Broken bones

This happened in October.  And a lot of people have asked me how I could possibly break my arm and both of my legs.  Well, I really don't know how it happened.

On October 11 after dinner I was cleaning up something from the library floor (in our home).  As I got up and almost reached the top of my rising from a squatted position, I got a jolt from my sciatic nerve and fell backwards and hit my wrist on one of the book shelves and hit my head on the floor.  I knew I had broken my wrist because it was bent in a really awkward position. 

Alan got me to the ER along with help from the EMTs of Campbell County, KY.   I was admitted.  I had grabbed my arm and pushed it back into position right after I fell and this enabled the doctors to hang my harm by two of my fingers for an hour to get the bones positioned so the doctor could continue the process -- OUCH. He told me it was similar to a dislocated shoulder being put into place -- OUCH. 

They then set the arm with plaster and elastic bandage -- hard to explain this type of cast.  It was not all the way around my arm just on the bottom of the arm and up behind the elbow with the elbow bent so that my arm would be comfortable in a sling.  Well, that didn't work because the case came off in my sleep. 

In the meantime, Dr. Lee a surgeon with the Wellington Group told me he was going to put a rod and pin in my arm on Saturday, October 16.  So they put another useless cast on my arm and sent me home. 

On Friday, the 15th I had a meeting with Dr. Lee to discuss the surgery and his PA put on another cast.  This time it stayed on.

On Saturday morning (the 16th and day of surgery) Alan was concerned because I wasn't getting ready to go to the hospital fast enough.  In an effort to help me move faster he tried to help me get off the bed in my office where I was getting things together to take to the hospital with me.  I basically slid to the floor when he tried to help me up.  I couldn't get up.  So, once again, we called 911 and the EMTs came to get me up.  They couldn't get me up to my feet either.  They got me up with effort and put me into the ambulance gurney.

Apparently when the EMTs left me off they told the ER people to check out my legs.  He thought there might be a break somewhere.  Well, good for him.  There were two breaks, both in the same bone of each leg.  Both in the same place in the bones of each leg.  Hmmm.

I don't know when or how I broke my legs.  I haven't a clue.  I don't remember anything painful in my legs the day after my arm break until Saturday morning.  I walked all over the place during the week after the arm break and Saturday morning.  On Saturday morning the pain I felt was in my ankles which I badly sprained.  Those sprains must have happened when the EMT tried to get me to stand up.

I don't remember much of Saturday's visit to the ER or what occurred.  I know I was admitted and instead of the surgery being on Saturday it was rescheduled for Sunday.  Dr. Lee was on call that weekend and so he did the surgery.  He decided not to do any surgery on the legs telling me that they would heal naturally with therapy.  I didn't believe him.

Back I went to the Med-Surg floor and everyday I was updated on the progress with my legs which were not cast or balloon wrapped.  They were just left alone.

On October 20th I went to the rehab center where they worked with both my arm (OT) and my legs (PT). 

I'm home now, my arm feels great and I'm typing as I normally would have before I broke the arm.  My legs hurt a bit, but not so bad that I can't walk with a walker.  I might mention here that it was my right arm which I broke and I am right handed.  Doing things with my left hand was extremely difficult.  And getting to a standing position with only one good hand was the most difficult, especially since my legs weren't working.

I was told in PT that I would have to use the walker the rest of my life.  I plan to walk back into the PT unit of the therapy center and show them they were wrong.

I have a new PT instructor now who is tough but recognizes when he has pushed enough.  OT hasn't showed up yet.  The nurse comes 3 times a week for now.

That's where I am at this point, so...

ttfn