Yesspaz's Leg
 

Hello folks. This is Yesspaz. As many of you may have noticed, I basically dissappeared for about seven weeks. Why? Well, I broke my leg - big time. I was working on some electrical wiring fourteen feet off the ground in a grocery store. To make a long story short, I fell. As you probably know, the floors of such stores are cement covered in tile. Fourteen feet down to cement is not good. I was falling backward and rather than breaking my back or neck, I made the split second decision that no one hopes they ever have to make - I jumped - backwards. I'm shuddering thinking about it right now. I broke the fibia in one place and the tibia in about 25.

My first surgery was stabalization. I have a $12,500 piece of titanium in my leg. My second surgery included putting three screws in my ankle. The ankle is like the skull: it's a bunch of bones that are fused together. The pressure of the fall made it split on the seems, thus the screws. Also, they put in a plate and four screws on my fibula.

As for the tibia, it's a spiral fracture. Have you ever seen a tree with a spiral break because a tornado twisted the top of it? Well that's the way my leg broke. The pieces are too small to piece together, so they stabalized my leg and let a hematoma form around the chunks. After it calcifies into a bone fragment, they will take the fixator out and put a plate from my knee to my ankle, connecting the good part of the tibia to the hematoma to the ankle. That'll take about ten screws.

Here are some photos. Bear with me because I'm going to post a bunch and make comments.

A good close-up

Doing crosswords

Talking with my peeps

another close-up

My nurse doing her thing.

Tell me you're kidding!
 

But I have a feeling that it is true. And I thought that you had gone to some place with palm trees, lots of sand, and topless babes.

Is that the "fixator" on top of your leg? How are you coping otherwise?

That's for real. Give me a few minutes and I'll get the pictures of the rods up.

My mom checking out the damage.

In this photo you can see my left foot. I forgot to tell you that in the fall I broke three toes on that foot.

Enjoying a Wendy's Frosty.

My nurse changing my bandages:

The view without the bandages:

A close-up of my ankle:

All the pictures so far have been of my first surgery. Here's the scar after my second surgery.

Another scar photo

Yet another scar photo

Look at that carnage!!!

A slightly different view.

Chillin' like a Villain. I think I was writing something...

Hanging with some church friends, and my Momma!

And finally, chillin' back home in the beautiful Mississippi with my little sister. I'm also pimping the walker....

Ouch!
 

My brother snapped his tibia & fibula about 8 months ago (fell,too) - however, you have the shattering to deal with, too.

What's the recovery time & long-term prognosis?

A tired eye just read "pimping" and "little sister" in the same sentence! :eek:

Any more pictures of your mother? For Keith, of course!;)

Anyhow, glad you had the presence of mind to do what you did as you were falling.

Good to have you back.

Re: Ouch!
 

Too right man!!!

Jesus Yesspaz!!! I just woke up and seeing your pictures has put me right off my breakfast.........

I had a similar accident in 1974 when I was putting up a PA system for my schools sports day. The tower we were bilding was about 25 feet high with me at the top and in the middle when it started to topple over. I hit the ground before the tower and the tower fell on me breaking my femur.

I was in hospital in traction for 3 months......had a really great time I must admit because I got together with my wife of 25 years while I was in there.

No pictures though.

Really glad you're back and posting again. Good luck with the recovery. Keep us posted (no pun intended). :D

Just had a thought.....
 

Following the breakup of my band "Krapp".

If I get another one together I'm going to call it "Yesspaz,s Leg".

Well if "Pavlov's dog" can get a deal why not!!!

I'll use the images here for the CD cover....:D

Good to have you back Yesspaz.
Thanks for the 'snap'shots! Ouch!
Best to you, and your family, and your recovery.

Holy Crap!
 

And all this time I thought you were vacationing!!

Massive regrets, man. Had I seen this earlier, I woulda dedicated a whole day of music to ya. Are you back at school now? Can you get along to classes?

Will you eventually get a giant cast put over it? What's the prognosis?

Hope the station is keeping you company.

We're gonna have to keep a closer eye on you.

Avian

Egads!
 

Wow, I guess I can't complain about my stubbed toe!

Dude, glad to see you've got a smile in many of the pictures. Best of luck with recovery/rehab.

update
 

Yeah, I'm taking 6 hours on campus (Greek Syntax and Translation and Theology II) and 3 by directed study (Pastoral Counseling). 9 is about all I can handle with my limited mobility and the fact that I'll miss a week of school with my third surgery.



Sure, just don't use one's that have my family, friends, nurses, or my face in it.




Sorry about that....:rolleyes:

Ouch, I know this hurts Yesspaz, I had a very similar fracture in the late 80's playing football (soccer).

I was the goalie so I jumped to get a corner shot and when I fell down my left knee rested over a my other leg, but a $%&¬%* from the other team jumped over my tibia and fibula breaking them in several parts and the bones were exposed (outside the skin).

No photos either (thanks to God (:D) ). After some months and therapy my bones are ok, and had enough time to make my thesis, so you should be 100% in less than 6 months, but take my advice and make good use of your free time.

Hope you get well very soon.

Iván

Actually, I'll probably never be 100%. It'll be a year before I can walk without a cane (right now I'm on a walker, then crutches, then a cane). It'll be two years before I can play basketball. The break was so bad the doctor was afraid he might have to amputate if things didn't go right.

Thank God it went right!!!

Amen to that Yesspaz!!!!

Believe me Yesspaz, you'll be 100% for a normal human being, maybe if you were a NBA or NFL player you wouldn't be 100% for the sport.

I believe you play sports mostly for fun and exercize (maybe I'm wrong) so I'm almost sure you won't have problems with your normal life.

In my case I continued playing in the league (semi pro) for a couple of seasons after 8 months of rest. The only problem l still have occurs when winters are too cold and my leg hurts, but nothing that can't be stoped with a couple of pain killers (Darbon or simply Panadol extra strenght).

Iván

I played college basketball, so even though I don't play now "competitively," except for Church League, it's very important to me. One of the first things I asked the doctor was if I'd be able to play basketball again. He said two years. But I still don't know if that means I can goof around on the court, or if I can go at it hard. See, I'm a super-competitive person. I don't believe in "playing for fun." I'm out to win, whether it's basketball, chess, monopoly, or some random party-oriented board game. I'm out for blood. So when I say I won't be 100%, I'm going on two things. 1. When I say 100% I mean that I can bang around and take charges and dive for lose balls and scrimmage on the court for three hours. 2. My doc said I'll be 100% as far as functionality goes, but that I'll never be "like I came from the factory" - his phrase.

:(

But life is good, otherwise!:D

Monopoly
 

I've heard the Red properties are the best to get. My kids have been suckered into the different versions of Monoply. Same game, different properties. We have Loony Tunes, NFL, Star Wars, Pokemon.

And, do you use the free parking as the kitty?

I have no idea what you are asking.

I've never met anyone that uses the Free Parking space for just nothing. The most common version I've heard is to put $500 in it and add all the taxes to it. The person who lands on it gets the $. Then you put another $500 in, etc.

Oh. Yeah, I Just didn't understand the "kitty" part. Well, now you have. I prefer to have nothing on free parking, but most of the time wind up having to use it anyway because the people I play with like it. They still lose.

How are you doing?
 

Hey Spaz. Can you give us an update on your leg?

Re: Monopoly
 

no - tan (St James, etc) are the best and green are the worst - the order is something like tan. yellow, dark blue, light blue; red, purple, purple, green. The second half of each fourth of the board is better, cause the cost is about the same but rent higher, if I remember correctly. Other than that, I'm not giving up my secrets...