Update from Gimpyland, Day 6
I draw comfort from knowing that my friends and colleagues know and understand my plight and my struggle. This doesn't entirely make sense to me, though I don't think I am unique. For instance, while Sam's races at WOC don't directly affect my life, learning of their details and understanding her great success allowed me to share in her triumph and appreciate what she had accomplished. This is a very different situation, and I could carry on without sharing these details (apart from with my family and close friends, which I am already doing). However, both because of this inexplicable benefit of specific empathy and for my own records, I will document some of my experiences. Please excuse my failure to justify precisely why I feel the way I do.
After my initial experiences at the ER on Wednesday 11 August, I had a followup appointment with my orthopedist on Monday 16 August. He observed growth in my tibia that he described as "spongy" which warranted further investigation. He was concerned that the growth could be a tumor, which might have weakened the bone and contributed to the fracture. He ordered an MRI for the afternoon of Monday 16 August, which would offer more clarity than the x-ray about the nature of the tissue. He also took me out of the
knee immobilizer the ER gave to me, and put me in an ankle air brace that immobilizes my calf up to my knee. This restricts the torque that can be applied to the leg through my foot, but my knee can still apply painful stress to my injury.
The MRI revealed no abnormal growth or problems; the spongy tissue appeared to be growth from my bone's efforts to heal the stress fracture while I was happily walking on it. My orthopedist, in whom I now have more confidence than I did on Monday, said that the fracture is completely through the tibia. This surprises me, because my leg hasn't deformed, and the fracture was simple. It seems to me that there is some residual strength in the bone, though the structural support could be coming from the muscles and fibula. In any case, I need to avoid moving the leg as much as possible for the next three weeks. If I cannot immobilize myself sufficiently and avoid displacing the bone, the possibilities include a long leg cast and surgery to insert a rod into my tibia. I am doing my very best to keep the fracture immobilized.
The doctor estimated I will be on crutches for 9-12 weeks, though he was just speculating based on typical injuries. When I get a new set of x-rays in three weeks, he will have a more informed prognosis.