Friday, February 10, 2012

Living The Nightmare

I've not been posting and this is to explain the why.

Jan 23rd, Jen fell and broke her left fibula and ankle. She had surgery on the 27th to put in a plate and several pins. Her dad happened to be arriving the day after her fall so he was here for a week taking care of her and Jujube.

I arrived here on the 1st. The plan was that I was to take care of Jen and Jules until Steph flew in on the 4th -- and I did so.

However, while Mike was at the airport picking up Steph, I lost my balance and fell while carrying the baby. I did not drop her and she's fine but I ended up busting my right fibula an inch above the ankle and forking up my knee.

Yesterday, I had the followup appt to get a cast on my ankle but the treatment plan changed on Monday when I got a call from Kaiser telling me I had fractured my knee and might need surgery.

This is what I wrote a friend last night -- I'm on a very strong narcotic and it is easier to just cut and paste this (sorry about the lack of capitalization and bad punctuation):

spent most of the afternoon at kaiser -- ct scan, physical exam of leg and a whole lotta back and forth calls between the orthopedist and the orthopedic surgeon going over the results of same. am scheduled for surgery to fix my badly mangled knee on wed morning. they may keep me overnight.

the femur came 'crashing' through the knee joint and ‘pounded’ (the words the fracture clinic doc used) the tibia head at the tibial/patella plateau. it pushed one side of the plateau way way down. there is also a nasty crack on the tibia head just where it starts to curve out to form the head and it doesn’t go all the way through but …. the plan is to lift up the depressed bone, using bone grafts to help keep it up while healing and then put a plate on the outside (fx side) with screws holding it all together.

i was told that this injury is the type of injury that tends to end up with a total knee replacement later on. however on the plus side, altho the injury site is hard for the surgeon to get to, it is the best site for healing since its towards the back instead of the front of the tibia.

doc warned me that i might be overnight ed at the hospital post op. current guestimate is 12 weeks of no weight bearing but that could change post op depending on all the yada yada's the docs say. everything today was just an estimate - won’t really know how long i’ll be laid up until after the surgeon puts me back together again.

the surgery clinic will call me tuesday late afternoon. they will let me know the time of the surgery but its likely to be 0600.

the good news in all this bad news is that i was lucky enough to get one of the highest recommended surgeons. his specialty is trauma orthopedics and i've heard rave reviews about him from several people - guess he's pretty well known up here.
So I'm living on Jen's downstairs sofa and poor Steph has two patients and a baby and house to take care of instead of one patient, etc. I feel guilty about taking resources away from Jen (even though I know logically that I'm not but the mom in me won't stop) and just keep telling myself that the good news is that I did not drop the baby.

Two broken fibula's in the same house 10 days apart. Amazing stroke of bad luck.

I have an appt with the pre-op evaluation center Monday and should know more after that.

Thanks for stopping by. I promise to update on Monday and will have Steph post a post here letting folks know what happens Wed.

24 comments:

  1. Sweetheart! SO sorry...best wishes for a speedy and painless recovery for both of you!

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    1. thanks rond -- i'm pretty forking sorry too *laughing*

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  2. LoudounLib11:39 PM

    ((( Suz ))) I'm sorry that you will have to undergo knee surgery on top of everything else, but like you say it is VERY fortunate that your surgeon is top-notch. Will definitely be sending a ton of healing energy out to you!

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    1. thanks ll -- the thought of having total knee replacement on my 'good' knee scares the crap outta me -- needless to say, i'm VERY motivated to follow doctor's orders exactly!!!

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  3. Margot11:43 PM

    Tons of hugs and warm healing thoughts going out to you, Suz.

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    1. thanks margot - sometimes its just minute by minute but knowing i have the support of my family and friends gives me the strength to handle these difficult days (and nights).

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  4. You take it very easy, let Steph take care of you all, and obey the Dr, as it sounds like you are. This will be story to tell JuJu someday -- "All the Caregivers' Fibulas"

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    1. thanks teddy. i don't think she will appreciate the irony that all 3 generations were trying to learn to walk at the same time - after all, we had crutches to help and she was expected to do it solo )

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  5. Suzanne Suzanne I'm so sorry to hear this. The best to and you will be in thoughts a lot along with Dusty. Good luck!!

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    1. thanks one fly. it is what it is so i just gotta cope and adapt and get past it.

      forget about spring -- i'm looking forward to summer - hoping it will be all behind me by then

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  6. Good job not dropping the baby. Now try not to hurt yourself next time, too, OK?

    And get well soon. Being involuntarily immobile sucks. Oh, and I found some interesting geology in the old virtual photo pile for you.

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    1. thanks cujo. wow, that's a great forking photo of mt st helens... thank you so much! i remember when you did that rip -- magnificent crater shot dood.

      dana sent me the in search of ancient oregon book and i've been dipping it in. wow, i can see why she loves it.

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    2. errr TRIP not rip....

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  7. All sympathy and get well soon wishes to you!

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    1. thanks pygalgia. the fact that jen's got a broken left leg and i've got a broken right -- well that saying about misery loving company is true :)

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  8. Just realized that between you, you and Jen have a symmetrical pair of good legs. Sigh. We'll get you both healed up and back on both feet. In the meantime, Cujo and I will keep you immersed in lovely landscapes. JuJu will someday find this inspirational, I'm sure. And while it's impossible, try not to feel guilty - crap happens, and everybody knows it doesn't happen by choice!

    Just so glad you've got a top-notch surgeon and a few two-legged folk in the family. These things are important. :-) Tell that house its fibula fetish had better be cured, or I swear I'm coming down there, moving you all out, and then having it demolished.

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    1. thanks dana -- i forking LOVE the book ya sent down! i read your comment to the house about its fetish -- hope it listened and learned and has stopped!

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  9. Anonymous8:29 PM

    Hey, Suze - I hadn't thought of it before, but if you need something to read sent you, that's something I could do. Wish I could come over and spell Stephanie, but it'd be a longish drive.

    As you probably know, I have way more books than I should, or could have something else sent. Anything else that could come by mail or ups to cheer you up?

    Cheryl/tejanarusa

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    1. hey cheryl -- how kind of you. my friend dana sent me 'in search of ancient oregon' a geologic text she's been oooing and awwwing over - and now that it has arrived i can see why. eye candy photos and text that is easy for this non-geologist to understand. i can only read a little bit at a time tho -- my pain meds are very strong and i lost my place or get distracted etc.

      i'm sure i'll be taking ya up on your kind offer when i'm post op -- and my meds have been kicked down a notch or two

      thanks cheryl

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  10. Anonymous10:22 PM

    Oh, I hear that...at least picture books (pace, Dana) are easier on the brain when one is doped up. Understand completely.
    Cheryl

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  11. Anonymous10:23 PM

    Hey, maybe the dvd of "One for the Money." I'm guessing you didn't get to see it...reviews are bad, so it should be on dvd pretty soon....
    Cheryl

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    1. cheryl -- you are right -- i was going to see that movie 'before'. i've been so outta it that i did not know that it had bad reviews -- i usually don't see movies made from books i've read and liked because the movie always changes it -- but a dvd would be great -- i could watch it with jen *laughing* sitting side by side with our 'bad' legs elevated

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  12. Anonymous3:16 PM

    Anything new to report, hon? (channelling my Baltimore connections)

    Just wanted to let you know I'm thinking about you. When my mom called and worried about my cough, I told her, "nah, could be lots worse!" Hope you don't mind. She sends her sympathy, too.

    Lots of pups seem to be down with colds or something; that time of year.
    Hope you're hanging in there. Monday (on the way) down, and one more day to go, til you get to the next step forward.
    Cheryl/tj

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    1. thanks cheryl -- just got home from the pre-op eval at the hospital. i will be admitted after surgery -- i think i'm gonna be on morphine and they wanna watch me - hope i am discharged thur (fingers and toes crossed). will know more tomorrow late afternoon when i get the call about times. tell your mom i said thank you so very much. not a problem at all. i am benefiting from all the warm positive thoughts and prayers peeps are sending me -- it really makes a difference in my head knowing that i have people who care enough to do so. tis a wow jaw dropping make me melt on the inside kinda feeling that i am ever-so thankful for.

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