Monteggia Fracture

Say what???

Exactly my thoughts!

On Sunday 16th July I did a very good morning Oly session (Olympic lifting) I felt great and very well worked out. At about 5pm that evening, Ryan began his very insistent persuasion to get me back to the gym for another session. The more I said no the more persistent he got... so I went.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do, luckily one of the girls, Vic was doing a De-load week and said I could do it with her. It was 3 rounds of:

400m run
10 KB snatch
10 box jumps
10 Paused Chest to bar.

It was going great until the last round. It was very hot at this point and I was sweating everywhere, including my hands. So when I jumped up to perform my last round of chest to bar (pull ups in my case) I knew it was coming!

As I pulled away on the 7th pull up, I slipped and landed on my arm, feeling the most sicking snap! Although I genuinely didn't feel much pain, I knew immediately it was broken.

You can see me in the back jumping and falling

I remember Vic grabbing me from behind and tucking my arm in, I looked down and saw a lovely bone sticking out (fortunately not breaking the skin). The whole box (gym) seemed to stop And people started surrounding me. All the while I think I was in shock and could feel or hear very much apart from my voice saying it's definitely broken.

Ryan drove my car into the gym so that I wouldn't have to walk far, the girls made me a sling and I started the slow walk to the car which which felt like 10minutes (even though the car was 10meters away). On the walk there it felt like everything was in slow motion and all I wanted was for someone to pull down my top which had risen up, showing my stomach.

On the drive to the hospital I really started to feel the pain, mainly in my head as a terrible headache started to develop. Poor Ryan was dead silent, clearly feeling bad for making me go to the gym in the first place but mainly scared for what this meant for me.


When we eventually got to A&E I really thought I would be there for hours. Pretty much 5 minutes
after sitting down I was taken into the X-ray room.

Waiting in A&E - clearly in shock 

Once I got to the x-ray room and the radiologist opened the sling, he sent me straight back out to get morphine before he even touched me! Once I got back to the A&E waiting room, Julian, one of the coaches at Crossfit had turned up to support me. By the state of me in the above photo, I now feel pretty embarrassed!

Once the morphine kicked in and I had been for the x-rays, I was wheeled to a bed in the trauma unit and given plenty of painkillers, Oramorph and gas and air which really took the edge off the 

increasing pain I felt in my arm and elbow.

X-ray

While on gas and I air looked over at the nurses desk and could see them all crowded around a computer monitor, I then saw the x-ray and it made me feel so sick! I could see the brake but had no idea the damage I had done to my elbow as well.

They put me to sleep and tried to lodge my elbow back in place and when I woke up I was In A very fresh plaster and in the most excruciating pain I scream and made the nurse cut the cast off me. I believe it was sitting on a nerve. Once I calmed down they tried it again and once again I couldn't explain how painful it was but made them  open it again. By this time I think they realised I was going to need a plate for the brake as a cast just won't work.

I don't remember much until the next day. Apart from Ryan and Julian staying with me till about 3am.

The next day I was scheduled to have an operation to plate the brake. I don't know what happened between the times but Roy, Lynda and Ryan came to see me, they were there for a short time before I got wheeledover to theatre at 3pm on the Monday. The porters were brilliant and everyone in the trauma unit was very friendly and made the situation just a little bit easier. I asked for morphine and they all laughed (they knew I would be out in a few seconds).

The next thing I remember I woke up in a recovery unit which felt like a warehouse. The consultant told me everything went really well and explained that I now have a metal plate in my arm.

On oxygen 

I was wheeled back to the ward and given a gown to change out of my gym gear, I found it strange that they just left me to do this with no help. It is bloody hard taking off a sports bra when your at, is the size of a basketball and in so much pain! 

Lydia (best friend) was waiting for me. I was so tired and zonked on morphine but really wanted her to stay so I have her jobs to do Ike move the table around to my left side and tidy up for me.  Lydia kindly Took my clothes home to wash. When she left I fell straight asleep and didn't wake again till the next day.

The morning after the consultant came to see me, cut open my bandage and left me for 3 hours. The care really started going down hill from then.

Left like this for 3 hours

The nurses weren't great, very neglectful of the old ladies on my ward. Apparently they droppped the lady next to me and broke her hip! As it was a head and neck ward, they didn't seem to worry much with broken bones, nor the fact my temperature was high and blood pressure low.

Sorry it's a bit blurry

I had plenty of visitors during my three day stay and so many goodies brought in. Thank you Lydia, Lisa, Ryan, Julian, Vic and my sweet brother who arranged for a friend to delivery me gifts as he is in South Africa. Poor Guy didn't know what to say as I started crying.

After being discharged on the Wednesday, I needed to try and get my life back together. Lynda would wash my hair, clean my house and do my ironing which was a huge help!

 

It is now 9 weeks post op and I am feeling a lot more myself. Although I will need a lot of Physio going forward, my elbow won't fully extend and the nerves in my fingers were completely dead (coming back now). I have started back at work as of last week and really hoping for some normality. You don't realise how little you can do with just the left arm. My biggest gripe was that everything takes so long to do. Left hand just doesn't have the sensation of the right! 

 

See the difference in the elbow!

I just want to thank everyone for being so helpful and generous. All the hospital visits, My friends have really supported me through this, picking me up and taking me places to keep my mind off it.  My sisters have visited and helped a heap load. Veronica made a point of visiting to help me. The Crossfit girls were fantastic, messaging me daily and taking me out for lunch. Ryan for putting up with my emotions and feebleness. Lynda for keeping my house afloat and even Steph for being someone to talk to.

I guess you really do take for granted those around you, the suppport system you have without it being too obvious. These last 8 weeks have been a rollercoaster ride but without the help of everyone, I genuinely think it would have been the end of me. I have so many positive people in my life who really do wish me well and want the best for me. 

Thank you.