Killban’s Blog

Got up early this morning to get to the hospital on time. We left home at 8:45am, and Dad dropped Mum and I off at 8:55am. My appointment was for 9:05am, so no problems. Went to the Fracture Clinic Reception desk, and my name was ticked off a list. Good stuff. We went through into the waiting room, and I was surprised to see quite a few people already there.

Gradually, people were called through to the Fracture Clinic. At around 10:00am, there were very few people left, and so we moved to be nearer the door. A nurse came in and called us through. We then ended up in the Sub Wait Room. This was another waiting room for the clinic. We were sat outside of the 6 examination rooms, so could see when people were being seen, and roughly how long they had been in the room.

Finally, at 11:00am, my name was called. We went into the examination room, and waited for another 10 minutes before the consultant came in. He asked me if everything was ok, and then wanted to see the scar. He then said that he wanted me to come back in 4 weeks to have an x-ray, and then they would determine then if the bones had healed enough for me to start putting weight on my leg. That will be 7 weeks from the op, and bang in the middle of the 6-8 week time period I have read about.

I asked about returning to work, and he did not think that it would be a problem as long as I was ok to sit for long periods. I will have to have a think about when I think I will be ready to go back. It is not only the work place that is an obstruction, it is also transport. Something to think about over the next few days. I also asked about how long for a complete recovery, and he said 3-4 months from the operation. My plans have been that I would try to arrange to go out to China again in September. That is around 3.5 months after the operation. Depending on how well my bones heal, it might still be possible. Once he had said that, he then gave me a form to hand in at reception, and he was done. 5 minutes with the consultant and we were only there for 2.5 hours…

Dad came and picked us up, and due to how long we had been, we decided to go straight to Ryton Pools for a walk. We arrived, and I sticked over to where the shop was. Outside, there were 2 mobility scooters covered over. Presumably because they were so exciting, they could not leave them uncovered. Or, maybe it was to keep them dry. I was given a quick lesson on how to use it. Right thumb for forward, left for backwards. Turn the dial to go faster. I discovered myself the horn, which sounded like a wounded chaffinch gasping it’s last breath. We walked / scootered around the pools, and had a pleasant time. The rain held off, and the sun came out towards the end. I went through all the puddles and mud in the scooter to try and get it looking more battle torn. After about an hour of travelling around, we were back at the shop, and I dropped off the scooter, and took a picture of it for posterity. Look at how mean it looks with the streaks of mud down the side and on the tyres.