It's the 26th of January 2021, it's been 78 days since my accident. I know because I'm counting.
The vacuum dressing has done its job and it can finally be stopped. I take these small wins as giant victories and this one feels huge because it appears that the main wound from all four or five surgeries washing the infection out has managed to heal up.
This is great news because the other option was a painful and horrible skin graft, so glad we didn't have to go there cause I have heard they are horrendous and often leave huge scars and change the shape of things. Not that I should care that much because I'm feeling pretty disfigured.
With the help of the vac dressing, it has gone from this:
To this:
..and I am so relieved to get rid of the aquarium pump that has been attached to me 24/7.
I'm in constant touch with the Outpatients and there is a plan to come in for another surgery and remove the Exfix frame. Huzzah! A date is set for the 17th of February 2021, so I I have something new to count which is exciting, I start counting the days since the accident and the days until surgery.
I'm getting a bit more mobile now as well, can sort of scoot around a bit more on crutches.
I can get outside more easily and look at my garden which has been so neglected it has become overgrown with out of control tomato plants and snapdragon flowers I planted from seedlings.
I was using crutches and stepping outside of our house onto the deck where there is small step down. I had been so careful but following the good news of the frame removal I make a critical mistake of crutch placement and before you know it my bad foot, my left foot is leading me out and down onto the deck and I put all my weight on it.
And crumble like a dry leaf in pain. I feel like I heard it crack but I can't be sure. I topple and buckle in pain and scream out for help.
Before you know it I'm gobbing Endone and back in the Transit for a trip to the Geelong hospital for a scan.
Rather than drag this out I'll get straight to the point. I fracture my tibia again. Not badly but there is a new fracture and it appears that after so long with no weight bearing your bones start to turn a bit brittle and can, and will, break easily.
And so it goes. I've torn ligaments and tendons again and the pain is understandablly quite horrendous. I'm sent back home with more pain killers as there is nothing that can be done at this point. The fracture is held together by the frame and pins and there is no point undergoing another surgery which would only increase the risk of new or further infection.
I can't believe how stupid I've been! I'm furious with myself and Scotty is angry as hell as well. No one understands just how frustrating it is being this dependent on another person for general mobility.
I sleep a lot.
The days just blur into one big mess of pain. My favourite nurse quits.
Somewhere amidst the mess I discover that medicinal cannabis is available in Australia and I'm a candidate for a script because of MS so I get straight onto it and start talking with the doctors about how I get some Cannabis Oil to help with the pain. I tell em straight like it is, I have MS and suffer neuropathic pain but I also ripped my foot off and need all the help I can get.
My script goes off to the Therapeutic Goods Administration and gets approved and before long I have a bottle of Spectrum Red Cannabis Oil. It's fucking heaven. It gives me a similar feeling to eating dope cake. Super relaxed, slightly buzzy and high and just helps me sleep so much better than all the pharmaceutical shit I'm taking.
15 days until the frame is removed.
14 days until the frame is removed.
13 days, 12 days, 11 days, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6.... and exactly 100 days after the accident I'm going back into hospital for surgery no. 6? 7? I can't remember, I've lost count.
Comments