19 weeks today!

Its 19 weeks today since I have had my external-fixation! 

Even though some of the days have dragged  I still cant believe how quick the time has gone since the accident in March.  Looking back I can really see a difference in my self & the achievements I have made even if they are only small. 

This morning as I was making my self a brew, I thought back to when I first came home from hospital & how little independence I had. It made me think of all the achievements I have made since the surgery, how far I have come  & what I have left to achieve. 

The smallest things matter & it sometimes takes a situation like this for you to realise that. I have always tried not to take things for granted but you really do have a wake up call when something like this happens to you as every day tasks become out of reach.  I'm sure those of you who have experienced a similar situation can relate to this. 

As I had my accident in Stoke-on-Trent in the West Midlands I received my treatment & care at the local hospital there. Once I had arrived to A&E I was expecting they would put my leg in plaster & tell me everything was going to be just fine & I would contact my parents to let them know what had happened but not to worry as I was okay.  HOWEVER that did not happen & I was informed I needed emergency surgery at which point I knew I needed to contact my parents. My parents live in County Durham in the North East so it wasn't just a simple run down to your nearest A&E, plus it was at the time we had that terrible snow!  As I was in so much pain I asked my good friend Nick to contact my mam & let her know what had happened & that I was fine, not telling them I needed surgery as I knew how much they would worry! 

My parents stayed with me while I was in hospital & spent the nights in my student house! I bet that was an experience for them! When I was discharged after a week in hospital I was so happy to be going home at last but very nervous & anxious about the drive home. As we had a long drive ahead of us & I needed to keep my leg elevated my parents bought lots  of pillows, a duvet & new sheets to pad out the back of the car so I would be able to keep my leg elevated for the journey & have some comfort.  Luckily I managed to sleep most of the way home & had dosed up on analgesics before hand. 

Once we had arrived back home I needed to get from the car to the couch, which again doesn't sound much at all but was a huge challenge for me. Getting out of the car was so painful & then I walked with my zimmer frame to the front door. Once I had reached the front door I next had to concur the step that lay in front of me. This again was a difficult, painful & exhausting challenge but with the help of my family I was able to get inside the house. Once I had made it to the couch I was feeling exhausted, nauseous, dizzy & was very tearful with the pain. Not long after I was vomiting & crying in pain.   

At first the most basic daily tasks were so difficult. I remember the first week back at home I couldn't move from the downstairs living room couch. Needing to use the toilet must have been the worst for me & my family, as we had not yet had a commode delivered to our home & with the only other toilet in the house being upstairs it was simply impossible for me to use. My mam had the idea of buying a toddlers potty to use like a bed pan as they were in hospital.  Just maneuvering to use the potty / bed pan was so painful & had me in tears. Its not the most dignified or nice experience on both sides but it did the job.  Looking back at this to where I am now really does show how much I have improved & got back to a normal standard of daily life.  I now have a commode downstairs but I am now using the toilet upstairs! Great achievement there!!!  :)

My newest goal is to get moving on my leg! So I have joined the local gym & I am going there everyday even if it is just for 30 minutes. Mostly I walk on the treadmill to put as much weight through my leg as I can & to walk with normal posture as best I can, I usually use this for 30 - 45 minutes. I also use the cross trainer as this is a different movement for my foot, ankle & leg but I find this very painful so I usually only spend 5 - 10 minutes on this one. I sometimes use the machine weights for my arms but obviously I cannot use any for my legs at the moment & use the 'wobble boards' for core balance and again foot, ankle & leg movements. 

Above is a picture I took before the gym. I can now manage to get my gym trainers on as they are lace up & are not to tight around my foot :') I still cant get my new vans on at the moment which is disappointing but that will be another achievement for another time. 

As well as these achievements another one I think worth mentioning is that now my pain has eased & I am much more mobile I can enjoy relaxing in the garden when its sunny! :')

I think its important to have goals & also things to look forward to. I plan on getting a new tattoo when my ex-fix comes off so this is something I am very much looking forward to! 

Its a long journey but its an adventure on the way & its something that will make you a better person in the end  ♡

The long wait...

Boredom is one of the worst things about an ex-fix. It seems like it will never come off & each day seems to get longer as you wait. The boredom can get to you sometimes and the worst is when your home alone with absolutely nothing to do. 

Since I have had my ex-fix I have watched the full box set of 'Lost' which was amazing :) ,starting drawing again (which I don't usually have time to do anymore), baking now that I'm more mobile & some internet shopping :'), among other silly things.  

One day a couple of weeks back I was home alone & extremely bored. Thankfully it was a lovely sunny day so I spent most of it in the garden which is better than being stuck in one room all day, looking at the same four walls can feel like you have cabin fever! So on this sunny day I found myself painting my nails, doodling, reading, taking a few snapchats & instagram pics but this soon gets boring, again. 

So I decided I'd make a daisy chain seen as though the garden was full of daisies! 

And then I had an even better idea...

Why not daisy chain my ex-fix? It looks much more pretty and girly now :)

I found myself 'but shuffling' around the garden collecting daisies which took longer than you can imagine, BUT definitely made me giggle and kill the boredom! 

So I thought I'd share this with you all as it made my day a little more interesting and if you find yourself bored with nothing else to do why not decorate something :)

It can be more fun than you think :')

Pain

Pain was the first thing I experienced when I broke my leg and since I have experienced a lot of different types of pain. Some days you experience pain so bad you cannot describe and others your bored out of your mind, thinking what is worse the pain or boredom? 

I have now had my ex-fix for over 18 weeks and as the weeks have gone by I have felt physically and emotionally tested. 

You go from experiencing one thing to the next or some days all at once. The pain, stress, anxiety, lack of independence, boredom & generally feeling not myself at all, all were challenges I needed to deal with and still do, however I do believe it will be all worth it in the end. 

Pain is different for everyone but I think we can all agree on some level that bone pain is one of the worst types of pain. 

Once the ambulance arrived at the students union I was given 'gas & air' which took the edge off but the pain was still physically draining.  When I was admitted in A&E I was given IV Morphine and Propofol so the plaster cast could be applied. During this time two of my friends were present and from what they have told me after I had been administrated my medication I was making some funny remarks which had the A&E staff in stitches. 

During my time in hospital I was prescribed good old paracetamol which worked a treat along side the codeine and morphine. I'm not sure I would have been able to do anything without the pain relief  I was receiving at the time. I remember the morning after my surgery I could hardly move in the hospital bed, I remember really needing to use the toilet but didn't as I was too scared to move for the pain I would feel and then out of no where came the physiotherapists who seemed to have no empathy at all. They got me sitting on the edge of my bed which doesn't sound much but the pain and heaviness I felt in my leg and foot was unbelievable, I then tried to stand. It was the most difficult task I had ever done, the most painful & the most upsetting. Once I had managed to stand up they tried to get me to walk and weight bare on my leg as much as possible at which point I was screaming in tremendous amounts of pain. The ANP (advanced nurse practitioner) came running into my room and told the physio's to stop and to get me back on the bed with my leg elevated. She then re-prescribed my medication at doubled the strength. 

Once I returned home I continued taking regular analgesia and have now since reduced this as the pain has eased significantly.  

But with the progress of bone healing comes new experiences and challenges. 

Plaster

Pre-op plaster cast. 

The cast was put in place during my time in A&E and once I had been admitted to the orthopedic ward the doctor decided it was best to cut the plaster to relieve the pain and discomfort I was suffering due to swelling inside the cast. Immediately  after the cast had been opened I felt relief from such horrible pain.  

Sutures Removed

Sutures & sponges removed 3 weeks after surgery

(My friend thought the dressings looked like little bits of ham!:)

X-Ray

I first saw my X-Ray at my 11 week appointment and was shocked to see how bad the fractures were! 
My friends who were with me at the time of the accident and when I was admitted to A&E told me I was
asked if I wanted to see the X-Rays when they were first taken in A&E although I cannot recall this. I imagine I did not wish to view them as I was in tremendous pain. 

Unfortunately my camera flash has ruined the picture slightly but you can still see were the fractures are in the tibia & fibula.  

Friends ❤

I received these beautiful 'get well soon' flowers from ma love Nadine 

Finally know my NHS number

It took the nurse a grueling seven attempts before hitting this vein.

The Unexpected...

It all started by getting ready for a night out at the students union completely unaware I would end up in the accident and emergency department that night to be told I needed to have emergency surgery.

The surgeon explained three types of treatment I could have, 1. plaster cast, 2. internal metal plates and wires which would remain in place for the rest of my life, 3. external-fixation. The surgeon and consultant explained that they recommended the external-fixation for best recovery. I therefore opted for this treatment not knowing the pain and suffering it would cause.  

I was informed following my x-ray I had sustained a fracture to my tibia and fibula and I would require three pins at the top of my tibia and fibula, just under my knee and this would be in place for approximately five to six weeks. When I came round from my surgery I was shocked to see I had a much larger fixator in place, from under my knee to my ankle including three pins and eight wires.

 Anyone who has experienced a broken / fractured bone / external-fixation will know you cannot describe the pain.  'bone pain' is a unique type of pain. 

After the surgery the surgeon came to explain to me that during theatre with the use of technology they identified that I had not only fractured my tibia and fibula I had sustained a spiral fracture which means the fracture went from the top of my tibia down to my ankle. This was why I needed to have a larger external-fixator in place. With this was bad news as this type of fixator would need to be in place for sixteen to twenty weeks. 

I sustained this injury by slipping over on a wet dance floor and was informed that this type of injury is most commonly associated with high impact injury's such as; motorbike accidents and football injury's.