Ouch (possible NSFW pictures of my rear to follow)
Discussion
Thanks for all the comments, chaps, I do appreciate them. It’s amazing how well wishes from random internet weirdos gives me such a lift. Don’t worry, I’m an internet weirdo, too.
The “bad news” is that the “other end” of me is now failing... I’ve been finding it increasingly difficult to read small print, like ingredients/cooking instructions on food, some apps on my phone (although that just means I can get a new phone!) and some TV subtitles. Consequently, I went for an eye test this morning and as anticipated, I need to get some “readers”. The positive is that the general health of my eyes is pretty good and the changes are both age related (the big 5-0 next year) and smack bang in the middle of the expected ranges.
It’s all a bit more hi tech at the opticians these days and I got to see the scans of my retinas and the bit where the optic nerves go. There were some pretty cool images and 3D models to look at as well.
I’m falling apart. But in a few months, I’ll have a brand new, factory fresh femur!
The “bad news” is that the “other end” of me is now failing... I’ve been finding it increasingly difficult to read small print, like ingredients/cooking instructions on food, some apps on my phone (although that just means I can get a new phone!) and some TV subtitles. Consequently, I went for an eye test this morning and as anticipated, I need to get some “readers”. The positive is that the general health of my eyes is pretty good and the changes are both age related (the big 5-0 next year) and smack bang in the middle of the expected ranges.
It’s all a bit more hi tech at the opticians these days and I got to see the scans of my retinas and the bit where the optic nerves go. There were some pretty cool images and 3D models to look at as well.
I’m falling apart. But in a few months, I’ll have a brand new, factory fresh femur!
Well done on the progress. That looks like lots of lovely new bone tissue forming there.
I'm sure the frustration must be trying at times but at least you're getting slim, female physios. When I broke my tib/fib every physio I saw was a bloke. Good fellows all but not quite the same experience of care.
Sad about your colleague too. The human body is so resilient but life is so fragile too. I have a mate, who is a physio as it happens, who had to have open heart surgery for a valve replacement at 38. Luckily it was caught in time but he can't ski anymore or push his heart rate really high so as you rightly say, we all need to be thankful for our own problems sometimes.
I'm sure the frustration must be trying at times but at least you're getting slim, female physios. When I broke my tib/fib every physio I saw was a bloke. Good fellows all but not quite the same experience of care.
Sad about your colleague too. The human body is so resilient but life is so fragile too. I have a mate, who is a physio as it happens, who had to have open heart surgery for a valve replacement at 38. Luckily it was caught in time but he can't ski anymore or push his heart rate really high so as you rightly say, we all need to be thankful for our own problems sometimes.
Morning all.
Apologies for the lack of updates for the last few months. I did log on a week or so ago to update the thread while I was in the waiting area for my weekly torture session (physio), then I saw Remy’s thread and to be fair, he has rather “Top Trumped” me! I’m really glad Remy’s doing ok and he has a fantastic, positive outlook, so I’m sure he will progress really well. I really don’t envy him at all, but at the risk of sounding selfish, it just reinforces how lucky I’ve been in the grand scheme of things.
Anyway, there’s a bit to tell. Nothing startling and it’s still a case of two steps forward, one back at the moment.
Over Christmas, I had yet another infection in my leg. Fortunately, this was more superficial than the previous ones and initially, it was a case of whacking it with antibiotics to hope it went away. Reader, it didn’t, so I had another overnighter while the surgeons dug a hole in my leg and excised all the manky tissue, back to healthy flesh. The consultant thought the infection had travelled down one of the pins and then through my leg to where the infection “erupted” (think of a massive zit), so she took that pin out, just to make sure. I’m having twice weekly dressing changes at home on the hole in my leg.
After a couple of weeks of the hole looking like it was healing up nicely, my consultant decided to take me off all the antibiotics to see what happened. You’ve guessed it, the infection came back. The good news is that the plan of coming off the antibiotics included starting them again as soon as anything started looking manky, which seems to have stopped it in its tracks. It’s just put the healing back a bit, as there was a fair bit of gunge from the hole. For those who need the detail, the excised hole was about 1.5cm in diameter and about 3cm deep. We are now down to about 0.75cm diameter and 1.5cm deep, so it’s slowly healing. I have photos if you really want them...
I saw the consultant last Friday and the good news was that the regenerate bone is coming along nicely, as I stopped lengthening in January. The frame is locked off now and as soon as the regenerate bone has matured and hardened, I can get the pins out. That’s the good news...
Because of the shape of the femur, lengthening on a straight frame can, in some circumstances, particularly where there is a lot of lengthening going on, cause some misalignment. I’ve had over 10cm of lengthening and the result is, my femur is a bit out at the regeneration site. If you were standing facing me, the top bit of my femur is too far outwards and the bottom bit is too far inwards. The good news is that they can do a “MUA” (manipulation under anaesthetic) as a day case. They knock me out, loosen off the frame, “tap, tap, tap” (as the consultant described it!) the top pins inwards and pull the lower pins outwards, straightening out the alignment.
My consultant said this was easier to do while the newly forming bone “has the consistency of wet spaghetti” (her words again). She was a bit concerned that the “Christmas infection” had gone down to the bone and would cause problems with the docking site joining together above my knee, but the good news is that everything there is still going to plan, the down side is that when I saw her at the end of January, she thought the pins would be out and frame off in time for my birthday in May. That’s not now happening, but hey-ho, I’m still upright and I’m still breathing.
The picture (apologies for my squashed up knackers) shows the rough direction the bones need to be “tweaked”. It’s an old X-Ray, taken before the knee end was docked together, so the gap at the top is actually bigger now. The alignment/MUA will probably happen in the next two or three weeks, but I’ll be out of hospital the same night in all probability. Worst case scenario is I’ll have to spend one night in hospital to make sure I’m ok from the anaesthetic.
It’s all taking a bit longer than I anticipated, although my fantastic girlfriend was much more realistic and understanding of how long and involved all this would be. She’s been, and continues to be, an absolute superstar through all this and as ever, the NHS staff are bloody brilliant too. I’m still having weekly physio sessions and I’m lined up for some residential rehab at the police treatment centre in Harrogate once I’m walking with only one crutch. It looks like I’ll be having at least two sessions of a fortnight each over the following twelve months, if not three (it’s a scheme I’ve paid in to since joining the cops, kind of like insurance/BUPA).
Apologies for the lack of updates for the last few months. I did log on a week or so ago to update the thread while I was in the waiting area for my weekly torture session (physio), then I saw Remy’s thread and to be fair, he has rather “Top Trumped” me! I’m really glad Remy’s doing ok and he has a fantastic, positive outlook, so I’m sure he will progress really well. I really don’t envy him at all, but at the risk of sounding selfish, it just reinforces how lucky I’ve been in the grand scheme of things.
Anyway, there’s a bit to tell. Nothing startling and it’s still a case of two steps forward, one back at the moment.
Over Christmas, I had yet another infection in my leg. Fortunately, this was more superficial than the previous ones and initially, it was a case of whacking it with antibiotics to hope it went away. Reader, it didn’t, so I had another overnighter while the surgeons dug a hole in my leg and excised all the manky tissue, back to healthy flesh. The consultant thought the infection had travelled down one of the pins and then through my leg to where the infection “erupted” (think of a massive zit), so she took that pin out, just to make sure. I’m having twice weekly dressing changes at home on the hole in my leg.
After a couple of weeks of the hole looking like it was healing up nicely, my consultant decided to take me off all the antibiotics to see what happened. You’ve guessed it, the infection came back. The good news is that the plan of coming off the antibiotics included starting them again as soon as anything started looking manky, which seems to have stopped it in its tracks. It’s just put the healing back a bit, as there was a fair bit of gunge from the hole. For those who need the detail, the excised hole was about 1.5cm in diameter and about 3cm deep. We are now down to about 0.75cm diameter and 1.5cm deep, so it’s slowly healing. I have photos if you really want them...
I saw the consultant last Friday and the good news was that the regenerate bone is coming along nicely, as I stopped lengthening in January. The frame is locked off now and as soon as the regenerate bone has matured and hardened, I can get the pins out. That’s the good news...
Because of the shape of the femur, lengthening on a straight frame can, in some circumstances, particularly where there is a lot of lengthening going on, cause some misalignment. I’ve had over 10cm of lengthening and the result is, my femur is a bit out at the regeneration site. If you were standing facing me, the top bit of my femur is too far outwards and the bottom bit is too far inwards. The good news is that they can do a “MUA” (manipulation under anaesthetic) as a day case. They knock me out, loosen off the frame, “tap, tap, tap” (as the consultant described it!) the top pins inwards and pull the lower pins outwards, straightening out the alignment.
My consultant said this was easier to do while the newly forming bone “has the consistency of wet spaghetti” (her words again). She was a bit concerned that the “Christmas infection” had gone down to the bone and would cause problems with the docking site joining together above my knee, but the good news is that everything there is still going to plan, the down side is that when I saw her at the end of January, she thought the pins would be out and frame off in time for my birthday in May. That’s not now happening, but hey-ho, I’m still upright and I’m still breathing.
The picture (apologies for my squashed up knackers) shows the rough direction the bones need to be “tweaked”. It’s an old X-Ray, taken before the knee end was docked together, so the gap at the top is actually bigger now. The alignment/MUA will probably happen in the next two or three weeks, but I’ll be out of hospital the same night in all probability. Worst case scenario is I’ll have to spend one night in hospital to make sure I’m ok from the anaesthetic.
It’s all taking a bit longer than I anticipated, although my fantastic girlfriend was much more realistic and understanding of how long and involved all this would be. She’s been, and continues to be, an absolute superstar through all this and as ever, the NHS staff are bloody brilliant too. I’m still having weekly physio sessions and I’m lined up for some residential rehab at the police treatment centre in Harrogate once I’m walking with only one crutch. It looks like I’ll be having at least two sessions of a fortnight each over the following twelve months, if not three (it’s a scheme I’ve paid in to since joining the cops, kind of like insurance/BUPA).
king amazing IMO. Glad t hear you're on the mend still!Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff