Saturday 1 October 2011

Fractured forefoot

My consultant was quite concerned when I arrived this evening. The CT reported a fractured forefoot which apparently is the part from the bottom of my metatarsals to the tips of my toes.
I just need to fracture my ankle & I've done the full set !

Thankfully it's not displaced & my mid foot reconstruction is still intact with no misalignment. Therefore as long as it stays that way I won't require surgery. It just needs lots of TLC.
So I feel some sense of relief but am upset & frustrated to be back in the aircast boot & on crutches for the next six weeks. The Osteopaenia is partially to blame apparently making my bones more brittle than normal, but the good news is it doesn't slow down the bone recovery rate.
I developed Ostepaenia as a result of the time spent none weight bearing, it should resolve itself in time I've been told. I am continuing with the vitamin supplements & will try to eat a diet to encourage the mineral density in my bones to improve.
It hurts, but the drugs are good, it's very swollen too, ice packs & elevation here I come!

So, on Monday 3/10 it is the six month anniversary of my Lisfranc fracture & on Friday 7/10 it will be my birthday. On Thursday 6/10 I am supposed to be flying to NYC to celebrate :-(
My consultants advice was I could travel but he wouldn't if it was him in this situation. I will have a higher risk of developing DVT being pro coagulant at the moment due to the fracture. He did say he would put me back on the Clexane injections if I went ahead with my trip to try to prevent a possible DVT.
I'll need to restrict what I do in NYC though & will need to put my foot up as much as possible (De Ja Vu !). I will need to sit in the back of the car with my leg up for the road trip in the Smokies as well .........  However I don't think we can get a refund on the airline tickets now. So, I don't know what to do really. I was so looking forward to seeing the Smokies in the Autumn, I bet the colours are stunning this year. But I'll be able to do very little in NYC, my planned cycle ride in Central Park on my birthday can't go ahead.......... Hold on, do they have tandems ??? Hehe I could just sit on the back & get my chap to pedal.

Travel insurance could be a problem too, getting cover for the foot !

With this unlucky streak, I don't think it's worth my while buying any lottery tickets.

4 comments:

  1. Emma - Unbelievable! I do say you are due for some good luck. Time might be right to play the lottery. Sounds like it may be prudent to postpone your trip - the leaves will be here next year. In fact, here in CT it's not looking like it will be one of our more brilliant seasons for the leaves - they are a bit washed out color wise - due to a very hot dry summer followed by too much rain. Not sure about the smokies. Keep up the supplements - I credit a lot of my healing towards the supplements. You can check out my blog for a list of the supplements I take daily. Take care, this too shall pass!

    G

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  2. Oh - and PS - I had a string of bad luck in August myself! Fell on my dog and hurt her leg, fell crossing the street and put weight on my bad foot, endured the hurricane and no electricity for 4 days, had a root canal!, and then things started to get better. So these things do come in waves - your due for good luck now!

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  3. Em,
    Taking your trip is a hard call. I had to cancel mine to Wash, DC and NYC because of my injury. My doc said I could go, but made me promise to get up and walk on the plane every half hour or was it 90 minutes? This would have been months after my surgery. It was about three weeks after just beginning weight bearing and I had injured my knee during pt. The trip was with my daughter's class and was set at a frenetic pace. Fortunately, I was able to postpone it until next June. I plan to be full speed ahead and pain free.
    I hope everything works out well for you.
    Sissie

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  4. Hi, Emma, I just got back from a few days away and saw your posts. What a bummer! And I know JUST how your must have felt when you tried to walk. My doctor had told me I would be able to drop the crutches and walk...right until the day he sent me to PT and the prescription was for two weeks NO WEIGHT BEARING! And then two weeks very light pressure. Every time I put the foot down it felt like an electric shock going through the foot. The therapist told me that it was because the sole gets very thin. Anyway, eventually it got back to normal.
    I actually broke a few metatarsals in addition to the Lisfranc injury, just in my case I did it all at once. The good news is that they do heal up!
    If you do come to New York, let me know. Maybe I can be helpful. (I believe, by the way that the Metropolitan Museum has wheelchairs that visitors can use if there's a reason they can't walk around the place. Other museums may have the same arrangement.) But I would suggest having some sort of travel health insurance, just in case...Our system is horrendous!
    Best wishes, Chris (Fractralfoot)

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