Physical Therapy funtimes

It's official, it's been more that 4 weeks. It's great, I'm allowed to bend my knee and am in physical therapy learning how to use my muscles all over again. I went to the Dr last Thursday and he made me cry by bending my knee, then told me to go to his referred PT and work with her. She is great, and a fan of all sports Boston, even pronounces Car - Cahhh.

I also finally got to hang out with my boys last week. Betz, Josh, and Murray came over to hang out with me, since I can't really go anywhere. We had a blast, at least I did. I miss hanging out with people, not that I don't like Galen a lot, but I miss other people. I miss my friends. I also met some new friends in the courtyard of my apartment. All in all, a great time and much needed break from the norm.

Physical Therapy was on Friday for the first time. My PT is great, I really like her and I can tell she's good at her job. She massaged my knee area to try and break up some of the swelling that's just been stuck there since there hasn't been any movement. She also had me do some exercises for bending my knee and strengthen my right leg again, since it's pretty much lost all its muscle. She recommended doing exercises in the pool too, so yay! Too bad it wasn't very nice Saturday and all day Sunday I was exhausted. Pool will be open tomorrow and I will test them out.

A thank you to Galen - Cafe Atlantico. So I told him that it was a surprise and wouldn't give him hints as to where we were going. He's been by my side and wonderful, because I know I'm hard to deal with, I have my bad moments with the leg. My friend Domenick is a chef at Atlantico, so I made arrangements to let him know we were coming. We had great cocktails and the manager even brought us Mini-bar treats (olive oil encased in sugar, beet tumble weed, and nitrous frozen popcorn called Dragon Breath). Dragon breath was awesome, we each had the smoke from the nitrous come out of our mouths and nose. Dinner was expensive, but worth it because it was a great experience.

Mom and Kimmie came down on Saturday morning to spend the day and evening with me. Kim sure is pregnant, and so cute. I'm so excited to be an Aunt. So mom took Kim and me to Target (which is quite hilarious walking around with me in a motorized cart and Kimmie very pregnant) and then we went to Home Goods. Since Home Goods doesn't have carts for me I somehow managed to walk around on crutches for over a half hour. I was definitely tired and done by the time we left. We went to Mexicali Blues for dinner then came home to watch "He's Just Not That Into You." Galen decided to go out, which is great to get away with his friends. He did decide, also, to come over at 3 am to stay with me, which is better than driving. We all went to breakfast at Whitlow's the next morning and then took Kimmie to the train station. Galen and I slept for the majority of the day as I didn't sleep well Saturday night and he didn't' sleep much.

I was back at PT this morning and got my leg to bend to 100 degrees, yay me. The goal is by next Thursday to have it to at least 135 degrees for the Dr. I slept for a lot of the day as still catching up from the weekend and not sleeping well last night. I have some great arts and crafts to start doing to keep me occupied. I'm totally ready to learn to walk again, but have to be patient and keep doing my exercises daily.

Week 2 - Done

So Saturday was 2 weeks since the accident, freak accident I've decided. I was really mean and grumpy on Friday, I think the leg is starting to irritate me more than anything. I went to see Terminator 2 - awesome, but was very hard to sit through such a long movie with my leg not elevated. The foot was quite swollen by the time we got out of the theater and I was not very nice to Galen because I was upset and frustrated. I called Mom on Saturday morning to learn that Grandmother had fallen on Friday night and broken her bone that was connected to her new titanium hip (femur I think). She just had surgery yesterday, so I have to realize my leg could be a lot worse.

The Dr.'s appointment went well on Friday, I don't have to have surgery for the break as of now, but there is a slight depression on the bone so we will have to monitor the healing progress via getting x-ray's frequently. I have also learned that there is a slight tear in my PCL, but the damage can't be assessed until the tibia bone heals completely. The test is to bend my leg at 90 degrees and push down on the tibia to see if the PCL holds or if it doesn't and the bone goes back behind my knee (ouch). So in about 6 weeks I'll know whether or not I have to have surgery on my PCL. I start physical therapy next week and can (hopefully) start bending my knee again. Still no weight bearing for 6-8 weeks from the date of injury (I think).

Galen was able to go out with his guy friends on Saturday night, a much needed break for him as he's been by my side to help me for the past 2 weeks. I'm learning to be more independent, but still have to rely on people for rides as I can't even walk more than a block without getting tired. Stupid crutches, I hate them! Right now the most frustrating part is that I am not in pain (which is good), but that I can't function like I used to. I hate not being able to be active, I hate not being able to walk, and I hate having to be dependent on people. There are some people in the world that would love to be waited on, I am not like that, I want to be able to do things on my own. Hopefully I will find out about work today, as I need to let the leaves team know.

Back from the beach - Dr today

So I decided to leave OBX early because I wanted to get an earlier appointment with the Dr to read my MRI. The leg is starting to feel better and is looking more and more "normal." Wednesday on the beach was really hot, and it was only supposed to get hotter throughout the week, I would've been miserable just sitting there not being able to get in the water. People keep asking me why I didn't just get in the water, and there are numerous reasons. I only have one brace for the leg, and at $500 I didn't want to ruin this one and risk insurance not paying for the other one. Secondly, I want to have a fast recovery and be back running in the future, the strength of waves in OBX could have done more damage and I didn't want to risk that. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get the Dr to sign off on short term disability, but I have no clue how I would get to work or a client assignment if I was put on a project. I guess a lot of my questions will be answered today, which is why I got an earlier appointment. When I spoke with the surgical scheduler on Wednesday she said that there was no Meniscal damage, but didn't' say anything about ligaments/tendons. I'm very happy that my leg is feeling better, and can't wait until I can bend my knee again, much less bear weight on it too!

Week 1 - Going to the beach

Have had a family reunion and beach trip planned since August 2008, good thing I broke my leg a week before. Jeff, Terri, and Cade rode down in my car and Galen and I rode in his car. I have been more cranky lately, probably a mix of a lot of things. We got Dunkin' Donuts on the way down and that was just great. Hit the road at about 8:45 and didn't hit traffic on 95 until Fredericksburg, and then again getting onto 64. The trip was fairly uneventful, despite me trying to start fights because I was so tired. We finally arrived in Whalehead at about 3 pm, and it was a mere 95 degrees with a ton of humidity. My foot looked like a 500 lb person's and was so swollen. Galen piggy-backed me onto the beach (which was hard on my knee but the only choice before we could check into our houses). The beach was hot and windy and I wanted to go back to the houses and go to the pool where I could at least get in the water. Mom and Dad made me put my leg up for the remainder of the night so that the swelling would go down.

It was hard to just sit in the chair as family arrived, and all I want to do is play with the little kids. Hannah (16 months - cousin) is so cute, and so are my other cousin's kids (Conner - 5, and Kylie - 8). I love seeing all the cousins as they live out west or mid-west. I had so much fun just seeing everyone though.
The first full day of the beach was Sunday and we went down in the morning. This is the first day that I got to use my awesome beach wheelchair (that we originally rented for my grandmother who just had hip replacement surgery). The beach was nice, but it was awfully windy so the afternoon was spent back and the houses. Galen and I took a nap on a twin bed, yikes! Kimmie (sister) and Alden (bro in law) arrive with their two dogs (Buster and Gus). They just make me smile, such a great family and Kimmie is very pregnant and so cute.

I really wish that I was capable of moving around. I've had ups and downs lately where I just wish I could walk. Especially being at the beach, I'm that person that body surfs and is in the water constantly. I miss not being able to go in the water, but if this is the only summer I have to deal with it, I guess I'll survive.
I called the Dr. on Monday and they won't read the MRI over the phone to me, so I have to wait until I go next Monday. I've called the office about the short term disability too, waiting to hear back from them. The swelling has definitely gone down though. And the beach was awesome on Monday. I have a great tan, but only on the front of my body, just like back in the day life guarding. I'll post pictures soon, I have them all on my camera for the week. The highlight of yesterday was killing everyone in scrabble.

Day 2 - Back at home and Dr's visit

All set to go to the orthopaedic doctor on Monday morning, Galen's doing a good job so far as a nurse. I only had to sit in the waiting area for a mere 45 minutes; not too bad not having an appointment. The doctor pops up the x-rays and immediately see's the break and wants to take a look so he takes the brace off. He's definitely not worried about hurting me as he jerks my leg all around while taking the brace off and getting me a new brace. So the only new news is that the swelling will get worse, need to get an MRI because he says most of these breaks require surgery and he'll look for ligament damage too. And I get a new leg brace, yay! Much better and more comfortable (if you can even use comfort as a description for leg brace). Can't move my knee for at least 3 weeks and it's locked in that position.

Can I just say how much I hate health insurance companies?! I have to wait at least 3 days while UHC approves my MRI scan before I can get it done. Srsly UHC?! My leg is broken and my leg looks like it's been hammered all over and I need approval? ugh. Guess I'll just keep taking pills and suffering while health insurance takes 3 days to make a yes/no decision. Thanks UHC.

I'm slowly learning to get around on my crutches, I'm doing ok, and still positive, but that might just be the drugs. I have the couch pulled out into a bed and am all set up for the next week. The most frustrating thing is that I haven't trained my brain to get everything together before I sit down. Takes me forever to get up and down and I keep forgetting things to bring to the couch with me. I have a ton of DVR'd shows to catch up on, so I'll be entertained for a bit. I took a long nap, as my body has been through trauma and so has my mind.

I take my first trip to whole foods to get ingredients for shrimp fajitas for dinner. Galen is being a total champ for helping me out. Just going to whole foods takes a lot of my energy and I'm happy to have someone helping me. We eat and then watch the DVR'd episodes of "Royal Pains." So far, the break is just more annoying than anything.

The break

I ran my Lawyers have Heart 10K on Saturday morning with a time of 51:05, I was happy with that time for not being in ideal shape. Right after the race I was headed down to Poquoson to see my cousin (Mike) off to baseball (drafted by the Astros) and see my other cousin (Clark) graduate from high school. Kelly (cousin) and her boyfriend had asked Mike to take them wakeboarding earlier in the day and my dad suggested they wait until Galen (my boyfriend) and I arrive.

Swimsuits on, piled in the bronco, we were set off for a few hours of wakeboarding. After filling up with gas and figuring out how to restart the boat (half the key was broken off - Schurz style) we were set to get our wakeboard on. I volunteered to go first, it'd been 3 years since I was last on a wakeboard or waterskis, but I was confident, having been pulled behind a boat since I was 5 or 6. First try - I'm up and feeling confident, out of the wake I go, then get convinced by the boat riders to go back into the wake - fall. I get up a 2nd time, great, feeling comfortable again, and out of the wake I go, now to come back in. I'm thinking "what did I do wrong last time to fall?" So I cut a little more this time and go back into the wake - fall. Not just a fall, but felt my knee do something not right, and I was under water with the board still strapped on and finally popped up to the surface. Mike pulls the boat around "ready to go again?" "No, guys, I'm really hurt, I think, I can't move my leg" I respond. You know that feeling you have when your arm falls asleep and you can flop it all around and can't feel it, now imagine that with the lower part of your right leg. Mike and Galen suggest I try to straighten my leg, can't, then I swim over to the side of the boat so they can get my feet out because I can't reach my right leg without pain. Thank goodness 2 strong guys were able to pull me into the boat without the use of my leg. I sit down and we assess the situation. Galen says "can you stand up, can you straighten your leg, can you put pressure on it?" I try to stand, the leg bends almost the wrong direction, I can't straighten it, all I can do is bit my lip and pretend like it's not that bad, for fear of scaring myself. I've never broken a bone - ever! Since I was the first to go, I feel bad, "hey guys, you can go, I'll be fine sitting here on the boat" I say. Everyone insists we immediately go back to the dock, as my leg is getting bigger and grosser. We pile out of the boat, which seems to take an eternity, as I'm finally crying my eyes out, yes, I finally give in to the pain. Galen attempts to carry me the distance of the dock and through the yard to the Bronco. "Mike, I need help" he says, to which I respond "OMG, am I that fat?" (at least I still have a sense of humor). We lose Chance (the dog) and decide that Mike will come get him later. We pull into the driveway and Kelly and Garrett immediately run into the house to get my Uncle Rob and dad.

As I sit in the passenger seat of the Bronco, in more pain than I've ever experienced, Uncle Rob comes running out, takes one look at my leg and says we're going to the hospital. Uncle Rob and Galen put me in the passenger seat of my parents car and my dad comes out of the house after only hearing "Cassie's hurt, she has to go to ER." So ice, water, Advil, a t-shirt and shorts to put on over my wet swim suit, we're off to the ER. Dad is driving, Galen behind me and Uncle Rob giving directions. Mom and Aunt Linda are leaving Costco to meet us at the hospital. We pull up and they have a wheel chair waiting for me. At this point I'm freaked, because I have no idea what's wrong with my leg and I'm in so much pain. After text pictures, I get called into the room and Galen and my dad come back with me as the triage nurse gets my vitals. Yep, blood pressure 155 over 93 - wow, I was in some pain. The PA and Dr. come in and poke around with my knee, they don't have MRI's there, but I will have to get one as they don't think there is a break, but some ligament/tendon damage. I will have x-rays done just in case.

The x-ray technician comes in to wheel me away, little does he realize I can't bend my knee or move any of my body parts without pain. He tells me to get onto the table under the x-ray machine, to which I wobble my body onto it. He's moving my leg around to get decent pictures and asking what wake boarding is, he still has no idea. X-rays are done (after the final picture requiring me to move my knee in a 45 degree angle). The Dr. and PA come in and I have a tibial plateau fracture - good news, it's a break that will heal, bad news, I'm in a brace and can't put any pressure on my leg and require crutches.

Walgreens, here we come with my prescription for Vicoden, darnit, all I wanted was beer for the night. After waiting in the parking lot of Walgreens for over a half hour, thinking my dad is getting arrested for drinking beer out of the coolers because it is way past happy hour and way past all of our patience levels for the day. We have my prescription, we're on our way back to the house for dinner. I'm propped up and am waited on with food, water, beer, etc.

I'm exhausted, having slept 5 hours the night before, run a 10K, broken my leg, and on Vicoden. My air mattress is blown up, since I can't go up and down steps and I'm ready for bed. It takes a while to get to sleep with my leg propped up and sleeping on my back. The first night goes as smooth as one can expect, and everything still seems a blur. I can't believe I broke my first bone, and I'm so thankful it wasn't worse and that I was around family. I sleep through the night until about 7 am, Galen comes downstairs and I take another Vicoden.