permenant bone fixations

[richy rich]

i know a one or two people on here have then, i.e. a permenant plate or pin. when i had the operation at worcester royal hospital they said it was permenant and will be of no harm to leave it in for the rest of my days so i thought great it won't affect me it'll be fine, now at the hospital closer to me which is no longer a proper hospital, (kiddermnister hospital) the consultant has said it may need to be taken out 'cus it could have infection on it, bearing in mind i dont trust this bloke hes a complete tw*t (twit obviously:grin2 )... he said that the wound hasn't close up so it may be infected. he didnt take into consideration that ive had dressings on it since day one and it hasnt been left to dry for more than 2 seconds... he's said he was planning on taking it out in a year or so anyway but at my age (16) i need to get a qualification and that means being able to commit to my course... the course i took this year ive already had to quit because theres too much to catch up on....

the question i wanted to ask was what are the fors/againsts of leaving the plate in???
because in my opinion the plate will make its stronger and 6 screw holes will make it weaker

any help would be appreciated 'cus i dont trust the consultant i'd rather have an opinion from some one who has a fixation or has had one because this bloke hasnt got a clue, he thinks leaving a dressing off and letting air to a wound will not let it heal up any quicker than leaving the dressing on, ive already proved him wrong over night as its almost healed up

[S Boy]

I wouldnt argue with the consultant, he might know more than you ?
I know its frustrating waiting to heal, i spent two years for my ankle to be fixed !!!:shooter

[richy rich]

yes i understand he knows more than me but a bloke who works at a hospital that has almost been shut down has said something different to the consultant who works in the main hospital for worcetershire and hereford and somewhere else.... i'd chose to beleive the bloke at the main hospital who said it can stay in

[richy rich]

also when i went into the consultant he didnt even know i'd had an operation

[harriebird]

basically, i'm afraid it's all down to an individual consultant and an individual injury. but i will share my own painful upsettting experiences!

i broke my ankle in several places in what is called a pilon fracture. if you google that you will pull up some yukky videos and some very depressing statistics. some people with this fracture do not make a good recovery, and most are operated on using the lovely Doohan-style cage :grin2

ithe tib, fib and culcaneum (sp) were broken in about 8 places i think and one bone actually went through my skin.

i have 2 6-inch plates and 16 screws, in a particularly accurate reconstruction of the Forth Rail bridge :grin2

i had almost 3 weeks in hospital because i got an infection in my metalwork - niiiiiiice......

i've still got my plates in and the reason is this - they needed to be in for a while to give the fracture a chance to heal. they could have taken them out after a few weeks but because of the soft tissue damage surrounding my ankle as a result of doing the operation , i would have had a severley weakened ankle and it would have been at risk of breaking again.

i spoke to 3 separate consultants, and none of them could say for definite whther removing the plates etc would make a difference in the long term. so i decided not to bother. it takes 6-8 weeks for the screw holes to get new bone grown in them. and the ankle can be approx. 60% weaker fou up to 6 months.

i'd rather not risk it unless there is a good cahnce of it actually making any difference to be honest....they hurt on a chilly day, and if the weather is about to get very damp or very cold or very hot, but otehr than that thy dont really bother me, other than occasionally rubbing on my bike boots....yuk

everyone has different experiences i'm just sharing mine.....i was on crutches for 6 months but refused to give in (to bloody stubborn) and was working in a climbing shop not long after the accident. i was at uni at the time, had about 4 weeks off my course altogether, then jacked it in and went and got a job instead.

no question of any nice compensation for me, i had a climbing ACCIDENT, where i was slightly beyond my limits and pushing a bit too hard trying to impress someone. maybe this might explain to a few people why i ride like such a big girl sometimes!

the accident and the surgery changed my whole outlook on life, affected the relationship i was in at teh time and i never felt the same about doign soemthing i had previously loved so much. i went back and climbed something harder to silence the demons, but havent climbed since. it's just not the same any more.

my point? make up your own mind, do a load of research, ask your physios for advice as they are the ones who work with people once the surgeons are done, and will tel you some stories about people who have achieved the medically impossible....it's all in YOUR hands so take responsibility and do what you think is right.

sory for long post, hope it helps!

[gixer400]

you dont want to leave it to get infected. id have it out straight away.

i got a knee infection a couple of months ago, i couldnt walk for a couple of weeks and spent 2 weeks on the strongest antibiotics in the world (almost), they made sick as a dog, feverish and other undesirable effects i wont gross you out with, and even now my knee isnt good.


it is completely up to you, but id listen to the consultant. any rick of infection isnt worth it.

[richy rich]

cheers harrie thats sort of made my mind up for me!!... and gixxer 400 i had 2 x rays yesterday and he couldnt see any problems he was just worried about redness round the wound, but the thing is ive had a dressing on them since the day i had the operation(obviosly ive changed them) and i had fracture blisters on both sides of my ankle and it hasnt had chance to dry up like the other side....and since ive left the dressing off i know it may sound silly that it was only yesterday but almost all the red has gone and the wound has dried up.... he said if it was infected it wouldnt dry up:).... im guna see how this weeks goes on anti biotics wich are 500mg 4 times a day so they are twice the strength of the normals they'd give.... its looking good at the moment i just wanted someone elses opinion who had plates in just to shine the light abit, only because he said he was going to take it out in a year or so, and im not picky about the cold making it ache and stuff ill get on with that fine.......
thanx:)

[richy rich]

a question for harrie....... how long have you had the plates in now?? the only thing they were woried about for me is if i grow any more cus im only 16

[the captain]

dude...just ask for a second opinion from another consultant...youre well within your right to ask that!

sorry if this has been mentioned earlier but i couldnt be bothered to read past the second post!!!:grin2

[richy rich]

LOL thats fine.... i would do but there is only one consultant at this hospital fot this type of injury and he is going on holiday and the nhs couldnt find anyone in the area suitable to take his place for 2 weeks.... the nearest hospital is 20 miles away... im on antibiotics at the moment and got to see a doctor on tuesday to see if he thinks its working, then im going to see if i cans ee a consultant from the hospital i had the operation :)

[the captain]

dude. if i thought the guy was that much of a numpty id drag myself on my belly 20 miles to get a second oppinion!

[harriebird]

my plates have been in for 9 years next week. i was 19 when i had them in so had pretty much done all my growing, but i guess as a 16 year old lad it might be more of an issue

(actually i had pretty much finished growing in terms of height when i was 12 but never mind :rolleyes: )

worth a 20-mile trip when the whole of your life is ahead of you i'd have thought.....

[Perilous]

dude. if i thought the guy was that much of a numpty id drag myself on my belly 20 miles to get a second oppinion!

Exactly!

At the end of the day you can ask as many people on here as you like but at the end of the day none of us really knows b#gger all about the pins and plates we have.

I got myself backwards and forwards to hospital (it's about 20 miles away) while still dependent on crutches on the stepthrough Harrie, Jet and Becky raced at Lydden.
Ok not every body is quite as doolaly as me but it makes the point.

If you are genuinely that worried keep hassling them (remember the average British person likes to whinge so they're used to it so you need to push) for a second opinion and if you have to get 20 or more miles do so.
At the end of the day even if your totally skint at worst you're looking at borrowing the cost of a taxi against the rest of your life, but at the end of the day I've no doubt you know someone who'd give you a lift anyway.

As far as having the plates removed and your course goes, ask them what the recovery time is.

I had a 15 inch pin removed from my leg in the morning and walked out in the afternoon. I did have to take it easy for a week because they had cut through the muscle to get one of the pins out and the stitches were a tad strained but that was all. There was no issue about the hole in the top of the bone or the screw holes that would stop you doing normal day to day activities.
The bone full recovery time for the holes was six weeks.
Each case is different though, so ask.
Again though if you want it out you'll have to push. Taking out metal work is a job most surgeons hate so they'll always try to wriggle out of it.:grin2

[Gixxer-TeZ]

I broke my tib and fib when I was 15 on my ktm racing one day. The break was an inch above the ankle and all my leg twisted and bones stuck out etc etc.
I had 3 ops to straighten it and then had a plate put in. I was in hospital for 3 months and then had it taken out 18 months later(after I left school). I think it was worse having it out,(was in hospital for another 3 weeks) but where as I used to kick with my right foot, I now kick with the left (which I broke) so it has actually turned out to feel stronger then the other.

At 16 I would think they would want to remove it due to growth. I know someone that had it left in when they were 17 and by 20 they ended up having the plate removed and the leg operated on because the plate was causing the bone to growth out of shape.
Seeing the sh*t he went through, I know what I would choose. :reading

As for any courses and/or work ......... health comes first mate

[richy rich]

sorry to hear that mate... sounds alot worse than mine.... i just wanted other peoples opinions that had actually had plates and maybe had them removed ... its made me depressed being off my feet for 3 months and now im finally walking again i know i wouldn't want to be off my feet again its made me feel like sh*t.... and as for growing im short anyway i hardly ever grow!! ive always been short... i did all my growing when i was younger........
i think i will consider it in about 18 months - 2 years time but not now i couldnt imagine being off my feet again so soon..
if i start to grow alot over the next year then i will consider having it out if it will balls up the growth of my leg but if not i see no reason why it cant stay in

thanx :)