Perhaps i should share to my readers (if ever there are readers) as well as to my friends out there so I could refrain from starting my stories regarding my accident from day 1 until recent. Herewith is a picture of myself on late october last year after a month and 2 weeks from the accident and surgery. I also included the last x - ray i had on January 3, '06.


Click for a larger image

It shows how badly beaten my bone was from the accident and i am convinced my healing will take more than a year. Earlier, i was reading similar experiences posted on My Broken Leg especially on Elaine's case. She suggested an open reduction to her doctor but the doctor did rodding instead. If I can remember correctly and exactly, my doctor said my fracture is a "comminuted fracture of the tibia III" and I later on knew i also have a transverse fracture on my fibula. I mean I knew from the start but i just dont know exactly what it is called. Elaine, on the other hand had a spiral, comminuted fracture of the distal tibia and fibula. Yet researching on my case from browsing the web, i think i can consider my fracture "spiral" as well. My doctor did an open reduction and i dont clearly understand what an open reduction is. He did rodding as well, since there's the visible presence of that hardware inside my bone! With little researching about my case, I read on my sister's (the one in Dubai, she a PT graduate) textbook that comminuted fracture, more often not, undergo another surgery, be it bone grafting or any other possible ways the doctor decides on. Elaine did all the second surgery after a year with a complicated fracture due to weight bearing. Her surgery actually included the bone grafting part and sewing the bones into compression using skinny wires. Now THAT - is indeed scary! I dont want to go through all that that's why i postponed my doctor's visit.

I actually did not understand Elaine's situation perfectly well because of the clinical terminologies I am not aware of but well with the fracture and some of the treatments she had at first. But i fully understood the doctor's advises that she was told since it was exactly similar to mine (which I actually didnt religiously followed, apparently). She was advised to do full weight bearing in three months time. i was exactly told the same thing. Again, i didnt actually followed that. reading through Elaine's testimonials, the screws that locked the rod in the bone was broken and it was due to the weight bearing she put on when she walks. When I was told to do partial weight bearing to full weight bearing, my doctor also reminded me to be aware of the possibilities that my bone can be displaced so I should "watch" every move. Of course, I have that in mind since I dont fully agree with weight bearing in reference to the damage I can see on my bone. The X - rays you see are taken on January 3rd, more than 3 months after surgery (6 more days left to complete 4 months.). My uncle is a registered x- ray technologist and he told me then (on January 3)that my bone is showing some progress, that there was callous formation. But I couldn't see that comparing it with previous x- rays. However the doctor assured me that there was little callous formation (on that area where single arrow with no color is directed as shown in my photo). Then that's when he told me to do full weight bearing from then on and take caution of the weight as well. Again, i didnt follow that 100%. I do weight bearing but i dont give my full weight on it since I dont want to complicate the fracture more than it is now. That's my assumption, and logic to it. And was proved so in Elaine's case

On Feb 28th i had an appointment with him. I didnt go. I was afraid of what he might tell me. During the last time he told me that if there's no good development with regards to bone formation he will take out the screw below the knee which holds the rod. The next thing he told me scared me. He said he will also do bone marrow injection on my leg and showed me how he will do it. Large needle drilling my pelvic bone to suck marrow from and transfer it to my leg is just too much to make me run and hide to avoid that. But that's impossible :-). I guess it is better than scraping a part of my bone in the pelvis and screwing it on the broken bone.

On Elaine's case, she went through too many surgeries and the trouble of all that. She did bone grafting sewing the bones into compression using skinny wires as mentioned above. There were several procedures done to her that i cannot imagine vividly. I am scared because i dont want to go through what she went through not to mention the monetary aspect of it. Tuesday will be the day to go to my orthopedic surgeon. And I just hope its all good news! I dont want another needle, anesthesia, the CATHETER(!!!) and all that's needed in that course! Speaking of catheter, I cant help but think of feeling abused. Funny, but it seems to me like a very huge member abused my sooo very little hole.