My own broken femur recovery diary

[cptpowder]

Well since I have one I might as well document this. Who knows, maybe some of the info that comes up in here may even help someone else.
First off a big thank you to my friends Tina, Craig ,Bryan (anon-505), and Jason for being their in the intial moments and supporting me. Next a huge thank you to the Taos Patrol, Day, John, Harvy, and Keir. Your professionalism and care was top notch. Also to my girlfriend Staci who took care of me 24-7. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you. No question. Thanks to the SFCFD for watching out for me. You guys rock.
A little background about me might be helpful. It might even explain why I am so unbelievably lucky and blessed. I live in Santa Fe and am a single dad who works for the ski patrol and fire department as a paramedic. It’s a little hard to write this because as I do I m listening and watching the live web cast of the Freeride championships from Taos. Pretty cool.

Feb 22, 2008

A storm that myself and Anon 505 have been watching for a few days delivered 16" overnight. Lucky us cause we had already decided to make the trip up to Taos and slay pow.
We arrived at Taos and met up with another friend Brian B. We were on the chair by 9:15. We made a few runs off chair 2 and it was so good. 18-20 of sweetness. Hero snow for sure. At 10 am we met up with Tina (nurse) and Craig (er doc). We made runs off the west basin and the ridge all day. Come about 2 pm and I’m started to get super tired. We made the hike up from chair 2 and decided to just drop in at the beginning of the west basin. I got to the edge and looked down Fabian. It looked a little icy and rocky but after the initial choke I knew it was gonna be the goods. I looked to my left and Anon 505 was dropping into Stauffenberg. To my right Tina was standing there with Craig and I offered for them to drop in first, and Tina obliged. She dropped off the small cornice and made a turn to the right to slow down. As she made that first turn I cringed as the sound of p-tex and metal scraped against the rocks and ice. Didn’t sound good! She made a couple more turns and it looked ok. I dropped in after her and came off the cornice and turned right. I tried to burn off my speed as I turned to the right but realized it was all rocks there. So I came back to the left and here’s where it happened.
I think my skis started to slip out from under me as I tried to turn and burn off speed. I think then, I caught an edge on a rock and then flew forward. I saw the shark fin shaped rock as I smashed my femur on it. I knew immediately it was broken. I landed on my back and was sliding downhill head first. I knew I needed to get myself turned around to arrest my fall. I also knew that I needed to get myself turned around and be in an anatomical position before my leg cramped up. Splinting a femur fracture is alot more painful if it’s not straight. As I spun around, my leg flopped over and I wasn’t controlling it. Another conformation it was definitely broken. I got myself stopped and my leg was as close to straight as I could get it. The pain was so intense. This was the point where I started to freak.
Tina was just downhill of me, maybe ten feet. I looked at her and told her straight up, “ I just broke my leg. Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck I just broke my leg.” So she began to climb up to me. A woman was standing on the ridge and yelled down to me. She asked if I was ok and I told her that I broke my leg and to please call the patrol. She called them on her cell phone. Tina was climbing up and I was freaking out. So much pain. I was crying and telling her how sorry I was. She asked “why are you sorry?”. I didn’t know why. I just kept saying it. I was sitting there thinking about how my life had just changed so dramatically. It happened in the blink of an eye. At some point a friend of mine, Jason, who I had seen earlier in the day skied up. He was totally freaked to find me like this. Thankfully he hung with me and tried to calm me down. He even found both my skis. I began to hyperventilate and my hands and feet got numb. I knew I had to control my breathing or I might pass out.
After ten or so minutes the Taos patrol showed up and I was so relieved. As Day began to assess me I introduced Tina and myself. I told him of our medical background. I then gave him my story of how and what happened. He said “wow man, you’ve already assessed yourself! “ I agreed and laughed. He proceeded with his assessment and other patrollers arrived. Their names I can’t remember at this point. We got my pants unzipped and checked for bleeding or an open fracture. Neither was the case, thank God. At some point I was given some intranasal Fentanyl. It had only a very slight effect on the pain level. I was given more Fentanyl before they put on the traction splint. Holy shit that splint hurt like fuck and I screamed for them to stop. They didn’t.
The patrol did a fantastic job getting me splinted and packaged for the ride down. At some point Anon and Craig showed up as they had to ski around. Wow, I was lucky to have Craig there overseeing the care that was being given to me. Taos patrol does a great job. It’s just nice to have someone who’s medically trained to be there and help you make decisions. Especially when you’re being given narcotics. Anyway patrol gave me 5 mg of morphine IM before we began transport down Fabian.
The ride in an akia sled was nice and the patrol did a fantastic job getting me down. I was given 5 more mg IM before reaching the clinic at the base.
At the Mogul Medical clinic an IV was started, more pain meds were given and x-rays were taken. It was determined that the fracture was more proximal than first thought. Actual site was just below the trocanter. Here is the best pre op xray I have. I saw a better one I just gotta find it.




At the clinic I started to become pretty sedated although any movement of my leg caused it to spasm and was very painful. Meanwhile Craig was coordinating with Taos EMS, St. Vincent’s hospital (SVH) Santa Fe, Holy Cross hospital (Taos), Santa Fe County Fire (SFCFD), and Careflight air ambulance. Taos EMS wanted to fly me to Santa Fe and Craig basically told them no. He knew that my insurance wouldn’t deem it necessary and therefore wouldn’t pay a $15,000 helicopter bill. Thank you Craig! Id be screwed right now if I had $15,000 bill. Next Taos EMS wanted to take me to Holy Cross instead because they didn’t want to drive me to SF. That plan fell through when Holy Cross got slammed with pt’s from a serious MVA. Taos EMS decided to just drive me too SF. Meanwhile SFCFD was ready to send an ambulance to Taos to pick me up. They already had a crew assembled and were ready to leave but Taos EMS stated they couldn’t take me to anyplace other than a hospital. Seemed weird but whatever. Taos EMS ended up driving me two hours to SF.
In the rig the paramedic on board gave me repeated doses of narcotics to control my pain. She was a very nice girl but I could tell she was laughing at me cause I was so out of it. She told me that she was a little intimidated by the fact that I was a paramedic. She still did a great job.
Meanwhile at SVH my girlfriend Staci was the secretary in the ER and she had arranged a room for me and reserved a top notch surgeon, Dr. Oldham.
I arrived at the Er and was very well taken care of. SFCFD had rallied personnel to come and hang with me. So awesome to have so much support! Friends and family alike even though my parents live out of state.
I guess I was really out of it in the ER. I was told it was hilarious though. I guess I was nodding out in mid sentence, nodding out while people were talking to me, and waking up saying ridiculous things.
At some point I guess Dr. Oldham decided to postpone the surgery till the next day so he could get better quality parts. Only the best eh? Nice.
Needless to say that night at SVH was very rough. My friends from the FD stayed with me all night.

2/23/2008

Next morning I went in for surgery. I woke up out of the worst haze and it freaking hurt so bad. They loaded me with narcs and I rested some more.
Here's some post op pics.




Later that day I saw Dr. Oldham. He stated that the surgery took four and a half hours but that it went well. He said he placed (more like hammered or drilled) a titanium rod through my femur and placed three pins to hold it in place. Two on top and one near the knee. Originally he thought it would only take one and a half hours. He noted that he had to repair more damaged bone than anticipated. He said that he got it as close to the other leg as possible so as too hopefully negate any loss of range of motion. He thought that I would fully recover with no disability. FKNA!!! I’m so lucky. Had the fracture been any higher I definitely could have suffered irreparable damage.
My leg was so swollen and sore. I was hooked up to a Morphine drip and was using it as much as possible. I also was using an ice pack for 20 min at a time. I couldn’t get up or really move but I could adjust to try and make it more comfortable. I slept but woke up in cold sweats feeling like crap.
My friends were constantly coming by. I was tired but felt very blessed at the same time.

2/24/2008

Leg is still very sore and swollen. Started physical therapy today. Basically just getting out of bed and using a walker to get to the front door and back. Takes a lot of energy and I get winded.

2/26/2008

Side effect of so many narcotics is I haven’t had a bowel movement in 4 days.

[cptpowder]

2/27/2008

I am released form the hospital and am picked up by a SFCFD ambulance and dropped off at home. Sweet. Staci is here to help me. We realize quickly that there is no good place to be comfortable other than my bed. I want to buy a recliner but Staci calls her mom and some friends of mine go and pick one up from her. Sweet. I can borrow it till im better. I definitely am going to buy one of these when I’m better.
I’m prescribed percocet 7.5 mg/ 325mg apap. This stuff sucks. Makes me feel like shit and I almost have to take more than prescribed to get pain relief.
A good friend of mine Sharada comes over gives me an acupuncture treatment. The needles were very calming. Definitely don’t take any pain away but that wasn’t the intention. She also gives me some advice. She recommends some smooth move tea to help with digestion. She also recommends Symphytum. It’s a homeopathic for trauma and fractures. Also gives me an herbal trauma tincture.
Night is hard. I wake up in pain and drenched in sweat.

2/28/2008

Staci and friends go to store. I begin Symphytum 3 X’s per day, Herbal trauma tincture q 1 hr, Smooth move tea 2 -3 ‘s per day.

2/29/2008

SFCFD ambulance takes me to SVH where Dr. Oldham meets me. I was able to see him without even checking in. Sweet. He gives some good PT advice. 2-3 times a I a day I need to sit in a chair and flex and extend my knee to a 90 degree position. This guy rules. His advice is exactly what I need cause I feel like I’m just sitting around getting stiff.
I also get prescribed 10 mg slow release oxycontin. These definitely help and are very mellow.
3/1/2008

My herbalist friend Alisha comes to visit. She gives me a bag full of powdered herbs. It contains comfrey root, lobelia, plantain, mullen and marshmallow root to do poultice treatments on my leg. Basically you add water to the herbs and it turns to a pudding like consistency. You then spread it on your leg, cover it with paper towels, then wrap with an ace bandage. Keep the poultice on overnight and wash off in the morning. The herbs infuse into your leg and work their magic. My incisions are too fresh to poultice now but once they heal I will be good to go.
She also gives me some elemental Calcium supplements.
Nights still suck. Cold sweats and pain.
Digestion very slow.

3/3/2008

I see the orthopedic doc today. He takes some x rays and briefly looks at me. Not a very thorough exam. He takes the staples out and says I m doing fine. He tells me to stay off of it as much as possible. He says no weight on it for 6 weeks. Probably not back to work for 2-3 months. Maybe longer. Up to six months.
We did decide to drop the percocet and start dilaudid 4mg. These definitely are better and are mellow too. All of the narcs make me pretty spacey though.

3/7/2008

Swelling and pain are decreasing. I’m able to tolerate sitting for longer. Moving a bit more with the walker. Still very sore though.
I have Staci contact Dr. Oldham for more PT advice. I feel like I’m not doing enough.
He recommends deep massaging my leg. Then place a hot towel or heating pad on it. While the pad is on I should flex and extend the leg. Then ice it for 20 min.
Oh this rocks. Feels so good to do.
Alsiha comes and gives me my first poultice treatment. Don’t see any drastic results but I wasn’t expecting too. She states I need to do this every day.
She also gives me a comfrey salve to use on my leg.
She also gives me a powdered magnesium supplement. It’s supposed to help in bone repair and digestion. Also is a calming agent. I’m taking this at 2-3 tsps per day.

3/11/2008

Missed a couple days of polticing but significant progress made. Pain and swelling has definitely decreased. Still sore but nowhere near as bad. Definitely tolerating sitting and standing much better.
Massage, heat, stretching, ice, supplements, and polticing are really speeding the healing process.
I’m taking less narcs now. Half as much as I was and digestion seems better. Night sweats are less intense too.

3/14/2008

Still not polticing a whole lot. Would like to though.
Alisha brought me a new bottle of supplements. Lots of minerals and some herbs and roots in it. Its called Skeletal Strength and its made by Nature's Sunshine.
So in total I'm taking the Calcium supp., Skeletal strength supp., 1 Oxycontin 10 mg slow release q 12 hrs, 2mg Dilaudid q 6hrs, Colace, Symphytum 30c and Arnica 30c (5 pills 3 times daily). Also using that comfrey salve and massaging it on.

Digestion is back to normal. Night sweats are pretty much gone. I'm cutting way back on the dilaudid and oxycontin.
Swelling is almost gone but still a little around the injury site and knee. Definitely less pain sitting, standing and moving around. I can only handle so much though. I get tired and it's still pretty sore.

3/19/2008

So I'm feeling pretty much the same. New pain arises though. I get this intermittent, stabbing, throbbing pain on the inside of my lower right thigh. Holy shit this hurts bad. Lasts a minute or so then goes away. Weird. Swelling has not increased.
Went to the Doc today. Hes not concerned about the lower thigh pain. Probably due to less pain meds. Doc says I'm going to have pain and pain is good. He says I probably have another month with no weight on it. Maybe 2-3 more months before I can go back to work . Shit!!! I thought I was going to heal faster than this. Doc also reminded me this was a bad break. Not your typical clean break but a bad one with lots of damaged bone. This sucks. Oh well it could be worse.

3/24/2008

Started using a bone stimulator last friday. No it's not that kind of bone stimulator. Thank god I ain't got no problems there. Turns out I was supposed to have this thing a couple weeks ago but they lost my paperwork. Nice. Thanks doc.
Anyway the way this thing works is you strap it to your leg and it sends bursts of electrical energy through your leg. Treatment time is 10 hours. I just leave it on while sleeping. Its supposed to act like a magnet drawing minerals and such to the fracture area. Seems kind of hokey to me but Ill use it. Anything to speed this up. Although the machines instructions say that if you don't use it everyday it could take longer to heal.
Also I have dropped the colace, fiber supplement, homeopathic arnica and symphytum. Colace and fiber are not a big deal cause digestion is back to normal but I probably should continue the homeo's. Feeling the money crunch now. Just one more thing to buy. Probably just making excuses. Oh well.

3/29/2008

Been off the Narcs for 36 hrs and feeling good. Thank god. Those things suck.
Lots more flexibility in the leg now. Virtually no pain. Unless I bang it on something. Bone has definitely fused together. SWEET!!

4/2/2008

A great time was had by all at the benefit last night. Bands played, fire was spun, items autctioned, and beer was consumed. Good times for sure. Not to mention a few dollars were raised also. Sweet! Thanks to everyone here on TGR and in SF for your support and well wishes. You guys rock!!!

4/9/2008

Acupuncture appointment today. Lots of needles on the leg in areas of sorenesss (thigh and knee). Felt good. Its a little more sore but thats a good thing.

4/16/2008

Officially cleared by the Doc to put partial weight on it. Woo hoo! Also cleared to start riding a recliner bike. This should help speed things along. Feels pretty good. Still feels a litttle sore and weak but definitely stronger and more flexibility.
Still using the supplements, homeopaths and the bone stimulator.

4/18/2008
Acupuncture appointment today. Lots of needles on the leg in areas of sorenesss (thigh and knee). Again Its a little more sore but thats a good thing.
Rode the recliner bike yesterday for an hour. That also was good to get going. Flexibilty was good pedaling. A little sore this morning from that but not bad.

4/21/2008

Going for it with the bike. Been doing an hour every day. Feeling good. Not a whole lot of progress yet but it'll come. Dont want to push too hard. The bike and putting light pressure when walking was all I was advised to do for now but I think I'll try and swim in a week or so.

5/14/08

Dr Bair clears me too swim, ride stationary bikes and encourages some weight lifting. Suggest leg presses to start as well as upper body stuff. Too late, I already started most of this. Xrays look good. I could def see bone growth. He suggests I start using one crutch or a cane.

Its feels good but is still sore after a long day. Soreness mainly in the knee when fully bent and hip area when weighted. Seems like its coming from the pins. Defintely sore in the break area and hip when i put alot of weight on it. Ive been really working the pt. Been doing 1-3 hours a day of stationary bike, weights and stretching. Feels really good to ice down at night.

Continuing all supps and homeos. Added some protazyme enzyme supp., comfrey tincture and traumeel gel. Stopped the electric bone stim. That thing bugged the shit out of me. To walk around without it falling down, I had to strap it really tight to my leg. Felt like it was impeding good circulation. Also the cable that attached it to the battery had these connectors that would come apart with the slightest bump and shut the machine off. Needless to say I ditched that thing.

5/21/08

Acupuncture again today. Word. Hip area is sore with weight. Took it easy all day. Nothing major. I just felt like I should go easy for a day. Did some good stretching. Knee is also still sore when fully bent or if I try to kneel down and rest on them. Actually that really hurts.


Diary continues below. Ran out of room here.

[bio-smear]

That is a well documented tale of pain and gnar. Good luck in your recovery.

I used to carry 4-6 Vicodin in my ski pack in case myself or one of my friends had a serious injury like this. Depending on their weight I planned to give them 2-4 tablets just to take the edge off. Is this recommended? It seems like it has to be better than the intransal Fentanyl you got, but I'm not pharm so I don't know. I also don't want to exacerbate shock or lower BP.

[Sphinx15]

Wow man brutal injury but a good documentary. My fiance got a 1.5" long stress fracture in her femur So. year college playing lacrosse. Not a fun injury, once it was PROPERLY diagnosed after the year was over (it was dismissed by the fantastic trainers as muscle pain) she was on crutches almost the whole summer (8-12 weeks, I can't remember). It still hurt her for months after with any strenuous leg activity even things like dancing. Good luck with a speedy & full recovery - keep up that PT.

[cptpowder]

That is a well documented tale of pain and gnar. Good luck in your recovery.

I used to carry 4-6 Vicodin in my ski pack in case myself or one of my friends had a serious injury like this. Depending on their weight I planned to give them 2-4 tablets just to take the edge off. Is this recommended? It seems like it has to be better than the intransal Fentanyl you got, but I'm not pharm so I don't know. I also don't want to exacerbate shock or lower BP.

I honestly dont know if other people would agree with giving someone pain meds like that. If you know your dosage you should be ok. The worry is definitely exacerbating shock. i could ask around.
As for intranasal fentanly, it just wasn't enough. Its a very painful injury. But you have to be careful administering pain meds on the side of a hill. Then you strap that pt into a tobaggon. Assessing their loc and and airway becomes that much more challenging.

[cptpowder]

[lionelhutz]

Keep this diary up man...you'll want to be able to read what you were feeling and thinking next year when you're all better ripping some powder!

[truth]

Fuck that x-ray brings back some painful memories of a compound humorous fracture a long time ago. I know that feeling of sliding to a stop with the break flopping. I know the feeling of being stabilized on the mountain and carted off. Glad you're prognosis is good. Try to stay sane. The mental game of rehab is far worse than the physical. I've spent more time than most the past few years being broken and as tough as it is on you it takes a toll on everyone in your life. Don't beat them up too badly.

[Sinecure]

Ouch. Great blog of your pain. Glad to hear you are progressing. Have you tried the green herbal remedy that you smoke or vaporize? When I've been hurt I've found it allowed me to cut pain meds by 2/3 or more.

I'm surprised to hear that Ski Patrol administers drugs of any kind. The only drug we can give is oxygen, plus glucose if they are conscious and diabetic. That's interesting.

Femurs hurt. The first wreck I went on this season was a mid-shaft femur. In my OEC training the analogy that was given is that breaking your femur takes about as much force as breaking a wooden baseball bat. That's a serious mechanism of injury.

Cool to see that the fundraiser is helping support Adaptive Ski Program. We have one at our hill and they do great stuff.

[cptpowder]

Ouch. Great blog of your pain. Glad to hear you are progressing. Have you tried the green herbal remedy that you smoke or vaporize? When I've been hurt I've found it allowed me to cut pain meds by 2/3 or more.

Thanks bro.
No I didnt try that. Would have been helpful but Im done with them now.


HAh jeez I dont know what I was thinking when I first replied to this. Soooo fkna yeah I was using that herbal wonder!! I was all pysched to be able to partake for awhile since I was out of work.

[cptpowder]

Fuck that x-ray brings back some painful memories of a compound humorous fracture a long time ago. I know that feeling of sliding to a stop with the break flopping. I know the feeling of being stabilized on the mountain and carted off. Glad you're prognosis is good. Try to stay sane. The mental game of rehab is far worse than the physical. I've spent more time than most the past few years being broken and as tough as it is on you it takes a toll on everyone in your life. Don't beat them up too badly.

Yeah the emotional aspect is really powerfull. I ve acepted it and I know it is what it is. It cant be changed. But damn its hard. Springtime is here and i m getting antsy to get out. Just more motivation for intense pt sesions.
Thanks T

[Meadow Skipper]

I'm surprised to hear that Ski Patrol administers drugs of any kind. The only drug we can give is oxygen, plus glucose if they are conscious and diabetic. That's interesting.

Depends on the patroller's medical training. Where cptpowder and I work the basic level of medical training for a patroller is EMT-Basic, which allows things like glucose, albuterol, epi (SQ), narcan, and aspirin. There are a number of EMT-Intermediates that can start lines and some IV drugs, and some EMT-Paramedics (like cptpowder) that have a pretty wide range of controlled drugs they can administer such as morphine and valium. Taos' patrol is simliar. It all depends on the patrollers' training, the licensing state's regulations and the area medical director's protocols.

[Particle]

Alright this is kinda freaky. I get my femur rod removed 2/21 and you break yours 2/22? WTF I know the universe needs balance but this is taking it a bit far.

Going back in time to the original injury, I started a new job (at backcountry.com) on 2/23/03...then broke my leg/pelvis/hip/bladder on 3/7/03. They let me keep my job, but this is kinda screwed up.

Anyway, REALLY glad to hear you are making good progress cptpowder, and off the narcs - that stuff is nasty. I only used the Lortab for about 2-3 days, and tried the Oxycontin but didn't like it so only used it once. Then I went to just Tylenol, but I'm a freak that way. My doc put it best - there are ups and downs, but in the end, the net gain is going to be improvement. So even on your down days, just remember that they are still better than your good days just a couple weeks ago (usually).

A LOT of similarities in our accidents, your account is very familiar to me. I also had doc/medical friends skiing with me at the time...it's a definite comfort.

Interesting you mentioned the night sweats, I think that must happen when you mess with big bones like femurs - I had severe night sweats for 3 or so weeks after getting my rod removed. If I can offer any insight, answer recovery questions, etc...let me know.

If I remember correctly, I was non weight bearing for 6 weeks, then partial weight for 2-3 weeks, then full. Your leg muscle wastes away dramatically during that time, so PT is key. I was riding a bike 2.5 months after the accident on mellow paths/roads...and my first mountain bike trail ride was in mid June - so about 3.5 months out. You'll get there.

[cptpowder]

Alright this is kinda freaky. I get my femur rod removed 2/21 and you break yours 2/22? WTF I know the universe needs balance but this is taking it a bit far.

Going back in time to the original injury, I started a new job (at backcountry.com) on 2/23/03...then broke my leg/pelvis/hip/bladder on 3/7/03. They let me keep my job, but this is kinda screwed up.

Anyway, REALLY glad to hear you are making good progress cptpowder, and off the narcs - that stuff is nasty. I only used the Lortab for about 2-3 days, and tried the Oxycontin but didn't like it so only used it once. Then I went to just Tylenol, but I'm a freak that way. My doc put it best - there are ups and downs, but in the end, the net gain is going to be improvement. So even on your down days, just remember that they are still better than your good days just a couple weeks ago (usually).

A LOT of similarities in our accidents, your account is very familiar to me. I also had doc/medical friends skiing with me at the time...it's a definite comfort.

Interesting you mentioned the night sweats, I think that must happen when you mess with big bones like femurs - I had severe night sweats for 3 or so weeks after getting my rod removed. If I can offer any insight, answer recovery questions, etc...let me know.

If I remember correctly, I was non weight bearing for 6 weeks, then partial weight for 2-3 weeks, then full. Your leg muscle wastes away dramatically during that time, so PT is key. I was riding a bike 2.5 months after the accident on mellow paths/roads...and my first mountain bike trail ride was in mid June - so about 3.5 months out. You'll get there.

Wow no shit that is wierd man!! Day after you get yours out I break mine. Whoa. How did your accident happen? I know you have the Removal thread , maybe Ill check there.

Dude do our accidents have to be similar too?!!! Wow did we come from the same womb?!! No seriously I felt blessed to be in such good company. The other thing was that im glad I didnt have to wait long for help. I cant imagine being way in the bc and have a broken femur. Which by the way is exactly what happened to another friend (non-mag kevin) early this season.

You know the other thing is I dont know if you remember but I bought one of the Maggot jersey's from you this summer. I had no idea you had been broken till i got hurt and then saw the removal thread.

I knew the meds were gonna fuck with me but I was in alot of pain especially in the beginning and after surgery. Post surgery and initially at home they also seemed to help. They definitely had their side effects though. Im glad to be off them and feel much better.

I felt like the night sweats were connected to the meds but you could be right. Your body is just in shock from such intense trauma that it makes sense for a reaction like night sweats to occur. I cant really tell cause when the night sweats started to fade so to did my narc intake.

Yeah man I think our healing time is going to be about the same also. im almost at week six and I can tell that there is bone growth and the healing feels good. I dont have another doc appointment for two more weeks but I bet he would ok partial weight now. Hope fully 2-3 weeks of partial then full weight bearing. I plan on using a bike trainer and just spinning at the house as much as possible. Also there are some great mellow trails i could ride right into downtown and back from my house. Ill go and scope all the hunnys on the plaza in their spring dresses. Nice!

I definitely want to be ready before getting out there and pushing it. Sucks cause working at the FD also is gonna require me to be really strong cause anything could happen.

Be well Particle. Thanks man
Peace
Jer

[Particle]

You know the other thing is I dont know if you remember but I bought one of the Maggot jersey's from you this summer. I had no idea you had been broken till i got hurt and then saw the removal thread.

Yeah I remember for sure man. We definitely had different injuries but the experience is similar. I was skiing at Schweitzer ID for a half-day, on our way up on a vaca to Fernie. About 3PM I let everyone get a head of me, just taking a mellow tree run back down the frontside to the car.

The light was flat, and I let it run...thinking there was a big meadow ahead where I would just run it out - unfortunately I didn't see a huge compression until the last second, at full speed - hit it and launched into the air...my friends say I flew about 60 feet downhill, cleared over a small tree, then tagged a large tree mid-air about 5 feet off the ground with my hip. I saw it coming over my shoulder while in flight...knew I'd hit it. Wound up shattering my hip, breaking my pelvis, rupturing my bladder, and snapping my femur about mid-shaft. Probably should've been the end of me, but after two weeks in the hospital and two major surgeries, I was back sorta in one piece.

This community played a major part in getting me through that - TONS of get-well letters at the hospital, reading the thread on pmag.com, etc...it was very helpful.

[cptpowder]

Just read more of particle's removal thread. Shit i gotta talk to my doc about getting this thing out when Im healed. I dont wanna worry about this all my life.
Anyone else got an opinion on femoral rods being removed?

[Particle]

Don't freak yourself out man. There are some risks but most people leave them in and they are fine. I didn't have disability, but the major reason I wanted mine out was some pain associated with the anchor screw (not the rod itself), and just peace of mind in old age, assuming I get there.

[cptpowder]

Don't freak yourself out man. There are some risks but most people leave them in and they are fine. I didn't have disability, but the major reason I wanted mine out was some pain associated with the anchor screw (not the rod itself), and just peace of mind in old age, assuming I get there.

Right on P. Im not freaking. Everythings cool. Its too early to worry about it now. I just want to have all the info to make a good decision for the future.

[nekbeard]

Thanks for posting this. I am 4 weeks out with a similar ski accident and femur break. It is a bit eerie how much I can relate to every detail and time frames.
Crutches, nagging pain and and shit flexibilty after 4 weeks. Kinda glad to see much of this is normal.

I'd be stoked to hear any advice/reccomendations from your experiences.

keep making progress

[cptpowder]

Thanks for posting this. I am 4 weeks out with a similar ski accident and femur break. It is a bit eerie how much I can relate to every detail and time frames.
Crutches, nagging pain and and shit flexibilty after 4 weeks. Kinda glad to see much of this is normal.

I'd be stoked to hear any advice/reccomendations from your experiences.

keep making progress

Thanks Nek. Yeah I had plenty of time to write. I also just wanted to remember some of this in the future.
Good luck and be patient. Are you expected to fully recover?

[pointedem]

That is a well documented tale of pain and gnar. Good luck in your recovery.

I used to carry 4-6 Vicodin in my ski pack in case myself or one of my friends had a serious injury like this. Depending on their weight I planned to give them 2-4 tablets just to take the edge off. Is this recommended? It seems like it has to be better than the intransal Fentanyl you got, but I'm not pharm so I don't know. I also don't want to exacerbate shock or lower BP.

Fentanyl is a retardedly potent opioid analgesic btw. As far as giving your bud Precoset/Lortab in the field- it's generally not the best idea, unless it's the only option. Suppose you forgot to mention to the docs that you gave your injured friend 20mg of oxycodone/hydrocodone, then they give him the fentanyl- not good.. resp. depression is the first thing I think of, but I don't know the affect APAP has on thinning the blood/ ect. FYI- Fentanyl is 80 times more potent then Morphine, gram for gram. It's given to paitents in micrograms rather then milligrams.

3/14/2008

So in total I'm taking the Calcium supp., Skeletal strength supp., 1 Oxycontin 10 mg slow release q 12 hrs, 2mg Dilaudid q 6hrs, Colace, Symphytum 30c and Arnica 30c (5 pills 3 times daily). Also using that comfrey salve and massaging it on.

Wow... Hydromorphone and oyxcodone... Two super heavy hitters. Be very careful about taking these on a daily basis- tolerance and dependence can build very quickly. A broken femur is a pretty shitty injury, but I known more then one perseon that 'left' their injury with a pretty serious addiction to opiates that made the bone injury look like a walk in the park.
I realize that 10mg 2x and 2mg 4x doesn't sounds like much, but watch it if you start bumping those up...

I don't mean to sound like preachy-old-man-pointedem... Good luck with the recovery- You'll be slaying pow next season.

[cptpowder]

Fentanyl is a retardedly potent opioid analgesic btw. As far as giving your bud Precoset/Lortab in the field- it's generally not the best idea, unless it's the only option. Suppose you forgot to mention to the docs that you gave your injured friend 20mg of oxycodone/hydrocodone, then they give him the fentanyl- not good.. resp. depression is the first thing I think of, but I don't know the affect APAP has on thinning the blood/ ect. FYI- Fentanyl is 80 times more potent then Morphine, gram for gram. It's given to paitents in micrograms rather then milligrams.



Wow... Hydromorphone and oyxcodone... Two super heavy hitters. Be very careful about taking these on a daily basis- tolerance and dependence can build very quickly. A broken femur is a pretty shitty injury, but I known more then one perseon that 'left' their injury with a pretty serious addiction to opiates that made the bone injury look like a walk in the park.
I realize that 10mg 2x and 2mg 4x doesn't sounds like much, but watch it if you start bumping those up...

I don't mean to sound like preachy-old-man-pointedem... Good luck with the recovery- You'll be slaying pow next season.

Thanks for the kind words.
As for the narcs Ive been off those for a while.
And Yes they were potent. When the Dilaudid script was being written Doc advised me to start with a small dose in case I nodded out. I thought that was pretty funny.

[awake1563]

Good idea to record this, I wish I would've done so with my accident last year...

Make sure you kill the PT with vengeance. Swimming is just unbeatable, I went from being a dog paddler to a respectable swimmer after my accident... get some fins, and i hate to say it but spandex swim shorts aka jammers will reduce the drag a lot and make swimming more fun. Hip abduction exercises are the most crucial thing you can do to reduce how much of a limp you're going to have, which you will have a good one. Lay on your unbroken side and with legs straight, raise your broken femur up and down until it just burns, and do this religiously. along with biking and swimming that pretty much sets you up for 100% recovery.

As for Narcs in the backcountry, I'm in total agreement... SKETCHY!!! As an EMT-B and a surgical assistant, unless the person has taken narcotics and knows their reaction, maybe I'd give them some, otherwise a good muscle relaxant say 5mg of valium i think would do a lot more than narcs anyways. Combined with 1200mg of Vitamin I-buprofen, and maybe 500-1000 mg of Acetaminophen. Nobody realizes the wonders those two OTC meds can work. If you're worried about internal bleeding, cut the Ibuprofen dose to 400-600mg I'd say, but im no doc.

Heal up. Get that rod out ASAP .

[cptpowder]

5/29/08

Ditched the crutch for this. Thanks ANON.


6/12/08

Saw the doc yesterday. Noted def progress in bone growth on the x-ray. I can still see the fracture but just barely. Very happy. Feeling really strong.

Been working the pt hard. usually 2-3 hours a day. Biking, streching, weight lifting, swimming, sauna and hot tub. Feels f'n awesome.

Saw my acupuncturist today. He also noted significant progress from the previous appointment 2 weeks ago. i had some pretty intense knee and hip pain for a few days and 2-3 days after that treatment it cleared up. Def less swelling and soreness. More mobility and strength for sure.

Even rode my bike around the neighborhood with my daughter last weekend. That was cool

7/4/08

Not updating a wholle lot. Just doing the PT thing religously.
1st trail ride today. Nice mellow ride on the Dale ball trails here in SF. Feels good but still a little weak for riding shape. Five months to the day since injury.

7-9-2008

Doc asks me if I think Im ready to go back to work. In my head i know Im not. Leg is still sore and weak sometimes. I decide to take another month before heading back. Probably should decide then but oh well. Aug 5th is it. i think im going to get a knee brace for extra support.
Kepping up with the pt. Ive done a few trail rides now on the mtn bike. Everything is going well.

12-7-08

I havent been updating this much so here goes. MTB all summer. Leg is fully healed. Still a little sore occasionally. But not bad. i skinned up and skied down a green run a few weeks ago. Today i skied 3 runs on groomer during a training sesion. Felt really good. Im back for sure. Cant wait for pow.

[spikew900l]

that i one painful break ben there don that i had to have two surgeries the first rod broke it went halfway down my thigh the second is all the way to my knee like yours good luck with it hope it dosent give you any weather problems