Without the surgery, I have no idea where I would be...
Monday, February 16, 2009
To Acute Innovations:
Thank you for your product, RibLoc® Rib Fracture Plating System. Last November, before Thanksgiving, I was riding bareback, without a helmet or chest protection, on a horse who had not been out of his stall in several weeks, when he bolted at a gallop toward the pipe corral that enclosed the arena we were in. He chose to turn quickly rather than stop and I was pitched, right side of my back first, into the railing, the force of which broke multiple ribs (to this day I don’t think they know how many fractures) and punctured a lung. The doctors at my hospital told me they hadn’t seen such bad trauma outside of a major car accident. I had one rib that was displaced with a large gap and another that was crossed over itself. It was horribly painful to breathe, stand up straight, and use my right arm. They told me I would not be able to be active for 4-6 months, and as someone who runs three marathons a year, dabbles in triathlons, and teaches dance in my spare time, I was devastated.
Then someone mentioned that I might be a candidate for a new procedure where the ribs are plated back together so that they could heal more quickly, less painfully, and straighter. I was thrilled. The only catch was that the hospital didn’t have the hardware, so I would be discharged for a few days to wait. Those were some of the most painful days of my life.
I did everything left handed, with my right arm cradled protectively around myself. I barely slept and had to have someone help me out of bed in the morning. There were lots of tears, which is unusual for me!
When I went in for my surgery, I didn’t really know what to expect, even though I had combed your website very thoroughly. But when I woke up the next morning after a good night’s sleep, and my chest tube had been pulled, things were immediately better. Both of those displaced fractures had been plated, and the range of motion in my right arm was much improved because there was less pain. That day I was up walking laps around the ward for 20 minutes.
I was released the next day and began my real recovery. I walked every day for longer and longer and was up to 60 minutes within the week. The next week I was hiking in the state parks around San Jose for 90 minutes.
I have multiple other fractures that are not plated, but with the stabilization provided by those two, I was immediately able to find some semblance of normalcy in my life. Prior to the surgery, I could not stand straight, walk normally, or use my arm.
Three weeks out from surgery I started jogging a little, a few weeks after that I was back to running 60 minutes at a time. I know that I will make it through the Boston Marathon in April simply because I have been able to get back to training so quickly. (I received my acceptance into the field shortly after I was injured in November.)
Without the surgery, I have no idea where I would be --- probably with lumpy criss-crossed ribs and a shoulder that was bent to the side, sitting on the couch, I guess. I really thank you for developing such an ingenuous product, and I hope many more people like me are able to take advantage of it.
Sincerely,
Megan