Not for the squeamish or those eating breakfast.

Jul. 10th, 2006 at 12:13 PM

Okay, I'm putting this under a cut/below the fold, since it may be more than people want to know. I will give a basic summary, minus the yucky details and say that the pins came outt, but I can't walk until next week. This is not what I wanted to hear, but that's life, and I want this to heal right. I can start taking it out of the boot, bathing it (yay for real baths without straddling the tub), putting lotion on it and moving it around. I still have to wear the boot when I'm moving around, but sitting I can take it out. That's after a few days, of course, which you'll understand if you click the cut.

If you're reading in bloglines or any other service where you get the full post, and you don't want to see the yucky stuff, stop reading here.

So, I didn't want to know this until the doctor took the pins out, but the pins were between two and three inches into my heel. It didn't hurt too bad, kind of an intense pull. But, man did it bleed! I haven't felt that much blood before. Yuck!

So, I have to have the doctors re-dress the wound at the pain clinic. Because, yeah, the dressing is probably going to be nasty.

So, that's the deal!

Comments

( 8 shots of espresso — Add a shot of espresso )

hurricaneamy

Jul. 10th, 2006 06:20 pm (UTC)

Wow. So sorry. Sounds squeamish indeed. Now, um, I"m assuming the pins are to hold it stable? So now with them out, what do they expect to happen? And how long will you have a dressing on your foot now that the pins are out? They didn't numb you at all?
Pain-free hugs. SOunds grewsome. Hugs. Praying you heal without any further problems? Hear that foot? I'm talking to you. Heal nicely okay? I'm being silly, but I"m also very serious. YOu need a break.

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puppybraille

Jul. 10th, 2006 10:48 pm (UTC)

The pins where just there to hold my heel bone in place while it healed into its new position. So, now that that's happened, they weren't needed. The other joint that was fused still has pins in, and always will. Does that help?

Thanks for your prayers and good wishes. The pain is much more barable now that I had a sympathetic nerve block.

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hurricaneamy

Jul. 11th, 2006 01:21 am (UTC)

I'm glad it helped today, and that it's much better. Yeah, that makes perfect sense, I just wasn't sure why they did that, because usually pins are in permanently, or so I thought. What joint are the other pins fusing?
Hugs.

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puppybraille

Jul. 11th, 2006 07:53 pm (UTC)

They fused the joint that's between my ig toe and ankle (about halfway up). Not sure what that's called.

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bioinstructor

Jul. 11th, 2006 10:02 pm (UTC)

A lot of blood, and pens about 2-3 inches deep. the excessive bleeding? Is it related to the fact that blood normally pools in the feet, because of gravity?

Sorry, the biology major part of me took over there for a minute.

I'm glad it's behind you now, and you can take baths again!Now let's see, we still need details about the condition of the bones, the state of the musculature, and the type of dressings. Do you have to put antibiotics or anything like that on the wound? What were the pens made from, and what caused

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puppybraille

Jul. 11th, 2006 10:39 pm (UTC)

Let's see if I can answer all of your questions. First, the x-rays showed that the healing of the bones looks good. She says that for all I've gone through, I still have the ability to heal like a young woman. I think that's a compliment?

The pins are metal, but I don't know what kind. The dressing was a load of gauze and an ace bandage providing compression (note, the er blood). Then it was held on by those clip/hook things.

Today, we changed the dressing, and now I have a lot less gauze because it's not bleeding, and already is starting to scab over. I don't need the ace bandage either. I don't have to put antibiotic stuff on it either.

Today with the gauze off, I finally saw all of the scars. Wow, no wonder I needed pain pills even before the RSD flared up big time!

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