So, you guys!

 It’s been a long fucking time huh? I’ll update ya more later but for now? This happened:

I had a bit of an accident during restraint training almost two months ago now. I fell badly, twisting my knee rather than smashing it on the floor which would be more normal. Probably.
When I went to A+E in London, they couldn’t get clear x-rays because I couldn’t straighten my leg so they gave me some crutches, pain killers and a splint and sent me away until my fracture clinic appointment, possibly I’d chipped my knee cap. At this point, I remembered that I live upstairs. Fucking stairs. I literally could not do them, not by myself so I called my faithful parents down in Devon and my Dad promised to come up to London (3 hour+ drive) to rescue me and take me home.
This is how swollen it was in the morning, it’s very difficult to photograph swelling because it’s so smooth. Weird. And I’m not great at this photo thing. Also, I realise I have chubby knobbly knees but the bad one is the super smooth one.
 
 

 

 

SO I went to Dawlish, seaside town. I went to A+E at the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital, since going back to London would have been foolish. By this time I could straighten my leg, otherwise the splint would have been pretty pointless. They took more x-rays and booked me in for an MRI. It was suspected that I had chipped the distal end of my femur (the bottom bit in the knee), but they weren’t sure. I was also told not to use my splint any more 🙁 was given exercises and that was that.
Following my MRI, they suspected that in fact, my femur was okay, but that I had ripped the ligament from the inside side of my knee from where it sat underneath my patella (knee cap) and where it had come off, it had taken bone and cartilage with it. Deeelish. That needed to be removed and they needed to check the damage. Until they had a set date for an Arthroscopy, they gave me a knee support to keep my knee cap in place to walk better without crutches (sort of) and more exercises.
 



<div style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: ce

nter;”>It’s much less swollen and mobile by this time, but really unstable. After only a couple of days wait, I get a call to tell me I can be booked in on Friday (it’s only been a week!), so I take it! On the day I’m told at 9.30am it’ll be my turn but things happen and priorities change so I end up waiting 6+ hours for my go. The last thing I say before I fall asleep is ‘Gin’. An hour or so later I wake up and immediately cry, which is weird and I can’t stop, I don’t feel sad or nothing but apparently anaesthetic does strange things. The nurse shows me the lump they took out of my knee, I ask, but am not allowed to keep it.
I’m whisked back to the ward on my wheely bed and immediately examine my bandage. It’s hefty. Another hour or two later with strict physio and dressing instructions and I’m hobbling out with my Dad. We bump into my surgeon/consultant and he tells me that they might have to have another look (full on arthroscopy again) in 6 weeks because there WAS damage to the femur but because the synovial irritation (synovitis) was SO bad (because the lump was in there so long) they want to leave it a while. 
 

 
I like how they painted my leg pink.. 
After 3 days, we remove the bandage and after another 7, I go to the nurse to have the dressings removed. She also took out stitches that I hadn’t known they’d put in! Good thing ’cause the skin had started healing over the top of them D:
So now we’re up to date, I have an appointment next week and am still signed off work until almost mid April. It’s already been nearly two months.The muscle wastage is gross..
However! I am walking without crutches 🙂 Almost like a normal person and although it still doesn’t feel right it’s not painful and when it is, it’s because the muscles are still weak, or the scabs are a bit pully.
 



 
They’re pretty neat though right? In a couple of years, it’s unlikely I’ll be able to see the scars! BUT, I’ll keep you updated as to whether or not they’ll have to go in again, it’s still pretty swollen because of the synovitis but we’ll see.