Broken leg

[xt1me]

I wasn't even doing anything interesting. I was just walking. But I still managed to break my leg.

 

I'm writing this all down here mainly so I have a record for everything in case I need a reference.

 

 
On Tuesday the 20th of August I was in the city after a Job interview.
I had an interview in town on Mon but it had been lashing raining whereas Tue was looking to be nice and sunny.

So I decided to head across town to tread myself to some steak and also get some exercise on the way.

I was taking a meandering route to get more steps in and to get some routes in Pokemon Go since they're not really available outside the city.

 

I was just passing the main Bus Station when I stepped off the pavement onto the road. I must have stepped wrong because I started to fall.

I had stepped out on my right foot so I remember putting all my weight on the left foot to try and control my fall but my ankle rolled and I heard an almighty CRACK!.

 

I remember thinking even as I lay on the ground in pain 'oh please, oh please let that have been like a knuckle crack and not something breaking.'

 

There was 3 very nice people that helped me get up. I really didn't want to move, I wanted lay there and catch my breath first but I was in the road in frount of a Bus Station so I was better off moving as soon as possible.

 

I was helped into the Bus Station to sit down on one of the benches and I just sat there a bit to try and calm down.

 

I was still hoping that I only twisted my ankle or something. After all, I wasn't screaming or crying in agony, surly it wasn't that bad.

I was however doing that Lamaze breathing thing where I was breathing in and out as deeply as I could.

 

I did clam down enough to try and stand up. I remember debating at the time if I should attempt the stairs to go to the bathroom. But I took one step and was immediately like 'nope, nope, nope, not happening'

 

So I sat back down.

 

Obviously this meant I couldn't get back to my car either so I call the nearest relative to me that I knew was around and had their own transport. 

I rang my Mum.

 

Actually I texted her first asking if she was free. This was at 12:34. But I realized after my text that I was in more pain then I thought and did not have the patience to wait for a call back and just rang her. And immediately realized I was probably worse off then I thought so my first words were " Hi Mum. I think I need to go to the hospital."

 

I was probably in shock.

 

It turns out she was in the office that day and had biked to work so she could get over to me fairly easily.

 

I rang 999 after and asked for an ambulance. I could really tell by now that I was shaky and I'm glad that the operator was clear with her questions because looking back I really wasn't with it.

 

I explained where I was, I got a little worried when the operator said train station and I clarified buss station but at least I was in a recognizable area and didn't have to try and think of directions or anything.

 

I also flagged down one of the station guards and let them know to send the  ambulance drivers in when they arrived. After all I wasn't exactly going to get up and meet them.

 

2  ambulances passed by the station as I was waiting. You really don't think about how many emergencies must be happening everyday until it happens to you.

 

Mum arrived before the ambulance did so I had some company. She got me a bottle of water from the vending machine since it turns out that constant deep breathing drys you out and makes you really thirsty.

 

I was able to give her my keys and tell her where my car was parked so she could put her bike in the back and drive it home. 

So at least I didn't have to worry about that.

 

When the ambulance came (I'm not sure the exact time, probably sometime after 1) they gave me this nox stuff. It's some sort of derivative of laughing gas or something. Looking it up now I think it was Penthrox. It was a green whistle thing that you breathed in and out.

I was warned it would taste bad and might make me a bit dizzy or light headed. And they weren't kidding. But it did make me feel a bit more coherent. I'm not sure I can really say that the pain changed but I was able to stop thinking about nothing else but breathing for a bit.

 

The three ambulance guys introduced themselves but I can't really remember their names now. I think one was called Séan and one was called Jim but I can't for the life of remember the third guy's name.

Either way they got my shoe off and asked if I wanted to try and save my sock.

 

It was a nice pair of socks I admit. I was just coming from a Job interview after all. Plain black but with a little embroidered bird that's hidden by the pants.

But needless to say they could hardly be consider lucky socks now. I said as much and they cut it off and gave me this infallible cast thing.

 

Thanks to the nox stuff I was able to get myself over to the gurney and they strapped me and got me into the ambulance.

 

Mum said she'd sort out my car and meet me at the hospital. And made sure to confirm which hospital it was.

 

I had my mobile so that was fine. It was also fully charged since I had been planning to do a bunch of Pokemon Go that day.

 

They stuck some monitors on me and took some blood from my finger and asked me a bunch of questions about what happened.

I didn't hit my head at any point nor did I lose conciseness so I'm guessing it could have been worse.

 

They also said I should keep the Nox inhaler and to take a breath from it anytime I wanted.

They just said to make sure if I was using it don't just take 1 breath but take 3 or 4 fully in and out at a time.

I didn't really like using it much because it did make me dizzy (at it tasted awful) but did end up using it a lot.

 

I got to the hospital at sometime around 1:50pm, which I know because that's when I sent a update to Mum.

 

They got me to swing myself into a chair in a corridor to wait for a doctor and a nurse was around at about 2:10 to ask some questions and then I was left to wait for the doctor.

 

The only thing was, I was directly opposite from a toilet and I really needed to go.

I had been idly thinking about stopping off in shop to go to the bathroom before I fell and now I had had most a bottle of water. But I couldn't move on my own.

 

I was able to flag down a nurse to ask for some crutches or something but apparently there's a process or something so I had to wait for someone to fetch them.

Before they arrived someone came with a wheelchair to move me to a place to see the doctor so I was able to make a pit-stop then.

 

At about 2:20 the doctor came. He was called Paul some-Indian-last-name-I-don't-have-a-hope-of-pronouncing-let-alone-remembering. But he checked me out and set me up to get x-rays so I was back to waiting again.

Someone did come with crutches in the meantime but of course I didn't need them.

Still, I ending up taking them later when I went home so no harm.

 

A hospital porter got me in the wheelchair again and I got the x-rays at about 3:30 so I was set back down where I was waiting before (pod 8) until the doc could check them.

 

As you may remember I was planing to have lunch in town before all this happened so needless to say I was hungry. Thankfully there was a nurse that when 'round with food at 3:45. It was a horrible and soggy sandwich which I ate anyway but there was also a yogurt and a slice of madeira cake which was much more edible.

There was also bottles of water everywhere which was great.

 

it was 5 o' clock before the doctor took me to get a cast. He also finally confirmed that it was broken. I forgot what bone he said but looking it up after the fact it was the fibula. He traced where it was on the leg and funnily enough that wasn't were all the pain was. The pain was mostly coming from my ankle which was probably a combination of it rolling when I fell and the end of the fibula knocking things about below the break.

 

My Mum arrived since she was finished work then but I didn't see here since I was getting the cast done.

 

I was given another nox inhaler and this time I was told to lie back and just breathe in and out through the inhaler without stopping. I remember seeing them put on the under sock thing and the first bit of padding and then told to just rest my head back and keep breathing. I closed my eye and concentrated on nothing but breathing in and out. It's quite possible I might have passed out for a bit because I don't even remember them taking the inhaler away. I just remember opening my eyes and the cast was done.

 

It wasn't a full cast. They told me I had to come back at 7 the next day for orthopedics. but for now the doc wanted another x-ray so I couldn't go anywhere yet.

 

I was really out of it after the Nox. I wasn't even able to text so I just sent Mum a voice mail. By now it was 5:40pm.

 

By 6 I had gotten the x-rays but it turned out that they were the wrong x-rays so I had to wait around some more to go get the right ones. By this time Mum had met the doctor but she hadn't seen me yet as I was waiting in another room still. Since I was going nowhere fast Mum went home to charge her phone and I'd call here when I was finished.

 

It turns out the doc wanted x-rays of higher up the leg at my knee. Probably to check it since I did dislocate it earlier in the year.

I'm assuming anyway. I didn't get much information and I probably wasn't with it enough to retain it anyway.

 

At 6:55pm I was finely done so just needed to wait to be picked up.

unfortunately Mum had gone home by then so I was still waiting a while.

I was able to be wheelchaired to the car and was out of the hospital by 8 o clock.

 

It was decided that I could be dropped home to sleep and Mum would drop me off before work at the hospital 7 in the morning. We stopped off for McDonalds for something to eat and I basically went straight to bed.

Thankfully I was able to get my pants off no problem and without assistance or needing to cut it off.

 

Then next morning arrived and I was able to hobble over to the kitchen and have breakfast. Mum bought a bunch of clothes I did not need but the pants did fit over the cast so I guess that's fine.

 

We arrived at the A&E and there was thankfully a wheelchair in the entrance that I could use to get from the car.

Walking with the crutches was not fun. Every hop jarred my leg and I was sweating with even a couple of steps.

 

I got checked in and it was back to waiting.

 

Since I didn't know how know how long it would take, Mum left and would pick me up after. I did think ahead enough to charge my phone so at least I had the entirety of all human knowledge to keep me distracted.

 

Eventually the whole bunch of people waiting were all brought to another section of the hospital. I was one of 2 people in wheelchairs and we were wheeled in front. 

 

When the Doctor came it was actually a bunch of doctors. Presumably doing training. They went around to each of us in a small room that was more of an alcove. I was one of the first seen though so I was done at about 8:20. They said I had to wait a week until the swelling went down and then they would put me in cast for a 'boot test' where I would put my weight on the bad leg and they would take an x-ray to see if I needed surgery or if it was healing on it's own.

 

This was the first I heard mention of possible surgery.

 

I wasn't really in a potion ask question though with all the people. I wasn't even given a time for my appointment. I was just told It'd be sent out in the mail but if I didn't hear anything but the start of next week I could ring in. I was basically just given a proscription of aspirin (not as a a painkiller, for the prevention of blood clots) 2 a day for 6 weeks and something called Esomeprazole Clonmel once daily to be taken with the aspirin to help my stomach (I think). And finally Solpadol for the pain.

 

All in all it cost about 50 Euro but Mum picked it up after we left. which was sometime  around 9 I think, I didn't keep track.

 

Mum said to ask about taking a wheelchair home but they don't do that. Only if you were private could you probably rent one.

 

Now, I live on my own so I wasn't really in a position to take care of myself. I could barely move even with the churches and I was still in soft cast so I had to be super careful. I was told to just keep my leg elevated and do nothing.

So Mum brought me back to her place and she said she'd bring down a bed to computer room on the ground floor and I could sleep there.

 

Now I love my Mum dearly but I do not want to live with her. She has her own way of doing things and her own stuff to do. So I was resigned to just putting up with everything. But then My sister said she could work from home at my place and I could stay at home.

 

Needless to say I took her up on it.

 

It was decided that I'd stay the rest of the day at Mum's and she'd drive me home that night. My sister would get a cab to Mum's place (cheaper then getting a cab to my place) and pick up my car and drive down to me the next morning after I checked to see if she was included under my car insurance.

 

My sister took care of our Nanny for a bit before she passed so she is a lot calmer about things. I love my Mum but she's not actually that great in a crises.

 

It turns out she wasn't included on my insurance but I was able to ring in the next day and get her added for free. So at least that was one thing that wasn't a hassle.

 

So at this point it was just a matter of waiting for my next appointment.

 

I also had another job interview the Monday but thankfully that was an online interview so I could do it from home.

(I did also have a dentist appointment for a cleaning on the Wednesday after I fell but needless to say I rang in to postpone that while I was waiting in the hospital on Tuesday)

 

Monday arrived with no word from the hospital about a time so I tried to ring in. Harder then it sounds since I didn't actually have a number to call. The first number I found online was out of service and it was hard to figure out what department I should be calling.

 

I eventually got a number that got me through to someone that transferred me to someone who got me to someone who would ring me back.

Finally I was able to confirm my appointment was on Friday (not Wed like I assumed) at 10:55 in the fracture clinic.

 

An even longer wait to find out if I needed surgery but at least I had a time.

 

Unfortunately I was running out of pain meds.

I can't take anti-inflammatories because I had an ulcer before so I had the Solpadol which had codeine in to which is a controlled substance.

I asked the person I got the info for the appointment for what I should be doing and they said it wasn't there department and to call my GP.

 

So I rang my GP but they were busy so I had to get a call back. That is to say my sister rang them and I got a text from them about arranging an appointment over the phone but the text came after they had closed so I had to ring them the next day and then the doctor called me back.

The doctor at least was sympathetic. She said she would have given me a lot more painkillers for a broken leg but the hospital has to be careful about such things. So my sister went out to get my prescription and I had to pay 40 Euro for a less then 5 mins over the phone doc apportionment.

 

I also got the bill for the ambulance ride and was able to pay that over the phone as well.

At least 100 Euro is a lot less then the horror stories you hear from America and the like. That has been the only thing I've had to pay for bar medication. Thank God for public healthcare.

 

I did finally get the letter about the apportionment on Wed which included helpful directions to a drop off point.

 

Of course Wednesday was also the day I needed to collect my dole.

I had, for obvious reasons, not collected it the Wednesday before but you can only miss one week of job seekers allowance before you lose it so I couldn't miss it again.

 

My sister drove me down to the post office and I hobbled in with my soft cast absolutely drenched in sweat and comply miserable, puffing and panting to the pick up my dole.

I did try and check beforehand if I could nominate someone else to collect it but obviously enough I couldn't. There are previsions in place for other government scheme or if you're in a nursing home or something but for job seekers I had to go get it myself.

 

The lady at the post office explained that obviously if you're not fit enough to collect the job seekers then you also wouldn't be fit enough to look for a job and suggested I switch to disability benefit. They let you nominate some to pick up you allowance for you.

 

So with my dole collected I went home to check if I could do that. (I also decide to chance my arm to see I qualify for a medical card. I don't think I am but there's no harm in checking).

 

I rang up the welfare office and was eventually able to get through to someone who told me that disability benefits was more long term as the could take up to 8 weeks just to review your case and was for more permanent things. They would send me out the form anyway just in case but what I needed to do was apply for illness benefits.

There's an online form to fill in and I would have to get my GP to send in an e-form.

 

So I filled in what I could online and rang up my GP again to get them to send that in.

Unfortunately I didn't exactly have much information. Since I had a hospital appointment on Fri my Doc said to call back then when I had more in and she'd send off the e-form then.

 

So Friday rolled around and my sister drops me off at the fracture clinic. I fully expected it to take all day again so I said I'd call her when I was done and settled in to wait.

 

By 11:00 I had gotten my x-rays. No cast or having to stand on my bad leg needed. Just regular x-rays.

 

I was able to see the Doc at half past and fer the first time I was able to see my x-rays.

Yikes. My leg is broken all right.

 

The doctor (I can't remember her name) thankfully said that I didn't need surgery. phew. She would have to check again in a week but at least that's something.

It'd be 6 weeks in a cast with no weight put on my leg for the first 4 weeks.

 

After that I should be able to get the cast off and then it's just physio therapy until I can walk again.

 

Then I went to get the hard cast put on (this time I was conscious for it) and I was out the door a 12:00.

 

A lot quicker then the 1st day.

 

My next appointment is 9 o' clock Friday the 6th of Sep and figures crossed everything will be healing well.

 

I rang my GP and told them this and they sent off the e-form. They said it'd be for 6 weeks but if I end up needing longer to call them back on the 27th of Sep and they'll renew it.

 

In the meantime, I have heard back from the people who interviewed me the Mon before I fell and I didn't get the job. I still haven't heard back from the crowd that interviewed me the day of the accident nor the people who interviewed me the Mon after.

 

I'm going to put job seeking on hold for a bit until after I can walk again I think.

 

honestly the worst part off all this, bar the pain, is the fact I can't get clean.

I'm stuck with giving myself sponge baths. Thankfully I'm fit enough to do it myself, at least I can keep some dignity.

My sister is a life saver. She has this bore bristle brush that the old timey Victorians used to use in the days where people didn't wash there hair as much and it really helps to make my head feel a little less disgusting. Not completely greece free, but less terrible.

 

 

So that's the epic saga of my broken leg.

I really hope I heal fast.