Randomly, when I signed off from my last blog I joked about possibly writing my next blog from a hospital bed – you can guess by now from the title that this is definitely not the case!
Reverse back to just before Christmas where the Specialist Consultant in London said that we were good to go for the arthroscopy to remove the hardware and whilst he was in there to scope the joint to get a better idea of why things have not repaired as well as they should. The “Green Light” was a breath of fresh air, when previously I was told there was nothing that could be done and I was told to “consider my life choices”.
Clearly, I was told immediately by Suzy, not before I had a quiet word with myself, that this was all dependant on things getting agreed, and even if this surgery was to go ahead, that might be the only single surgery for quite a long time. Put simply, if the consultant didn’t like what he saw whilst doing the arthroscopy there wouldn’t be any further big surgery to fix what was broken because it was too complicated and high risk. So I may be stuck in the same place I was last August (2022) when I was told that was it. But here we are, going forwards…
To speed things up my Case Manager joined in the consultation to understand what was needed to go to the funders “cap in hand so to speak. Keen to get things rolling as soon as possible I was on the phone, writing emails and doing my “operations manager” thing and chasing people to ensure they had my interests as their no.1 focus, as soon as the meeting was complete.
That helped things, at least to get the necessary equipment to aid my rehabilitation. I am now a proud owner of a “Exogen Ultrasound Machine” – this little thing is strapped to the affected fracture area and helps bone regrowth (I’m told) up to 50% faster. The machine holds 150 treatments and I strap it to my knee every day for 20 minutes and along with my Vitamin D and Glucosamine tablets, this helps the regrowth. This will be also very important post-surgery as the leg will have 9 holes where the screws & plate were so that needs to be fully grown in order for the further surgery IF that were to happen.
I know that sounds obvious – there being 9 holes in my leg when the metalwork will be removed but somehow the insurers seem to need that in writing from the consultant in order to “ok” the payment of the Exogen Machine (???)
Alongside the ultrasound machine, I have a Compex Machine which is a electronic stimulation machine that you attach to your muscles to work them without having to load the knee – so that’s on my legs every day too. This, alongside the compression boots I bought myself prior to Christmas I look quite the rehab patient each day when applying these rehab methods every single day! lol
Soooo, back to the surgery.
I was contacted by the consultants’ secretary to ascertain whether I was using the Exogen Machine correctly, usually they request I come into the clinic and be shown how to use it, but, being 130 miles away it was agreed they would just show me by a diagram. In the same telephone call (this is now New Year) I asked whether they had heard from the insurers, she replied she hadn’t. A little bit annoyed by the “dragging of feet” I then asked if we could just pencil in the surgery and then either it gives the insurers a date to work towards or I’d just pay it myself. I did rant on about the people with the “pounds, shillings & pence” in my last blog so I won’t repeat myself this time round. Nonetheless, we agreed a date – 21st January 2023.
In order to put the proverbial rocket up certain peoples’ backsides I emailed all involved and said the date had been fixed – I also said I’d pay for the surgery if heels were dragging as I wasn’t going to wait any longer.
The replies were varied but somehow completely ignored the fact I was going to self-fund if not decided nor agreed prior to the surgery date. Again, a complete detachment to “real life” I feel.
Within a day the secretary called me again and told me as I needed an overnight stay they couldn’t do it on the 21st January as they didn’t have that facility available, but a further date – 14th February 2023, has now been booked with an overnight stay – so looking at the brighter side of things at least that gives another 3 weeks to get things sorted!
In the meantime…
As well as the “rehab protocol” I’m going through each day I’m still getting the rehab work done at the gym. My Personal Trainer is still pushing me each Wednesday, I do joke and tell her Wednesdays are my “rest day” so her easy exercises do help – I can see the reaction in her eyes when I say it. I think I’m funny but in all seriousness these sessions are really hard and it takes me a day or two to get over them. This is now self-funded as the “pounds, shillings & pence” people do not think it add any value to my rehab program – I mean really – can you believe these guys?
My swimming sessions have taken a bit of a jump up to 5k sets, I don’t really know the main reason other than “more is better” and the fact it stops me from climbing the walls at home when faced with the reality of daytime TV and the dangers of social media. I’m not just swimming 5000m in one go, I break it all up into parts – warm up, drills, main set, a bit of speedwork and cool down etc. so it doesn’t get monotonous. I’m spurred on now by having more of a chance in the swim-parts of Aquabike events in the future so I’m keen to do the best I can with this discipline of the sport.
My cycling is “ok” but it is really obvious now that there is a limit to what I can put my knee through – it’s physically impossible to go beyond a certain effort as I will either pay for it later with a swollen knee and pain relief or I simply don’t have the musculature in that right leg anymore due to the damage to the thigh muscles in the impact with the vans bonnet.
Chiropractic care is now monthly so it seems the specialist has limited the damaging effects of limping and hurting my lower back – it’s either that or I’ve got to a point of protecting it myself in day-to-day life.
The counselling sessions have now taken a turn as such, we’re now looking into the actual trauma of the event, not necessarily the actual event as I avoid that subject, but the repercussions of the event, and the effect it’s had on others’ around me and what my physical limitations are. Moving forwards my psychiatrist thinks that it is more important to develop methods to deal with this rather than just talk about the accident and my frustrations about the delays. I’m inclined to agree with her – despite always falling back into “frustration-mode” at the moment.
The standard mention of Suzy each blog, she’s had enough more than me now, she sees the effect the past 18 months have had on me probably more than I notice it myself. It’s clear I just go into training & rehab to avoid the problems and stresses and she’s just standing there saying “WTF”!!! These delays are now getting stupid and it’s time to write some emails and make some calls to get those concerned to actually do what I’m presuming they’re getting paid to do – to do what they’re paid to do!
Onwards!!!