Had another fall - more damage :-(

[Guest guest]

Well Friday the 13th really lived up to it's reputation for me today

I'm afraid, as I took yet another tumble - my fourth biggie in three

weeks. Yet again it happened at the hospital as I was hobbling along

the corridor after returning my cardiac monitor. Walking has been

getting harder and harder for me since my ankle dislocation and

casting, but today things just got really ugly. As I took a step my

ankle tried to roll out on me again, but of course couldn't due to

the cast - so the force shot up my leg causing my right knee to

collapse under me and plonk me on the floor in seconds. The shock of

the whole event was tremendous with people around me actually

jumping at the almighty thump and clatter I made!

I finally realised what had happened as several nurses ran to my

aid, but as I looked down my lower right leg was bent at 90 degrees

from the knee in wards and my left ankle was pointing somewhere it

shouldn't. It was obvious both my right knee and left ankle had

dislocated in the fall, so I was scooped up by the A&E staff and

whisked round to what is rapidly becoming my second home. The ER

consultants were terribly concerned about me but thankfully once we

reduced my joints the x-rays showed no fractures. The one bit of

good news I got all day.

The next hurdle was how this whole incident would affect my mobility

as both legs are now as stable as jelly and feel ready to collapse

every time I stand. Ideally from the ligament damage I've done to my

right knee, they wanted to extend my ankle cast into a full length

cast, but can't because of the instability in my left knee and

ankle. The left ankle has been splinted in a fancy gel pack splint

as the damage isn't too bad by my usual standards, but my right knee

has proved impossible to splint or bandage at all. There's just no

way to immobilise it without putting way too much strain on my other

leg. :-(

The concern was growing at this point, so PT were called down to try

and find a way to make me more stable getting around at home - the

only option they could find was to give me a walking frame which is

more stable than the crutches but still awkward with my arm in

plaster. My ER consultant wasn't overly happy with my ability to

cope at home and actually wanted to admit me to the hospital over

the weekend so they could look after me properly. Fortunately, he

agreed to let me try coping at home, but only if I took another

walking frame so I had one on each level of the house and that I

arranged to borrow a wheelchair tomorrow too.

So I am now splinted up to the eye balls, hurting like I've been run

over by a train and struggling to even get around my own house on an

old peoples walker. I feel sad, degrdaded, pathetic and beaten

tonight - for the first time since my diagnosis I feel that EDS has

gotten the better of me. It is getting so hard to find the good

things at the moment and I just feel completely overwhelmed by

injuries, current bad luck and immense, constant pain. I'm so sorry

for not having my usual humour and spark...I hope it will come back

soon as I feel very lost without it, but I just can't find it

tonight.

I have to spend the weekend staying as immobile as possible and

return to the hospital on Monday morning to talk with Mac about the

situation. Just hope he has some bright ideas for keeping me on my

feet for a while as I really am tiring of examining floor tiles.

Take care all and please forgive me if I can't be around as much as

I'd like or if I owe you emails - I am thinking of you all honest!

Love and hugs.....Jo

xxx