I'm super tired today. Just blah, you know? I think we all have those days. Today is especially difficult because I'm so sore and stiff. My left foot wasn't bending so well this morning, so even going downstairs was pretty difficult.
I blame myself, of course. I probably worked myself a bit too hard yesterday after walking 1.5 miles in 18:26 (then going on for my first 2 mile walk in 24:01!), then hit the treadmill for 10 minutes (only .34 miles there...walking still hurts), then I swam for 20 minutes. These times aren't stellar by any measure, but I'm proud. This is the farthest I've come so far since breaking my leg in September.
Long story short: I broke my leg jumping out of planes. Yes, my feet and knees were together, so don’t bother. Anyway, this is what the break looked like:
I blame myself, of course. I probably worked myself a bit too hard yesterday after walking 1.5 miles in 18:26 (then going on for my first 2 mile walk in 24:01!), then hit the treadmill for 10 minutes (only .34 miles there...walking still hurts), then I swam for 20 minutes. These times aren't stellar by any measure, but I'm proud. This is the farthest I've come so far since breaking my leg in September.
Long story short: I broke my leg jumping out of planes. Yes, my feet and knees were together, so don’t bother. Anyway, this is what the break looked like:
The surgeon informed me that they had to wait so long for surgery because the ER splinted the break on the fracture, forcing the swelling to get worse. That’s not so bad save for the fact that if they cut me open, they wouldn’t be able to stretch the skin far enough to sew it back together. At least, that’s what he told me. This is what they installed in my leg during surgery (it's steel, not titanium like the screws in my right knee...and I still don't set off metal detectors at the airport):
This was me getting stitches out:
Since all of this happened, life has been fairly slow and, well, boring. Before the break, I was never still. I'd hike, swim, snowshoe, kayak, run, and above all, be outside. Alaska is amazing for reminding us about the value of nature. No matter my mood, I always feel refreshed in the company of water, trees, chirping birds, soaring eagles, and the sound of grass, dirt, or snow under my feet.
The point of sharing all this is to give you a background and better explain why I'm so happy when I walk a mile or swim 1,000 yards. It's no big deal for the average athletic person (or even one who was once athletic, but now is the proud owner of a handicapped placard), but it's a huge deal to me.
Breaking my leg wasn't bad. It hurt, but not horribly. When it happened, I actually thought I had only sprained my ankle. All that aside, the hard part about breaking my leg was laying on my back for so long, not being able to sleep through the night for months, staying inside when the rain and snow fell, watching my unit deploy without me, and fighting the psychological hardships of major life changes. I'm an extremely independent woman and suddenly not being able to shop for groceries, cook myself meals, answer the door, climb a flight of stairs without a break, take a shower standing up, or even carry a dinner plate to the table killed my spirit. I've since learned to ask for help, but I'm still not good at it.
In the end, I feel I'm a pretty lucky gal. I didn't lose my leg. It'll come back. I'll always have nerve damage (I can't feel the top or side of my foot, which makes movement pretty weird), but I'll run and swim and bike and kayak and all that one day. I'm thankful for that.
The point of sharing all this is to give you a background and better explain why I'm so happy when I walk a mile or swim 1,000 yards. It's no big deal for the average athletic person (or even one who was once athletic, but now is the proud owner of a handicapped placard), but it's a huge deal to me.
Breaking my leg wasn't bad. It hurt, but not horribly. When it happened, I actually thought I had only sprained my ankle. All that aside, the hard part about breaking my leg was laying on my back for so long, not being able to sleep through the night for months, staying inside when the rain and snow fell, watching my unit deploy without me, and fighting the psychological hardships of major life changes. I'm an extremely independent woman and suddenly not being able to shop for groceries, cook myself meals, answer the door, climb a flight of stairs without a break, take a shower standing up, or even carry a dinner plate to the table killed my spirit. I've since learned to ask for help, but I'm still not good at it.
In the end, I feel I'm a pretty lucky gal. I didn't lose my leg. It'll come back. I'll always have nerve damage (I can't feel the top or side of my foot, which makes movement pretty weird), but I'll run and swim and bike and kayak and all that one day. I'm thankful for that.
I just commented on your post when this happened but wanted to make sure I commented on this too. We have almost the same injury except mine is on my right leg. It sucks being slow so I was curious about what you have been doing to recover? How long before you are allowed to jump again?
ReplyDeleteI've been doing physical therapy three times a week since November for recovery. When I first started, I did simple exercises like leg raises and toe scrunches. Now I do calf raises on stairs (all the way down and all the way up), leg press (started with 10#, but have worked up to 50#), one-legged ball toss against the trampoline, lunges, resistance band, ultra slide board, and walking. I just started running today, but the elliptical is much easier due to the impact running places on the bone.
ReplyDeleteI don't know when - or if - I'll jump again. In order to even consider the thought, I'd have to get the hardware removed. That's another surgery and another 6 weeks non-weight bearing, which equals more muscle atrophy and physical therapy. All things considered, I may be jumping by next year...almost a year and a half after the break.
Good luck! If there's anything you have questions about and I can help, please let me know! You'll probably hear this a lot, but try not to push yourself too hard during recovery. You're going to want to and you're going to think your body can handle it, but the fact is bone takes forever to heal.
If you're having trouble calcifying the break and stimulating osteoclasts, ask for TRICARE (pr your surgeon) to issue you the Smith & Nephew Exogen 4000 Ultrasound Bone Healing System. It worked wonders for a fragment that refused to heal to my fibula! Also, check out CICA Care silicone sheets for scar treatment. TRICARE wouldn't pay for mine, but you can get it on Amazon. It's expensive, but it made my frankenstein scar almost non-existent.
I've been doing Physical Therapy as well. I have a screw holding my fibula to my tibia for support and the Orthopedic Surgeon is going to remove it but the plate is staying for good. I've been told that I should eventually be jumping again once it is finally healed and will be back to exercising like normal. It seems I was extremely lucky because I didn't even try to stand on in it on the DZ. I hit and heard it snap. I gathered up my air items and combat equipment and got out of the harness while I waited on the gator to come pick me up. I landed in a small depression just like you did but on uneven ground and that put more pressure on my right leg. Right rear PLF. Feet and knees together.
ReplyDeleteI was told I only had a 4 inch scar and when they took the cast off for my Post op the other day it was really apparent that 4 inches is really big. It looks exactly like in your pics but is a little higher on my leg.
I've been keeping my normal workouts but can't do anything remotely heavy or anything that requires two legs. I definitely can't run or hike and that sucks.
It was very weird to read your blog post because it was very familiar. I am definitely going to check into the things you mentioned.
Keep updating about your progress and how you heal! Good luck!