Back to the chopping block

This past week, after a year and a half of pain, I decided to go back under the knife in hopes that some of my worst pain could be alleviated by getting the hardware removed. This includes 18 screws and 2 steel plates, one of them 9 inches long! So did it work, is the pain lessened? At this point I cannot tell because my leg hurts from the incisions, the debridement, the holes, and the swelling. I will spend about a month on crutches and then slowly return to full weight bearing and normal activity. My guess is I will know sometime in late February or early March if this procedure was worth it. At least I have had lots of practice with crutches so that part is no sweat, but I miss riding my bike to work.

The Hardware (scale is 6 inches)

The day after: new Frankenstein scars.

Gearing up for more surgery.

It has been a fantastic fall for the leg. I am getting stronger and stronger but the pain caused by the implants will not go away. The long plate on my shin is especially painful because it channels force from the top of my leg down the plate and into a dime-shaped spot that hurts like being kicked or whacked by a pipe. To get rid of this pain I scheduled implant-removal surgery for the week of Thanksgiving. That will put me back onto crutches for a month or so and slow me down a bit but I think I will be better off in the long run. To prepare for going under the knife I've been doing all I can to use it while I've got it -- biking, working out at the gym, hiking, dancing around the house, and generally acting as if I do not have all that pain. As for the surgery, I am nervous - excited about it. I fear the pain and recovery but I relish getting rid of this shin pain because it is really holding me back from reaching my full potential.

Summer Slog

I've been away from the blog due to a summer research trip to Turkey and Syria. It was nice to get back into my work but after a few weeks it was a slog. That is, I struggled daily with pain in my knee and leg generally, and had to harness all of my mental energy to keep going through the pain. A compression wrap and some ibuprofin took the edge off, but the rest of it was simply sucking it up. As a result my muscles are much stronger and I am walking better than ever, but it concerns me that the pain will not go away unless I do nothing, which is not how I want to spend the rest of my life. I will probably have the steel plates and screws taken out in a few months and hopefully that will lessen some of the pain in those areas. Unfortunately much of the pain is inside the joint and in an area where there are no implants, just nerve damage. Although I try to be optimistic I fear I will just have to suck it up any time I want to hike, bike, walk around the mall, etc. As long as the doctors say I am not doing damage then I guess I can fight the pain and go for it. Here are some images of my summer fieldwork.

Pushing the limits.

This week we took our first camping trip since my injury over a year ago. Nothing like a few days in the mountains to cure what ails you. I decided to test the limits of my leg with a 4 mile hike on one day and a 3 mile the next, both with at least 1 mile of steep terrain or scrambling. The news is good: aside from some pain during the hike and soreness the next day, my leg did well. In fact, I think I could have gone further but I don’t want to overdue things and end up with tendonitis or shin splints.

Spring snow.

Long time no post! Not much to say, just continuing to work hard in therapy, still trying to get full extension. Flexion is now 123 active, 135 passive. I am hopeful that I can get another 5-10 degrees out of it, but that may take another 6-12 months. Finally changed out the pedals on my bike so I have toe clips, which improve the workout when I commute to work. With summer coming I am starting to train for my magnetometry research by carrying a 10lb weight while walking transects. Carrying the weight in the right hand is difficult, but in the left it balances my weak hip and it is almost like being normal again...except for the constant pain and lack of full extension. Last night we had some more snow, perhaps a last blast before spring stays for good?

On the trail again.

This past weekend I took my first hike since….December 2008! We used to hike all the time until my accident, and after such a long hiatus it was nice to get back into the mountains. I did better than I expected no doubt thanks to my new trekking poles. I leaned on them heavily and as a consequence I burned my arms as much as or more than my legs. I am pleased to report that despite hiking at my old fast pace I was still able to get out of bed the next day. This gives me hope/confidence that I can get back to some of my old ways. We hiked with a friend and her two dogs who alternately led the way or pushed us from behind.

Anniversary

This past week marked 1 year since my injury. As you can see in the attached video, I am walking much better than a few months ago, but still cannot get my leg completely straight. The video does not convey that my leg was aching with every step because by that point we had walked about a mile. Thus among my many rehab goals, two key tasks are straightening the leg and building enough strength and endurance to walk longer distances. At least I am not in the hospital as I was at this time last year, but alas I am a long ways from “fully recovered.”

Walking towards a new year.

We spent the new year on the North Carolina outer banks. It was cold and rainy but we had spots of sunshine and it was nice to walk on the beach. On our last visit in August I was still using a crutch and had to be helped into the water. This time I used a cane for balance but it was too cold to swim. Hopefully by summer 2010 I can run into the water like old times. We also hiked up to the Wright Brothers Memorial, which was quite a task because it is on top of a high dune. The monument is inscribed with inspirational words related to the first flight, but I think they apply to rehab too!