Glad your surgery went well! Take care of yourself and be sure to eat right and get plenty of fluids. When you go physical therapy, be sure to address the issue of swelling/edema and ask about massage to counter that.

Later on, when you start skating, you might have to put some gel sleeves on (maybe doubled up) to pad so you don't feel the screws pushing in. The hockey guy at my rink did that, altho he was in hockey skates and only had to worry about the screws near his navicular bone, not the ones higher up. Once he padded them he was ok with not feeling them as much.

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

Hi Debbie,
Glad all went well. Everyone at Mt. P sends their best. Dennis and Jeff say hi and send along their hopes for a speedy recovery.
Please let me know if you need anything.

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Recycle Love - Adopt a homeless pet

Hugs Debbie!

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Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Debbie:

I'm glad things went okay with the surgery and that you have a place to recover safely. (Hopefully, your parents will take good care of you.)

I am sorry the anti-clotting medicine involves so many shots, but it's a necessary evil, right?

Get well soon!

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Just reading your post Debbie and feeling sorry for you. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Just wanted to send a big (((HUG))). Hang in there!!

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Thanks to everyone for your support!

I'm now off the pain meds and antibiotic I was taking and am now taking Tylenol....and Benadryl, b/c I am apparently allergic to one of the 3 meds (painkiller, anti-nausea drug, and clindamycin)....and have a rash to show for it. Yuck! I talked to my surgeon's P.A. this morning about that and the tingling sensations I'm having in my leg under the cast. I was worried about an infection but she said the tingling is a good sign and means the nerve cells are regenerating. Still taking the Lovenox shots - she said it's rare to have a reaction to that and it is most likey the other meds.

One week from today and I get this blasted cast off. But then I also have to look at the scarring and whatever else lies beneath.

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Terri C is a Bronze lady!
Gold Moves, here I come!

Minus the rash... Sounds like everything else is encouraging. (Yes, "tingling" sound very hopeful in this case.). I'm still sending "good health" and "speedy recovery" thoughts to 'ya over there in the East Coast!)

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

let them put that tape over the incision and let it heal more before you look. tingling sounds good, sending good cast-off vibes.

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It's all about the dress!

Debbie--sounds like the healing is progressing well. I broke my ankle a couple of years back and there was no question that I needed pins & a plate (fibula broken clear through and a tip of the tibia broken off). My recovery went OK, GREATLY assisted by good PT and regular at-home exercises, but I did end up having the hardware removed a few months later for two reasons (1) The metal ended up giving me pain to the point that I couldn't exercise any more (2) I couldn't flex my ankle enough, which made stairs and (of course) skating difficult.

Getting into the skates 3-4 months postsurgery took some finagling, but it worked for a while with gel pads. The second surgery to remove the hardware was easy-peasy and I was walking the next day. I feel for you on the Lovenox (low-molecular-weight) injections (do you often clot or do you have a higher than usual risk of clots)--I had to inject myself twice daily with heparin while pregnant and for 6 weeks postpartum and it was NO FUN. My sis was pregnant at the same time and had an autoinjector, but I had to shove that needle in all by myself. . .

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"Go wash an elephant if you wanna do something big." -Baby Gramps

I think this is standard protocol for surgeries that leave you off your feet for a while. Anytime you are sitting/lying down for long periods, you run the risk of a clot. Taking an aspirin a day is another option, but my doc said that although it is known that aspirin thins the blood, there is no evidence that it decreases clot risk. So I'm doing the shots.

I am so freakin mad right now. I don't believe the rash is entirely from the earlier meds. Because the rash on the surgery leg is intense, almost hive-like, and extends as far down as I can fold back the bandage at the top. Probably down to my foot for all I know. Plus the rash on my torso and now arms. I've moved from Benadryl to a stronger anti-histamine and not much change. I suspect the tingling was more rash than nerve cell regeneration. And after talking to the immeasurably unhelpful P.A., I looked up the name of the surgical scrub they used and it turns out it is contraindicated for people with thyroid disorders, which I have (hypo) and told everyone at the doctor's office and hospital about.

I called my endocrinologist who thinks it is a localized reaction and not a general allergic reaction. So the other rash may be from the meds. I just made an appt for a "dressing change" tomorrow morning. I don't even want to think about what my leg is going to look like, but I've clearly got to get this crap cleaned off and get new bandages. They're going to have to put me back in another cast until Wed, but I think it's better to do at least something now rather than wait.

Taking prednisone (which I've taken before for hives) is not recommended right now b/c it could inhibit the healing of the incision.

I must have been asked 5 times, by each doc and nurse, what leg was being operated on, and the doc drew his initials on my leg, all in the name of avoiding a medical mistake. Part of their "Patient Safety Initiative". I guess patient safety doesn't include checking underlying medical conditions and possible reactions to materials/meds used in surgery?

ETA: Just talked to my mom's allergy doctor. He does not think prednisone would inhibit the healing but would like to see it first before prescribing anything. We might go tomorrow b/c he can look at the upper thigh area at least. He thinks the rash on the other areas is from the oxycodone (painkiller). He told me to take Benadryl along with the stronger antihistamine I took earlier. If anything, it will knock me out and make me sleep.

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Terri C is a Bronze lady!
Gold Moves, here I come!

How frustrated and uncomfortable you must be right now. (((DEBBIE S)))

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I'm now back from my appt. And I'm in a walking boot! Not to walk but a removable cast. As I was sitting in the cast room with the tech pulling off the cast stuff, the doc walked by and looked at everything. I was a bit horrified by the sight of my extremely swollen ankle but the tech said that everything looks good. The rash was only down to a little below my knees, not all the way down as I feared. Tech gave me baby wipes to clean off the gunk above the stitches.

It turns out that the surgical scrub the PA told me they used was not the one used after all. Doc thinks it might be a latex allergy - I've never had problems before but I guess there's a first time for everything. As the doc looked over my leg, he suggested getting x-rays and going into a walking boot today. I was like, really? So I got the x-rays - somewhat painful b/c I had to bend my knee and ankle, but I survived - and then got a boot, with a thin white stocking that goes just above the knee. My ankle is a few degrees short of 90 when it bends but the doc wants me to work on it - periodically taking the boot off and flexing back and forth. He worked a little on it and said it looks good.

He showed me the x-rays and I could see the rod and screws. 4 screws total - 2 near the knee and 2 at the ankle. The ones at the ankle look like they could pop out of the skin when the swelling goes down - they were right up against the 'shadow' on the x-rays, and the screws aren't shrinking... I asked the doc about the timeframe for removal and he said he wasn't planning on removing anything. I'm like, huh, b/c that's not what he said at the hospital, but I suppose there's plenty of time to address that. I really would prefer not to have hardware in me the rest of my life.

Then he said it could be a year before I'd be able to fit into my skate, b/c that's how long it takes for the swelling to completely go down. And then he suggested getting a larger boot in the meantime, lol. I guess I could have that skate stretched or punched.

He said that ankle breaks heal faster than leg breaks. Just my luck.

But at least I'm not in that blasted cast anymore. I do still have to go back Wed to get the stitches removed.

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Terri C is a Bronze lady!
Gold Moves, here I come!

Congrats on being out of the cast and on everything healing so well. Maybe when you mentioned removing the screws, the doctor thought you meant in the near future, as opposed to way down the line when the swelling is all gone and you've had time to find out if they bother you.

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Yay! Enjoy the plaster-free living.

FWIW, The ER doctor who first told me I'd likely need a plate said most people don't notice it and just leave it in rather than have another surgery to remove it. She quoted me something like 1 in 2000 people have it taken out. Now that is wrist, not ankle, but you might as well wait and see how it feels.

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It's all about the dress!

Hi Debbie

Glad that your surgery is progressing well, and that you are in your parents' house, so that they can look after you.

Well, just take your time to rest, before going on the ice again, as you certainly do not want to make your injuries worse.

And if you are bored of having nothing to do, and frustrated of not being able to get onto the ice, maybe you can watch some ice skating DVDs. Just a thought.

londonicechamp

Yeah, my surgeon had originally planned to take out just one of the three screws in my ankle, but then he changed his mind and took all three out. So the important thing is that your doc listen to what you're saying about how it feels, and is adjusting his plan accordingly.

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August 22, back on the ice!

I personally had this same type of break. I was given both options. I opted for the surgery. Like you said they said I might need it anyway if it didnt heal so I didnt want to go through the pain with the cast then have surgery still. The surgery wasnt bad. The worst thing was the staples in the knee. After they were out it wasnt bad at all. The main bone that they put the rod in barely hurt at all it was the smaller bone that bothered me. Becuase there wasnt a cast over it when i would turn over sometimes it would bother that bone. I didnt have to sleep with the boot on. I mainly wore it when i was out to protect the leg from getting hit. I was able to shower early on and take baths once the incision healed without trying to keep my leg dry. You are able to clean the leg (carefully). I was also able to flex the ankle a little which helped it from getting stiff. My leg didnt heal even with the surgery i had to have a bone stimulator but i was still able to walk on it with the boot after a couple months and then without the boot i just still had to use the bone stimulator. It ultimately healed right. I didnt have much problem with the rod. THe only issue was one of the screws down at my ankle when i started skating again the pressure of the boot made it bother me but that has subsided. As of now i havent had it removed and have no problems. This was 3 years ago. I may have it removed but am waiting a little while. If i had this happen again i would personally do surgery again. Hope this helps.

I'm another one in your club. 1995 did a double flip, left toepick came down for whatever reason and I did the rest of the rotation with my foot stuck in the ice. Tibia and Fibula fractures all up and down the bones, rod and four screws. All my hardware was removed.

Bottom line-- skated a year later, haven't left the ice or had problems since. Key is PATIENCE. Take your time, recover properly, do the physical therapy and take it day by day. You can do it and you will skate again if you want to.

Good luck, wishing you a speedy and painless (as possible) recovery.
From Debbie to Debbie

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Careygram

January: Sure I'll compete, quick, send the application
April: I signed up to do WHAT??

Thanks, Debbie.

How long did you wait to have the hardware removed? And everything's been OK, no knee problems? That's good to know.

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Terri C is a Bronze lady!
Gold Moves, here I come!

So my rod and screws were put in at the end of June and I had everything out by March of the next year. And I have not had even one issue due to that injury. I was blessed to have had an amazing doctor. And it was so funny because that orthopedic group in princeton was the same that was working on Sergei Grinkov. I missed him and katia by TWO DAYS. I said "OMG you should have called me". They were like "why?". Argh...

Anyway, I feel great. Have a positive attitude and look for the good somehow. I got to spend an entire summer with my family on the beach, at the chesapeake bay, at the movies, doing all kinds of fun things with my mom so it was one of the best times that came from a bad time.

I hope you're better even today
Debbie

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Careygram

January: Sure I'll compete, quick, send the application
April: I signed up to do WHAT??

Thanks, Debbie, and everyone. Just got back from having the stitches taken out. Will still be 2 weeks before I can wash the leg. I asked doc about daily icing and he said that yes, it will help the swelling go down, so that's what I will be doing. My Lovenox shots end tomorrow and he said the effects wear off after 12 hours.....which means I can have a drink Friday night - I think I need one, lol. Unfortunately, no ibuprofen for 3 months, b/c it inhibits bone healing - I was hoping to be able to take something stronger than Tylenol for pain.

He had me bend my ankle and knee and both can go to 90 degrees. He said I can take my foot out of the boot for up to an hour a day total (like 4 15 min periods or something) and flex the ankle.

I asked him if he thought the break was a sign of weak bones and he said no. I told him that I'd been thinking if there was a way I could have prevented the injury somehow - his response: give up skating. As if!

I asked about removal of the hardware and he said that he usually takes out the screws if people are having problems, but leaves the rod in. But he said if I wanted the rod out, he could remove that, too. It wouldn't be for a year. And he said the issue with rod removal was that I'd have to go through a knee rehab since it would involve moving my knee around.

I asked him about whether I'd need to take antibiotics for my dentist appt next month and he said to just wait 6 mos before going. OK, that would mean a year between cleanings. I have 4 cavities, but none since about 11 years ago and I sure don't want to get any more, if I can help it. Grrr.

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Terri C is a Bronze lady!
Gold Moves, here I come!

RIIIIIGHT!!!!! NOT!!!

Okay, if you don't already have this, shell out the $ for a Sonicare toothbrush. Very easy to use AND my dentist tells me that practically all his patients that used it properly had improved checkups since using it. Of course, most of his patients are those little old ladies and men from Chinatown that does the tai-chi class near the parks of Chinatown. I really don't expect them to do anything but the cheapo manual toothbrushes that my dentist hands to them for free after their checkup.

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!