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10/22/2007: "Keeping it short"
Technically I should be laying down right now, with my leg elevated, but I'm bored to DEATH of that, so here I am.
Hi!
So where were we?
Oh yes, I broke my leg. Short version is that I was horribly attacked by a rogue pinecone. This is more true that I want to admit. Basically, I was walking to my car on Wednesday after school and I stepped on a pinecone with my right foot. The foot twisted inward, resulting in a mild sprain. Then the fun started. As I was falling, I stepped out with my left leg, came down hard and hit with all my weight on the outside of the left foot. This turned the foot inward, resulting in a badly torn ligament and also sheared the fibula (that's the long thinner bone of the lower leg for those of you who failed anatomy).
At first I just thought, "Hey! I've fallen and I can't get up!" Which was sort of funny. And then... it wasn't so funny because I'd fallen. And I could. Not. Get. Up. My ankle hurt worse and worse and then worse and WORSE. I didn't want to move, actually. By this time there were about 4 people asking me if I was OK (which I certainly was not), if I could move (which I could not) and whether I wanted an ambulance (which, at that point, I did not).
Someone called Dave to come pick me up and a wheelchair was produced. Schools, man. They have everything. I was lifted into the wheelchair and props go out to the guys who got me in that thing. They're the heroes. I was brought back into the school office, and a more painful ride I hope never to take. Dave showed up after about 15 minutes and we collectively decided to call 911 because I was terrified to move my leg. Our school secretary told me that every time we moved the chair I was resting my leg on, I went white. I believe it too, because... OUCH.
Sooooooo, we called 911 and they came and asked me about twelve times what my name was and where did I think I was and all that, checking to see if I'd hit my head, I guess. And then the fireman asked me the one question that made me want to kiss him and run away to Bimini and live with him forevermore.
"Would you like some morphine?"
Yes. Yes, I would, thank you very much. So I was duly doped up and after a hit of morphine I was just fine letting everyone mess with my leg and splint it and whatever they had to do. Yay morphine!
I was brought out to the ambulance, secured, double checked and then... guess what they did? THEY GAVE ME MORE MORPHINE. I loved the lovely ambulance people.
We got to the ER and I was stationed in a hallway (they were busy). When the doctor came to look at me, he took off the splint, gently poked at the swelling and said, "OK, here's what I want to do. I want to give you some more pain medicine and then we'll take x-rays."
My first thought? More pain medicine? I need more before you'll take x-rays? Sign me up!
I got a hit of something even better than morphine and got my x-rays. Then I spent the next hour? 90 minutes? I do not know. Anyway I spent the rest of the time dozing in the hallway. It was lovely, actually.
After the x-rays came back, the doc told me I needed surgery so they'd splint me up and have the orthopedic surgeon call me on Thursday. Fun! I was really surprised at how fast everything moved. We were in the ER for about 3 hours, the orthopedic surgeon called at 8:30 the next day and I was scheduled for surgery at 11 the following day.
The surgery was anticlimactic. I went in, they hooked me up to an IV, initially said they were going to give me twilight sleep but I think they decided to knock me out instead and then I woke up in recovery. I spent one night in the hospital, hooked up to a morphine drip (love that lovey morphine) and came home on Saturday.
So here we are. It's Monday, I'm out of work until after the New Year and I have to keep my leg elevated. Updates will be scattered for the next week or so. Dave has offered to type in my NaBloPoMo updates so I'm still up for that. If you send me any emails it'll take a day or two for me to respond since I have to get upstairs to do that and I can only handle the damn stairs once a day. They're scary right now because... well, crutches, for one thing. Also my leg is only in a splint until Halloween because of possible swelling. I won't get a cast until at least the middle of next week, so support is sort of iffy on the leg.
My final words to you are these: Watch out for pinecones!!
Replies: 1 Comment - Go read it!
on Tuesday, October 23rd, Jeannie said
Evil evil pinecones. :crazy:
Well, at least if someone puts Dessa in your lap, you can get much cuddles for the winter months!
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