Ouch (possible NSFW pictures of my rear to follow)
Discussion
Stone Cold said:
Good update, I really don’t know how you keep your spirits up, but whether it should or not your updates always make me smile, lovely beast by the way
Cheers, appreciate it. It’s useful to me, if no one else, to write it down every now and then.The weekly physio is a bit of a faff - not so much the actual physio itself, more the fact that I have to rely on ambulance transport to get there and back. A 40 minute physio session can last 5-6 hours once I’ve factored in the transport and waiting around at each end...
Dibble said:
Sounds good to me! 
How are you finding the bike?
Absolutely loving it!How are you finding the bike?
https://youtu.be/inEx9TyCSNE
I’m all booked in for my surgery next Tuesday. If it was a Netflix offering, this would be season 2, episode 6.
I had some outrageously painful physio yesterday, as well as some sort of “last minute pre-op” adjustments to the fixator. Instead of just “lengthening” (extending the top screw), I’m now also “transporting” (shortening the bottom screw). This will bring the bone ends about 7-10mm closer by next week, squashing the cement/putty a bit, but it’s coming out anyway. As well as my sciatic nerve being stretched to buggery over the last couple of weeks, now I’ve got a tendon around the “inside edge” of my kneecap that’s been tightened up like a guitar string, at the same time pulling into and slightly displacing my kneecap outwards. Yes, that smarts.
This next operation involves opening up my leg (again) through the existing scar and removing the cement that’s in the gap there at the “knee end”. The ends of the bones are “resected” (shaved) back by a millimetre or two, back to where there is a blood supply. At the moment, they’ve just done their own thing and healed over, like a normal bone end. The presence of a blood supply is vital for the two ends to join up.
I then get to acquire a new scar on one of my hips, where they go in to take a bone graft. It could be from either side, and knowing my “luck”, it’ll be my left hand side, which will reduce my current two sleeping position options by 50%. I can get onto my left hand side, rather than having to lie flat on my back (what kind of deviant sleeps that way?). I’m hoping the consultant will be able to take the graft from my right hip instead. Everyone tells me this is the most painful bit (having my hip hacked away at). Yay.
Anyway, they then sandwich the graft taken from my hip into the gap between the two refreshed bone ends, then squash it all together by adjusting the fixator to hold the graft in place. It’s a bit like a custard cream, with the existing bone ends being the biscuit and the graft being the “custard” filling. Then they sew me back up, Bob’s your uncle, Fanny’s now a rude word, high fives and chest bumps,all round, then it’s back to base for tea, toast and medals.
As long as the “knee end” all knits together, and the newly formed bone at the top end of my femur hardens up, after six weeks or so, everything external (fixator rail, blocks and screwy things) get removed, just leaving the eleven pins sticking out of my leg. Those are left in place as a precaution, just in case things aren’t right and they need to reattach the fixator to take the place of my femur (again). Removal is done by the consultant and physios, but it’s not classed as surgery, as they’re just removing the external hardware. That said, I still have to be nil by mouth and prepare as though I am having surgery, just in case it all crumbles to dust and they need to whip me into theatre to repair it.
I do have the option of having everything taken out on Tuesday and an internal plate being fitted on the inside of my sparkly new one piece femur, which would be fed up via a “small incision” just above my knee and screwed into the existing holes left by the current pins. Having already had two fairly hideous infections because of internal metalwork, I’m going with “Plan B” and keeping the fixator instead, which so far, touch wood, has been pretty much problem free.
If everything keeps going well, after another six weeks, it’s back into theatre to have the pins removed under a general anaesthetic. You can’t really tell from the picture below, but the nds of the pins in the bone are threaded and have a slight taper to them, plus they are also “glued” into the bone. The “unscrewing force” has potential to fracture my femur at each pin site, partially or wholly. If this happens, it’s time for a toe to hip cast. For three months...
Anyway, I’m actually kind of looking forward to next week. The operation is a “biggie”, in terms of whether they can save my femur or not, so as well as looking forward to it, I’m also pretty nervous/anxious as well. I do have every confidence in the consultant, so that is a big plus for me, mentally. My blood counts for infection are all good (I have fortnightly blood tests to keep an eye on the infection markers) and the consultant is “really thrilled to bits” (her words) with my general bone health and strength, as well as the new bone forming at the “hip end” of my femur.
I can’t really see it, but this is a close up of the “top gap”, with the yellow lines highlightIng where the new bone is forming. Apparently.
I had some outrageously painful physio yesterday, as well as some sort of “last minute pre-op” adjustments to the fixator. Instead of just “lengthening” (extending the top screw), I’m now also “transporting” (shortening the bottom screw). This will bring the bone ends about 7-10mm closer by next week, squashing the cement/putty a bit, but it’s coming out anyway. As well as my sciatic nerve being stretched to buggery over the last couple of weeks, now I’ve got a tendon around the “inside edge” of my kneecap that’s been tightened up like a guitar string, at the same time pulling into and slightly displacing my kneecap outwards. Yes, that smarts.
This next operation involves opening up my leg (again) through the existing scar and removing the cement that’s in the gap there at the “knee end”. The ends of the bones are “resected” (shaved) back by a millimetre or two, back to where there is a blood supply. At the moment, they’ve just done their own thing and healed over, like a normal bone end. The presence of a blood supply is vital for the two ends to join up.
I then get to acquire a new scar on one of my hips, where they go in to take a bone graft. It could be from either side, and knowing my “luck”, it’ll be my left hand side, which will reduce my current two sleeping position options by 50%. I can get onto my left hand side, rather than having to lie flat on my back (what kind of deviant sleeps that way?). I’m hoping the consultant will be able to take the graft from my right hip instead. Everyone tells me this is the most painful bit (having my hip hacked away at). Yay.
Anyway, they then sandwich the graft taken from my hip into the gap between the two refreshed bone ends, then squash it all together by adjusting the fixator to hold the graft in place. It’s a bit like a custard cream, with the existing bone ends being the biscuit and the graft being the “custard” filling. Then they sew me back up, Bob’s your uncle, Fanny’s now a rude word, high fives and chest bumps,all round, then it’s back to base for tea, toast and medals.
As long as the “knee end” all knits together, and the newly formed bone at the top end of my femur hardens up, after six weeks or so, everything external (fixator rail, blocks and screwy things) get removed, just leaving the eleven pins sticking out of my leg. Those are left in place as a precaution, just in case things aren’t right and they need to reattach the fixator to take the place of my femur (again). Removal is done by the consultant and physios, but it’s not classed as surgery, as they’re just removing the external hardware. That said, I still have to be nil by mouth and prepare as though I am having surgery, just in case it all crumbles to dust and they need to whip me into theatre to repair it.
I do have the option of having everything taken out on Tuesday and an internal plate being fitted on the inside of my sparkly new one piece femur, which would be fed up via a “small incision” just above my knee and screwed into the existing holes left by the current pins. Having already had two fairly hideous infections because of internal metalwork, I’m going with “Plan B” and keeping the fixator instead, which so far, touch wood, has been pretty much problem free.
If everything keeps going well, after another six weeks, it’s back into theatre to have the pins removed under a general anaesthetic. You can’t really tell from the picture below, but the nds of the pins in the bone are threaded and have a slight taper to them, plus they are also “glued” into the bone. The “unscrewing force” has potential to fracture my femur at each pin site, partially or wholly. If this happens, it’s time for a toe to hip cast. For three months...
Anyway, I’m actually kind of looking forward to next week. The operation is a “biggie”, in terms of whether they can save my femur or not, so as well as looking forward to it, I’m also pretty nervous/anxious as well. I do have every confidence in the consultant, so that is a big plus for me, mentally. My blood counts for infection are all good (I have fortnightly blood tests to keep an eye on the infection markers) and the consultant is “really thrilled to bits” (her words) with my general bone health and strength, as well as the new bone forming at the “hip end” of my femur.
I can’t really see it, but this is a close up of the “top gap”, with the yellow lines highlightIng where the new bone is forming. Apparently.
Dibble said:
the consultant is “really thrilled to bits” (her words) with my general bone health and strength
....so that's the way to ensure you get decent NHS treatment then!Glad the recovery is coming along nicely, and good luck with the upcoming op - all being well you'll be back up and running for when the weather turns for more pleasurable riding!
Cheers for all the positive replies/comments chaps.
I’ll keep you posted how I get on. As I say, this is a “biggie” and is pretty much make or break for saving my femur...
I can’t say enough good stuff about my consultant. Getting the infection back in June was a setback, but she was absolutely arrow straight with me. She told me it was a setback and it caused her concern, but at the same time, she told me it was something they were used to seeing regularly, they knew how to manage it, how to come up with a “Plan B” and that she was still confident of a successful long term outcome.
My consultant told me from the get go it would be hard work and painful for me (which it has been). At the same time, she has been supportive, informative and patient with me. I feel like as many of the clinical decisions have been made with my input being considered and I really do feel like I’ve been listened to. Saying we’re a “team” might sound cheesy and a bit of a stretch, but that’s what it feels like. I feel more “involved” at this hospital, rather than just being a lump of inanimate meat on a slab.
My consultant doesn’t dress stuff up, but she does explain each step very clearly to me. When there is good news as well as bad news, she lets me know. Like I say, she’s happy she can fix me up, so I’m happy with that and I trust her completely.
I’ll keep you posted how I get on. As I say, this is a “biggie” and is pretty much make or break for saving my femur...
I can’t say enough good stuff about my consultant. Getting the infection back in June was a setback, but she was absolutely arrow straight with me. She told me it was a setback and it caused her concern, but at the same time, she told me it was something they were used to seeing regularly, they knew how to manage it, how to come up with a “Plan B” and that she was still confident of a successful long term outcome.
My consultant told me from the get go it would be hard work and painful for me (which it has been). At the same time, she has been supportive, informative and patient with me. I feel like as many of the clinical decisions have been made with my input being considered and I really do feel like I’ve been listened to. Saying we’re a “team” might sound cheesy and a bit of a stretch, but that’s what it feels like. I feel more “involved” at this hospital, rather than just being a lump of inanimate meat on a slab.
My consultant doesn’t dress stuff up, but she does explain each step very clearly to me. When there is good news as well as bad news, she lets me know. Like I say, she’s happy she can fix me up, so I’m happy with that and I trust her completely.
black-k1 said:
Dibble said:
black-k1 said:
... Dribble...
Freudian slip? To be fair, I’m getting to that age/stage, from any orifice!
I hope it all goes well.
No offence meant by you I’m sure, and certainly none taken by me. Quite the opposite in fact, it gave me a good laugh, so thank you.
Afternoon all!
I had my operation on Tuesday and it all went to plan. The downside was I had to be nil by mouth from midnight, apart from water until 6am. I really wasn’t hungry, so last ate about 4pm. I tried eating later on, but really didn’t fancy it and struggled to get even a bit of toast down. I landed at hospital about 7am, in plenty of time. I was told I’d be able to drink (water) until 11am, so that was a pointer I was unlikely to be in theatre before 1pm. I ended up going down about quarter to four and by then, I was bloody peckish!
I saw the consultant immediately before and after the surgery (the after being a bit hazy, but the general message was it was all good). She’d also come to see me in the morning before surgery and went throug everything with me again, which was good as I was a bit anxious and she really settled me down. I was in theatre about four hours or so.
I saw the consultant again yesterday on morning ward rounds and she was really pleased with how everything had gone. So pleased in fact, she grabbed my leg and demonstrated just how much range of movement I had in my knee... the medical students may have learned some new swear words yesterday! The physio came out with a brilliant comment, “Consultants always forget they normally only manipulate unconscious people!” We all had a laugh about it, but I think one of the medical students might be rethinking her career and life choices, as not only did she get to hear me swearing, she was at the foot end of the bed, so got a full view of my knackers, tackle and hairy ring, up the hospital gown, while I was being bent about!
Th consultant decided to go with “shavings” of bone from my iliac crest on my pelvis, rather than one solid chunk of bone, as apparently this was the better route for me. It does mean I considered getting a “powered by fairy dust” tattoo on my leg (as normally seen on the back of Ford Kas and the like), but my Lovely GF seemed less enamoured with this suggestion. She’s usually right about most things, most of the time, so I may go with her guidance! I’ve found that’s usually my best course of action...
Anyway, my hip is really sore. It doesn’t help when getting rolled to check for pressure sores that the hip is the natural place to grab on to... I’ve cottoned on to this, so I’ve been mentioning it now! I’m also in a side room on my own again, which is great. I do t have to engage people in pointless small talk and I’m not subjected to the TV constantly blaring. If I want to watch TV, I’ve got my iPad, with some stuff downloaded in case the hospital WiFi is down (as it was last night for a bit).
Today’s highlight was sitting up in bed, swinging my feet over the edge of the bed, standing up with a Zimmer frame for moral support, then sitting back down and lying down on the bed again. That only took me and the physio about 20 minutes, with some huffing, puffing and swearing (from me). All the staff continue to be completely brilliant and it’s actually nice to see a few of the ward staff who were here when I was last in, back in July, when I had the hideous infection.
And when I say “swinging” my feet anywhere, there’s a load of shuffling around on my bum and moving my duff leg by hand. Because of the position of the fixator pins, these sometimes dig in to the mattress and act like a snow brake. The mattress is one of those “Tempur” memory foam jobs, which I sink into, which again, makes it more difficult.
I had my morphine pump taken down yesterday but fortunately, this time round, the morphine I’ve had hasn’t bunged me up nearly as much as last time. I’ve managed two huge poos, the downside being because I’ve not yet been assessed as stable, I can’t just “nip to the loo” and it’s bedpan time. I can’t lift myself up enough for wiping, so the poor nursing staff have to deal with that part of the procedure... of course, they don’t blink an eye and just get on with it, without any fuss or bother.
Thanks again for all your good wishes here and elsewhere, they do really help. I’ve enjoyed reading plenty of threads on BB over the last few days, so keep ‘em coming...
TL;DR - Operation went well, it still hurts, I’ve managed to stand up and I’m still s
tting fine. NHS staff are all superstars.
I had my operation on Tuesday and it all went to plan. The downside was I had to be nil by mouth from midnight, apart from water until 6am. I really wasn’t hungry, so last ate about 4pm. I tried eating later on, but really didn’t fancy it and struggled to get even a bit of toast down. I landed at hospital about 7am, in plenty of time. I was told I’d be able to drink (water) until 11am, so that was a pointer I was unlikely to be in theatre before 1pm. I ended up going down about quarter to four and by then, I was bloody peckish!
I saw the consultant immediately before and after the surgery (the after being a bit hazy, but the general message was it was all good). She’d also come to see me in the morning before surgery and went throug everything with me again, which was good as I was a bit anxious and she really settled me down. I was in theatre about four hours or so.
I saw the consultant again yesterday on morning ward rounds and she was really pleased with how everything had gone. So pleased in fact, she grabbed my leg and demonstrated just how much range of movement I had in my knee... the medical students may have learned some new swear words yesterday! The physio came out with a brilliant comment, “Consultants always forget they normally only manipulate unconscious people!” We all had a laugh about it, but I think one of the medical students might be rethinking her career and life choices, as not only did she get to hear me swearing, she was at the foot end of the bed, so got a full view of my knackers, tackle and hairy ring, up the hospital gown, while I was being bent about!
Th consultant decided to go with “shavings” of bone from my iliac crest on my pelvis, rather than one solid chunk of bone, as apparently this was the better route for me. It does mean I considered getting a “powered by fairy dust” tattoo on my leg (as normally seen on the back of Ford Kas and the like), but my Lovely GF seemed less enamoured with this suggestion. She’s usually right about most things, most of the time, so I may go with her guidance! I’ve found that’s usually my best course of action...
Anyway, my hip is really sore. It doesn’t help when getting rolled to check for pressure sores that the hip is the natural place to grab on to... I’ve cottoned on to this, so I’ve been mentioning it now! I’m also in a side room on my own again, which is great. I do t have to engage people in pointless small talk and I’m not subjected to the TV constantly blaring. If I want to watch TV, I’ve got my iPad, with some stuff downloaded in case the hospital WiFi is down (as it was last night for a bit).
Today’s highlight was sitting up in bed, swinging my feet over the edge of the bed, standing up with a Zimmer frame for moral support, then sitting back down and lying down on the bed again. That only took me and the physio about 20 minutes, with some huffing, puffing and swearing (from me). All the staff continue to be completely brilliant and it’s actually nice to see a few of the ward staff who were here when I was last in, back in July, when I had the hideous infection.
And when I say “swinging” my feet anywhere, there’s a load of shuffling around on my bum and moving my duff leg by hand. Because of the position of the fixator pins, these sometimes dig in to the mattress and act like a snow brake. The mattress is one of those “Tempur” memory foam jobs, which I sink into, which again, makes it more difficult.
I had my morphine pump taken down yesterday but fortunately, this time round, the morphine I’ve had hasn’t bunged me up nearly as much as last time. I’ve managed two huge poos, the downside being because I’ve not yet been assessed as stable, I can’t just “nip to the loo” and it’s bedpan time. I can’t lift myself up enough for wiping, so the poor nursing staff have to deal with that part of the procedure... of course, they don’t blink an eye and just get on with it, without any fuss or bother.
Thanks again for all your good wishes here and elsewhere, they do really help. I’ve enjoyed reading plenty of threads on BB over the last few days, so keep ‘em coming...
TL;DR - Operation went well, it still hurts, I’ve managed to stand up and I’m still s
tting fine. NHS staff are all superstars.Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff