Verified. I have a screw loose

[Larry Cunningham]

I had vowed to try to stay out of the hospital in 2011, which was broken in January.. Now it seems I'm doing it
again.. Tomorrow I go in for an outpatient surgical "procedure".

What kind of procedure? Here's the scoop, from my "orders".

"Removal of hardware left leg with debridement of left foot ulcer with application of graft jacket express and
graft jacket and percutaneous debridement of ankle fusion nonunion with application of DBM and nucel left
ankle."

Now you know. (No, I they're not removing a bionic left leg, I have hardware, left leg.)

Yes, I officially have a screw loose. Strangely, not the one in my head (in my squirming brain), but a small set
screw (?) on a bolt they added to my left ankle last January.. (Yes, I'm planning to ask for the screw as a souvenir -
I'm very curious as to what a "medical grade" set screw must look like ((and why it failed! -no Locktite??)), and
it MUST be incredibly valuable, for what it surely cost my insurance company..)

Note: last year when I had surgery to remove bones from my Charcot (google it) damaged foot (the same one), I
asked for a couple of my bones as a souvenir. I wanted to make a special macabre clear resin cube paperweight.
They refused, not due to my questionable taste, but because it is ILLEGAL to possess loose human bones and other
parts, even one's own..

What's DBM? I'm told it is Donor Bone Marrow.. so thank you, anonymous donor. Also, nucel is (googled) stem
cells from donated amniotic tissue).. thank you kind anonymous lady donor. FWIW, I am an organ donor,
assuming they can find anything worth salvaging. If nothing else, I'll serve as a bad example: I've proven
this skill in the past.

I know, none of this is really amusing, in spite of attempts at levity about it.. So, wish me luck, I should be
home tomorrow afternoon in time for tea and crumpets.

L.

"Exercise is bunk. If you are healthy, you don't need it; if you are sick, you shouldn't take it." -Henry Ford

 

[Paul Taylor]

Good Luck Larry!!!

See if the screw will fit on your plane some where. 

[ray copeland]

Good luck Larry !!   Ask them to use the permanent loctite this time!

[Peter Nevai]

Tell the surgeon that under no circumstances do you want to hear ......"Oops"

[Garf]

I have my first 2 pacemakers around here somewhere.

[Bill Little]

Best wishes Larry!  We will both gets things straightened out before too long.

Bill

[sleepy gomez]

In the vein of the above I have this story to tell.  Before my prostate therapy the Dr. implanted four gold seeds for the radiation machine to aim at.  No, the Dr. had no trouble finding a suitable orifice through which to install them.  When he was finished he asked if I had any questions.  I said yes I did, "With these gold seeds now how much more is my ass worth?" 

[John Stiles]

I feel your pain, Larry,

I'm beginning to have probs with my ankles...degenerative stuff. But next week I get pre-screened for an upcoming knee surgery. No screws though.....arthrascopic (sp) surgery to repair the meniscus in my left knee. Did I mention, I hate braces and other prosthetic devices? LOL Good luck 

[pat king]

Larry,
I'll be praying for you. Hope you heal well and quickly.

Pat

[FLOYD CARTER]

Good Grief!  My own medical problems seem trivial by comparison!  Not going to detail my meds, so I guess I'm pretty lucky (so far).

Floyd in OR  (where summer has finally arrived)

[Robert Schroeder]

So,  does that mean you're screwey, unscrewed, screwed, rescrewed or just plain bolted together?   

Good luck with it, whatever IT is.

Bob

[Tom Niebuhr]

Larry,
Always knew that you had a screw loose. Your doctor is just looking in the wrong place.\

Good luck.

[minnesotamodeler]

I feel your pain, Larry,

I'm beginning to have probs with my ankles...degenerative stuff. But next week I get pre-screened for an upcoming knee surgery. No screws though.....arthrascopic (sp) surgery to repair the meniscus in my left knee. Did I mention, I hate braces and other prosthetic devices? LOL Good luck 

You won't hate orthopedic braces when it's a choice between that or complete kneejoint replacement.  The Unloader brace prescribed for me last winter works wonders, with it I can walk pain-free indefinitely; without it, maybe 50 yards and hurting all the way.

Larry (and all of similar vintage), at our age we all develop intimate relationships with Drs. of various kinds.  We know what you're going through and sympathize completely!  Just keep reminding yourself we live in a blessed age, when such problems can be fixed.   

[Larry Cunningham]

I'm home, all done, surgery went fine and they gave me the set screw. It's about an inch long,
looks amazingly like a common sheet metal screw with a hex driver head. Hardly made of unobtainium
and worth the $500 or so charged someone (my insurance)..

Had some very nice "sedation" anesthetic which provided some very interesting and pretty hallucinations.
Easy up, easy down, it's great stuff. Wonder if it's available on the street? Anyway, the surgery was actually
minor, and local anesthetic was used.

I'm glad it's over..

Thanks to everyone for their good wishes, I appreciated it.

Best,

L.

"Keep a stiff upper chin." -Samuel Goldwyn

[john e. holliday]

Didn't see this in time to aggitate you.   When are you going to start taking care of yourself.      I should talk tho as I haven't taken a pain pill for almost a month now.   Seemed they make the pains worse in my knees.   At least the hip doesn't bother me.  I have talked to people about the new procedure he wanted to try, but was told to forget it.   Knee replace is out according to the doctor also.  So if you see me moving a little slow or like the family said I walking don't laugh like they did.   They said I walked like a pregnant women.  So now Larry take care of yourself.

[Elwyn Aud]

Glad to hear everything went well.

[Tom Niebuhr]

Glad to hear that is is done. Now, stay out of the hospital. Good luck.

[Neville Legg]

We are all falling apart My dad, being a first class carpenter (that's what he told me ) had a wonderful saying when referring to somebody that didn't know their job very well was, " he doesn't know whether his ass is bored, punched or countersunk!"   I hope yours was countersunk?  Your screw that is .

Cheers

[Dean Pappas]

Good to hear it, Larry!
  Dean P.