I have no idea why things felt bad a fortnight ago. But that was NOTHING in comparison to this week. I managed to massively overdo it on Weds (by doing the physio exercises three times, then going out to spend four hours with friends 25 minutes drive away). As a result, I spent Weds night in agony, Thursday was no better, and by Thursday afternoon I was both in pain and also effectively "stuck" - sitting in an armchair, but trying to get up again was simply too painful. Worse, I managed to convince myself that I'd bent the metalwork, or had moved the bone fragments.
I ended up telephoning my consultant surgeon (and the hospital where I was treated is not at all local) who said it's probably nothing serious, but get to the local A&E and get the leg X-Rayed.
Oh dear. Unable to get out of the chair, let alone capable of hobbling to the front door, and with getting into a car COMPLETELY beyond me, I ended up having to call an ambulance! Felt such a fool, being wheeled out of my back door, getting smashed out of my mind on gas & air again to deal with the pain of being moved. A&E was MUCH slower this time around - ignored in a cubicle waiting for triage with no painkillers for two hours
However, the X-Rays (which were rubbish, nowhere near as clear as the ones taken at the treating hospital) showed that nothing had moved, things appear to have started healing, and the pain was therefore muscle spasms from Weds' exertions. They were able to compare things because I have the post-op X-Rays here on this iPad - there was no other way for them to access the X-Rays taken a few weeks ago at a different hospital.
Knowing that the paid was muscular rather than skeletal helped a lot - although it's only been this morning that the pain has started to ease. Knowing that nothing was bent or broken meant that I could force myself out of bed/out of the chair, get to the loo etc despite the absolute agony I was in. Now, as I say, it feels like it's easing again back to the pre-Weds levels - a constant, low-level nagging pain I can ignore, with sharper pain on movement that can be dealt with by conventional pain management techniques (chiefly that application of rule #5). And I've gone from the agonising 6" shuffle to the more normal 2' at a time stride using my crutches.
Back to see the surgeon for a proper assessment this Friday. I expect him to confirm that the bones have started to heal (although that's a hellishly long prices for the thigh bone), and that I can start putting SOME weight on the broken leg. Which the good leg, shoulders and hip will all appreciate.
