3.5 Year Update

Hi Everyone!  Hope you all are doing well.

You know, when I started my little blog, I did so for a few reasons.

When I was told I had a TPF and had no idea what that meant.  I looked it up on the internet and didn't find much information.  Either it was too technical (as in written by orthopedic doctors and I had no idea what the terms meant) or just plain sensational (as in, "the worst thing to happen to me", or "my leg will never be whole again").

As most of us sitting with a broken leg can relate to, you have plenty of time to search the internet and frankly, I was scared to death about what I read.  Back then, I really would have liked to read about  the progress of a "normal" person.  I wanted to see what I could expect down the road at six months, one year, etc.  I had a hard time finding that kind of information.

But mostly, I wanted some reassurance that, at 52 years old, my active life wasn't over and I wasn't destine for a life of knee problems, pain, and lack of activity. So, I thought I would document my journey--as a journey of a "normal" person.  Not that I am "normal" in any way!

I really never expected more than a handful of curious, or maybe bored people to look at it.  I have so much empathy for people with this injury and know how helpful a positive outlook and outcome can have on people. I did on me!

I also know that as time passes the memories sort of mellow and what seemed like a big deal back then is soon forgotten. I wanted to be able to show people exactly what I was feeling at the time, not with the 20/20 hindsight I have now.

Finally, I wanted to recommend a resource for you guys.  A fellow TPF sufferer, my friend Sholmi has developed a great web page:  http://www.mytpf.com/  I wish this was around when I was down with my injury.  It's great to know that you are not alone while recovering.

Life is good after a TPF; Halloween Party 2013

Three Year Anniversary

Today is the day, three years ago, that I had my accident.  While this date is not something I celebrate by any means, I do take some time out of my day and reflect on it.  This is the day I spend some time saying, "what if..." and, "if only".  We know that doesn't do much good because what is done is done.

But on a more positive note, I can say that my leg has healed up about 90-95%.  I still get swelling if I neglect to do my leg exercises.  My main problem this past year is my 14 months of plantar fasciitis. I believe this is directly related to my broken leg.  I have tried every remedy but have not had much success.  I hope I can put this behind me so I can be more active.  I do love walking but don't do it so much anymore because it will aggravate the heal pain.  Other than that, life has returned to normal.

If I can give you guys any advice, that is to please do what you can to maintain your leg strength.  I have found using a stationary bike to be the best thing I can do for myself.  If you can't do that, then do lots of leg lifts and keep all the muscles in the leg strong.  It really does make a difference in your pain level, swelling, and your stamina.

I also encourage you to be positive as much as you can.  Don't be embarrassed by feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. It happens to all of us.  You have had a setback and often you feel all alone.  But you are not alone.  Unfortunately, many others are in the same boat as you and have come out victorious on the other side.  It takes time.  It takes patience.  It takes work.  But you can have your life back again.

I'll get off my soapbox now.  I have such compassion for people that are going through what I went through.  You will get there!  Stay strong.

Patty
May 21, 2013
Third year anniversary

Hi Everyone,

It's been really busy around here but there is something I wanted to share with you.
I recently went on vacation to Washington DC and at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural Science there was a "Bone Display".  It was very interesting;  mostly sharing about how people's bones have gotten healthier since colonial days.  I was surprised to see that they actually had some broken bones with pins and plates in the display, showing the museum goers how broken bones are healed with hardware.  I'm posting them for you to see, since we don't often get to see what is residing in our bodies.  Keep in mind that these photos are from pretty extreme breaks, thankfully most of ours are not as bad.

This is a tibia with a really bad break.

A tibia with a lower break.  Notice how the skin grew over the hardware?

This poor person had a massive injury on the femur. OUCH! Serious hardware!

Wow, this is a terrible broken tibia!

11th Month Mark!

Today is the actual 11th months since I broke my leg. I'd like to say things are going well, but right now I seem to be slightly regressing a bit. My leg has been swollen and tight feeling for the last 2 or 3 weeks. I have cut my walking down from 5 miles a day to like 2 miles a day. I'm not sure if that is helping or not.

 At night I get a lot of throbbing and it is definitely swollen, something that hasn't happened too much in the last 11 months. Advil (Ibuprofen) seems to help immensely so I have been taking that at night. I have been waking up in the morning with the swelling gone, but it comes back. I have an appointment with the OS in 10 days and hope I can discuss this with her. Hopefully, it is a temporary setback and will be gone by the time my appointment comes. I had so hoped to be well on the road to recovery by now. Maybe it's the hardware. When all else fails, blame it on the hardware.