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Just when I thought that I was getting better...hubby goes for a bike ride, goes 500 feet, falls off and gives himself a triple displaced fracture of the ankle (maleola interieur and exterieur + the astragal (sp?))

and the cubitus (the neck of the radius)...in surgery getting things pinned and casted.

Does it ever end?

What scares me is that it is the 3rd break in 10 months...time to check his Vit D levels and densometry....he is demineralizing.

Got home at 3am after 15hrs in ER...am exhausted. Good news, my pouch behaved the whole time.

Sharon

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Thank you all..

This is living hell.

They finally took him down the next day at 8am (I finally went home at 3am) and brought him up at 2pm. I was white knuckled because no one was talking to me...Told me nothing. Not what they were doing or how long. The public hospital system sucks!

He was fine but has a drain in the foot, a soft cast and only a sling on the arm.

They are keeping him doped up for the pain (a good thing).

When I finallly went to seek out the surgeon and ask what was done I was asked why I wanted to know!

They refuse to tell me anything as if I had no right to know.

I finally started asking questions, very specific ones and he had to answer. I demanded to see the x-rays...he has a 2 inch screw in one bone (inside ankle) and 2 shorter one in the other 2.

Looks like a really bad job done by I construction worker! But it has got to hold.

He cannot be released to home because a) I don't drive, b) I have a 2 storey metal staircase and c) the bathroom is upstairs!!!

If he comes home they will have to crane him upstairs to bed and he will be stuck up there for 6 weeks or stay downstairs and not get washed for 6 weeks. 

I've asked them to keep him for at least 1 week (I am working 6 strait days full time) and then send him to a convalecent home for a week but I am not sure if they will.

What a mess.

Back this morning...as long as the 2nd bed stays empty and the floor is not overbooked I have some wiggle room with this but if it fills up they are going to try to send him home.

At least I am sleeping (and eating!!!)

Like you guys say, this is going to be a very long summer

Sharon

Oh my!  I didn't realize he had injured his arm too.   I assumed all the medical terms you used in your initial post were ankle related.  It will be difficult for him to navigate those stairs thus you will be waiting on him hand and literally foot.  Poor guy, I know he doesn't like hospitals.  

 

I hope your classes will be over soon. I'm assuming that the terms there are similar to here.  I hope you get some rest this weekend and that your husband continues to improve!

I really feel for him...... as this is exactly what I have been going through for the past 5 months.  I spent 10 days in hospital and 20 in nursing home.  They would not have released me unless I had 24 / 7 care at home.  I had a good friend (retired) who came and took care of me for 2 months.  Wheelchair bound for 2 months (no weight bearing), rollator for 1 month, 1 crutch for one month, and am now finally able to walk (with an exaggerated limp) without use of an aid for the past week.  My injuries also involved the knee and tibia and also a broken wrist.  My right leg has more hardware than bones at this point.  I am still going to physical therapy twice a week and have now added in chiropractic and massage (since limping has thrown out the hip).  I have to look at my progress in "months", not in "weeks", but it has been and will continue to be a slow and painful journey.

I am still taking Percocet for pain (down to just 2 tabs a day) and the good news is that it really slows the gut. I swear I only go to the bathroom twice a day!

Les, 

We take our miracles where we get them...

Be very careful with that hip...the limp throws out the hip which in turn throws out the knee (at the thigh bone is connected to the knee bone and the knee bone connected to the ankle bone etc)...

It all gets screwed up.

The chiropractor is a very good idea. 

They took his i.v. out today and he was thrilled. Had him sitting up in a chair when I got there. I already felt better seeing him that way but they have no plans for his 'after care'.

I won't let them send him home until I have it all figured out. 

A neighbour (the one who he went biking with!) offered us to use his ground floor shower. If Hubby is in a wheel chair then I can wheel him over and help him in and out there. For now he is not in too much pain and not depressed so that is a good thing. He is eating well and in not complaining so all good...just really worried about work and how he is going to explain to his boss that he is going to be off for 6 weeks! (this is the 2nd time in 1 yr)

Off to bed...I need some rest

Sharon

Bad news this morning,

They removed the soft cast...he saw the scar...its a mess. Then they told him that it is 6 weeks full immobilization and then 6 weeks a walking cast!

That is 12 weeks. He is going to lose his job (should have signed the contract weeks ago but didn't!).

He is depressed but I can't be until he gets better.

To top it off he will not be able to drive stick shift any longer so we need to change the car.

I can't drive stick (and have no license here) so we are screwed!

Sharon

I feel so bad for him.  He was out exercising and this happened.  Damned if we do and damned if we don't.  

 

Hopefully his employer will understand but he knows more about them so probably knows what will happen.  I can understand if a company can't pay someone for that long but not allowing someone to come back sucks.  Yes I said the dreaded word that my mother use to bawl me out for saying as an adult. I just reminded myself that I don't talk to her anymore

 

You will be fantastic for him and then might have a let down of sorts after he is well.  That's the way some of us are wired.  Good in the trenches but a mess when the war is over.  Please take care of yourself too.   

Does France have any kind of Federal job-protected Leave act?  Does he have personal disability insurance deducted from his paycheck?

During my colonectomy process, I was medically separated  (they could not accommodate my need for 4 months leave) from my job of only six months.  I was not eligible for state disability, because I was not previously employed for a full year prior, thank goodness I purchased long term disability insurance, that paid me for a 60% o f my earnings while totally disabled and partial supplements when I went back to work for a full 2-years.

FMLA in the USA will protect your job for 90days, but you must have worked for your employer for a full year.  I needed 4-6 months for my current injuries, but I hobbled my a** back to work in 3 months, as I did not want  to risk two medically separated jobs back to back on my resume.

I was offered the chance to purchase LTD from my employer in November, but figured they would never cover an illness-related disability for my pouch if I ever once saw a doctor within a 2 year period prior to any potential disability.  The HR rep said "Well, you could potentially suffer an INJURY".  I laughed at her.  Ha ha jokes on me, because I suffered a severe injury-related disability the very next month in December.
Now, I don't think I would ever qualify for LTD insurance for any further illness or injury.  At least I qualified for state disability this time.

If I need Achilles heel lengthening surgery, I will wait until 12/18/15, so that I can apply for FMLA again, as you can only have one FMLA event each year.

The Good thing about my job is that I am difficult to replace, since you need a secret clearance, and that costs the employer a lot of time and expense to hire a replacement.  They can't even hire a temp to fill in when I am on leave.  The bad thing was that when I returned to work, nothing was done and I was 3 months behind on everything.
Last edited by Lesandiego

What is wrong with French surgeons?

Either they refuse to say anything at all of the scare the daylights out of you with nighmare senarios!

Hubby called this morning after seeing the surgeon.

The prognosis sounds like a death sentence...he told him that the astragal (the bottom of the the tibia bone) was totally severed (sliced off) and that he put a screw in it to hold it but believed that it would not vascularize and thus necrotize! Meaning he believed that it would die, become infected and need to be amputated! If not then hubby would be in awful, crippling pain and need shots in his foot to be able to stand it.

I got a hysterical phone call from hubby 10 mins later. Could he maybe have been a little less pessimistic?

He does agree that hubby needs to be put into a convalecent home for a week or 2 until he get use of his arm back and can navigate crutches. 

So, the fun begins

Sharon

Sharon, I am so sorry to learn about the complications that your hubby is facing following his fall.  I recommend that he get a second opinion on his condition that includes suggestions for follow-up care.  When a fracture in my foot re-occurred many years later, I had a rigid cast that was changed weekly for 6 weeks and my foot was monitored for blood circulation (possibility of clots) and evidence of infection (I had just recovered from a MRSA infection).  Make sure that his foot is properly monitored while he is in rehab and after returning home.  He is lucky to have you to advocate and care for him while he recovers.  I was alone (widowed) at the time of my misfortune and had to do everything myself.  Hang in there!

Bill

Sharon, I'm so sorry for this setback.

 

 Jeffrey is looking at one too, though not this serious.  Looks like he has jaundice!  Had some pain last week up by his pancres, I can't spell.  Sees the surgeon tomorrow. And I'm still in Florida.  

 

Can you get your husband here and have someone in Florida look at him? There has got to be a better way!

Dianne

 

I will go back this afternoon and try to see the surgeon after work. 

They are awfully hard to get in contact with, non communicative and act like I don't exisit.

They are looking at a rehab center (means post surgical and not drugs here) and I will insist on a different surgeon...this guy is still wet behind the ears...hubby says that he is very young...I don't do interns!

Good luck Diane on Jeff...hopefully it is nothing serious. 

Bill, I really need a bone scan done on him to find out why he keeps breaking things.

And yes I want this thing monitored closely.

Sharon

I will go back this afternoon and try to see the surgeon after work. 

They are awfully hard to get in contact with, non communicative and act like I don't exisit.

They are looking at a rehab center (means post surgical and not drugs here) and I will insist on a different surgeon...this guy is still wet behind the ears...hubby says that he is very young...I don't do interns!

Good luck Diane on Jeff...hopefully it is nothing serious. 

Bill, I really need a bone scan done on him to find out why he keeps breaking things.

And yes I want this thing monitored closely.

TE, I can't move him yet, we have 100% coverage here...not sure if I could get any there.

And the job is waiting patiently for now...but only for now.

Sharon

They found a spot in the police convalecent home! Just around the corner from the hospital so great for me and transportation. 

I cornered the intern again (exercise in frustration...Where is Grey's anatomy when I need them???) and asked the same questions and got "the face". You know, that face that a 14yr old gives you when you ask where he has been and why he skipped school?

Would not look me in the eye, answer any questions about the possible necrosis, if they will or would do bone studies (what for???), if they are going to do x-rays to control the healing (what for?), what type of follow up does he need while in the convalecent home (why would he need any?)...I nearly screamed at him. Just kept blocking every question with 'what for'. 

I ended up asking if he had a diploma in medicine or was a shoe maker????? Even the nurse was frustrated with him. He forgot to round on my hubby, when asked he said that it was pointless, that he was fine and casted. 

I made him round and talk to hubby who is hysterical and depressed about this necrosis situation (22hr between the break and the surgery) and the why??.Why did they wait so long if necrosis was a 'real' problem in these cases? Not like a hip replacement was urgent.

Still haven't even seen the surgeon.

Off to work then back to the hospital to try and find a doctor with a brain (this one must have had a lobotomy done).

Sharon

Sharon, I agree with Bill. Get the hospital administrator involved.  I wonder if this is male/female thing.  i had a oncologist one that would not tall to me, he talked to my husband, when he was there, and made unkind remarks about me!  I was young then and didn't know what to do.  Well, all I had to do was talk to my GYN, and it stopped.  But he told me the guy was old school, used to seeing dead and dying and I was alive meat, but just didn't talk to women.  Some doctors may still have that attitude.  That a women, we are to delicate, do t u der stand or are stupid to understand.  But peel the onion back and keep going higher and higher or fire him.  Also maybe speak to your insurance company and tell them what is going on.  But I would be making a ton of noise!  I won't take that crap anymore.  I'm too old.  Talk to me, or I will find someone who will.

 

good luck, hang in there and take care of yourself.

 

d

Sharon, did the doctor say he might have to amputate the foot or just the end of the tibia? It did not seem clear to me. Some surgeons like to put the worst case scenario up front so that anything else seems like such a gift. 

 

One of my pet peeves is doctors who don't want to communicate, and when they do, it is done poorly.

 

Jan

Only the end of the tibia as far as I could understand (hubby was close to hysterical)...

I forced the issue and they did the x-ray today...he said that nothing has moved and they see no change (a good thing I suspect).

As for the scan for the elbow, he has now been told that it will be a full 6 weeks of immobilization. The surgeon has suggested that he will need to remain in the convalecent home until the elbow heals. That means another 5 weeks. (I am hoping that that is an exaggeration at this point and that he will be able to use the crutches in about 3-4).

He is depressed, isolating himself from others, refuses t.v., visitors, phone calls etc. Only wants me (all the time) and that is a lot of pressure on me.

He needs me but I am worried. This intern has gotten to him. (to me too).

I have gotten the confirmation from the wife of his neighbour in the next bed. The intern will not talk the to her either or look her in the eye for that matter...only talks to men.

I backed him into a corner and insisted on a 'conversation'...he broke into a stinky sweat. Fear of women? Or patients' wives? 

Strange!

We are out of there tomorrow and off to the rest home...hoping for better human contact there.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

Ps...in the series of bad news...someone just hacked my bank account and emptied it out!

this is not a good week!

Sharon

Oh, that is the worst, Sharon! Hackers and identidy thieves have no shame!!

 

So, having to go in and remove at bit of tibia is not so bad. They can probably do a repair with a bone graft if necessary. But, cross that bridge when you get to it. Try to be upbeat for your husband. He may not have any big bone issues. Some loss of bone density is typical with age. Hard to admit and adjust lifestyle to age, but that is just being realistic.

 

Jan

Well I read the opperative report and an it is pretty grizzly...a lot of ligament and tendon damage that no one metioned (sort of obvious when you think about the position that the foot was in for 24 hours), torn up pretty badly in there...it was the 'talus' that was sheered off if that helps and he put in 3 screws to hold it together.

Nothing new in the prognosis other than 2 check ups at 45 and 90 days and if all goes well the walking cast for 6 more weeks.

He is in the rehab center now and hates it. They were really nice an put him in a private room with no neighbours. (an inside corner)...how a good idea goes bad quickly.

It is a tiny room (think broom closet) with a bed, a rolling tray table and a strait backed chair. No closet, no shelves, no surfaces. No place to put anything (prison cell?)...so it all goes from the tray to the chair to the bed and back.

They brought him the wheel chair (casted leg strait out in front of the chair)...can't get into the bathroom with it!!!!! Can't get around the bed, out the door or turn the chair around inside the room! It is a joke. We had to remove the chair and tray table to manuver him to the bathroom. It is so small that the leg hits the back wall before the chair in fully inside (cannot close the door and I cannot get in around him to help him in or out of the chair).

I had to laugh. I felt like 'I love Lucy!' Kept hitting him against things. 

It is a long weekend here so I can't get the room changed until Tues so I'll have to put up with it for now and dance over furniture. 

Hubby is down and blue and needs perking...I need another appointment with the chiro or ethiopath...my back is out again (only took 1 day).

The fun continues...

Sharon

Ps...my pouch has finally decided to yell at me for abusing it this week. Will promise to be kind to him for Mother's day

 

Thanks Ceeeecee,

I had a calm day with him trying to get his intestines to wake up (been 10 days!)...no success. They are giving him everything from top-down but from bottom-up, nothing...so they tried a fleet...no success.

He is finally starting to have sympathy for me and my guts.

He has lost about 10lbs this week. Not eating because nothing is moving and he isn't hungry. 

I have him doing movements with his arm and leg in bed because he is going to atrophy just laying there. He is also going to have bone loss so I need to keep him moving. He is cooperating nicely and does everything I say...eating only fish and salad and fresh fruit, drinking tons of fluids and shifting positon regularly.

I feed & water him but that is all that I can do...I massage him with oils and hope for the best.

I am going to need a vacation from this vacation when this is done

Sharon

Thanks Ceeeecee,

I had a calm day with him trying to get his intestines to wake up (been 10 days!)...no success. They are giving him everything from top-down but from bottom-up, nothing...so they tried a fleet...no success.

He is finally starting to have sympathy for me and my guts.

He has lost about 10lbs this week. Not eating because nothing is moving and he isn't hungry. 

I have him doing movements with his arm and leg in bed because he is going to atrophy just laying there. He is also going to have bone loss so I need to keep him moving. He is cooperating nicely and does everything I say...eating only fish and salad and fresh fruit, drinking tons of fluids and shifting positon regularly.

I feed & water him but that is all that I can do...I massage him with oils and hope for the best.

I am going to need a vacation from this vacation when this is done

Sharon

ps...no visitors, no friends calling...all alone (sniff, sniff..)

Sharon, dont cry, we are all here for you!  We can do FaceTime if you want!  glad to hear your spouse is doing fairly well.  He will go eventually.  Twists are very good to help get things moving, twisting his midsection is what I ment.  It's a yoga thing.  

 

Today was was another exhausting day at the hospital. I'm ready to kill someone!  Twelve doctors, twelve different opinions and no one is doing anything at this point.  Jeff came home.  I'm too tired to go into details, but he is doing better after yesterday's procedure.  Have a good night, I'm going to bed.  Yes it is 6:30 pm here!

dianne

 

Hi Dianne,

I am so tired...But I am sure that you are too and Jeff's condition is not just a break like my hubby's.

I am running. That is my life. Running. There and back (I have become a private duty nurse to him)...I am there from noon to 8pm daily except when I am working.

I am now walking home (45mins) to clear my mind otherwise I just break down.

New pouch diet too...the only thing that I want to eat in the daytime is fruit (melon, bananas, strawberries & cherries) and chicken with lettuce. I have added buckwheat crackers and smoked salmon at night.

Obviously tons of coffee and water plus a sugar binge when I get home (not pouch-friendly) but I am keeping afloat that way...

My back is officially gone again. I think that it is gone for good. Getting him up and down, catching him when he topples over (no balance on the left leg), turning or lifting him...no matter how hard I try, whatever I do, my back is killing me.

In the morning my pouch is screaming. I am exhausted so I don't wake up in the middle of the night to empty it and in the morning it is full to bursting. Puts pressure on things and I feel like I have been kicked in the kidney. Can't stand up strait of bend to find my slippers.

Look 90 again.

Since hubby is supposed to be stuck there for another 2 weeks or more I am having work done in the house. Repainting, changing the floor, just changed the toilet to a bidet/toilet thingy (he won't be able to climb the stairs to the bedroom/bathroom ) so that way he has some comfort & cleanliness.

He is day 12 with a backed up colon. No movement.  2 enemas, suppositories daily, metamucil, prune purée, prune juice...

I have managed to get some activity going but yesterday morning he called me and said that he has asked them to send him back to the hospital (he is in a rehab center) for abdominal x-rays. He is in a panic.

They refuse to do more than  2 enemas/week. They say that it is too dangerous. I say that a mega colon is more dangerous. We are at a stalemate...today I will get my way or get angry and do it myself. 

The last thing that I need is a hubby with a ruptured colon!

Gotta go....time to run

Sharon

I'm so sorry you're going through this!

Is he on opiates for pain that might have contributed (with dietary changes and not moving) to his constipation?  If so, and if it's available, this drug could work:

http://www.drugs.com/cons/meth...ne-subcutaneous.html

It's a sub-q shot we give to patients on opiates who are suffering from constipation. Trade name Relistor.

Has anyone checked him digitally (finger check) for a low impaction?

Rachael,

He was indeed impacted.

I had them alternate between suppositiories and enemas for the bottom end and all of the crap that they could throw at him for the top end (prunes, metamucil, pills, drinks, drugs...)...today we finally unclogged him and things started moving (yeah!!!!) so he is a bit happier and I am relieved (so is he).

We may finally have and intake-output routine going on that works...and I am thrilled.

10 weeks to go before we can go back to a 'normal' life....I need a 25hr nap right now.

Back to work tomorrow (did I enjoy my vacation?)

Sharon

You are describing a nightmare that I'm somewhat familiar with my father.  He's had 10+ hip surgeries including going without a hip in place for 6 weeks!  I am glad your hubby is doing better.  It's more convenient for men to urinate as they can use, what my dad calls, a pee bottle. He's had a potty chair before.  I have no idea if one could even make it into your hubby's tiny room.  It was basically a grown up version of a kids potty chair.  A seat with aluminum legs and handles and a small container that is removed and cleaned after use.

 

You should both be happy with your house hold renovations.  It drives me nuts the way people behave on the shows were people are looking at acquiring a home in Europe and sometimes in the USA behave .  They wrinkle up their nose at the sight of bidets and one time a working bidet toilet seat here in the USA.  I hope they never wish they had one!  

 

I'm glad he's got everything working now and am surprised they let him leave the hospital before his bowels were working. As time goes he will probably be better off in the single room than in a double. It's bad enough being miserable and worse when you have another miserable patient in the room with you.  Especially if you get a winier.  Once my dad was in the room with a man that died after a few days.  I'm sure we can all conjure up bad stays at the after hospital care centers.  There simply is no way to feel better than when you come home.  Hopefully he will continue to feel better and recover enough to get him back home!!!!

 

I'm glad you are trying to make your pouch behave but your back isn't cooperating  Keep smiling "Energizer Bunny" - you have many of us pulling for you both!

    

Stupid day today.

I fell. Flat on my face. Tripped over something sticking up on the sidewalk and my sneakers got caught and I flew (too bad there is no video footage of it...I must have flown 5 ft forward and landed on both knees and wrists. The good news is that nothing is broken just scraped up a bit (yeah for my bones!)

So to add to the rest of my crap I am now bruised up, down and sideways. That's what you get for being so tired. My bad.

Hubby started physio this morning, has things moving a bit inside of him too so all good. Just waiting to see if he is coming home in 1 week or 3...that decides if I fix up the place and create a downstairs suite. Would be nice but no garantees.

When I tried to empty out my pouch this evening I got back a bowlful of blood...panic set in until I remembered those darn veggie chips...including beets. Darn, got faked out by the beets again!

Sharon

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