The story of a broken leg - Part 1

How I broke my leg and a summary of what followed:

Please note: I have little formal medical knowledge and this is my life story, it is as factually correct as I can make it, but I cannot be held responsible for any errors or differences in what others might know or experience.

On the 30th June 2017, whilst holidaying on the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall, I slipped whilst walking down this small grass bank, just outside the village of St Keverne.
The grass was wet and acted like ice. As I fell I heard and felt a snap in my left leg. I had broke my leg, not just one break but multiple fractures to both my left tibia and fibula bones. I had 7 hours of surgery in Truro (Royal Cornwall) Hospital where the bones were fixated with internal plates and screws.

Recovery proceeded at a good pace given the multiple fractures and my age (56 at the time): for the frst 3 months I was non-weight bearing, for the next 3 months, in an air boot and with the help of Physiotherpy, I slowly began to weight bear and by the 6 month stage, I was full weight bearing. I became more mobile with the help of crutches and eventually just a walkingstick. In May 2018 (11 months post op) I managed to do a small country walk, only a mile or so, but i felt it was a good acheivement. However it was to be short lived as, just a month later in June'18, virtually 12 months from my accident, I began to experience severe pain when trying to walk just a 100 yards and that pain was getting worse.

In August'18 I was back in hospital as an outpatient for x-rays and scans. Those scans revealed the main fracture of the tibia (shin) bone had not healed, also the screw heads attaching the tibia plate had sheared off. The metalwork was therefore not providing support: just floating. The only support provided to the break was surrounding tissue etc.

This X-Ray shows clearly the diagonal break in the shin bone - behind the long vertical metal pin (the bright white areas in the image is the metal plates and screws). The bones were still in alignment and looked to be in contact with each other, so I was advised to give it more time: continue, with caution, to weight bear on the leg in the hope it would start to heal. The hospital would contnue to monitor, with further X-Rays to be taken in 6 weeks.

I continued as advised, but the bone never healed. In November 2018, I was referred to the QE (Queen Elizabeth) University Hospital in Birmingham to see a non-union bone specialist. Following more X-Rays and specialist 3D imaging, the conclusion was: the bone will not heal unaided and it looked like there maybe signs of infection in the bone - a common reason for bone non-union. With the Consultant we discussed three options: (i) Do nothing and live with it as it is, but can expect it to get worse with age: (ii) Remove broken metalwork and insert rod down centre of bone, 60% success rate, but if bone infected odds would be reduced, plus possible complications. On the plus side it meant a relatively speedy recovery: (iii) remove old metal work, surgically attach an external fixator (frame), 80% success rate, minimal metalwork internally. Possibility leg could get back to near pre-accident state. The frame would also permit me to be full weight bearing almost immediately. Downside: frame would need to be in place for 6 to 12 months (or more).

Decisions? Decisions? For me, not really. I decided straightaway that Option(i) is not for me: I'm too "young" and active to let that happen! Option(ii): OK, speedier recovery was tempting, but given my leg seemed to be saying it wasn't liking internal metalwork and given the lower success rate, it meant option (iii): the frame, would be for me. I had seen these frames on people, they are not pretty, but that didn't worry me, nor did the prospect of having it permanently attached for 12 months. The higher success rate and possibility of being able to walk a relatively good distance again was just too tempting.

At the beginning of December 2018, I went on the consultant's waiting list to have surgery to fit an Ilizarov spatial frame and have the old metalwork removed. I was advised the waiting list was 6 to 9 months, therefore likely to be between June and September 2019. In the meantime I was to continue to walk, as best I could, with sticks etc. on the broken leg.

On the 10th May 2019 I was pleasantly surprised to recieve a call from the Consultant's Secretary to say that, due to a cancellation, the consultant should be able to do my operation on Monday 20th May, just 10 days later (and nearly 2 years after the accident). I was relieved to have a date and thankful it was slightly earlier than expected as my mobility was getting worse. I felt the timing was right, but couldn't help feeling some trepidation in respect of what was now going to happen to me over the next few months.

Whilst waiting for the operation I was given information and advice from the consultant and his team of specialists on the implications of undergoing frame surgery and the care required post surgery, plus opportunities to meet people in similar situations. However I struggled to find information on the internet especially first-hand accounts from people who had had a similar experience. I therefore have decided to create this blog with the intention to go through my experience and thoughts from the day of the frame surgery onward, so that others, if they are in a similar situation or are family and friends of those that are, might find it instructive and useful. The next part of this blog can be accessed by clicking this link: Part 2 - Ilizarov Frame Surgery.