How I Spent My 4th of July Weekend

My sister and I were out riding the longboard around my grandparents neighborhood and before we finished I decided to do a few turns in the driveway of the house we were renting. I was making a long frontside turn when I leaned forward a little too much and had to put my right foot down to keep from falling on my face. When I put my foot down the rest of the body kept moving and I heard my bones crack as I fell. Luckily a neighbor with some medical background heard me screaming in pain and came rushing to my aid. He got my foot elevated, gave me some Advil and called 911.

Fortunantly 3 EMTs got there in about 10 min and started oxygen and an IV and got my lower leg braced. Because this was a compound fracture the bone was sticking through the skin just above the ankle, and every movement of my foot made me scream in pain. The bad news was the EMTs can't administer morphine, and the ambulance was having a hard time finding us. To complicate matters there was another call in the neighborhood for an elderly person who had fallen down, so their manpower was limited. Finally an ALS (advanced life support) arrived with morphine and made the call to skip the ambulance and get me on the chopper that was in route. They put me on a gurney and lifted me into the bed of one of the EMTs trucks for the mile drive down to the golf course where the chopper was waiting. Every movement of my right foot sent shockwaves of pain through me and the screaming continued. By the time we got to the chopper the morphine had set in so they carefully manuvered me on the stretcher into the cockpit and flew down to the hospital in Truckee where an orthopedic surgeon was available to operate. I passed out at some point on the chopper ride thanks to the combo of pain, drugs, and naseau and was in and out of sleep for a few hours while they took x-rays and prepared me for surgery. The doctor confirmed that I had fractured both the tibia and fibula on my lower right leg. During the 3 hour procedure they placed a titanium rod in my leg and fastened it to the bone with several screws. Needless to say I'm going to have a great time getting through airport security in the future.

I'm recovering well and now taking a lower dose of pain killer (no more morphine), but I've got four different pills and a shot I have to take daily for the next few weeks. According to the doctor I need to use crutches for the next six weeks. For someone not used to sitting around this is going to be a challenge.

This is the leg a few minutes after the accident, notice the odd bulges on the lower section of the leg. The blood is where the bone broke the skin's surface.

Amanda and the EMTs checking my vitals.

Loading off the truck and on to the chopper

Before and After x-rays

The aftermath