CheekyEMT

It's not looking like I will be back on truck anytime soon. I saw my surgeon last week and it's looking like another surgery on my ankle. I am going tomorrow for my 2nd cortisone shot, he wants to see if that helps before we decide to go ahead with the 2nd surgery. I will go back in 4 wks for another follow up and discuss whether or not to go ahead with surgery. If we decide that it's needed I will be having surgery in Jan. My other ankle unfortunately needs to be done as well. I will be holding off on that one as long as possible. Merry Christmas to me

I have placed 3 calls to my surgeons office and as of tonight have not received a return call. I'm assuming it will be Thurs before I hear back as that is the only day he is in his office during the week. I had hoped his secretary would have called me back with a referral to the orthopedic clinic though. He is in clinic every Tues but I can not see him without a referral. So looks like I have to wait it out until at least Thurs and hope I hear from his office by then. Yep, it's concerning

Thanks folks. Scuba, I'll be in touch. Thanks for the chat offer. I was hoping some of you may give me your opinion on this pic of my ankle. This is what it looks like right now. Notice the large red area? What are your thoughts? The large red area has just recently surfaced so is concerning to me. I apologize for the blurry pic but I had to crop it quite a bit to get it small enough to upload. Thanks Caduceus...I may just take you up on that :-)

Well, my absent ass is back. Still struggling with my ankle and have been dealt a pretty shitty card. I'm expecting this latest news is offically going to take me off truck for good...:-( Have been told I have something called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome...some forms of it are fatal. The form I have wont be determined until a collagen biopsy is done and the genetic mutation is identified.. yep, a huge shocker to say the least. My history of "loose joints" , hypermobile joints and GI issues raised some questions and the conclusion is Ehlers- Danlos Syndrome The hyper mobile joints are only one of my issues. Never thought at my age I'd be facing a potentially fatal genetic disease. Ok to cry now?

Well, it's been a couple wks since I've posted. In the midst of set back and will find out on Tues if I'm going back to the OR. Sigh!. Dr thinks there is an issue with the hardware/screws. Having an MRI in the morning and will see my surgeon tues morning to determine what the next step will be. :-(.

Well, I think tomorrow will be a big day. 11 wks post op . I see my surgeon at 11am....hoping for good news and for him to say " you go girl"..lol However, time will tell exactly how this is going to play out. Fingers crossed.

I don't frequent the boards enough to offer up advice, but my mom died from a PE 8 yr's ago and it was absolutely horrible. She died in hospital while waiting for hernia surgery. She developed the clot in her femoral artery which resulted in the PE....I held my mother's hand in the ICU while she coded 3 x's. Not something to mess with. Something you may want to be tested for or look in to is Factor V Leiden. It will test for hypercoagulability( and inherited clotting disorder). But you really need to get the necessary work up done to find/diagnos and properly treat the DVT.

I'm honestly struggling with what to do. I have plenty of idea's and lots of thoughts but can't seem to get myself beyond getting back on truck. I'm sure that my thought process will change once I see my surgeon again on Tues and get some better direction from him. I'm not ready to leave the streets...:-(

The 911 call system here..in the city we live in is centrally located at the police station. If caller requires ambulance then dispatcher transfers the call to ambulance...same if you require fire. If police are required then dispatcher will take caller info and dipatch appropriately. I have never worked in dispatch but it is something that has always appealed to me and been of interest to me. I believe I would be good at it. I work well under pressure and can make quick,appropriate decisions based on the circumstances. Patient care is my forte...no doubt about that. I would prefer to remain in a position where I continue to provide hands on care....that's what I was meant to do and where I belong. But if my ankle prevents me from returning to that I "think" dispatch is something I would enjoy and be good at. However, I have flirted with the idea of becoming a PA as well. I still have a lot of thinking to do before any final decision is made. Until my surgeon tells me I will NOT be able to return to work I fully intend to get back on truck.

I have to say Dwayne...your posts always manage to bring a smile to my face and even a little chuckle...:-) uniforms left our closet about 4 days ago....they are now hanging downstairs in the "storage closet" for seasonal clothing. I will admit that before putting them away I put one on for shits and giggles....I will wear it again some day....might be 3 months from now...might be 6 months from now...but I will wear it again. I am doing well, getting back to normal activities...shopping, cleaning, swimming, even managed a full weekend at the cottage for the first time this summer. I've got my first physio appt scheduled Sept 4th. I see my surgeon Sept 3 for my 11 wk post op follow up and am anticipating becoming cast free that day and hopefully cleared for physio. If he says no physio yet I will just reschedule it for a later date. All in all...my spirits are good....I have my good and bad days...for the most part they are all good. I'm content with the progress I've made over the last couple wks and I know that it's all up from here..:-) Recovery has been slow....have not been cleared for physio yet. I am just over 9wks post op now. I came out of the fiberglass cast on Aug 6 and was put into an "air cast" that I am required to wear all the time. I take it off to shower and when I go to bed. We purchased an extra one to allow me to go swimming, so I always have a dry one. My incisions have healed quite well...although not the prettiest looking things. I still have a huge amount of swelling and the scar on the lateral side of my ankle is incredibly sensitive...it doesn't like anything touching it. I have some pain in my leg where the tendon was harvested (semitendonosis)? and my back has been killing me...I'm sure thats from the air cast throwing my gait off so much as well as adding 2" to that leg....so I walk with a limp and awkward gait when I have the boot on. I've also been getting a 'holy crap' pain in my ankle since coming out of the cast and going into the boot...the pain is in the cuboid and talus area. Concerns me as I have 2 screws in my talus and 6 screws in my fibula and calcaneous as well as 2 tunnels drilled through my fibula. I had 5 falls the first week after surgey while using crutches and 2 falls when I went from NWB to PWB that put a significant amount of pressure on my ankle..So am concerned that I have messed something up . God I hope not. I am hoping for a good report at my next appt and hoping that this pain is just from my ankle getting used to being used again and the new ligaments stretching a bit.

Seems the lovely Oct weather we've been having has finally departed...we are cottage bound for the weekend.... 31 and sunny skies for the next several days. I see boating, tubing, fires on the shore, good friends, good times, a cold bevie or 2, surf and turf and total relaxation on the horizon. Happy Fri folks....enjoy your weekend. Cheers!!!!

I certainly didn't think it would happen to me. Both hubby and I were quite shocked when I was referred to the surgeon...I had no idea what I was in for with this surgery and recovery. A fall back plan is definately something that I wish I had in place....Hubby and I have talked quite a bit about what my next step should be and we have decided that dispatch is where I want to go , but only IF I am not able to get back on the truck. I am going to do whatever I need to do to get back on the truck....hopefully it will be enough and my ankle will physically be able to allow me to....but if I am not able to get my ankle back to normal (although I know it will never be normal again) or as close to pre injury condition then dispatch is where I'm going to go. I will be content and happy with that and I will also be able to continue teaching with the ability to increase my amount of instructing time. I do miss being out on the road though....no doubt about that. Just seeing my uniforms hanging in the closet every time I go in there is depressing...sad that they're just hanging there collecting dust....However, this too shall pass....I WILL GET BACK OUT THERE....in one form or another.

OUCH! both femurs...that sucks. I am "planning" on getting back on the truck and doing what I love to do....it is going to require alot of 'patients' , determination and hard work....but I am going to remain optimistic. Even if it takes me a full yr like my surgeon said it may....I'm ok with that....if the end result is getting back on truck then I'm ok with the time and process to get me there. It's not a sure thing and I know that....but as the old saying goings..."what we think about , we bring about"....so my thinking is going to remain positive. Thanks for your encouragment Miscusi :-)

Great idea Richard!...Definately something to look into. :-) Yes, have given that alot of thought....dipatching is something I would enjoy for sure.

Saw my surgeon today. I'm 7wks post op. Cast off and now into an air cast for another 4wks. Surgeon said everything looks good and is healing well. :-). I'm allowed to walk on it, swim (if I swim with the boot on) and allowed to take it off and start stretching my ankle a bit. No rotation or side to side, but I'm allowed to flex it up and down and start loosening it up a bit. It's VERY tight and stiff. I have virtually 0 ROM but am hoping to see that change in the next 2wks. I go back on Sept 3 for another follow up and hopefully he will let me start physio then. I'm in the home stretch...yay!!!!! But, how things look right now I don't anticipate being back on the truck until Jan or later. Maybe not at all. :-( I am still VERY swollen, he said that will take about a year to go away and that if I'm going to get a full recovery it will be about a year. So, will have to see how things go over the next 4wks before I start looking into options and making life changing decisions.