Healing at Home
Apr. 26th, 2003 08:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
purplerabbitI finally made it home this evening.
On Thursday early afternoon I sent to take some fairy statue I had bought at thrift store out to the garden. As I stepped of the upper deck, my hands loaded with 4 statues, I had not realized the brief rain we had had a couple hours earlier had left the wooden stairs slick. My foot slipped back under the second step while the rest of me tumbled forward. I can remember the whole thing in detail as it seemed to go in slow motion at the time. My foot caught and when my weight hit, the leg bones snapped - twice. My foot was no longer completely attached to my body. It flopped. The pain was unbelievable. I wouldn't have been surprized to find the foot no longer there given how much pain. I began to scream and scream. I hoped somebody would help me soon. Every second felt like hours. Troy and Lon came out. Troy held me while I writhed and cried. Lon called 911 and got help. The ambulance people gave me some morphine which helped a litle, but being moved up the deck, through the house, down the front stairs and into the ambulance was a nightmare. I now know every bump or flaw in the road between my house and the Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley.
Once there they were able to give me more morphine, which I was begging for. Exrays show spectacular breaks in both bones of my lower left leg. They had two options: put a rod in my leg or put me in a cast for the next four months. They were worried that my bones weren't thick enough for the drill and rod. If they drilled and it didn't work, my leg bones would shatter. I was terrified tht I would never walk again.
They would hopefully know more by morning. They wouldn't let Troy or Lon stay with me. When we explained the PTS anxeity disorder, they said I could have a female stay. Maragaret came all the way from the valley to stay the night in chair next to my bed. She is an angel. I woke up often with nightmares from the pain and morphine. She helped sooth me.
The orthopedics doctor had rechecked my exrays and was confident he could do it. So Friday afternoon, I went into surgery. The rod is 8mm across and 30mm long. They had to go in at the ankle and the knee to drill and attach the rod. The knee cap had to be dislocated to make this work. When I came to, I was still in a lot of pain, but I could feel my foot was connected again. Another night of morphine, but this time they arranged a private room so that Troy could stay with me. He is a wonderful caretaker. By morning I was feeling so much better that I was determined to begin physical therapy immediately. The surgeon and the physical therapist were so impressed they took me off morphine (using vicodine) and said I could go home if I wanted. I wanted. I am now proped up in my reclining couch with ice packs and good care.
I appreciate the love and support people have shown me. It will be a while before I can really walk again.
Meanwhile, I still have to finish my Small Business Loan application and Business Plan. When this happened I had spent all week preparing to open my own store on May 1st. Don't know if I can still pull it off, but I am going to try.
On Thursday early afternoon I sent to take some fairy statue I had bought at thrift store out to the garden. As I stepped of the upper deck, my hands loaded with 4 statues, I had not realized the brief rain we had had a couple hours earlier had left the wooden stairs slick. My foot slipped back under the second step while the rest of me tumbled forward. I can remember the whole thing in detail as it seemed to go in slow motion at the time. My foot caught and when my weight hit, the leg bones snapped - twice. My foot was no longer completely attached to my body. It flopped. The pain was unbelievable. I wouldn't have been surprized to find the foot no longer there given how much pain. I began to scream and scream. I hoped somebody would help me soon. Every second felt like hours. Troy and Lon came out. Troy held me while I writhed and cried. Lon called 911 and got help. The ambulance people gave me some morphine which helped a litle, but being moved up the deck, through the house, down the front stairs and into the ambulance was a nightmare. I now know every bump or flaw in the road between my house and the Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley.
Once there they were able to give me more morphine, which I was begging for. Exrays show spectacular breaks in both bones of my lower left leg. They had two options: put a rod in my leg or put me in a cast for the next four months. They were worried that my bones weren't thick enough for the drill and rod. If they drilled and it didn't work, my leg bones would shatter. I was terrified tht I would never walk again.
They would hopefully know more by morning. They wouldn't let Troy or Lon stay with me. When we explained the PTS anxeity disorder, they said I could have a female stay. Maragaret came all the way from the valley to stay the night in chair next to my bed. She is an angel. I woke up often with nightmares from the pain and morphine. She helped sooth me.
The orthopedics doctor had rechecked my exrays and was confident he could do it. So Friday afternoon, I went into surgery. The rod is 8mm across and 30mm long. They had to go in at the ankle and the knee to drill and attach the rod. The knee cap had to be dislocated to make this work. When I came to, I was still in a lot of pain, but I could feel my foot was connected again. Another night of morphine, but this time they arranged a private room so that Troy could stay with me. He is a wonderful caretaker. By morning I was feeling so much better that I was determined to begin physical therapy immediately. The surgeon and the physical therapist were so impressed they took me off morphine (using vicodine) and said I could go home if I wanted. I wanted. I am now proped up in my reclining couch with ice packs and good care.
I appreciate the love and support people have shown me. It will be a while before I can really walk again.
Meanwhile, I still have to finish my Small Business Loan application and Business Plan. When this happened I had spent all week preparing to open my own store on May 1st. Don't know if I can still pull it off, but I am going to try.
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no subject
Date: 2003-04-27 05:35 pm (UTC)*hugs*