M.V.I. graphic photos.

by **72hours** » Fri May 25, 2012 5:13 am

Wee, you are close to the source... Any shops you know of that would be reasonably priced and ship here? A crook or handle would probably be a good idea, it would make it easier for me to transfer weight to it. Can only find these guys who put a handle on them, but I have no idea about their quality. Some of their stuff seems mass produced and a bit chintzy.
http://www.fashionablecanes.com/70121.html

I will definitely try and get the right size. How do you ensure it is the correct length?

by **wee drop o' bush** » Fri May 25, 2012 5:24 am

I'm not sure how you check but it's a ratio of your height:to stick length.
We just go to a local man who makes them for us. He also makes wooden bowls etc,here's ours.

I'll ask my husband for his phone number which I can then private message you with. Though it could be a couple of days before he gets round to this as he's really busy clipping our sheep, and he gets crabbit :lol:

But I'll remember for you.
Thanks to PayPal you can safely & easily do business throughout the world.
I'll be in touch

by **72hours** » Fri May 25, 2012 5:39 am

That's so kind of you wee! I hope he won't mind deviating from the typical rootball handle and creating or selecting one with a horizontal handle/root.
Do you mind if I ask how much he usually charges? Do they have a finish/shellac on them? Then I just need to figure out shipping and start saving... That is a gorgeous bowl! My opa had something like that in his office, made from a huge round growth off the side of what i think was a hickory tree.
I love natural wood. One of the reasons we bought the home we did is because we fell in love with all the native timber in it, trees that are no longer allowed to be cut down. Floors are matai and the doors, baseboards, windows, sills and beams are all solid rimu.

by **wee drop o' bush** » Fri May 25, 2012 9:39 am

I can't remember how much he charges, sorry. But when I get his name &phone no for you I'll try to get his email address so you can contact him and find out

by **Braums** » Fri May 25, 2012 11:44 am

72hours,

Man, I feel for you. I went through a bone graft/hip revision about 3 yrs ago and was toe-touch, no weight bearing for about 2 months with the crutches. I'll forward this to my wife (Nyght Lady here on the board) so she can fill in what I don't remember through the vicodine haze. My experience happened because I'm stubborn to the point of stupidity sometimes and wore through part of the original hip replacement I got when I was 18.

I need to preface this with your mileage may vary and this was my experience.

Depending on how much opiates you've been prescribed, you will not remember a whole lot. You'll know stuff happened but you will not remember much of it. Also, depending on how often you have to take your pain meds, you'll lose a lot of your short-term memory. After the first couple of weeks, I started reducing my dosage because I was tired of being out of it all the time. Write things down if you need to do so.

You will be sleeping a lot from the meds, but to survive the boredom, stock up on all the movies and video games you've wanted to watch or play. If you read for pleasure, pick up books that don't require a lot of thought. Also, you will get cabin fever so talk to your wife and friends about short trips out of the house when you're mobile.

You asked about canes, and I would recommend having a couple. As you start to walk without crutches, you'll definitely want something that offers a fair amount of support and is comfortable in your hand. You can go here to look at a few: http://www.fashionablecanes.com/ They also have a quick guide on how to fit a cane to you. I used a derby-style at first. As I improved, I got a hiking stick with a shock absorber to save wear and tear on my arm and shoulder. I still keep it in the car if I go hiking or seriously overdo it. I also have this one that's pretty sturdy ( http://www.atlantacutlery.com/p-866-mace-cane.aspx )that I still use on occasion when I walk where dogs or people may be a problem.

Let me know if I can answer anything else and shoot me a pm if that's easier.

by **72hours** » Fri May 25, 2012 1:41 pm

Thanks wee. Finally an excuse to get a real authentic sturdy blackthorn! My wife might roll her eyes a bit. Lol. Ordering from Ireland ....
Braum, thanks for all the tips. I will make sure I grab another cane or two. That sizing guide is fantastic. And i don't need to change it at all if i have an injury on the one side? Surgeon just came and confirmed my Operation.... See you on the other side!

by **wee drop o' bush** » Fri May 25, 2012 1:55 pm

72hours wrote:Thanks wee. Finally an excuse to get a real authentic sturdy blackthorn! My wife might roll her eyes a bit. Lol. Ordering from Ireland ....

She probably will :lol:

But also be glad that you're ok & relieved when your op is over

by **72hours** » Fri May 25, 2012 2:01 pm

Wee, can you take a pic of your walking sticks?

by **72hours** » Fri May 25, 2012 2:04 pm

wee drop o' bush wrote:
72hours wrote:Thanks wee. Finally an excuse to get a real authentic sturdy blackthorn! My wife might roll her eyes a bit. Lol. Ordering from Ireland ....

She probably will
But also be glad that you're ok & relieved when your op is over

Now to convince her to wear that nurses uniform in the back of our closet ....

by **wee drop o' bush** » Fri May 25, 2012 2:49 pm

72hours wrote:Wee, can you take a pic of your walking sticks?

We don't have any actual sticks just crooks, but he makes walking sticks too.
Here's the crooks, they have horn handles.
Strange, the photos won't upload

[img]http://img.tapatalk.com/5193a4a4-e2e9-71ff.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img.tapatalk.com/5193a4a4-e2f3-262a.jpg[/img]

by **72hours** » Fri May 25, 2012 5:27 pm

Surgery has been postponed again. He wants the swelling to go down completely so that the surgery will be more successful and lower risk. Have to wait till Tuesday. Needless to say I am shattered (mentally this time, not physically) and more than little depressed....

by **NoAm** » Fri May 25, 2012 9:33 pm

Wow! We will be thinking of you 72hours!
I got to upgrade Mr.NoAm, a couple of years back, when he broke his tib/fib.
He didn't have nearly the accessories you are wearing though. Lots of thoughts going up for you!

by **Braums** » Fri May 25, 2012 10:08 pm

Hang in there 72hours. As frustrating as it is, you have a support network and access to ZS.

Good luck from NC.

by **72hours** » Sat May 26, 2012 5:16 pm

Braum, you are absolutely right. Between ZS, my wife and our families(although they are mostly overseas) and our caring and generous friends, I feel like a lucky man despite my injuries.
I have a wonderful support system and the most amazing, strong, smart, sexy and devoted woman a man could dream of marrying. Last night i started having cramps and spasms in my knee. Thisgot worse and worse and none of the oral meds worked, nor the iv morphine. 3 hours writhing in pain and they finally gave me fentanyl which pretty much knocked me out. poor Mrs. 72hours was with me the whole time, sponging the sweat off me and getting the team of nurses and doctors to keep trying to manage my pain. We were both relieved when I finally got some relief.

by **ctbarb** » Sat May 26, 2012 6:21 pm

Hang in there ! I am a CT Tech in a trauma hospital in Chicago and I can tell you that the support you get from family and friends is more important than anything else. I see people fairly often that have had catastrophic injuries do amazing things because they have the moral support behind them. Maybe now is the time to write the greatest zombie novel ever! Being on pain meds could inspire you! Take care and know that many good vibes are rolling your way from Chicago.

by **Braums** » Sat May 26, 2012 8:54 pm

72hours,

I agree with CTbarb. I can see it now "....I was in the trauma ward and the meds were finally kicking in. All of the sudden, EMTs and staff were running to the other end of the ward..."

Take care of yourself and stay positive. Oh, and when all this is over take you wife out for dinner and a night out to say thanks.....trust me.

by **72hours** » Tue May 29, 2012 2:00 pm

well they finally operated on my knee yesterday afternoon and it took over 10 hours. I am still a bit groggy from the anesthesia. just waiting for the doctors to come around on their morning rounds. The nurse did say i would be able to fly back to my local hospital whenever i want. Or rather she passed that good news along from the doctor.

by **wee drop o' bush** » Tue May 29, 2012 2:45 pm

72hours wrote:well they finally operated on my knee yesterday afternoon and it took over 10 hours. I am still a bit groggy from the anesthesia. just waiting for the doctors to come around on their morning rounds. The nurse did say i would be able to fly back to my local hospital whenever i want. Or rather she passed that good news along from the doctor.

Great, hope you have a speedy recovery

by **Braums** » Wed May 30, 2012 12:01 am

Best wishes on a speedy recovery and travel safe my friend.

by **Viper shtf** » Wed May 30, 2012 10:01 pm

Good luck!

by **Mr_Sheesh** » Fri Jun 01, 2012 2:41 am

Definitely wishing you speedy recovery and better luck than you'd had

IDK if they have you on a catheter, but (from a girlfriend having had one in for some time, years ago) if they do, make SURE you start retraining your bladder etc. by closing the valve most of the time, so that once you are off the catheter, you have SOME bladder muscle tone - My GF had had both breasts reduced and was severely disabled, getting to tie a rappelling harness on her at all hours of the day & night to transfer her, every 30 minutes, 24/7, for about a week, got OLD for her and for myself as well. (I've learned a LOT about how to do transfers on Cerebral Palsy Quads, more than I expect to ever know again LOL) Hoping that SOMEONE reading this is maybe saved from that agony by our mishap LOL

And (if you didn't know this trick) feminine napkins are a lot cheaper and absorbent than 4x4 gauze squares, and considerably cheaper - and sterile. (My dad had some major surgeries, they sent him home telling him to buy 4x4s - for about a meter of wounds they had to care for. NOT cheap.)

I've found that when you get hurt, the people who stay with you, are your TRUE friends - the ones who fall away, never were.

by **72hours** » Fri Jun 01, 2012 9:17 am

well the operation was a success and as soon as a bed was available, I was flown back to ky local hospital. That was two days afore i think. I have a fancy brace that keeps my leg straight. No weight bearing for 6 weeks. That is also when i can start adjusting the brace to allow x degrees of movement, and i will be allowed to put 30 percent of my body weight on that leg(wonder how they ensure that).
in the mean time i am doing crunches and partial situp, ankle pumps and quad lifts as much as possible. i have been issued a gutter crutch for the arm with the cast (Bennett fracture in metatarsal) and normal crutch for other side. i also have a gutter pulpit which is like a tall walker on wheels that lets me put my weight on my forearms in place of my left left. I felt a little too proud when i walked 10m down the hall and into the toilet tonight. was wheeled back on a wheelchair with a leg elevator . i will be issued one of those and one of those stools with handles for over our home toilet and a functioning chair for in the shower and some other gear...
The occupational therapist is keen to get me home after the long weekend. The physio feels the same after watching me ace using all my mobility toys (although i got pale and dizzy and the pain/pressure in my surgeried area caused me to have to lay down and elevate and take 10mg of morphine). I think it helped that as soon as she (the physio) came in I asked her if i was allowed to do this exercise and that..... so she had no others to tell me to do and i was already working on the ones she had for me. ;-)

Helps having family in the medical field..

So Tuesday when the long weekend is over, the ot and physio, social worker (who hasn't been by yet err....) and my doctor will hopefully find time to meet and discharge me!!!

Monday is also the day our insurance begins replacing things for us...so lots of new toys to set up and occupy me. I think they might be upgrading my ps2 to a ps3..... dangerous..... but i can do most of my exercises from our couch.....a friend of mine is sending me red dead redemption , and i noticed there is an Undead expansion pack for it? gotta love a good zombie game! any other recommendations?

lastly, i get to see my dog again on Sunday !!!!! as long as my wheelchair arrives on Saturday as per scheduled by the ot, i am going out to the parking lot for what i fear will be a tearful reunion. my wife has barely left my sidesince the accident. only 5 days during my two weeks iup in Auckland so she could handle insurance and school, talk to her professors, etc. so i guess i can say there is no one i missed more than my dog......

once again, thanks for your help and support ZS. I still have 6 months before I will be walking with a cane, so you will see much more of me......

by **wee drop o' bush** » Fri Jun 01, 2012 12:05 pm

Glad you're op is over you

Just look forward to getting better & walking on your Irish blackthorn walking stick

by **72hours** » Fri Jun 01, 2012 12:23 pm

lol. well i have a bit more to do in the next 6months before i am able to walk with just a cane/stick but you're right. something to look forward to!!