Skip to main content

Leg Doctor

Besides my neck fracture I also have a fractured leg and ankle. Even those these are the lesser injuries they make my days even harder.




It took me 5 days in the hospital before I could walk and that was only a few steps with a walker. Getting used to the halo neck brace as well as heving a very broken leg, ankle + a hairline fracture of my rt wrist took a long time. If it wasn't one pain it was another. Pain medication has been given to me by both my ortho Dr and the neck Dr and neither seem to work on anything.

But some good news did come today from my visit to my orthopedic doctor. I can now bear full weight on my leg. No running or jumping yet, but I can now attempt to walk without a walker. This is very good news and a much needed ray of light. I am so eager to be back to "normal" that my halo begins to depress me even more. Its the monkey on my back - the weight on my shoulders. I want to fall asleep and wake up from this bad nightmare.

but i can't.

This is my reality every day. If I ever took for granted my health I certainly won't now. This has felt like a prison sentence with bars and all.

My doctor reminded me today what a mess my leg was and how lucky I am. My physical therapist says the same.  I believe them. Really I do. I feel my pain as much as they see it. I have deep fears of being hurt again. The thought of lying on the side of the road like that again freaks the shit out of me. I am still so close to that event that I can still remember the pain and fear and can imagine that happening again in a variety of situations.

Car accidents come fresh to mind or maybe another motorcycle crash? All I know is I don't ever want to feel like this again and will do all that I can to prevent it. But will that lend to me me not leaving the house or being afraid of trying something new or dangerous? Injury can happen in a number of situations at home and on the road. There are risks to everything we do and it never occurs to us until we've been hit by it.

I only hope this doesn't damage me for life and only enhances my life forever.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

12 weeks, 3 days

It's hard to believe that if I would have had to keep the Halo on for the full duration I would only have been free 3 days. I also can hardly fathom that its only been 3 weeks since the damn thing came off. I went in for xrays on the 4th and had my final doctor appointment. While I was waiting for the xrays to come back a girl walked in with a Halo on. She appeared to have no other injuries and was walking on her own and seemed almost comfortable looking but she made no eye contact with anyone but her family. I wanted to speak to her and see how she was doing, but was too shy to approach her and her large family. My recovery from the accident is ongoing. Now that the Halo is off I just want to feel normal again! Other parts of my body are taking there sweet time. I still have neck soarness and can't sleep normally. I've tried sleeping on my stomach, but the bend in my lower back is too much to bear. I can sleep on my sides, but stupidly got my tattoo touched up last S
1 comment
Read more

I slept through the night

Yes, that's right, I slept through the night! OMFG! I'll post a picture later of the sleep position. I took a muscle relaxer and a pain med and laid on my back with a pillow just above my shoulders and a rolled towel under my neck. I was on the couch rather than my bed. The couch supports my right side if I need to turn slightly on my side. well, whatever! I feel good and that's all that matters right now. In the last 6 weeks I have slept through the night maybe once or twice. I dread going to sleep - knowing I will wake up in excruciating pain 3-4 hours later. No pain medication or muscle relaxer has worked. Some people refer to it as a "stiff neck". It is a sharp pain on the left side of my neck just above my shoulder. The pain also radiates on the back of my skull below the left pin. All I can do is rub the area and wait as the pain subsides. I will typically wake up to pain and know that I have to get up and readjust my position. Getting up is what m
1 comment
Read more

5 weeks, 3 days

I've decided to start a blog on my experiences with my halo cervical neck brace. I've searched and searched for other peoples experiences and can't find much. There are a lot of questions being asked and not a lot of answers. I will attempt to be as honest as possible about my experience in the hopes that someone finds this and makes their stay in the brace a little bit easier. I was fitted with a cervical neck brace, also known as a Halo, on October 18, 2009. One day after my very very bad motorcycle crash.
1 comment
Read more