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Thursday, August 19, 2010

never rains but it pours

Well......
as some know, this time last year I was planning my first ever holiday, overseas, on my own. Thanks to my Rudd and his stimulus package, and a lovely tax return I had just enough to go over and have some fun. Saying I was apprehensive  would be an understatement but I was also excited to be going, and being away from my little man was going to be a hard but much needed break.

So skip ahead... October I flew out, full of trepidation and excitement. I had a wonderful 8 day tour around the north with a great Tour company, Intrepid Travel, then I took the figurative leap and headed down to Phuket on my own to do some day tours, and relax..... This was where it all started to unravel.

Traveling on your own in a foreign country is not as much fun as I thought. I figured I would meet up with people, organise to go out that night etc etc, but that's not what happened. Each tour I did I would find someone or a few some one's to chat to, cos that the person I am .. but ..... then disaster struck.

I was on a day Canoing tour around James bond Island and a few others. After stopping at one island and having a magical canoe (powered of course by a lovely Thai man) through bat caves and into a mangrove lagoon. Then back to the Ferry and onto our next stop, the famous James bond island, which you don't actually go on .. you can just see.

After some touristy buying overpriced items at the markets, back onto the ferry and we headed for our last stop for the day which gave us free time to have a lay on the beach, swim or use the canoes.

I was the only one on the tour who was not a couple or group and so the tour leader asked me if i wanted to go for a walk through the caves, which of course i took the opportunity.
On the way through to the internal lagoon we squeezed through a few small areas... not a big deal and seeing the empty lagoon was interesting , though a little bit of a let down since there was no water because it was low tide.

On the way back out the guide suggested we go a different way to avoid the squeezing, to which i agreed, unfortunately, in hindsight the squeezing was a much better option.
We came to a hole in the floor, which basically covered the whole floor except two narrow ledges near the walls. Remembering of course that I was in a cave, there were hand holds and crevices in the wall so I thought... yeah i can do that... the guide went first... and got across ... then it was my turn..........one step... two step,..... three....FALLLL!!!!

About 3 metres down i landed on my feet in the next level and crumpled to the ground. I was in pain but was hoping for a sprain, jar, twist etc... I wasn't so lucky.

The guide came down and tried to get me to stand which I couldn't do. so he went to make sure there was another way out of the cave before coming back to me with another of the canoe paddling locals. who then tried to help me hop out of the cave, again that didn't work as the ceiling was too low.

So imagine this, rocks, shells, thick mud... lining the floor of a cave who's ceiling was barely tall enough for me to stand and no wider than 2 people, and I had no way of knowing what I had done to myself, but I knew I couldn't walk. I went into survival mode... get out of cave before tide came in ... I used my left heal, and my hands and bum to craw crawl sideways out of the cave, about 200 hundred metres and who knows how long a time later we arrived at sunshine and the beach. 4 or five thai boys then came and picked me up, but me in a canoe and rowed me back over to the ferry. Getting out of a inflatable canoe on choppy water and "hopping" up a 4 rung steel ladder was no mean feat but finally got onto the back of the ferry  where they gave me panadol... (WTF!) and iced my right foot. No one ... least of all me realised that I had damaged my left as well as that is the one I had been using to hop and walk on.

I made some frantic phone calls to 2 friends who are seasoned travellers, no knowing what to do, which hospital to go to, insurance to use blah blah blah....

45 mins later we were at the jetty and I had another interesting time getting off the ferry onto the wharf, into a private car and another 45 mins drive to Phuket International Hospital. Where I was looked after very well for the next 2 days or what I can remember of it. Thai drugs are good!!!! (hehe)

The long and the short of it was that I had broken at least 3 bones in each foot. Xrays were done in Thailand and repeated in Australia when I arrived home (via Business class .... Its gonna be hard to fly economy again)
 and more breaks were found each time. I flew home on the 16th landing in Sydney on Saturday the 17th October.

The Left foot was the least affected with the 5th 4th, 3rd and 2nd metatarsal broken at the head, which made walking uncomfortable but not impossible. Docs in emergency would normally have put it in a cast BUT, The right was no so lucky. a heal fracture explained why I was in so much pain and couldn't put any weight on it.
Camboot on the left and back slab on the right so that I could get around on crutches. That was the alternative I took.


There was also a Lisfranc Fracture, and two small bone fractures on the right and left. I was released from Emergency with papers to take to the RPA fracture clinic
Aussie Docs decided they need to do some exploratory surgery and xrays to determine if anything needed to be plated or screwed so, 4 days later I was back in the hospital,  in the day surgery waiting area for that for 2 days

Six weeks later I was back at the hospital hoping that it was all over. I had had lovely friends picking Little Man up and taking him to school and back home again. having him over for play dates and also helping me out. A home care worker coming in 2 days a week for a couple of hours to help with cleaning cooking etc, but I was really over it and wanted it to be over... that was not to be.

Another set of xrays taken and they found that all was not well. I had a bone poking out my instep side of my foot (the navicular) which shouldn't have been there... So back into surgery I went in early December to have it Pin and plated into place. Back into a cast! so Christmas and New Year were spent out in Eugowra with my Parents and the Little Man. He had a great time decorating my plaster cast each day with a new picture.


reindeer
Back to Syd in January and things looked good on the Xrays, the plates were staying in for another 2 months but I could begin putting some weight through it, which was great. the plaster came off and the Cam boot now found a use on the right foot. No home help this time and it was holidays but somehow we got through it. February came and School was back and again friends picked up the slack and helped out with getting LM to school and back.

Then end of February I could start wearing normal shoes again, I was allowed to drive ... short distances... and I felt like a while person again..... we could get out and do things. Back into surgery to get the plate out and all of a sudden i was able to walk so much better... there was still discomfort but it felt great!. BUT still it was not over. Physio started and didn't progress as well as they expected... more xrays and the found the bone just hadn't returned to quite the right place which was putting the balance and bones of the foot out of place.

NOW WHAT!!!! The specialist was reluctant to do more surgery straight away, so he said lets wait another 3 months and then review it, maybe it will settle on its own.... that was not to be...

And that takes us up to the present day almost.. yesterday was the three month review... there is still pain, still swelling and still discomfort. So back into surgery I go in October (I requested after my sisters wedding since I am a bridesmaid).
They are going to fuse three bones together (the navicular with the two either side) in an attempt to put it back in place, raise my arch again and stop the pain. After removing the cartilage from around those bones they will score the ends of the bones to make them think they are broken and also use a bone graft from my shin to promote bone growth and healing.

I am soooooo over it..... on the funny side... I have just moved into a house with 2 storeys which is going to make things interesting, though on the upside it has a good driveway and a carport out near the front door so i can hire and old lady electric buggy and possible get around on that...

Bad side I will be in plaster for 3 months again. all over summer again.... all over xmas and New years and my birthday again!!!!!
Good side I will get to keep my disabled parking permit for another 12 months,
Bad side it is another 6-12 months of Physio and not working.
Good side.. I will have more time to make journals
BAD side I can't get anywhere to sell them.

SOOOOO I am trying to work out how I can stay in Sydney and not have to live with my parents as that is really not a great option, aside from the fact I would have to change wills Schools, I would also be really isolated and away from friends being 5 hours from Sydney and William would also loose contact with his Father for that period of time too.

So I need to work out what options are out there for us... and what help I can get.

DAMN IT!!! I really was hoping this was all behind me.... a 16 day holiday has lasted over a year though... maybe I should look at that side of the coin.


1 comment:

  1. What an ordeal to go through hun and to still be going through it 10 months later... yikes! The photo of your foot... yuck, must be very painful. Just think how hot you'll look in your buggy :-) xx

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