6 posts shown.
feralridge3 said:I honestly have nothing to complain about. 😉
It’s been six months since my surgery, and I have a follow-up appointment next week.
I was hospitalized for three weeks.
There were no extreme enemas or fasting required. 😍
The procedure itself wasn't even that long; they get you back to your room quickly and expect you to be up and moving almost immediately.
To be perfectly honest, it felt like child's play to me, considering I've already endured two brain tumor surgeries. 😲
You won't be stuck in the hospital for more than a week. You receive a list of necessary tests and can just complete them in your own city. If there are no complications, they usually operate the very next day after hospitalization. In my case, I was operated on a Monday. I spent the weekend at home and returned on Monday to handle the dressings and the paperwork.
They gave me analgesics, though I didn't bother taking them. I had some minor discomfort, but I opted out. For a little while, there was some fluid draining from my ear, but that stopped after a bit.
You really have to be careful not to let water get into your ear when you're washing your hair. They told me no swimming pools and no soaking in baths. For a period, my ear would "pop" every time I opened my mouth. My ENT surgeon assured me that this was completely normal. That popping sensation has since subsided. At my last check-up two months ago, he mentioned that everything had healed well—at least what he can see, anyway, since the curvature of the auditory canal makes it difficult to view the entire eardrum.
As for hearing loss, I can't offer much insight. I am gradually losing my hearing due to radiation treatment for my brain tumor. 😢
Thanks for getting back to me 🙂. I have a few more questions.
Is your hearing any better after the surgery?
How did they clean out your ear? About three years ago, I had a perforated eardrum and went to the Mayo Clinic. They used water to clean it even though it was punctured, which I thought was way too aggressive. That's my biggest fear—I won't let them do that to me again. I'm worried they might make things worse, so I'm thinking about trying a different hospital instead.
feralridge3, rapidseal40—could you both let me know how the surgery went? Thanks. 😁
So, I headed over to the orthopedic clinic for an exam a little while back. They took some imaging of my leg, and the specialist told me there aren't any signs of bone trauma. He advised me to hold off on training for a bit—but he also said I shouldn't just stay sedentary; I need to keep moving, just gently... When I felt that sudden jerk in my leg and heard that popping sound, it was likely just a muscle or a ligament issue. He suggested hitting the local YMCA pool a few times for some light swimming... It feels better actually getting out and doing some light leg exercises every day to build strength back up. I'm hoping to ease back into running soon and hopefully everything will be fine... Best to everyone.
Since nobody seems to be responding, I'll just lay it out like this...
On September 13, 2008, I took a hit to my right lower leg. It swelled up, but I figured it wasn't a big deal—just some bruising that would clear up on its own... but five days passed and the pain wouldn't quit. I ended up heading down to the hospital in St. Louis to get an X-ray, where they gave me the diagnosis I mentioned in my previous post... I was put in a cast and told to come back for a follow-up five days later (September 22, 2008)...
On the 22nd, I show up for the check-up, they take more images, and the specialist looks at the scan and writes: "No immobilization required; refrain from strenuous exercise for 2 WEEKS..." ...honestly, it felt strange to me—I felt like I'd been wearing that cast for way too long already...
So, life went on. I rested, dealt with the pain, and stayed sidelined much longer than those two weeks. About four weeks in, I tried playing ball again and got clipped in the leg. I backed off immediately and went to physical therapy, but the pain just wouldn't go away... eventually, almost 3 MONTHS had passed!!! Any time I put weight on it, there was pain... so, I decided it was time for another check-up...
On December 11, I head back for a control visit. The specialist glances at the imaging from September 22 and basically asks, "What is there even left to image?" He sends me for more scans, then hands me the results and tells me the leg healed perfectly, blah blah blah... he writes: "Full weight-bearing permitted; gradually reintroduce training..."
I thought, well, maybe it’s normal that it hurts—maybe it’ll ache for a while, or even for the rest of my life... so I picked up some Voltaren gel and started jogging lightly. I was careful during my first PE class back... but the second time we played soccer, you won't believe what happened...
I'm mid-game, make a sudden movement, and I feel something snap in my leg. I just collapsed onto the ground... my friends helped me off the field. By the time I got home, everything was swollen... I'm at a loss here. Is it possible the bone snapped again? Or maybe a ligament or a muscle... I don't know anymore. I've lost all faith in these doctors in St. Louis... I'm spiraling... my career is going to be ruined... these doctors are just terrible...
I'm looking for any input—anyone who has gone through something similar or can offer some advice... thanks...
Could someone please help me make sense of this finding?
Suspected marginal fracture of the right fibula, grade IV...
Could someone please help me make sense of this finding?
Right fibula fracture, marginal, level IV.