HCSkip out of commission

hcskip

hcskip

EOG Addicted
Just a note to anyone who cares.....

Thursday night I was working on one of my rental properties. I was investigating the collapse of the bathroom ceiling, apparently from a roof leak (Atlanta's been hit with a lot of Hurricane Sally rain), and was up on the roof to secure a tarp before I can call my roofer. When I started back down the ladder, the wet ground gave way and the ladder came crashing down 20 feet to the pavement. I dislocated my shoulder and broke my lower right leg with a compound (open) fracture. Both my tibia and fibula were sticking out of my leg when the paramedics arrived.

So now I'm in a Gwinnett Medical hospital room. Thursday night my wounds were cleaned and the shoulder (mostly) fixed up, and I'm scheduled for surgery Monday morning to fix everything else with plates and screws. I'm not supposed to use my right arm for 3 weeks, and the leg should heal in 3 months.

Kind thoughts are appreciated!

Hal "Skip" Crawford (hcskip)
 
kane

kane

EOG master
Sorry about your accident Skip, hopefully you have a speedy recovery and get back to normal ASAP. I know it sucks right now, but after a few months go by and you're feeling like your old self again, you might realize how lucky you were, I see stories all the time about people who suffer nasty falls and sometimes they end up paralyzed or worse, take care man.
 
R

Rockfish

EOG Addicted
That is a brutal injury to your leg. What Kane said is so true. Artie Lang from Mad TV and the Howard Stern show, his father fell off a ladder and became a quadriplegic. His father installed antennas for a living. HC best of luck on a quick recovery.
 
hcskip

hcskip

EOG Addicted
Thank you everyone for your concerns. I still have lots of pain in my leg, hopefully they'll up the drugs tomorrow.

Yeah, I'm 59 now - still pretty fit but clearly not quite as tough as I used to be. I'll probably stay off the 30 foot ladders now going forward.

I'm not supposed to use my right arm at all, the dislocation has made it really sore and they're telling me it'll pop back out if I'm not careful. So that rules out crutches and walkers for the time being.

Let's find some winning games - I need to pay for all this! :)
 
John Kelly

John Kelly

Born Gambler
Staff member
Hang in there, Hal.

Love to see the positive mental attitude despite the physical injuries.

Mind, body and soul are connected.

Great time for everyone to assess risk/reward opportunities.

Let Hal's mishap be a lesson to all EOGers.
 
hcskip

hcskip

EOG Addicted
winkyduck said:
Wishing you the best. After all I went thru last year I know how important good health is
Click to expand...

Thank you for the kind words, Wink. As miserable as I've been the past few days, I know it's nothing compared to what you've gone through.

As an update - today's scheduled surgery to put plates on my Tibia was postponed - rescheduled for Tuesday morning. My right arm was in fact broken, in addition to being dislocated - I saw the X-rays and CAT scans today. - but it's an end cap part and can't be set. So I have to keep my arm mostly motionless for 6 weeks.

Good thing I'm left-handed.
 
C

ComptrBob

EOG Master
As bad as they sound, bone breaks (fractures), even compounded, can heal long term better than dislocations, ligament or tendon tears.

Once had a guy ski up to me when I was on ski patrol ask me to help him reduce his knee dislocation. It had popped out so often that he knew exactly what force he needed to get it back in the socket. Not exactly the first aid I was taught, but it worked.

Good healing. My only broken bone was my left wrist at age 11. Was set with just a cast (no surgery) and healed in 6 weeks. Good thing I was right-handed. :)
 
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winkyduck

winkyduck

TYVM Morgan William!!!
hcskip said:
Thank you for the kind words, Wink. As miserable as I've been the past few days, I know it's nothing compared to what you've gone through.

As an update - today's scheduled surgery to put plates on my Tibia was postponed - rescheduled for Tuesday morning. My right arm was in fact broken, in addition to being dislocated - I saw the X-rays and CAT scans today. - but it's an end cap part and can't be set. So I have to keep my arm mostly motionless for 6 weeks.

Good thing I'm left-handed.
Click to expand...

Fair point. I could have died. You won't.

The one thing you will now learn is: How important family is

I had a 0% chance of beating Cancer without my family putting their lives on hold for 5+ months. Reading about your situation you have a 0% chance of getting thru this without your family being your caretaker for the next few weeks and maybe a few months. My guess is you are doped up on all sorts of narcotics to help with the pain meaning you shouldn't be driving. Your family will have to help with help with everything from getting dressed or getting clothes ready for you, meal preparation, laundry and more. Don't be afraid to ask for help since you would help them if they asked. Take the time to slow down and take a long look at your life and realize how fortunate you are to have the family you do. We take family for granted until they are needed and then we realize how narrow-minded we were in not appreciating them as much as we should have.
 
B

bomzee

EOG Dedicated
OUCH !!!!!!
Best wishes for a full recovery. Determination plus physical therapy will do amazing things
 
F

Foresthill

EOG Addicted
hcskip said:
So I have to keep my arm mostly motionless for 6 weeks.
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Brace yourself for some painful physical therapy to regain the strength and range of motion in your right arm after not being able to move it, let alone use it for six weeks.

Your muscles in your right arm will certainly atrophy over that time frame, BUT I have faith you can do it! It helps to know what you're facing and then have the attitude that you'll do what it takes to regain your strength and range of motion in your right arm.

Use shot term gains in strength and range of motion as motivation to keep going through the pain, knowing that you're gradually getting better and you will achieve your end goal of being the best "new you" you can be.

I'm focusing on your right arm and shoulder because I experienced a left shoulder injury that ended up "freezing up" with scar tissue after initial poor medical advice, and then required very painful physical therapy to break through the scar tissue so I could regain my range of motion and regain my arm and shoulder strength. Thanks to the physical therapist I had (who was tough as nails on me) I was able to do it, so I know you can do it.

Note: If you don't like the medical advice your getting or physical therapy, don't hesitate to seek that advice from others. Ask around for recommendations for those who excel at helping people with your particular injuries.

Hope you're feeling better, your surgeries are successful, and your physical therapy effective.
 
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winkyduck

winkyduck

TYVM Morgan William!!!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Along those lines - hydrotherapy is wonderful. Dong all sorts of exercises in a pool gives wonderful resistance and allows you to do it without stress on the body
 
P

Patrick McIrish

OCCams raZOR
Had a few knee surgeries, the pool was really a great way to get work in. Resistance without the pain (for the most part)......

Great way to get hurt area moving again. Improves strength, flexibility and so on in a much easier way.

I guess arm and shoulder it would/could help as well but I never used it for upper body injuries.

Keep us posted on your rehabilitation Skip, I'm just curious what sort of programs you end up on.
 
hcskip

hcskip

EOG Addicted
Everyone - thanks again for your words of support and suggestions.

I'm now back home- staying on the 1st floor of my house with reasonable access to kitchen and 1/2 bathroom. Today is Day 9 of what I have affectionately called, "100 Days of Hell."

Only one other broken bone in my life -- I broke the tip of my fibula (same leg) while horseback riding about 15 years ago. I actually unsaddled and walked the horse to its stall, thinking I just had a bad sprain (we had clipped a glade of large trees riding back to the barn at high speed). When my foot swelled up to the size of a football later that day I knew things were a little more serious.

This time around, it's the tibia and fibula - both popped out above my ankle, along with some busted ankle bones. All (hopefully) put back together with a plate and screws.

The worst part is the pain - I have a daily allocation of 4 pills of 5mg Percoset, which I'm trying to hoard until night so I can get some decent sleep. I discussed this with my GP and we decided this was for the best for the time being. Some friends are suggesting some other, shall we say, organic remedies, which I may check out if the throbbing in my leg doesn't settle down in a few days.

I have a huge cloth splint on my leg, which means no water for the time being - when I go back to the surgeon in 12 days I'll probably be fitted with an aircast.
 
kane

kane

EOG master
Must be a good feeling to be home, glad your surgeries went well, all you can do is take it day by day, hope you have a good recovery and everything heals the way it should
 
winkyduck

winkyduck

TYVM Morgan William!!!
hcskip said:
Everyone - thanks again for your words of support and suggestions.

I'm now back home- staying on the 1st floor of my house with reasonable access to kitchen and 1/2 bathroom. Today is Day 9 of what I have affectionately called, "100 Days of Hell."

Only one other broken bone in my life -- I broke the tip of my fibula (same leg) while horseback riding about 15 years ago. I actually unsaddled and walked the horse to its stall, thinking I just had a bad sprain (we had clipped a glade of large trees riding back to the barn at high speed). When my foot swelled up to the size of a football later that day I knew things were a little more serious.

This time around, it's the tibia and fibula - both popped out above my ankle, along with some busted ankle bones. All (hopefully) put back together with a plate and screws.

The worst part is the pain - I have a daily allocation of 4 pills of 5mg Percoset, which I'm trying to hoard until night so I can get some decent sleep. I discussed this with my GP and we decided this was for the best for the time being. Some friends are suggesting some other, shall we say, organic remedies, which I may check out if the throbbing in my leg doesn't settle down in a few days.

I have a huge cloth splint on my leg, which means no water for the time being - when I go back to the surgeon in 12 days I'll probably be fitted with an aircast.
Click to expand...

Smart move. I saved all my pain pills for night time so I could try and get some sleep.

I can only imagine how tough trying to sleep actually is. The leg pain keeps you from doing so for a long time. Have you tried sleeping on a recliner? You might find that might be worth trying
 
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