bone and then the bone is cut at the top:
Then all I have to do is "wind down" the fixator 1mm per day. New bone grows in the gap at the top and the ends at the bottom get closer:
This took me a couple of readings to get - I was wondering why you were winding things down to make the gap smaller. But hell's teeth no - it's a new gap/break they're making at the top of the bone and it's that new gap they're expanding Then all I have to do is "wind down" the fixator 1mm per day. New bone grows in the gap at the top and the ends at the bottom get closer:
Only way I suppose, but sends a shiver through me just thinking about it.Good luck with it, and I hope it all heals up properly in the end.
Yes, bone breaks can be very dangerous. I spent two weeks on a life support machine 30yrs ago due to a fat embolism on my lungs as a result of a broken collar bone. The broken collar bone was as a result of being ejected through the side window of a Vauxhall Carlton after we were sideswiped and the car collected a lampost on my side of the car. The broken collar bone was deemed a minor injury in relation to the numerous cuts etc that I suffered but that resultant embolism nearly saw me off (wife told to make plans for me not returning home). Full recovery eventually I'm happy to report.
k me - I'm a hard bMorning everyone! Thanks for the good wishes, I really appreciate them - and the piss taking as well.
Just seen one of the surgeons and the good news is they only had to remove 8cm of dead/infected femur, rather than the 15-16cm originally anticipated. Most of the original metal is gone, apart from one pin, which would’ve done more harm than good to remove, so that’s staying put.
There’s also good range of motion in my knee, even with the new fixator pins in (about 90°).
I’ll be in hospital about another week or so, then back home for 6-8 weeks before the next surgery to “break” and “grow” my new femur. Because there is only about 8cm of bone to grow, this means it’ll only take ~80 days (1mm per day) instead of the anticipated 150-160 days.
So I’ll be able to go new bike shopping a little bit sooner! Still a long way to go, but better at the moment than originally anticipated.
Just seen one of the surgeons and the good news is they only had to remove 8cm of dead/infected femur, rather than the 15-16cm originally anticipated. Most of the original metal is gone, apart from one pin, which would’ve done more harm than good to remove, so that’s staying put.
There’s also good range of motion in my knee, even with the new fixator pins in (about 90°).
I’ll be in hospital about another week or so, then back home for 6-8 weeks before the next surgery to “break” and “grow” my new femur. Because there is only about 8cm of bone to grow, this means it’ll only take ~80 days (1mm per day) instead of the anticipated 150-160 days.
So I’ll be able to go new bike shopping a little bit sooner! Still a long way to go, but better at the moment than originally anticipated.
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