Anyone dealt with a broken fibula?

I have been pleasantly amazed by the multitude of immediate helpful answers
I got about my sore butt question. Seems what I thought was an unusual
problem, atleast in people who still ride bikes, is common. I only got
one "what do you mean you're rding a bike with a broken leg?" crack.

It occurs to me maybe a broken fibula isn't that unusual either. Doctor
at cast clinic at Brackenridge says he's treated thousands of them. It is
relatively unusual for the fibula, which is the small thin lower leg bone,
to break by itself - but it could be relatively common for people to break
it the way I did - by getting hit by a car while riding a bike. Fibula
probably took a direct blow, or conceivably some stress only broke the
smaller bone.

Doctors at Brackenridge said a broken fibula doesn't need much attention
because it is a non-weight bearing bone, and it is also a nonessential bone.
I have a complete transverse fracture a little more than halfway up the
shaft, but it set itself. They tried to put a temporary plaster splint on
it - and called it a cast - but when I realized it wasn't that serious a
situation I refused. Research on the Internet proved that was correct - a
fractured fibula is more often treated with a removable splint, or even
plain ace bandages. I understood it would be good to keep my weight off
of it; unfortunately my other hip wasn't having any of that idea. So I
ended up doing partial weight bearing with my removable walking boot that I
ordered on the Internet, and crutches, for about three weeks.

Doctor at cast clinic told me after two weeks I didn't really need the
splint - but when I tried leaving it off leg got so aggravated I put it back
on. It came off the day after I first rode my bike a week later, probably
because bike riding stretched and conditioned my joints and muscles. The
first day I carried it around in a large bag over my backpack, along with
both crutches on my handlebars, which was a major pain.

Leg and the bad hip are both very aggravated by long walks, and bus stop
alone is a mile from my house. Work is a mile from where the bus stops....
you get the picture.

So a week ago I got my bike back on the road.

Broken leg doesn't object to easy peddling on level terrain while I'm riding
it - but later it pretty much gets as aggravated as it did when I was
walking. I carry one crutch on my bike (on the handlebar) - but I use it as
little as possible because the bad hip hates even walking with one crutch.
When I do use it it is usually because the bad hip is so spastic and stiff
or whatever that I can't walk.

My intuitiion is that I'm better off getting around the way that doesn't
require bearing weight.

I'm doing alot more than I originally could in general - but my entire lower
body was sprained and badly bruised. So that isn't a wonder. Broken leg
is still doing alot of fussing and carrying on. It no longer is grossly
swollen, but much activity produces a grapefruit on the side of my leg.

A few days ago I missed a bus, had the next one a half hour later come by
wearing two bicycles, and rode my bike four miles, not fast or in high gear
or uphill or anything - and though the leg never said boo while I was
riding, once I got to work it soon proved to have been way too much. I
ended up with my leg up on a chair with a bag of ice.

I am still keeping it tightly wrapped in ace bandages.

Of course, the other knee, which has nothing apparent wrong with it, is
still swelling up like a grapefruit - and that interferes with the bad hip.
Tight bandaging it and knee braces don't help. It just blows up when you
take it off, and it turns purple to boot.

I am wondering what experiences other people with the same thing have had,
and what they did for it?

Oh - I couldn't get anyone at Brackenridge to physically examine the hip.
They did x-ray it - which could miss a fracture. Brackenridge is a trip;
they rushed me to the trauma center on a backboard in an ambulance, did a
head and body CAT scan and several X-rays, took urine and asked me if I had
my period - and never physically touched my body, except to insert an IV and
check my blood pressure. I mean they didn't feel to see what might be
injured or broken! They missed the broken fibula; I returned to the
emergency room later because I was feeling sicker than the trauma and the
not concussion could account for (I never bumped my head, but I did have
mild whiplash). . They had put the swollen knee in an immobilizer, told me
it was sprained, though they never examined nor did a single stress test on
it, and told me to keep it in the immobilizer and hop on crutches (on the
broken leg) for a full month. I soon realized I couldn't hop on crutches
on the (broken) other leg, and last two times I let anyone tell me to stay
off a sprained knee, when I finally got competent medical care, it proved
to be a serious mistake.

I had to go all the way to the executive director of Seton Hospitals to get
the doctor at the cast clinic to stress test the clearly badly sprained
ankle that goes with the broken fibula to see if the bone broke because the
ligaments and fascia between the fibula and the tibia had gone - which is
the most common way a fibula breaks by itself, and often overlooked in
emergency rooms. Good news is the "mortise", ie the ankle joint itself,
seemed rock solid - I guess we'll see.

--

Yours,
Dora Smith
Austin, Texas

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 02:00:42 GMT, "Dora Smith"
wrote:

snip much osteopathic-type blather

I don't suppose it has crossed your mind to see an orthopedist about
any of this?

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 02:00:42 GMT, "Dora Smith"
wrote:

Bla, bla, bla


Let it heal, you dumb ****.

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 02:20:27 GMT, Slinky
wrote:

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 02:00:42 GMT, "Dora Smith"
wrote:

snip much osteopathic-type blather

I don't suppose it has crossed your mind to see an orthopedist about
any of this?

Be sure to see a holistic orthopedist; one who concerns himself not
merely with the fracture, but with the entire bone.

What an idea! Answer was too obvious to explain - but maybe only to someone
in Texas, I dunno.

According to Peoples Community Clinic there is no orthopedic care available
to people without money and insurance except the jokers at Brackenridge.

Dora

--

Yours,
Dora Smith
Austin, Texas

"Slinky" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 02:00:42 GMT, "Dora Smith"
wrote:

snip much osteopathic-type blather

I don't suppose it has crossed your mind to see an orthopedist about
any of this?

Folks, I hate to tell you, but I have no resources to see ANY orthopedist.
Or of course I'd have seen one by now.

--

Yours,
Dora Smith
Austin, Texas

"Zippy the Pinhead" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 02:20:27 GMT, Slinky
wrote:

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 02:00:42 GMT, "Dora Smith"
wrote:

snip much osteopathic-type blather

I don't suppose it has crossed your mind to see an orthopedist about
any of this?

Be sure to see a holistic orthopedist; one who concerns himself not
merely with the fracture, but with the entire bone.

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 15:01:15 GMT, "Dora Smith"
wrote:

What an idea! Answer was too obvious to explain - but maybe only to someone
in Texas, I dunno.

Geography has nothing to do with anything.

There's nothing obvious here except you whining that you've got a
broken bone that isn't healing - gee duh, because you keep using it.


According to Peoples Community Clinic there is no orthopedic care available
to people without money and insurance except the jokers at Brackenridge.

I don't recall seeing anything in your original whine that indicates
you have no money or insurance. You simply go on about how you keep
using your leg and why isn't it healing and what schmucks the Brack
people are for not diagnosing all of your injuries and magic-wanding
them when you were in the ER.

Dora Smith wrote:
I have been pleasantly amazed by the multitude of immediate helpful answers
I got about my sore butt question. Seems what I thought was an unusual
problem, atleast in people who still ride bikes, is common. I only got
one "what do you mean you're rding a bike with a broken leg?" crack.

I didn't think it was a crack. I interpreted it as an honest
exclamation of surprise. Please consider the idea that riding a bike
with a broken leg bone will surprise a lot of people. It certainly
surprised me.

Is there any possibility you can give your lower body a complete rest?
It's gotta be hard for your hip and legs to heal if you're using them so
vigorously.

-km

--
the black rose
GO LANCE GO!!!
proud to be owned by a yorkie
http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts

If you got hit by a car, possibly the driver's insurance might pay your
expenses. Certainly you could sue for money. If it wasn't your fault,
try contacting Legal Aid or a personal injury attorney.

Diana Sledge

Dora Smith wrote:

What an idea! Answer was too obvious to explain - but maybe only to someone
in Texas, I dunno.

According to Peoples Community Clinic there is no orthopedic care available
to people without money and insurance except the jokers at Brackenridge.

Dora

--

Yours,
Dora Smith
Austin, Texas

"Slinky" wrote in message
.. .


On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 02:00:42 GMT, "Dora Smith"
wrote:

snip much osteopathic-type blather

I don't suppose it has crossed your mind to see an orthopedist about
any of this?

Black Rose and Others:

The ease with which you are astonished really isn't my problem. It's
yours.

Geez, maybe I should apply for a job with your company. Then when you
reject me because your view of the world says people with broken bones
belong in bed, I can file an Americans with Disabilities Complaint. You've
got a wakeup coming, girl!

I want to here from people who've had a broken fibula and LIVED with it.
Not OTHER people with attitude problems - laziness clearly among them.
Haven't you got anything better to do than answer newsnet posts that don't
concern you with views that have nothing to do with the question asked?
no - I guess not. And some of you, you're language proves it. Not to
mention the very idea that you'd lay around with a broken bone.

I want to hear from people with both something going for them and direct
experience with a broken fibula - and the answers to my previous question
left me thinking there were such people on newsnet!

Oh well....

--

Yours,
Dora Smith
Austin, Texas

"the black rose" wrote in message
...
Dora Smith wrote:
I have been pleasantly amazed by the multitude of immediate helpful
answers
I got about my sore butt question. Seems what I thought was an unusual
problem, atleast in people who still ride bikes, is common. I only
got
one "what do you mean you're rding a bike with a broken leg?" crack.

I didn't think it was a crack. I interpreted it as an honest
exclamation of surprise. Please consider the idea that riding a bike
with a broken leg bone will surprise a lot of people. It certainly
surprised me.

Is there any possibility you can give your lower body a complete rest?
It's gotta be hard for your hip and legs to heal if you're using them so
vigorously.

-km