Good news, and bad news .. a bucket-full of patience needed

So hospital today and ‘frame clinic’ which was a good opportunity to chat with a few other people with similar contraptions mending their legs.

Here’s the update I’ve posted on Facebook earlier to let everyone know –

“Just back from hospital and updating you all on progress. 
My bones are mending slowly and they are happy with improvements in joint movement and infections over the past few weeks. But, the frame will need to stay in place for a few more months yet. The consultant has explained that they have to balance the risks of further injury (including potential re-fractures) with the timing of frame removal to help with recovery. In my case because of the severity of the injuries and complex bone breaks he wants to take plenty of time to ensure bones are in the best shape when the frame is removed.  He also said that a re-fracture situation could still result in amputation! And that kept things in perspective for me. So, I have to be patient for a while longer yet! (can someone send me a bucket-full of that please?)
Thanks to all for support and encouragement so far. And keep it coming! x”

And that’s it in a nutshell. I arrived at hospital this morning thinking the worst-case-scenario would be another 4 weeks with the frame, and I left contemplating another three months!

And on Twitter I posted a brief update and the wonderful George suggested giving the frame a name in order to make it more positive – and then we developed that into Twitter competition ” #nametheframe  ” – entries now welcome!

                                  

My consultant was very clear in his explanations and reasoning for these next steps, and also he didn’t pull any punches in how he described the risks involved in rushing the recovery. I felt angry, tearful and upset having believed I was well on my way to frame removal time and into more physical/physio recovery stage very soon. But on balance and fully understanding the need to ensure my bones are well healed and fused before the frame comes off I know I have to get over those feelings quickly and turn my mind to positive developments I can achieve in the next few weeks.

But of course it also means that I have to plan work, family commitments ….. Christmas in the frame!! Arggghhhhh

Recovery Update – 11 weeks on

This past week has passed without much to report. I think my leg is getting stronger and I can feel myself placing more weight on it when I potter around which must be a good sign. But it still turns blueish/red when I’ve been on it for a while (anything over 10 minutes really) and I have to lie back and elevate whilst it settles down again. Its very very frustrating because I think I could be doing lots more exercise and building strength again if this didn’t happen all the time.

Someone asked me yesterday how I could possibly have coped with spending 11 weeks in bed, at home, unable to go out. The answer is also a mystery to me! and as I’ve said before there have been good days and bad days (and some very bad days). You see most people who know me also know I hate to be still, be on my own, be without things to do. I am an ‘outdoors type’, and I love the company of other people and being busy. And so injuries and mending devices aside, my major challenge has been bed-rest, isolation and keeping busy.

The last item on the list has been taken care of in recent weeks as I’ve become more and more adept at working remotely and developing plans to increase my workload based on things I can do from the bed.

And because I am online full-time when I am in need of company I have a wide range of friends and contacts on Twitter, Facebook and email to keep in touch. Even exchanging emails with some people I haven’t heard from in ages has been lovely. And as you’d expect I’ve had lots and lots of get well wishes and very thoughtful messages.

So, that just leaves the issue of being stuck inside. This is for me the thing I’ve become almost obsessed by some days – I just want to be able to walk down the road and into the fields. Sit there and enjoy fresh air, open spaces and sounds of countryside. I simply cannot wait for the time when I can walk, ride, drive – I doubt I’ll be home very much in the months after I’m given the all-clear!

Today has been a very good day. Apart from feeling more positive emotionally as well as physically I’ve enjoyed some lovely moments today –

Helicopters and Heroes

– Devon Air Ambulance have been in touch (thanks Sarah) and I’m going to work on some features for them including a guest blog on their website in the coming days.  I will of course share the link when its ready. I’m also going to volunteer for a day with them and do some staff training in their use of social media once I’m mobile in a few weeks. A great way for me to say thank you, and do some meaningful for the brilliant central team who keep the service going.  I cannot stress strongly enough how much the service meant in terms of both excellent immediate treatment at the site of my accident and of course speed in getting me to A&E at the hospital to stabilise my condition and get my surgery underway.

Since the accident I’ve done what I can to encourage friends and family to support and donate as much as possible –

– down at the farm they held a fundraiser afternoon with fun dressage, fancy dress, jumping contest and a BBQ – this raised £500 thanks to all involved and their hard work

– I’ve sponsored friends doing the Commando Challenge and even contemplated participating myself next year …. but  need more time to think really! (Note to daughter – this is a very physical challenge involving an assault course designed for the marines. It has nothing to do with running around in no underwear!)

– my mum donated some old furniture to the local recycling centre  on the basis that money made would be donated to Devon Air Ambulance

– I considering all sorts of crazy ideas for fundraising for next year … and would love to hear other people’s ideas too

Once again can I appeal to everyone to help with their fundraising – they run 2 helicopters to service Devon and need £4.5 million to keep both helicopters airborne. Its a lot of money, but think of it this way – if every one of the people living in Devon was to donate or raise just £4 each that would bring in the £4 million, and if we asked visitors and tourists to put a few quid into the pot and make up the difference, job done! Its not a lot really for what is such a vital service. I can’t wait to help out with their work and to raise loads more money next year.

And in other news :

Another lovely moment in my day was the announcement on Facebook that Alice Pyne has won a Pride of Britain Award. If you don’t know Alice’s story please go and read all about it – its so inspiring. I was so pleased to hear this news. Alice inspired me to go back to regular blood donation last year, and to register on the bone marrow donor system. I firmly believe that we should all do – and its one of the few things on Alice’s bucket list which she hasn’t yet achieved : “To get everyone eligible to join a bone marrow register”

Leg Shot No.2 – 23rd October

Friends reading the blog wanted to see the leg in all its glory – so here you go readers!

Leg Shots 23rd October

By popular demand the latest pictures of my leg and frame – not as gruesome as it once was – but still impressive eh!

Its Sunday morning and so time for a bit of ‘politics’, not too head-on, but some things which I feel the need to share (and don’t worry, its very very unlikely that next Sunday you’ll find me blogging about religion!)

Yesterday I got a survey to complete in the post from the NHS. Its asking me to give feedback on my recent experiences of being an in-patient (my spell-checker just corrected this to ‘impatient’- more appropriate in my case!). And reading it over has reminded me about my feelings at the time and since. The survey itself consists of a set of tick-boxes and a box at the end to provide more comments – so not much chance to share real thoughts in detail – pretty standard really. And I also did consider ignoring it altogether on the basis that there must be hundreds of these surveys a week – what difference would my feedback really make?

I have completed the survey now – and been very honest about the mainly brilliant care which I benefitted from, with some less positive thoughts about the ward nursing and night (agency) staff in use. Our NHS is special because of the ethos and passion on which it is founded, and which most of its staff are so firmly motivated by. I know that I received the best care, in one of the best hospitals and with the best professionals. I have felt particularly positive about the work of the A&E department who were absolutely brilliant in the way they reassured me and gave so much support in those very traumatic first few hours. I am totally in awe of their work; for me a good rule is that if someone else has the passion, skills and motivation to do work I could never do and which changes other people’s lives – then those people deserve to be the most respected, supported and recognised. In fact I cannot understand how other people cannot see things this way – even considering loss of the NHS should make us all reflect on how important it is to every one of us. We don’t know when we’re going to need it, and most people will go through life with only short, irregular need for major health care (thank goodness). But for people with serious injury, severe and long-lasting conditions, and of course those with chronic disease or disability.

We all have to care about the NHS. What’s the alternative?

Well I’d almost certainly be facing more very major financial concerns right now about the tens of thousands of pounds necessary to have achieved my treatment, surgery and post-op care. And even if I had health insurance to help with costs, I’d have to almost certainly have to accept now that the insurers would no longer cover any further injuries or treatment needed to my right leg? – or anything caused by horse-riding? (and some might say neither should the NHS of course). And so my life choices for the future would be a reflection on financial risk, insurance terms & conditions? No thank you.

And so, for everyone who doesn’t understand (or doesn’t care) why so many public sector health workers are feeling so angry right now –  marching in London to protest, and manning the picket lines at the local hospitals.  Just stop for a while and give some real thought to the role which they play for every single one of us.

Sunday ‘sermon’ over 🙂

Bed-In.. day 65

OK, so here’s the thing, up until now I had been in denial about just how long I would need to rest in order to recover fully, and just how much time I’d have to spend in/on the bed. The reality is that in the past 65 days I have spent the vast majority of my time here, and its likely to be a few more weeks yet before that changes.  Not that I sleep a great deal, even at night I am restless. But I do rest physically and keep my leg elevated alot of the time to keep the swelling under control. It still a battle to gauge how much time i spend pottering around or even sitting up before the leg swelling starts and then becomes a real pain. At the moment its about 10 – 15 minutes and then rest/elevate for the rest of the hour before I move around again.

Today has been a good day though. Had a lovely visit from a good friend Martin at lunchtime, and it was great to catch up and have some ‘normal’ discussions about work, mutual friends and lots more.

I’ve also had some fun doing some features for work blogs and marketing work. Here’s one of the illustrations we did to illustrate my thoughts on home working – John Lennon has always been a good source of inspiration for me!

Being in and on the bed has gotten easier to manage over the weeks. I do have to remember to have as many things for my day around me before others leave the house eg. water, snacks, reading, medication. And of course the laptop and the phone. I can’t imagine what the time would have been like if I hadn’t been able to communicate with friends and to work. Facebook, Twitter, email and teleconferences have all become a very regular part of my daily routine. Without having this ability (and good broadband) I feel I probably would have suffered alot more – mentally that is.

 

Acupuncture – more needles!

Last week I decided that it would be good to try and take a bit more control of things and try to reduce and eve stop the pain medication. Kim in the office reminded me that our company health insurance covers treatments including acupuncture so I booked a home visit.

And so Val arrived this afternoon and talked through my medical history – particularly the past 9 weeks of course. And then she proceeded with two sets of treatment – first on my feet and legs, and then moved up to my neck and shoulders for a second set. In total I had 14 needles applied and in most places I could barely feel them, in a couple of places they caused an ‘ouch’ moment especially the sides of my feet.

Whilst the treatment in each set was going on I talked through website hosting and updates – never one to miss out on a business opportunity!

I found the experience fascinating and I do feel less pain this evening, and really hope that the effects are lasting. I will try not to take tablets tonight and see if I make it through the night. Update soon!

 

Charlie and My FAQ

OK so of course people are curious about my accident, what happened to cause such bad injury, the nature of my treatment etc. And I genuinely understand that some people are not at all keen to learn about or see the full extent of things – some find the sight of the frame enough to make their knees wobble – unfortunately that includes my daughter!

Here’s my list of frequent asked questions and possible answers (depending on who’s asking!) –

– how did it happen and cause so much damage?

I was riding in open country, going fast, Charlie horse shied (ie swerved really badly), I went one-way he went another. Charlie is a large, 17hh Irish Sports Horse. He is gorgeous!  And I landed almost entirely on my right leg, twisted as I landed all of my weight (and there’s lots of it!) went through that leg. Speed + impact + weight = badly broken leg! Simples!

– does it hurt?

The best thing to think of here is – ‘relative to what’? or ‘how much at its best’? People don’t want you to tell them just how much it hurts at its worst, and also you need to know that people experience pain differently and we do have different levels. My pain resistance level is high. I’ve usually said “not as painful as it looks”.

– will you ride again? how is the horse?

Its great that people are keen to learn from my own experiences and reflections, but most people who haven’t got the horse ‘bug’ simply will never understand that yes, of course I’ll ride again (if I can). I cannot imagine living the rest of my life without being able to enjoy a ride around the lanes. But even if that wasn’t possible I’d want to be back at the farm grooming and fussing over Charlie. And yes, he is just fine. None the worse for the whole experience and back with my sister-in-law who is thoroughly enjoying bringing him on again. They make a very gorgeous team!

– how long will you have to wear the frame?

This is a difficult one because I really don’t know and it all depends on how well my bones mend. And of course my mental state some days mean I want to scream back at them saying “how do I know? I’m not going to keep it on for fun!”….  but mostly my response is  “I hope it will be soon, but probably a few more weeks yet”

– how are you managing?

Again tricky to give an honest answer on this one – because mostly I don’t think I’m managing things well at all. But be positive and reflect on how much progress I’ve really made and I can usually give a good reply- with the help of hubby and the kids. I’ve been very well looked after.

– what about sleeping and showering

Early on when I came home the answer was easy – I didn’t do either!  And even now 8 weeks on I am still sleeping/resting on the bed in the living room, and only showering when I have energy and assistance to climb the stairs.  Baths are out for now – and the other day I wondered what happens if you bath when you’ve got pins through your leg – a funny picture came to mind of my leg acting like a watering can when lifted out of the bath!

Pin-site Care

Well this has become the main feature of my recovery in the past few weeks. Gradually the pin sites have got worse – oozing fluid, itching like mad, and red around the pins. The smaller pins are worse that the larger ones. And the ones closest to my skin are better than the ones where my skin is stretched.  There are three at the top and one at the bottom which have proved particularly nasty.

And so I have to cleanse all 14 pin sites every day. I’ve been given gauze wipes to use, and either saline solution in little plastic packs, or Stericlens which is sterile water in a large aerosol can (I can also use cooled, boiled water). Being really careful about clean hands has been stressed all the time as this is the main way that infection spreads apparently. So far none of my swabs taken have shown evidence of the really nasty infections and so its just a case of continuing carefull cleansing daily.

I also use Inadine patches to cover the worse pin sites once they are clean. This is medicated gauze which soaks up the discharge from pin sites and disinfects it.

I didnt know before, but have since learned, that its also a good idea to use the clear vaseline stuff to wipe around the pin sites before I put Inadine on top. I had noticed that a couple of place had developed a red/orange rash of small lumps and the nurse tells me its because the infected material in the inadine strip is sitting against my good skin and its reacting badly to that.