Brace yourself

As with every fracture, there is immobilization. Even if you've been walking around on it for a month. So I was fitted for a brace and put on “No Weight Baring” status. Being the independent person I am, I asked if I could at least hobble to/from the potty palace. Doc agreed “Touchdown” weight baring would be okay. With that, I was ‘good to go’! Isn't it pretty??

It started pretty soon after…the cold, the tingling, the ‘my foot is asleep’. So I called the ortho office who wanted me to come in for an adjustment. I’m not sure if it was the adjustment or simply the removal of the brace for a few minutes but whatever it was seemed to help. Until it didn't. Which happened to be the next day. So, I called again. Went for an adjustment again. Okay, good. Nope. I ended up calling the office again the next day. I was then told the only thing they could do was switch me to an immobilizer temporarily and when I was ready for weight baring, I would have to return to the brace. The brace cost $185 (the insurance paid an additional $700) and I wasn't working so I was not very interested in paying for another system that would more than likely have the same results. I had a bit of experience with the immobilizers with my son. A LOT of experience actually.

My solution was simple: stay off my leg by staying in bed where I could keep it straight. Apparently the ortho didn't like that as he noted me to be ‘non-compliant’ in my chart. This was my advocate for ME start that I wouldn't realize the importance of for a few months.

I did wear the brace when I was unable to stay in the bed and used my crutches. Then later, when I was taken off non-weight baring.

I started physical therapy and discovered my knee was simply ‘not right’. Sure, the fracture was healing/healed but there was something more there. I don’t think I mentioned it but when it first happened, I thought I simply had a meniscus tear. I had one of those before and worked for several months before having surgery. This pain was more, a LOT more.

My physical therapist and I both insisted to my ortho to order a repeat MRI. Funny, a different radiologist read it and now there WAS more going on. Or was that all there to start with? Clearly a meniscus tear was present and ortho suggested injections. Or he could do surgery as a last resort. I told him “I am okay with ANYTHING as long as I am not in pain anymore!” This ortho who determined my issues with the brace equated ‘non-compliance’ then noted in my chart that I “did not want surgery”. Say what???

See, I had a meniscus tear and partial meniscectomy before. On that same knee. I knew after all the research on my first one the meniscus does not have a good blood supply and does not heal well on its own. Unless – it’s a small tear. This new one was not a small tear. It also was not in a good location to promote self-healing. I knew when the ortho was pushing for injections, I needed a second opinion. 

This was my true beginning of advocating for me. I obtained copies of my medical records and started researching other orthos. I already had some difficulties with another ortho group; when I went in for surgery, they had the WRONG KNEE on all the paperwork! Ummmm....no.

It all starts with one step.