Here are some images and x-rays, courtesy of Alon, from the Emergency Room and my Recovery Room at Boulder Community Hospital.
DO NOT LOOK (at the first image) if you are easily made to feel sick, faint, or disgusted.
1. Here's my anatomically incorrect leg about 2 hours after the injury. I can hardly look at this. It's hard to see your physical body disfigured like this. Disclaimer: I know others have had it worse, and I certainly could have. But this is my story and it is all relative, and all I wanted to know the moment I hurt myself was that I didn't have any bone sticking OUT of my flesh. Fortunately, I did not. Below, I had just come out x-rays (then they ordered CT scan, which is when I started to go into shock). It took about 1 1/2 hours of administering various pain medications to get my pain from a 10 to about an 8 where I could turn over from the fetal position to my back and slightly straighten my leg in order to take the x-rays. The x-ray technicians, Mary & Paul, were outstanding, compassionate, helpful, and patient. I remember their names because I told them they were just missing "Peter".
2. Alon took this image to send back to my parents in Massachusetts... I look pretty terrible. My poor parents, just beside themselves with fear and frustration. But I was in really good hands at BCH and with Alon by my side. I don't know if this picture provided comfort for my parents to see me alive and drugged and in a hospital bed, but it's all they could get at the time. This was also pre-op, post x-ray. I believe I had just called them within the past 15 minutes or so with results from the x-rays, almost 2 hours after my injury. I can't believe I waited that long, but I sort of had to. I consciously did not make an earlier call because I had no information and was in too much pain to have a "conversation". I remember calling my Dad and saying, "Dad, I have bad news. I broke my knee." He said "Hold on," and put my Mom on the phone. I added a few more details and handed the phone to Alon. I could barely talk; I was losing my voice, shivering and going into shock, still in tremendous pain. I believe my sweet Alon was the best person to be with me during this difficult time, even though he didn't think he did such a great job. My family and I agree, ALON WAS AWESOME (not that he had anything to prove). Can you believe with me looking like this BCH almost had to put surgery off till the morning? I flipped out on the ER Physician Assistant, momentarily. Fortunately, the hard-working medical professionals and doctors at BCH put a specialist team together in about an hour and changed their minds... had me in surgery after about 30 minutes of seeing the x-ray and CT scan results.
3. Here we go... a more pain-free, fixed up, bionic Erin. This is probably around 7am on August 27th, about 8 hours after surgery was completed. I don't remember much other than I was glad that the pain was less and I had a wonderful night nurse, Bonnie, who was as fit as a body-builder and as sweet and calm as an angel. I remember some weird, random stuff from those first 14 hours. Like the anesthesiologist... for whatever reason I was giggling at him (under the influence of a ton of pain meds) with his curly brown hair popping out under a surgeon's cap, and thick black framed glasses.... telling him he looked like a cartoon! He never cracked a smile... he just put the gas mask over my mouth and off I went. At least I was making myself laugh.
4. First-person view of my leg in the CPM (Constant Passive Movement) machine from the hospital bed on the morning after surgery. This is pretty much the same set up and rig I have at home where I spend about 20 hours of my day.... moving every so slowly from 0-40 degrees. The purpose is to decrease the amount of scar tissue build up and maintain some range of motion while the bones and ligaments heal. Most folks with torn ACL and meniscus can add 5-10 degrees of movement with the CPM on a daily basis. Due to the severity of my injuries, Dr. Fulkerson ordered nothing above 40 degrees for several weeks. Aren't I special? I could work up to 50 degrees after a month or so when I feel able to do so. So far I toggle between 35-40 degrees depending on how tight my knee feels. It is subtle movement, but a significant and wonderful medical invention!
5. Below are a few of the best x-rays taken of my leg after the operation. I hope you can see them okay. Some are just kind of confusing, but interesting nonetheless. Alon and I got to see the top two at my follow up with Dr. Dolbear at Boulder Orthopedic (a very nice office, by the way) on Wednesday September 7th. They show a plate along the right side of the tibia (as you look at the photo) with screws going into the plateau and then down along the length of tibia to hold the plate in place. I think the plate kind of hooks at the top and there are about 6 screws that I can see. There was also a small medial fracture along the top of the fibula which was just reset and left to heal (an easy one they say). Alon snapped the photos of the other two x-rays in the operating waiting room when Dr. Fulkerson came out after completing my surgery. Word has it my tibia was crushed to mere fragments by about 1 1/2-2 inches! Then piled up and "glued" (bone graphed) back together with cadaver bone. In the top photos, you can see some of the metal staples trailing along the right side of the image, which neatly sealed up the incision along the outer side of my left knee. Based on the look of leg now, there also was some laproscopic surgery done through the inner side of my leg near the knee, for whatever reason. More to learn there when I see Dr. Fulkerson on Sept 22. This unique metal sculpture is a permanent structure meant to reinforce my severely crushed, fractured bones which will heal beautifully to 100% of "normal". Yes you heard me, 100%. Thank you, Dr. Fulkerson and the OR team.
