It is True Story Tuesday time and my accident story is going way beyond my attention span. So, I am wrapping it up today folks. You're welcome. I am deliberately leaving out some "unimportant" details to the story because those details may become their own TST post in time.
If you've missed any of the previous segments due to your attention span lacking with my long drawn-out story, you can catch them here. (By the way, you can all thank Rachel for this book I have written for all of you. She is the one who wanted to know the story behind my broken foot.)
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Dr. Ortho checks out my X-rays that were taken across the street earlier in the morning and shows me where there is indeed a fracture in my wrist. I ask what needs to be done for it. Of course the answer is a cast. Because why wouldn’t I want 2 of my 4 limbs casted? I chose purple for my right wrist and sit in amazement as he wraps up my arm. Have I really broken myself this much?! How in the world did I get myself in this predicament?
January 2008: I spend my time in and out of doctor’s offices. This is sick season in my house, so not only am I being treated for my wrist and foot, but I am also busy caring for Jakob, Nolan, and Chris as they battle their asthma and allergies during this time. It’s an expensive season for us and when filing taxes for 2008 we literally claimed more than $30,000 in medical expenses. Yup, you read that right. More than $30,000 out-of-pocket medical expenses.
At one of my appointments with Mr. Wonderful and Kinda Cute but a Little to Short Doctor I told him that it felt like the only thing holding my foot together was my skin. He told me that I gave a perfect description for my kind of injury.
Sidenote: Lisfranc is the kind of injury that if obtained in the dark ages, the foot was amputated. It is that severe. It is an injury that is not easily fixed and is so painful until it is fixed that I seriously considered amputation as an agreeable solution.
*The timeline is as accurate as my memory allows*
January 30, 2008: Operation #1. More than 1 month after the initial injury. Turns out I have 3 mangled ligaments, four broken bones and 3 bone chips, and a partridge on a pear tree. No, not that last part. Sorry. (Don’t forget that NO ONE saw any of this on the many X-rays.) Two screws are put into my foot and a soft cast is placed on my leg for several weeks until the swelling goes down. I am not to put any weight on my foot for another 4 weeks. During recovery my foot feels as though it is sitting in fire and I am unable to pull it out. The burning is unbearable (turns out it is caused by nerve damage) and my leg has random moments in which it has spasms. Pain medication is my friend.
Mid February: The stitches are removed from my foot and I can finally shower without bagging my leg. And I am oh so happy about this!
March: The cast comes off my arm. This was the 2nd hard cast on my arm by this point since I got the first one wet. My second cast was pink. I am now able to shower with out bagging any body part. Woohoo! My foot has started to turn purple and does not seem to be getting blood flow to it. I see another specialist (another $50 co-pay) to make sure that my foot does not die. Literally.
This time in my life in which I am completely helpless and unable to take care of my most basic needs, like showering, is some of the sweetest times in my marriage with Chris. I feel like a big, fat blob ( oh boy have I gained some weight while immobile) and he never sees that weight gain. I can't shower on my own, can't wash my own hair, can't stand up without falling (again). He is so patient, kind, and understanding. I am forever grateful.
April: I get back into my walking cast and am off crutches! 3 weeks after getting into my walking cast I am seeing a Physical Therapist 2X/week (more co-pays) to try and undo what the walking cast is doing. Walking casts are great for healing a broken bone and keeping the injured area mobile, but they are horrible for all the other problems they cause. Hip displacement, muscle reversement, (yeah, I think I made that word up) gait problems, I could go on.
August: I am back in a regular shoe, but still walking gingerly. I cannot run or even walk fast. But I am walking and I am glad to be out of the hot, sweaty walking cast.
September: I am suffering from repeated stress fractures in my foot because of the way I am forced to walk on the side of my foot due to the position of the screws. I cannot flatten my foot out and walk properly.
September 11th: I go in for operation #2 and have the screws removed and an in-grown toenail on that same foot fixed while I am under anesthesia. The recovery from this surgery is a piece of cake compared to the first one. I am back in a walking cast and am walking immediately following surgery. I am unable to care for my in-grown toenail procedure properly due to the stitches in my foot and it gets infected.
October: The stitches are removed, I am back in a shoe and Mr. Wonderful and Kinda Cute but a Little to Short Doctor picks at my in-grown toenail toe and manages to get the infection out so that it can start healing correctly, 10 months after my initial injury on a slide that had a sign clearly posted NO ONE OVER 4 1/2 FEET TALL ALLOWED ON SLIDE.
Me: Why of all professions did you choose to work with people’s feet? *said in a disgusted tone*
Mr. Wonderful: I wanted to specialize in something and know everything about one thing and not a little bit about everything.
Me: Oh. OK. Feet are just gross though.
Mr. Wonderful: *smiles*
Me: *thinking* Yes indeed, you are special Mr. Wonderful and Kinda Cute but a Little to Short Doctor. Very special indeed.
This is the last time I see Mr. Wonderful and Kinda Cute but a Little to Short Doctor until Jakob breaks his ankle. He of course recognizes me right away and asks about my foot. *sigh*
The End.
Please excuse the poor quality of pictures. Obviously if I am in the picture I am not holding the camera. Sometimes an *ahem* amateur must take my photo.
And that folks is the final chapter in The Accident. Thanks for hangin’ in there for so long with me. You all are R.O.C.K.S.T.A.R.S.
Make sure to hop on over to Once Upon a Miracle and read more wild, and mostly true stories!
24 Validations To Make Me Feel Worthy:
Oh man. What a story!! I can't believe you had such drama because you went up a slide made for children. Bwahahah. Sorry, just had to throw that in there.
Sheesh...that is quite an ordeal you had to go though. I'm assuming you have not gotten back on any more slides since then? Oh, and that hot pink is a great color on you! ;)
whew!!!! I think I need some pain meds!! you poor thing!
{cute pink cast though..oh so stylish}
Whew... I can't believe you went through all that!
I hear ya on the out-of-pocket expenses. They get out of control. I can't even imagine what ours will total when the year is up.
Someone recently looked at me stupid (when I was telling them about all our med bills) and said "well, dont you have insurance" and I was like yeah, but that doesn't mean there aren't all sorts of co-pays, deductibles, etc., that I am responsible for. It sure adds up fast.
I cannot believe you experienced all of that D-R-A-M-A!!! I can't even imagine the medical bills on that one, either. I'm sure you never look at a slide quite the same way again! LOL
WOW....I mean WOW!!! That was awful. That is the worst injury story I've ever heard. Thanks for finishing it though. I got so excited when I was checking my dashboard and saw your post. :) That was worth waiting for.
Wow! You really went thru a lot last year! I'm glad all is well now, except for that out of pocket expense! YUCK! And I thought MY son cost a lot...
I am so glad to hear that your back in one piece.
Now TELL ME that wasn't some kind of therapy for you - writing it all down. I hate to say that I "enjoyed" reading about your experience....especially the part about bagging your leg as my hubby has had two broken legs and I do know how to bag a leg too!
Finally, you are in one piece again. I keep wondering what Chris said when he found out how badly you'd really hurt your foot, since he didn't think it was that bad to start with?????
All of those medical bills!
No...You're a R.O.C.K.S.T.A.R., especially after enduring all this. So glad you're in one piece again.
Jeez Louise!!! Such an ordeal. I hope your hubby eventually felt badly that he didn't take your injury seriously. lol Glad you survived to tell us all about this!! =D
Thanks for the compliments on my boy! I call boys beautiful as well.
I "smudged" out all the identifying info on his badge so you can't read the name or address...however, I left the school name on there. You think I need to remove that as well?
Lawd.. that made me tired just READING about it! And bagging body parts in order to shower.. oh joy. Looking back, I bet you're amazed at all that you had to go through.. that was an incredibly long ordeal (and when someone smiles and is all eager about feet, I'm sorry, but that raises red flags to me; I wonder what that doc does in his off time? Never mind, I DON'T want to know). So glad that it all turned out OK in the end....
Girl that was just craziness! Love the pink cast though - so cute!
Oh my gosh, 10 months? I couldn't imagine. I might have just opted for the old-school amputation :)
(jest kidding)
Totally hearing ya' on the part of what a pain it is to wrap your casts. And there's a short little TST in my life related to a cast that a particular stubborn 18 month old girl may have had to get twice (ahem).
And the same girl having to get another cast twice when she wa 8 (ahem again).
And $30,000 in one year for medical expenses?!?! That sounds nearly as painful as your foot!
...and that little comment you left for Kmama about having more followers than you ever dreamed... are you kidding?!? You kicked and clawed and fought for every single one of them, so your fame is not gonna make me empathize with you :)
You know I love ya, right?
And I love that this week's story did not end with those three stinker words!
So glad it all turned out OK. That was a whole long line of unfortunate events for you my friend...but atleast you found a good doctor who specializes in just one thing...not to mention he is kindof cute:)
What a story!!! Crazy!
Mrs. Nurse Boy
Man, what an ordeal!! Glad it's over and I hope you have full use of your foot! It was a great story!
Jen
That blows me away. Just shows how limited xrays are.
And the amputation part...i feel dizzy (just kidding) but that really blows me away
After reading all that, I can't believe you are SMILING in those two pictures! You poor, poor thing! I am so glad you and all your limbs survived the whole ordeal!
Oh my gosh. What an ordeal!!! I love the fact that the slide had a height restriction posted!!! LOL
Glad that you are all healed up!
I have wanted to read this for a week now and just found the time to sit down and get it done. What a year for you! I loved your question to your Dr. at the end. I have to agree feet are not so hot and I have an Uncle who is a podiatrist and now I am going to go and ask him why he chose feet... ;)
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