5 Years and Still Painful – Part 5

Previously on 5 Years and Still Painful: I had dislocated my Knee-Cap and gone to Hospital, The Next day the Knee-Cap was Broken and I had been waiting for an Operation. A Day Later I had an operation and have had lots of tubes inserted into my body. I had to use a machine to bend my leg, I had to walk around using a Zimmer Frame and I left the Hospital after almost 2 weeks since the Accident. I then got some Crutches after Christmas. Continues

First Recovery

Now that I was on Crutches things began to improve quickly, I went to town for the first time in a long while and it was a fun day out. I also picked up DVD’s of Escape From New York (a film I plan to review at some point but because it’s an awesome film the time has to be right to really plan it out) and the first series of The A-Team. Very soon I returned to college to continue my retail course.

As the leg began to heal more and more I started to lose support. First one crutch was taken away and then the other one was replaced by a walking stick. Eventually I could walk unsupported. I also had to go to the hospital less often and I no longer needed an ambulance. As things were beginning to improve one thought came creeping up. My physiotherapist Claire had told me that I needed another operation. Even though this was not for a few months the time kept coming closer and closer.

Eventually I did not need physiotherapy anymore and for the first time I was starting to enjoy some days at college. Because I had so much time off I had to repeat the year. So I did even though I did look into doing other stuff. In the second year I made more friends and enjoyed my time more. I was actually able to run and enjoy running for the first time in a long time. I also made a new friend at church called Lisulo and had a fun day with at the Morecambe Megazone in November. In December I got the Nintendo Wii, despite the fact it was going to be a Christmas present from my parents to me they let me keep it out and have fun with it but I left Red Steel for Christmas Day. Even though things were beginning to get better and better for me something was still on the horizon, the second operation. Then in late November I got the letter telling me when it was. The 18^th of December. So I went and told everyone I knew at the time and told college when it was and said more time off was coming. 3 weeks after I got the letter it was the weekend before the operation.

So after months of pain and recovery things were looking up and then I had to have another operation.

GENEPOOL

5 Years and Still Painful – Part 4

Previously on 5 Years and Still Painful: I had dislocated my Knee-Cap and gone to Hospital, The Next day the Knee-Cap was Broken and I had been waiting for an Operation. A Day Later I had an operation and have had lots of tubes inserted into my body. I had to use a machine to bend my leg, I had to walk around using a Zimmer Frame and I left the Hospital after almost 2 weeks since the Accident. The Story Continues.

What Happened Next:

I remember coming home and because of the step at the door I had to put the Zimmer Frame inside the house and then hold that and jump with my one working leg to get inside the house. I went and sat down in a chair Dad had brought home from church for me to use. In order to go to the toilet I had to slide up the stairs on my bottom and a second Zimmer Frame was put up there so I could walk around there. Mam put some of the things from my room on the top floor in my brother’s room so I did not have to climb all the way up the stairs, things like my Television, DVD Player and my GameCube. Because of the time I spent away Mam recorded some television that I asked to be recorded, Shows like WWE Raw, WWE Smackdown and a repeat of the 2003 series of Tarzan. For the next few days I spent my time at home playing games and watching TV, The only times I went out were when I went to church on Sunday and when I went to get a haircut on Monday. I remember going to church and sitting near where I used to sit with my Zimmer Frame in the corner.

I remember talking to my friends who talked a little bit about the accident but went on to talk about other things as well; they even had a go with my Zimmer Frame. I spent some other parts of the week decorating Ginger Bread Men and watching Godzilla Films, I remember some people coming to visit me. I remember going to Teens Club at Church as well but being unable to do much due to me not being able to really move.

On the Friday (1 week after I left the hospital) I got this phone call which I did not understand but it was a woman who was saying something about booking an appointment. I asked them to ring back when my Mam was in, They did when my Mam came back and it was the Physiotherapy at Lancaster Hospital who wanted to book an appointment for me to come back in. On the following Monday my Mam took me in to see the Physiotherapist and this nice woman called Claire was my Physiotherapist and she told me and my Mam what was going to happen, originally I was going to have 2 appointments a week. They also arranged for me to have an ambulance pick me up from home. The Idea was that they would give me a time and I would have to be ready for an hour before that. This was the time slot for when they would come to collect me. This did not start until the next week because the next day I had a doctor’s appointment and Physiotherapy straight after, it was at this appointment that I could see from an X-Ray where the Screws in my leg where. After the appointment I travelled through this almost underground tunnel underneath the hospital to the Physiotherapy ward (just so you did not have to be wheeled out in the street).

I remember Dad talking to the other people at Physiotherapy asking if the appointment would take long because he was worried about the car not being in a good parking space (it was on the pavement outside the front door to the hospital). Basically Dad could not find a place at the Hospital Car Park and nowhere close enough for me to walk into the hospital. Because my movement was limited and the speed was limited I had to be close to the hospital, so Dad parked the car on the pavement and tried to ask people where there was spaces. Well because of the appointments he just came along with me and it was not until he got to physiotherapy that he started to ask questions about car parking, to be honest he was arguing not talking with one of the other physiotherapists. Eventually the session happened, I then had my session with Claire before going home.

Basically I spent most of my time the following weeks just sitting at home watching TV and playing Games. I kept on going to church and teens club but that was the only time I went really went outside, except for when the ambulance came to pick me up to got to Physiotherapy. When you get into the ambulance I had to jump up the platform they got out just so I can get onto it, then the ambulance people would put the seat belts on and then drive you to the hospital, twice a week.

At this time the only real pain I was experiencing was the uncomfortable feeling from my leg brace, it was particularly uncomfortable at the ankle. At least on most nights I could have it taken off. The most painful part of the leg was when I accidentally put my weight on it. This sometimes happened when trying to put shoes and socks on, I was also unable to bend my leg so it was very difficult.

Over the next few weeks a similar pattern begun to emerge, one at first that did not get to me but then did, “How’s the leg”. For many weeks even into the weeks before the third operation I had constant people asking “How’s the Leg”. Ok it was nice to know that people cared, they were interested, they wanted to know how I was doing. But eventually it felt like they were not asking me, they were asking the Leg. It was like they wanted to know how the leg was, not me. Today I sometimes think that maybe I should have cut my leg off and they could have socialized with that, that’s how it felt, like they wanted to know how the leg was and not me.  The only people that did not really do this were my Best Friends Alex and Dan who asked about it very little and then went on to talk about more interesting things. Even after the third operation it was still the leg and not me with other people. This eventually stopped around about April 2007. I actually told someone who has been a great friend in my life called Mary when I told her about this. Mary asked about the leg and then asked about me. Eventually everyone was asking about me and not the leg. This is one of the things that helped me to forget about the leg injury and I could have just got back on with my life, except for the fact that Dad constantly told people about it.

Just after Christmas 2005 the Zimmer Frame was removed and I was Given Crutches, the better ones where they are supported by your hands and forearms. One good thing about this was I could stand up for long periods of time without it hurting. The Brace was also removed and my leg was now ready to walk again, but it was still going to be a long road ahead before I could walk unassisted. Things were beginning to improve and they would, for a while.

GENEPOOL

5 Years and Still Painful – Part 3

Previously on 5 Years and Still Painful: I had dislocated my Knee-Cap and gone to Hospital, The Next day the Knee-Cap was Broken and I had been waiting for an Operation. A Day Later I had an operation and have had lots of tubes inserted into my body. The Story Continues, NOW.

The Rest of the Hospital Time: The next day the nurses removed most of the pipes in my body apart from the one in the back of my hand, just in case they need to inject something into me. They also got me onto some food.

Every morning the nurses would bring round the menus for food the next morning, there was one for kids and one for adults, also in the mornings a trolley would come round with newspapers and stuff, I sometimes used to buy a Boost.

I also had to start walking again, but to begin with I would be supported by crutches. The physiotherapists would come round and get you to practice, but they would laugh if you had an accident, you are in pain and they are laughing.

The most painful thing to happen (since the accident) was this machine they put me into, it was used to bend my leg, IT HURT A LOT. The machine would angle your leg and it would bend it, and click (the leg not the machine). The leg had to be able to bend at an angle of 90 degrees before I could go home, it took me almost a week to get to 90. The problem was that it hurt. I finally got to it when I was listening to Wrestler Entrance Music on a CD player. I was listening to the music used by the Ultimate Warrior, it released something hyper in me and I got to 90, I was in pain but I was too hyper to care.

One of the biggest issues was nothing to do with the hospital, it was a patient. For about 5 days I had hardly any sleep, because it was a Baby. Crying every night, Just GO TO SLEEP, SLEEP, JUST ONE NIGHT OF PEACE. On the final night that the Baby was there I got some good sleep because the person next to me had some machinery attached to him and when the Baby cried a few minutes later the machines would go off, the Baby would then go quite, I had no idea what was wrong with the person next door, but I finally got a Good Night Sleep.

After a few tries I was unable to use the Crutches so they got me to use a Zimmer Frame. I was incredibly slow and it is incredibly tiring. After about a week in the hospital I started crying, I wanted to go home, I would not go home for another week.

I got some nice get well gifts from friends and family, sweets (or Pain Killers as I phrased them). I got some nice cards, books, chocolates, magazines, sweets and even a Pinball Hand Held Game. Thankyou Everyone. I had some nice food while I was in hospital. One of the weirdest ones was Lancashire Hot Pot with no Gravy, Extremely Odd. One night I had my favourite food, Lasagne.

After Almost 2 weeks, on the morning of Friday 18^th November 2005 I went outside for the first time in almost 2 weeks. I went home and I thought it was all over, it wasn’t.

GENEPOOL

Off-Topic: I have written up my Film Review of The Count of Monte Cristo, I will post it up soon.

5 Years and Still Painful – Part 2

Recap: I had dislocated my Knee-Cap and was Admitted to Hospital (Lancaster), It was then put back in place and broken. I was then waiting for an Operation. The Story Continues.

Monday 7^th November 2005: I woke up that morning, nothing odd until about an hour later when a bunch of people in blue clothes with bizarre head bands turn up along with a Big Black Bed. They tell me they have come to sort out my thing (What?). They slide me onto the Big Black Bed with a back board and transport me along the (Lancaster) hospital corridors, this was quite strange because I was horizontal and the corridors went on for a long time. We finally come to the Operating Room and I hear lots of Noises, People Talking.

I then feel these sticky things on my chest, they were heart rate monitors. I then feel a little scratch, well when I say little, I cry every time I have an Injection, because it hurts, People say that it doesn’t hurt, well, they are wrong, they all hurt, every single Injection Hurts. Anyway I remember feeling a scratch and then told to count, so I did.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, My eyes closed, 6, 7, 8, my eyes opened and I see people screwing things into my body. I was back in the ward. I had a button in my hand which was to be used in case I felt pain in my leg, this would inject morphine into my body through a pipe that was in the back of my hand. I had a Bottle of Blood in the bottom of my leg and a giant bandage around my knee cap. Ok I didn’t see that for a couple of days, but it was there.

I remember just not moving, bizarrely I did not feel much pain, I hardly ever pressed the button. I remember people passing by and checking if I was OK but I just remember not doing much. I remember my Mam and Dad coming to see me and discovering the bottle of blood, but Not much happened. At least the operation had gone, it was out of the way, sort of.

GENEPOOL

5 Years and Still Painful

  

5 Years ago something Terrible happened to me, something Annoying, Terrible and Painful. Now 5 Years have gone and it is still hurting. 5 Years ago My Knee Cap Broke.

Back then I just wanted to carry on afterwards, Now I am in a position where I want to talk about it. So let me share with you what happened.

5^th November 2005: it was Bonfire Night and the Fireworks were happening like every year at the castle in Lancaster. I went to see them and got there about 10 Minutes after they started. At the time I had a minor problem with my Hamstring in which I couldn’t stand up for a long time with out my leg’s clicking when I walked (This Hurt). I decided to try and find a place to sit down. I walked onto of the Grey Hound bridge here there is a Safety Bar which stops car falling down the hill and crashing on to the Millennium Bridge. I just thought it would be ok to sit on this.

First I swung my right leg over, I then sat down on the bar. Next I tried to swing my left leg over, then my body fell backwards and my Knee-Cap twisted above the shin, I fell down onto the ground with an Extreme Pain in my Right Leg.

I was on my front while on the ground, I was hissing and shouting. I called for help but it wasn’t for a minute or two that someone came, He got me to sit on my front and asked me to try to bend my leg, I couldn’t. He helped me up onto the bar and said that I should try to bend my leg. He went back to his family who were watching the fireworks. Meanwhile I was sitting on the barrier holding my leg. After 15 minutes or so The man and his family returned and I was unable to move, so they rang my parents, after about 10 minutes my Mam and Dad arrived and tried to lift me into the car. I was unable to do that because while they lifted me up my leg was unsupported and was swinging a bit (I Think, It was hurting a lot). They put me down on the barrier and rang for an ambulance, After about 10 Minutes it arrived. 2 Paramedics came out, one was a Woman and the other was a man who I thought looked like a Milkman. They brought a wheel chair with them and managed to get me into it. They strapped me in which made me quite scared.

They took me into the ambulance and got me onto a bed. They told me to breathe through this pipe, While I did this they drove me to Hospital with my Dad giving the paramedics my Information. We arrived and I went on my bed through A+E and waited to be seen.

My mind goes blank at this point, I think I had an X-Ray where they had a look at my Knee-Cap, the next thing I remember is some doctor trying to put my Dislocated Knee Cap back into place, one issue being that they couldn’t find a Vein to put me to sleep so they let me breathe through the pipe, I remember them pushing on the knee cap and the resulting pain. They found a Vein in my foot and managed to get me to sleep as they pushed the Knee-Cap back into place. I think they took another X-Ray while I was asleep because in the morning a doctor told me something from an X-Ray, more on that later.

I remember blurry visions of waking up for split seconds and seeing my mum sitting next to my bed. The thing that happened next is the most mysterious.

I was awake staring at the Hospital Ceiling at 4am. I don’t remember waking up, I just remember looking at the ceiling, I was confused on one point, I remember my mum said she would try to arrange it for me to go home after they sorted out the leg, so why was I in a Hospital Ward, Why couldn’t I move, What happened coming to this point where I was just staring at the ceiling at 4am. I remember needing to use the Toilet so I called a nurse who gave me this strange-looking object, how was I supposed to go to the toilet. I was unable to go to sleep (as much as I remember). I just waited until the next morning wondering what was going on. Even now I still don’t Understand, Why was I staring at the Ceiling, I don’t remember waking up, I just remember the Ceiling.

Sunday 6^th November: I don’t remember going to sleep, I think I stayed awake since 4:00 am. I remember being told how to go to the toilet using the object, I ended up using 2. I remember being asked what I would like for breakfast by the Nurse, I had Frosties with Milk, A Fantastic Combination. That was spoiled though by a large plaster on my foot where the Vein was found to put me to sleep as they popped the Knee-Cap back in place. I couldn’t eat anymore, I just had some toast.

Then the Doctor came with an assistant, Mr. Marshall he was called and he told me that something happened when they popped the Knee-Cap back in place, it was now Broken. They told me that there was a loose piece of bone in the Knee-Cap. It would require an operation, Now I had watched episodes of Casualty and instantly thought something bad was going to happen. They said it may be a small piece of bone that would simply be removed and that was that, OR it would be an extremely large piece and would need to be reattached to the Knee with 3 Screws. Meanwhile I was panicking about the operation (if you are planning to have an operation, Don’t Watch Casualty or Holby City).

Because the Idea was to have the operation that day they had to starve me for about 8 hours, so I had some food and something to drink and then nothing for a long time. My dad then came and talked to me, I can’t remember much about what he said. I was then put on the pediatric ward (I was a year young for an adult room).

I remember being in the room lying on the bed and being cold, because I couldn’t move the leg I was unable to sit up and drag the Duvet over, I had to use my one good leg to hook it over. Because I couldn’t eat it was very annoying when a boy across from me was eating something at tea time, Pizza and Chips, I remember wanting to go over there and take it from him, but I couldn’t walk.

It was about 8:30 pm and my mum was with me, it was dark and then Mr. Marshall returned informing me that I was not going to have an Operation that day, It was getting late. He said I would have it in the Morning, So I could have some food, I was thinking Pizza and Chips, NO, IT WAS TOAST, TOAST. I went to bed and was woken up between 2-4am and was told they need to starve me again, so they gave me some toast and something to drink, then I went back to sleep.

More Coming Soon,

GENEPOOL

Off-Topic: On Wednesday I Became Teesside University Fluxx Champion.