My mid-week winter skiing with my ski crossing Seniors stopped when I made a careless move atop the highest mileage. I sank heavily on my hip on the frozen surface at the top of the mountain. Lincoln at Sugar Bowl, my favorite ski resort near Lake Tahoe, California. Spreading downhill, I grabbed the right ski to swoop in order to lift my skis. I carefully experimented with what will move and what will not. I asked my ski friend, Harold, to take a ski patrol and tell them that I needed help.
The ski patrol arrived and checked me: “On what day, what is your name, you hit your head where it hurts you,” etc. I told them that I could not move, and that my right thigh and leg ached.
What a skill and courage these guys have! My position was pretty steep, and there was not enough free snow to land the pole, much less gain a foothold to load me into the sled. But they did, and I kept my leg and thigh in place. They tied me up, closed me, and we left. My ski friend later told me that he could not keep up with us. What a ride!
Trembling and shivering, I was admitted to the spa clinic and on the bed. Since it was the middle of the week and they didn’t have a doctor, they could not take an x-ray to determine my injury. I couldn't put weight on my leg, and I didn't want to move it. They loaded me into my SUV, and Harold took me to Truckee to the hospital.
I was accepted into an emergency. More questions. "No, I have no insurance." I was hoping for a tense muscle and a low cost. The x-ray was inconclusive, so they did a CT scan and confirmed that I broke the neck of my right thigh — the place where the leg bone connects to the pelvic bone. The doctor told me that there was no alternative; I must immediately restore it. This is where I broke down and hid my face in my hands.
“Is there any alternative, doctor?” I asked just in case.
"No. You need an operation today, ”he replied.
About six hours after the fall, I was prepared for surgery. I was told that it would take about twenty minutes, and may want to wake up with a spinal block or have general anesthesia. I woke up and they finished, cleaned, expelled me from the room OR to the room for the night. I was happy that he finished.
Postoperative patients receive the best care. In this case, he attracts a lot of attention from a young, beautiful male nurse, many companies from the state. As many blankets as I wanted. More pain. Super! Then came the nurse. It was a different story. It's time to get off of me and start walking. A professional therapist came, a physiotherapist came. Time to get out of bed.
When I got up, the pain hurt from nausea. They bought crutches and made sure they were the right height. A professional therapist helped me move to the toilet, so I thought that everything was in order. She tried to make me take a shower, but I was not interested. I just wanted to lie down and sleep again. I did not understand that these were small “life skills” tests that need to be performed in order to get a good report on the medical card leading to discharge.
A physical therapy technician worked with me to teach me how to use crutches. Do not hang your armpits on top of your crutch, hold your hands. I had two sessions that day, and if I hadn’t passed the ladder test, I would have to stay the next day. This idea sent dollar signs breaking through my brain with images of even larger hospital bills. Realizing the fact that I am not insured, I had to leave there!
Through the haze of medication, I had a thought. The nurses make me hurt, change the pain, so I can get up and walk on crutches, up and down the stairs, and get out of Dodge! It worked quite well with time for my second session of physical therapy. Patting the corridor to the therapy stairs, still feeling bad, I passed a test of the stairs and called my friend to take me home.
Thanks to my ski friend for being my 24/7 guardian after surgery. If it were not for his patience and generosity, I would have been at home in the snow alone, and could not ride. My sister also came a week later to stay a few days. If it were not for these two, I would have ended up in the notorious creek.
About ten days after the operation, feeling pretty good and well hobbling, my sister and I went out for a hamburger. I began to feel pain in the left side of the ribs under my left arm. When we returned home, I felt the need for a cold pack or hot pack, so I tried the cold first. It did not bind the pain that now affects my breathing. I tried the hot pack and immediately felt an increase in pain and difficulty breathing. The pain she caused was immense. I don't think the fracture caused as much pain as this. Shallow breathing, so as not to cause more pain, I went to sleep to lie down and find a position that I could tolerate. I thought I had a broken rib, or my lung collapsed! I have never experienced these conditions, but I thought something like this should be the cause. I was relieved to learn that it would pass, as Peggy recalled his experience with the same type of pain two years ago for a broken leg.
“I remember how I got the crutches after I broke my leg. A week later, I went to get up from the couch, and I could not take a deep breath. I was surprised if I was injured somewhere else, and the rest of the day on the couch was breathing shallowly and taking aspirin. It was an uncomfortable night, and the next day I moved very carefully, ”said Peggy,
“A few days later I found out that I had spasms in the upper left side of my back due to the excessive use of my muscles, I also pulled my ribs out of alignment in the chest and felt relieved when my physiotherapist, who knew what had happened, corrected my back I still need to be careful over the next few days.
Trying to use my crutches correctly, I pressed a crutch into my chest, which resulted in tenderness, and tense muscles cause muscle spasm. The instructions on the use of crutches did not mention this side effect. I am so glad that my sister was with me and knew what the problem was. I had to breathe shallow, not moving much and wait. I was in bed for 18 hours before I could get up and move around. This was a week before the pain in the muscles of the ribs subsided.
I called the doctor’s office a week or so to find out about another question and asked if patients had pain in the ribs and difficulty breathing. The nurse got angry and said that I had to come in, it could be something serious, like a heart attack. She has not heard of other patients with this problem. I thought it was strange, since my sister and I experienced it. Later, I searched the Internet for similar impressions, but did not find anything like our pain in the pectoral ribs.
Having studied my injury, I learned:
· Cases of leg injuries (from ski accidents) have noticeably decreased. “The total frequency of injuries over the past four decades has decreased by 50%, and since the beginning of the 1970s, broken legs have decreased by 95%.
· Hip or femur - the largest and most powerful bone in the human body. It is surrounded by many tissues, such as ATVs and a large “femoral” artery that carries a lot of blood. Because of this, great force is required to destroy the femur, and it is also very dangerous. 2
Four weeks after the surgery, I use one crutch, going up and down the stairs, and driving. I feel better every day. There is pain with excessive use and movement is limited. I intend to be on the golf course in a few months!
Since I am unemployed, I develop two businesses that I promote on the Internet. My work is done from home. I couldn’t think effectively while using pain killers, and I couldn’t sit on my computer for long periods of time. I expect it will take about six weeks to recover enough to get back to my full-time homework.
The cost of hospitals and doctors is more than 33 000 dollars. The hospital has a financial aid program, and I applied it.
I wrote this article to share my experience with other people who suffer from injuries requiring the use of crutches. I would like to know if others had this feeling of pain in the chest, how they handled it, and what their doctors and professionals said. My contact information is listed in the resource box below.
