Second Surgery

I had my second surgery, the first repair surgery. They placed a plate over the long crack in my leg bone. Doc says that it went very well and that the geometry of my leg is back to where it was. The surgery seems to have relieved one of the hotter pain spots that I was feeling. I'll do it again next Wednesday. The external fixator was replaced after the plate went in. So I'm still stuck with these painful pins sticking from my legs. Due to the surgical incision, the leg is staying wrapped this time.

I learned that they won't even consider any possible damage to my knee for six months or, more likely, a year. Basically, the damage to the weight-bearing bones is so severe, they don't care about the joint. Since the surgeries are likely to leave behind arthritis and scar tissue, they only care to get the bones fixed first.

The occupational therapist told me I was spending too much time in bed and not enough time up and about. I rented a walker this time, so I can try and pace the hallway physically and not just in my head. The walker is a little easier than the crutches for me, but it is still no walk in the park. It still hurts every time I go from horizontal to vertical, but I've essentially been told to suck it up. The wrap on the leg helps a bit in terms of how much everything moves about the pins, but the wrap often seems hot or itchy or too tight and is just generally uncomfortable.

Despite fixing one major pain area, I am still terribly uncomfortable as well as somewhat anxious and most restless. I hope that somehow I will be more comfortable after next week's repair and the removal of the pins. The meantime is going to be gruelling.

Jonathan 8/19/2006 06:40:00 AM