Editor’s Note: The author lives and seeks medical treatment in the United States, and some circumstances are different from those in China.
It was an unremarkable Wednesday and I was at the climbing gym that I went to three to six times a week. My teammate didn’t come with me because I got up too early for work recently, so he decided to go home to catch up and take home a frozen breakfast for weekend skiing.
The climbing gym just set up quite a few new bouldering routes, and my friends and I gathered in the area to figure out how to do them. In one attempt, I fell off the wall, thinking that as usual, I would just climb again.
However, this drop was nothing like the countless drops I’ve experienced before.
Surrounded by so many panicked faces
“oh, sh*t!”
At that time, I just developed a beta (a specific climbing method) to solve the crux of a certain line (where a line is difficult to climb), so I decided to try it out.
As expected, I easily climbed over the crux, and with the cheers and encouragement of my friends, I ushered in the last move at the top of the wall, and just grabbed the upper edge of the wall to complete the route. However, as a dwarf (compared to the boys who were climbing with me), a familiar and sad scene happened: I pulled hard enough but still failed to grasp the top edge of the wall, and I lost my weight and fell off the wall .
During the fall I heard a crisp pop and thought who hit where? It hit so hard! However, I was surprised to see so many panicked faces all around me saying “oh, sh*t! oh, sh*t”.
Only then did I realize that I was lying on the ground with my calf in my arms. At the same time, a wave of severe pain hit me. I took a deep breath to fight against the severe pain, while countless thoughts flashed through my mind:
“Ah! Did I touch my own bone?”
“The husk patient is finally my turn to contribute.”
“It doesn’t hurt as much as when skiing falls at its worst.”
“Ah, so the fracture isn’t that painful.”
“So, is my rock climbing, skiing, fitness career going to end like this?”
…
Tech guy with a french accent
Precisely describe the leg folded into 125°~145°
What impresses me is that my friend who called 911 told the operator in French-accented English that my calf was folded 125°~145°. While I was worried that the operator could not understand his accent, I praised that he was indeed a man of engineering, and described the fracture in detail.
At this time, I was still in the original position, lying on the mat half on my back and half on my side, holding the injured calf with both hands. Although a little curious, I decided not to see the injured leg, lest I scare myself into having nightmares in the future.
Fortunately, there is a fire station less than a kilometer near the climbing gym, and the firemen are also first responders. Three trained first responders were at the scene within ten minutes, asking for my information, cutting my pants, removing my shoes, immobilizing me, and transferring me to a stretcher.
Because the climbing shoes were so tight, I was so frightened that I told the paramedics to just cut them off a few times. However they still took my climbing shoes off completely without much pain.
In the process, teammates also arrived at the scene. He walked up to me and said loudly: “Wow!!!” The first responder couldn’t help but scolded him: “Don’t you have anything else to say?!” The teammate replied, “I’m her husband.” The paramedics were speechless and pushed me into the ambulance.
At this time, my teammates stopped the cart and said to me, “Wait a minute! Listen to me! There is an NBA player named Paul George, who broke his leg just like you, but he came back stronger! Worry! You will get stronger too!” I lay on the cart and said, “Okay, I know, you let me get into the ambulance first!”
The drive to the hospital was about 30 minutes, and the paramedics put an IV needle on me, asked if I needed medication for pain relief, and checked my whole body for other injuries. In addition, the paramedics touched various parts of my feet to ask if I could feel it, and let me try to move my toes.
Later, this procedure of touching the toes was often done in the hospital. I learned that the medical staff should be checking the sensory, movement and blood circulation of the limbs.
Got used to the broken leg
But to “break” the exposed bones back
Maybe it was because I felt relaxed when I arrived at the hospital, and I felt that the pain level increased significantly, so I accepted the pain relief after knowing that the pain relief would not affect the treatment. Immediately after the injection, I felt a little difficult to breathe, and then I felt a little dizzy.
I probably remember getting a tetanus shot, drawing blood and taking an x-ray in bed soon after.
Not knowing how long I had waited in the A&E, I was told that I was scheduled for the first surgery the next morning and could be admitted to the ward that night. To reduce the risk of infection, the doctor first needed to do a reduction to put my exposed bone back under the skin .
At this point, I was gradually getting used to my 125° leg, and I was super nervous to break it back. After signing the informed consent form, I came to a very ceremonial scene: two orthopaedic surgeons, two pulmonologists, an anesthesiologist, as well as nurses and radiologists were all around my bed, and the anesthesiologist shouted loudly. Announce the upcoming surgery, the names of the people present, the anaesthetic to be used, the dose…and then I don’t know anything. In the blink of an eye, I woke up and saw that my legs were covered with gauze. The doctor told me everything was fine.
The picture on the left is before the reset, and the picture on the right is after the reset丨Photo courtesy of the author
Around 1:30 in the morning, I was admitted to the ward. As a night owl who sleeps at three in the middle of the night, and my legs hurt, I hold my mobile phone to chat with my teammates, report to my parents and boss about my broken leg, and show my friends who are also night owls a luxurious single ward. , look up what is an open comminuted fracture of the tibia and fibula on the Internet, look at the treatment and prognosis, brush various apps, and wait until the morning.
The uncle of the nurse shows the scar under the flower arm
Say don’t give up
At six in the morning, the nurse came to push me to the prep area outside the operating room and asked me what was going on. “Ah, at least you are doing what you love!” After listening to this, the uncle nurse also began to share the story of his daughter’s broken leg while skating, as well as the story of his own motorcycle crashing into glass and breaking his hand. He also showed me how he was hiding in the Scar under flower arm tattoo. When I said goodbye, my uncle asked me if I would go back to rock climbing. I said yes. He said earnestly, “Don’t give up! It’s not worth it!”
After that, the doctor came to me for a preoperative interview and signed an informed consent form. Then I lost my memory and didn’t even remember much about getting into the operating room.
Afterwards, I read the surgical report in the medical record, which recorded all the details of the operation , including every step, what equipment was used, how many centimeters of the wound, how big the hole was drilled, and how many liters of saline was used to flush the wound, etc. . I read it several times with great curiosity, and really admire the meticulousness of medical workers.
I woke up again in the recovery area outside the operating room. The nurse walked in and asked my name, birthday, and today’s date, followed by the familiar toe check. Then the nurse told me that the most important thing now is to urinate because I have accumulated about 700ml of urine. But I tried for a long time without success, so I had to accept the fate of inserting the catheter. Fortunately, it was pulled out not long after the operation, but because I still couldn’t get out of bed, I used a urinal instead.
Postoperative x-rays丨Photo courtesy of the author
The nurse exclaimed “Wow, abs!”
I’ve never felt so proud
By the time I returned to the ward, it was noon, and the pain index had dropped from about 7 at the beginning of the fracture to 2-3. At this time, the main feeling is not pain, but swelling and numbness on the feet. Another uncomfortable place is the throat. I always feel a foreign body sensation. The discomfort lasts about five days after the operation.
His teammates before the operation could not come in to visit because of the epidemic prevention and control regulations. At 3:30 in the afternoon, he finally came with takeout. But after dinner, my teammate who loves to work didn’t bring a work computer, so he left me to go back to work, and agreed to bring the computer to work in the ward the next morning.
To be honest, he was useless in the ward other than being funny. He only bluffed and sighed that the ward was high-level, and the tour was average, and he even took a video. The only question asked of the nurse was if he could poop in the ward bathroom.
Ward from teammates’ video screenshots丨Photo courtesy of the author
In the evening, the attending doctor came to the ward for rounds and told me that the operation was a success and that my knee and ankle seemed to be intact during the operation. He told me to move my toes a lot and answered some of my questions:
ask
Why do my knees and ankles hurt?
answer
As the intramedullary nail was inserted through the incision above the knee, the ankle was incised to drill the screw.
ask
Why is the fibula still broken?
answer
The fibula does not bear weight, and it does not affect the stability of the ankle joint if it is broken in the middle.
ask
Can I do an MRI later?
answer
Can.
ask
Can I go through security?
answer
Maybe twice. People with metal in their bodies are very common these days, and the security check will not be difficult.
ask
Do the nails need to be removed later?
answer
Usually not needed.
Finally, the doctor explained the toe-touch-weight-bearing in my order, which means I can now carry about 10% of my body weight on the injured leg , and encouraged me to get out of bed with a walker. After this, I finally got out of the urinal on the bed.
Speaking of which, the nurses are really walking and boasting, which makes me feel like I can do better with my broken leg than before.
I propped myself up to show the nurse’s ass, checking for bedsores—”Wow, great skill!”
After a few sips of the medicine – “So fast, so powerful!”
I lay on the bed with my leg broken and did nothing – “You are so young and energetic, you will be well soon!” “I like a patient like you the most!”
On the second day after the operation, nurse Anna took my vital signs and administered medicines while chatting with me freely. When she was about to inject an anticoagulant needle into my belly, she touched my stomach and exclaimed, “Wow, Abs!” Then he sighed again and again that this is the hardest abs I have ever seen on a girl in more than 30 years of work . I’ve never been so proud of my abs.
Group photo with flowers sent by friends丨Photo courtesy of the author
When the physiotherapist came to the ward in the afternoon, I understood why I could only be discharged with her approval. The physiotherapist overall assessed my ability to complete my daily life after discharge , asked if I was cared for (teammates), if I needed to go up and down stairs (yes), and asked if I wanted a walker or crutches (crutches). Then she brought me crutches. Under her guidance, I practiced getting in and out of bed, learned the correct use of crutches, walked back and forth in the corridor, and practiced going up and down the stairs with stair props.
After some procedures, the physiotherapist told me that I could be discharged from the hospital, and even the scenery outside the window became better after being approved.
The scenery outside the window丨Photo courtesy of the author
Bandaged injured leg
Comes with scary makeup
On Friday night, less than 48 hours after the accident, I came home with my prescription, several pages of discharge notes, my pair of crutches and my bandaged legs, and was finally able to sleep through the night without being called. Wake up for vital signs. But every time I eat the hot frozen breakfast my teammates microwaved for me (yes, the ones I bought for skiing before the accident, I didn’t expect it to work), I wonder if I should spend a few more days in the ward. The hospital’s meticulous care.
The next step is to gradually return to normal life. On the Monday after I was discharged from the hospital, I lay in bed and went back to work. I took a shower one week after discharge, and 10 days after discharge from the hospital, I had my bandages and sutures removed and received a new doctor’s order, WBAT (weight-bearing as tolerable, which can bear 100% of the weight. Try to get off the abduction).
I sent a photo of my injured leg with the bandages removed to my friends, and the injured friends said that it was a pity that it was not Halloween, otherwise it would have a scary makeup effect. All the friends who have not seen the broken leg at the accident scene, including myself, looked at the pictures and said, “Wow, it’s so miserable”, but all the friends who have seen the accident scene said, “Wow, this is much better”! I’m even more grateful for my decision not to look at my legs.
Leg after surgery丨Photo provided by the author
After the accident, I recalled the crisp explosion many times, trying to answer why my friends and I climbed and bouldered thousands of times, but there are hundreds of times at least in the same position in the rock gym, this time. Broke my leg, but couldn’t find a definite answer. Maybe it’s just a bad angle, bad luck.
However, I feel lucky to think that my knee and ankle joints are intact, and that is probably life.
Personal experience sharing does not constitute diagnosis and treatment advice, and cannot replace a doctor’s individual judgment on a specific patient. If you need to seek medical treatment, please go to a regular hospital.
Another TA had a similar experience, please click here for TA’s story and doctor’s comments.
Author: beep I am a sheep
Editor: Orange, Dai Tianyi
Here is the Nutshell patient, focused on telling health stories.
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