Unplanned walking interlude

NOTE: This write-up has been slightly modified since the original publication to correct a spelling error and to include links and updating some definitions.
 
First, I must apologise to those who do not follow me on Twitter or Facebook for the long delay in posting any walks since my last one went live back in February 2015; "Kinder Low and Kinder Downfall, a Winter Wonderland", sadly a careless car driver knocked me down while I was walking across a pedestrian crossing on my way to work, one February morning!
 
This brief blog has been composed on my Samsung Galaxy Tab, due to my injuries I'm unable to sit at my computer at the current time. Hopefully that will change in good time.
 
I won't go into any details here because there is a lot of legal stuff, a claim and much more to follow.
 
After the impact my leg had gone totally floppy. At this point I had resolved myself that my walking days as I know them, would be over and I was looking at amputation of the lower right leg.
 
After being scooped up by the paramedics who did a fantastic job of comforting me, I was taken to hospital where I had an X-Ray.
 
The x-Ray revealed that I had sustained some really horrendous injuries as a result of the impact. Basically, my lower right leg had been mangled, breaking the fibula and tibia bones in several places. When I say several places, the radiographer stopped counting after twelve breaks between the two bones!
 

However, keeping this brief for now, I was transferred to a hospital in Birmingham, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where they had rebuilt just as severely damaged limbs from our young men and women who suffered blast injuries while serving in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Yours truly, May 2015, at two weeks home
after a twelve week hospital stay

 

After twelve weeks in hospital and four operations, one lasting thirteen hours, I now have an Ilizarov Frame on my lower right leg.

 

The thirteen hour operation involved aligning the fibula and tibia bones, taking muscle from my back to replace the torn muscle in my leg, and fitment of the Ilizarov Frame or to be more precise, a Taylor Spatial Frame to my leg.

 

Though this is still very early days and my leg is still in a critical condition, I have a dream, which along with the fantastic support from my family, friends, the hospital staff who have been absolutely brilliant during my twelve week stay, my friends on Twitter and Facebook, I will walk again and aim to get back to the hills and moors again.

 

I've started the first stage, where the initial healing and strength build takes place while the frame is in my leg. The frame will be there until February 2016, assuming all goes to plan, the next stage will be the adjustment period one the frame is removed, where again I'll need to build up my strength and stamina.

 

Initially, my walks will be tame as I build up my strength and stamina, but my dream is to get back to the hills and moors, which will be a long and slow process.

 

I'm not expecting to start any walks before autumn 2016, but I'm determined to give it a go, following the advice of the surgical and physio teams nearer the time, that have and will be looking after me.

A close-up of the Ilizarov Frame. The red marks on my left leg
are where the skin came from to close the wound on my right leg



Thank you to those on Twitter and Facebook, who shared words of comfort, encouragement and just as importantly, photos and details of their walks while I'm laid up.

 

The sharing of those walk details and photos greatly cheer my days up while I'm on this long slow road to recovery.

 

I would like to end with a very big thank you to the passers by who came to my initial aid, the paramedics who were absolutely brilliant, and we shared some wacky conversations while they were scooping me up, all the staff, nurses, surgeons, physios and other staff at the Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Hospital for all their support, care and looking after.

 

NOTE: This write-up has been slightly modified since the original publication to correct a spelling error and to include links and updating some definitions.

Finally, happy rambling and thank you for reading,

 

Peak Rambler

Photo Album   Peak Rambler Flickr Photo Album

 

Links to some of the items I’ve mentioned and written about here:

Ilizarov Frame

Taylor Spatial Frame

External Fixator

Queen Elizabeth Hospital