I waited til i turned fifty to break both my tib/fib bones in an sking accident when i was out of state. Compartment syndrom set in . it took what seemed hours to get to a trauma center for help. I spent Forty days in the hospital which was five hours from my home. I went through ten operations and now after 3 months i'm just starting to walk slowly. The doctor installed a titanium rod in my leg but i don't see any scar on my knee. I do however have a foot thats swolen and seems to move very limited and has a round scar about one inch in diamiter on the front where i think the rod was inserted into my leg. If so that means my foot probably was dislocated but i'm not sure. Has anyone ever herd of a rod being inserted from the ankle up? Thank you for this sight,it has encouraged me. There have been times i have thought of just ending it all because i think i'll never walk right again and i just can't stand the thought of possibly going back into the hospital if my bone doesn't heal- every time i think of this i start balling- it was such a horrible experience for me. Plus i'm the only breadwinner in my family , i feel like i have let my wife and son down. I hope things improve for everone...hugs

-- terry rest (mister-terry@excite.com), May 22, 2004

Answers

Just four weeks ago I had a tib/fib break. They put a rod in my leg but they went through the knee therefore I have an inch and a half scare on my knee and two screw scares below the knee on the right side and just above my ankle I have 2 screw scares. The only options they gave me were to plate it or put a rod in it through the knee. My docter said there was no question that he would do the rod. I am know walking after only 4 weeks and I am on my way to a 100% recovery. I am sorry I have never heard of a rod going through the ankle but I do know that the rods are very benefical. If you have any questions let me know

-- k carlson (kcarlson@repmtg.com), July 02, 2004.

I was in a car accident 5 weeks ago and had my tib/fib broken just above the ankle. I was in the hospital 10 days and had 2 operations. The first was to put on an external fixator on to get the bones lined back up and give time for the skin to recover from the tissue damage. The second I had a rod put in one side of my leg and a plate on the other with 9 screws. I was cut around each ankle to put the titaniun rod and plate in and two other places up each leg to put the screws in. I still have 5 weeks before I get my cast off and get a walking boot. Please keep us updated on your progress.

-- Misty (mblackwell1@yahoo.com), July 19, 2004.

May 20 2004 I broke fib (crushed for 2 inch section) & tib (broken in 3 palces). Titanium pin put in through knee, 2 in scar + 4 small scars at screw points. After the pin surgery, pain increased & finaly diagnosed as compartment syndrom. Drs opened my calf from knee to ankle one side & about a 4 inch section on the other. I went home after a week or so. Im devorced but can cope alone. keep your chin up, Im getting around on cruches ok. The plaster will come of in another month and hope to be able to work again soon after that. Your not alone in your age bracket either, i turned 51 three weeks before the accident. Feel free email me if you want to swap gripes. get well soon.

Chris Horan

-- Chris Horan (chrishoran@bigpomd.com), July 27, 2004.

My boyfriend broke his tib/fib in a logging accident just below the knee. He had a titanium rod put in from the knee down. Compartment syndrome set in the next day. He had two incisions put in on either side of his leg from just below the knee to right above the ankle. It took over a week before those were able to be closed up. He's been through 6 surgeries in about three months. He's walking around now but has a drop foot. There was so much tissue damage done and so much nacrotic tissue removed that we don't know if he'll ever be able to lift his foot again. He says that the break itself wasn't so bad, it was the complications from the compartment syndrome that has made the whole thing horrible. He is also the breadwinner in our little family as I am a full-time student. We're doing OK so don't let it get you down too much. Things could be worse, he could have lost his foot if the pressure wasn't relieved.

-- Lauralei Bond (lauralei@interchange.ubc.ca), November 19, 2004.

I broke my tib/fib in my right leg on the 9 oct.Ihad pins and screws but still getting a lot of pain from my knee cap around the scare area

-- nick pridden (nickpridden1039@hotmail.com), December 06, 2004.