I'm so sorry to hear this----Never had what you explained but it does sound very painful.
Sure hope you get some relief so you can try to enjoy the Christmas season.
Hopefully someone here on the forum has some info about it.
Florence

Thanks Florence. It sounds like you might be having a rough Christmas too. Stand strong for your daughter and the kids will come around. It may take them a few years (for maturity) but in the end the kids will realize their ignorance in dealing with their parents divorce. It's really not their fault.
Donny

Donny, Just wishing you the fastest recovery possible, and I hope the pain will lessen every day. I don't know anything about the recovery process...I bet veterans are a group that would be familiar with traumatic injuries.
I hope your husband and son are helping you have a good Christmas anyway. You're in my thoughts..you have added so much beauty to my garden with roses from NC Roseland.
Best,
Linda

Donny, I am sorry to hear about your accident and your physical damage! I hope you will hear good news about your ankle and healing is going well.

Carla

Linda, thank you. I'm hoping when I go back to Duke on Jan. 13th, that they will finally allow me to put some weight on my leg. I'm still hobbling around on a walker. My physical therapist tells me that once I'm able to put weight on the leg that the pain will start to increase. At this point, I must admit that the pain has become second nature, just something that I deal with each day. I'm just impatient. I'm having a hard time dealing with being so inactive. My PT said it was going to be 4 to 6 months with crutches. I just cant stand that idea.

My SO and son are doing so much for me. They have become excellent cooks and they are working in the greenhouses for me. Their cleaning skills are another matter entirely. There is dust everywhere, they do not vacuum, and they have ruined several loads of clothes. Still, I'm amazed at how well they are doing. They are great guys!

Did your daughter make it off to Alaska ok?

Carla, thanks, I just wish the healing would go faster!

Donny

Donny, Just the fact that you're a very active person and very motivated to get back to your full capacity will probably help you achieve that faster. Think of Lance Armstrong...his tremendous energy sure carried him past some major obstacles. It's neat that your guys are developing their cooking...it's so true that necesity is the mother of invention.

My daughter arrived in Alaska ok and says the zero degree weather is not that bad. Says the mountains are huge. She is finding her studies interesting.

Keep on truckin, baby! Oh, I just revealed my age...oh well.
Linda

I had to google tibia to see where it is. I'm not up on my leg bone lingo..

I can/can't imagine how painful it is, I have rods & screws in my back, so I know some what of what you feel.

IMO, it is a foreign object. Some people have problems with them while others don't. I am one of the do's. I swear I can feel the hardware in my back, I have bad muscle spasms, when they start spasming bad, it feels like they hit the rods.

Have you tried the Lidoderm patches? If you did and they didn't work, try them again and use as directed. For me, it took about 2 weeks but yes, it helped.

Have you discussed removal? Once the bone heals they may be able to take the hardware out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tibia - Wiki

I dont think I would like to feel the bar and screws that I have. It gives me the creeps. But more surgery? No way, aint happening! This stuff that gives me the creeps, is permanent.

They have prescribed several types of "pain relievers". The relief is minimal and I really am learning to deal with the pain, part of healing. I haven't used any pain pills in the last 6 weeks.

I think back injuries are way more serious that my ankle and I'm positive that in your position I would need some relief. Back injuries are permanent and cause continuous pain. I'm stuck with a bad ankle for atleast 7 more months. But it will heal and I will move on.

My problem is that I'm very impatient. I forget that I'm lucky to have survived that accident and that my son also walked away. It could have been much worse.

Donny

Hey Donny!
Jim here, in Hillsborough. I was just asking about you last night to Lila. I have a plate and two pins in my hip (from a fall jumping horses). I will say (other than the fear of falling), it is amazing how FAST you lose muscle and stamina. Be prepared. I had a temper tantrum in the grocery store on my first outing alone. You can't get to the top shelves or the upper shelf of the meat section (at least I couldn't). So I was pulling everything down with my cane until some one from the store assisted me all the way through my shopping.
Very frustrating when you are an independent person.
Patience.
Jim

Jim,
I'm laughing, I can picture you being assisted to the door after that. Well, I cheated the other day. I guess my little fit of independence. I got out of the house on my own and proceeded to my car. I cant walk, I cant stand on two feet, but I can drive! I cant slam on brakes with the right foot, but I can with the left. You should have seen the look on my hubby and son's face when I pulled up to the greenhouses. I am so ready to walk. I'm praying the doctor will tell me all is healed and it's time to learn how to walk again.

When did you break your hip? That sounds like a longer type of healing process to me? How old were you? How long did it take to learn to walk on your own again? I know, PATIENCE! I swear I'm trying very hard to be patient. Some days I actually succeed.

Donny

I guess I forgot to mention I broke my shoulder at the same time also. The accident was 14 years ago. It took four months before I could start stretching over a saddle and six months of practice walking so you couldn't tell of my injury. I didn't want to get a nick name like "gimpy". (to go along with "shorty", "fatty', and "baldy") LOLOLOL
BTW, I've got RRD here. It is all over town. I lost a mature Perle D'Ore which was right next to the Archduke Charles I got from you. AC is one of my Favs. Just Beautiful.
jim

Hi Jim.
Donny, I'm an impatient person too. At least you can still walk, right? I would not want to think of hardware eitehr. My hardware hip is enough but serves me well. Be patient, so much easier said than done!

Carla

Jim,
I can tell you had a better outlook than I have at the moment. That must have been a horrible accident. You had two major injuries to get over. I have one and I'm a mess. My physical therapist said that shoulder injuries are the worst to get over. Everyone who has had any type of injury like mine has said it takes many months to get over.

RRD, I had it once. I had no idea what it was then, it wiped out 150+ roses. Actually all but 2 roses in my yard. I haven't seen any signs of RRD here in my new location. You'll need to replace Perle d'or, she is one of my favorite. I'm glad you are enjoying Archduke Charles, he is another of my favorites. He just keeps blooming and blooming.

Carla, No, I can not walk, I have not been able to put any weight on my right leg in 3 months. I have been reduced to using a walker. I hobble to the bathroom, the kitchen and the livingroom. My once busy, and full filling life has been turned upside down and thrown in the compost pile. Everything has to come a stand still. I'm not a happy camper at all. My patience has run out and I'm trying to cope with this new situation, I'm just not succeeding very well.

Donny

Donny, You may not realize this but I do understand. I'm dealing with a physical situation right now that has me very mad right now. I was patient for a long time but there comes a time when you've just had it, right. I'm sure it's a shock for you to get used to the "new" life. It's not easy I know that. Keep the faith.
Donny, maybe you and I need a temper tantrum.

Carla

Please email me.
j

Aaawww, Donny, I'm so sorry you have been thrown into this situation. How awful it must be to be inactive like this when you were so used to just getting up and doing! God love you! I sure do hope things get better soon for you. I've never had a broken bone....and I don't want any! I'll keep you in my thoughts and hope for complete healing!
Deb

Hi Donny!
It's been a long time since I've posted here. I had bunion surgery three years ago and developed RSDS, a rare nerve disorder, in the right ankle and leg. Could not bear weight on it for months. Hobbling around on crutches was not fun, altho probably faster than a walker. If you do decide to use crutches, get leather weight lifting gloves to prevent major callouses on your hands. Patience is one thing you will need to cultivate. The ankle is one joint they do not rebuild. Loss of muscle is one of the hardest to overcome. Once you get some flexibility in the ankle, there are a few exercises that will help the tendons and muscles that are done sitting. One of the hardest things for me to relearn was going down stairs as the fore foot takes all the weight first. Flat-footing one stair at a time was difficult and it took months to get to the point of doing them normally. If you do not already have one, get a "foot spa" as that can ease pain and stimulate circulation. Look into the various types of orthopedic supports available and be prepared to try several until you find the one that works for you. I have elastic sock types, lace-ups, a plastic job with inflatable pads that strap on with velcro. Even tried Converse hi-top shoes and lace-up leather boots. For pain management, I tried Vicodin, Darvocet and found that I got the most relief without being doped out with Naproxyn. As for regaining lost ground, think in terms of small successes: an hour without pain turns into a day. The first few steps without support IS a big deal. All in all, it took 18 months from the day of surgery to walking without a limp. Have faith and be patient.

Carol

Deb, thanks for your kind thoughts.

Carol, I remember you well, you have such a beautiful smile. All of your information is good. I took my first steps yesterday using the walker. But I was walking with the right foot down instead of hopping. I'm sick of hopping around. My physical therapist said she would have me walking with a cane by March 1st, and I believe her. I saw my surgeon on Tuesday, my leg is healing but not healed. He said it would be months more but it was healed. I never thought that I would be walking before it was healed. I've finally accepted that it's a long road to recovery with this type of injury. I guess I just needed the freedom to walk well enough to allow me in the greenhouses. I have spent more time in the house in the last 3 months than I have in the previous 5 years. I'm going to make it.

Jim, I finally had a horrible breakdown. At PT, I'm too embarassed to say what I did. But my next visit back to PT, I took several strips of duck tape and let them hang from my walker, and went with my head bowed and apologies. They said they had seen it before. I bet they have.

Donny

How are you doing?

Hi Donny,

I'm going through something very similar. I broke my leg right at the ankle on March 16 so Monday it will be six weeks. I also have been absolutely immobile and I really don't know how long it is going to be. In my case I was taken to the local hospital where they botched the operation so I went to the Yale medical practice and had the head of orthopaedic surgery of the Yale Medical School try to fix it. I had a raging bone infection and nearly lost the lower leg and might very well have if I had not been proactive on my own behalf. The surgeon at Yale said he was appalled at what had been done to me.

The hardest part is not being able to do anything and in my case not being able to take care of my totally disabled wife. She needs 24/7 care and I provided over half of it so now we have had to hire a bunch of people including for all night because she needs to go to the bathroom at least once during the night, something I always helped her with. I have no one to drive me around because our live in nurse doesn't drive and my kids are not available. Thankfully we have one close friend who has helped and my daughter has just come back from California to help. I bought a little scooter to get around outside to supervise the huge amount of work that the property requires this time of year not to mention the rose garden with 280 roses. As soon as I finish this I am going outside as there are workers here today. One thing you learn is how much work you do and how much it would cost if you had to pay people to do it for you.

I hope you are getting along. I'm guessing that I am in for at least three months more of this before I can be able to do what I could before. The doctor has told me I should be good as new except for a very weak ankle. Good luck to both of us,

Henry

Henry, do you want the link to the post I gave Donny? It's a large post about people that broke their tib & fibg, a big support post. You wouldn't believe how many people have broken them.

If you want the link, email me.

Donny,
I Googled broken leg support groups and found a wealth of information. Mostly a lot of people going through what I am. Some a lot worse. My take is a little different than most. I found a top surgeon at the Yale School of Medicine who I have spent at least two hours talking with and as a result of
this and my own research I have become quite educated. I learned the proper methods of treating various types of complicated breaks and I learned that much of the time they are treated improperly by MD's who basically don't know what they are doing. I recognized a lot of this in the cases on one of the sites that contain individual stories of broken legs. Unfortunately almost everybody accepts what the drs say and assume they were treated properly when the opposite is often the case. The don't know better. I knew something was wrong and I sought out the best and was able to persuade him to see me although he was booked solid for three months. He agreed my case was an emergency and fit me in. It is a great relief to know you are in good hands. I should also say that my daughter in California actually talked me in to see the good doctor. I have an ironclad case for malpractice against the first guy based on several incontrovertible points of malpractice. I probably wont sue but I intend to at least embarrass him because in addition to being incompetent he was obnoxious.
Henry

I also was in a car wreck 2 yrs ago and crushed my ankle. I also had the external fixator and it was absolutely horrible!! So I am so sorry you are going through this! But believe it or not it does get easier with time! After 2 yrs my ankle still hurts and im sure it always will. But I have my good days and my bad days. But at least I'm alive!