Another view

This is kinda what my leg looks like. I don't have the screws in the top but for the most part this is it. cool huh

Physical Therapy (PT)

Today I went to physical therapy for the first time. It is at a local health club. It feels so good to drive again. It was quite a long time before I drove. At PT the nurse...I think thats what they are called...moves my ankle around, shows me some exercises to do at home. This is supposed to help me get back some flexibility and strength in my ankle. I hope it works.

As I take my big plastic boot off I notice my toenails are a mess. I wouldn't really notice this but my wife does every time she looks at my foot. She gives me a look like " poor Bill. Those toes are disgusting". She thinks I need a pedicure. No way am I getting one of those things. Its just not manly. Also my foot stinks. Stinks like a dirty foot that stepped in dog shit 7 weeks ago and has not been cleaned. The funny thing is (funny for me but not for the smeller) I clean my foot at least every other day with soap and water. On the days I don't soap it up I at least wash it down with saline solution. I do this because I have an open wound on the side of my ankle that needs attention every day. So the foot is clean, but stinks and I can't smell it. Ohh well.

At this very moment I am watching dancing with the stars. Its not that bad. I am embarrassed to say I am watching it. But with all the sports I've been watching lately I feel the bride should get some relief and watch what she wants.

I found out my sister has had another baby today. Since I am able to drive I think I will venture north one of these days to see everyone. I feel bad....my sisters kids don't know who I am. That's what I think anyway. Till next time........cyanara.

six week x-ray

I went last Tuesday morning at 7:15 AM (no kidding) for my six week x-ray. Since I've been out of work I have gotten used to sleeping late (8 or 9 is not out of the question) but I was so excited to see how my leg is healing that I couldn't sleep. It was like christmas when I was a kid. So they x-ray me and my doctor looks at it and he says "looks great". Still non weight bearing but it is healing correctly, no infections, its all good. I have an appointment to go back in another 4 weeks. Hopefully at that time I can start to bear weight with my leg. I can't wait.

I was told by my doctor to start physical therapy for my ankle this week. I am going to go to a health club in the area that is affiliated with New England Baptist hospital. They have a PT area in the gym. They also have a pool. I am hoping to add to my weight loss by going to the gym on my non PT days. Maybe even swimming. It will help. It feels like I've lost 30 lbs. since the accident. I would like to lose another 80-90 lbs. It will help my recovery and also my general well being.

When I listed my friends in previous posts I left out a real good friend. His name is Greg. He is a good guy. A great friend. He calls all the time and checks on me, comes by all the time is generally a great human being. I also left out Donny, I have known Donny for about 10 years. Another great guy. In general I am lucky to have a great bunch of friends. They all know who they are. I hope they all know how important they are to me and how much I care for them all. Without my friends I don't know if I would be as upbeat as I am. They give me strength when I need it.

I have been blessed with great friends, I may have left some names out....not on purpose. I just have a lot on my mind lately. As I can I will put everyone on here. My friends are very important to me and you should meet them all.

Home at last

I get home Monday night very weak and tired. I have to get around using a walker. I crawl up the stairs on my ass. Its hard and my strength is sapped from being in bed for 8 days. On the ride home I farted in the car and kinda shit my pants. It stunk. Well when I got home I had to crawl up 17 stairs and stand outside the shower while my wife sprayed me off and I tried to clean myself.....so embarrassing. After this fiasco I crawl into bed.

The next day I have physical therapy coming to the house....and my wife has taken the week off to help me get set up. The therapist is great she has me do laps through the house and leg exercises that help me regain some strength. I sweat profusely as I am still very weak. The therapist gives us direction on crutches and a transition chair. The chair is the best thing for me right now. It is a plastic chair with steel legs. Part of it is in the tub and part is out of the tub. So I can sit on it and slide into the tub. It allows me to shower. What a thing!!!

Each day I get stronger and my laps are easier....not being able to do too much is the hardest thing to get used to. Just counting down the days.....

In my room with a view

I came to in the OR recovery area. My wife was there and a nurse " Hello, Mr. Flannery, hello" I was in quite a fog. I was wheeled into my room. How lucky can I be, I have a window. The doctor originally told me they were going to wait for the swelling to go down before they operated, but when I awoke I was in a fiberglass cast and the doctor told me they operated while they had me knocked me out. I was semi releaved that they wouldn't have to operate again. I was told that I broke my tibia, fibia and dislocated my ankle. They put it all back togegther with 4 screws. I was going to be NWB (non-weight bearing) on my left leg for 12 weeks. As of this post I have six weeks left.....time flies.
My wife was with me until about seven that night, her parents stayed a while until the late afternoon. I was still in the neck brace. I had that brace on for about 24 hours. They were worried that I may have had a neck problem. Everytime I turned my head I got " Mr. Flannery......keep your head straight." . I knew my neck was Ok, how come they didn't. I guess it was procedure to keep it on for 24 hours. Well now my foot is so swollen all I can see are my toes because of the cast. The pain is unbeleivable. I swear my big toe is as big as a coke can....no exaggeration. I am getting Morphine every 4 hours for the pain. It doesn't really help but it felt great. I watch TV all night that first night...no food, no sleep.
In the morning my first visitor is a very good friend, Todd, everyone should be lucky enough to have a friend like Todd. I hope you all do. He is the salt of the earth, a great human being. He brought me a gift of fresh tomatoes, ice cream and roast beef. All smuggled in a tool box so the nurses would not ask too many questions. He stayed with me talking with me for a while. After he left, in came my nurse and told me that they were going to wash me down. SPONGEBATH.....high five!!!! Just joking .....it was very embarassing, my friend Bob happened to stop by as they were starting, of course they asked him to help. The jokes were flying. Bob is also one of those friends we all should have in our lives. A real nice guy. In fact if I think I have a lot of great friends like Bob and Todd. I am a lucky person. Any way the cleaning felt good being stuck in a bed unable to do too much for yourself stinks. My wife came in a little later in the afternoon and stayed until 7. I know this is hard on her...the leaving me, going home to an empty house....I feel helpless. I feel like crying, depressed I try to sleep but can't. I've been up for 36 hours. That night (Monday) I am up all night again. Throbbing pain in my foot. Tuesday is most of the same....vital signs every four hours....morphine every 4 hours...lots of visitors. I finally fall asleep for a couple of hours Tuesday. When I wake up my roommate tells me that my big friend (Todd) brought some Chinese food for me and it was delicious. I can't help but laugh. I am in no mood to eat so I give the food to the nurses. I hope they enjoyed it. I do have some chunky monkey ice cream that my wife put in the nurses refrigerator. It is SO good....the first food I've eaten since I got hurt.

The rest of my stay, 8 days long, is the same. They show me how to use a walker and maneuver the stairs. I get to go home Monday afternoon about 5. Amen, Home at last....my wife and Dog I have never been so happy. The challenges at home drive me to my lowest point, but I persevere and become so much stronger for them.

Where did I leave off

I arrived at BMC (Boston medical center) instantly there were people all around me. I thought at least 30. Who knows? My wife was there and all I could say was that I was sorry. It wasn't my fault, but I didn't know what to say to help her soothe her pain. I was helpless. Her mother and father were there too. The doctors examined me...cat scans, x-rays poking and prodding. I told my story at least 30 times to the doctors. They told me I was lucky. Me being 375 lbs. flying through the air, all I ended up with was a broken leg. Lucky, I guess so. Then came the pain. They were trying to reset the ankle, it was dislocated and one of the broken bones was close to poking through the skin. One doctor pulled on my leg, which is now dangling off the bed, two others are holding my knee. It wasn't happening but the pain is excruciating. Worst of my life. Every time they moved my ankle I would kick the doctor off the floor. "Relax Mr. Flannery!!! Relax, you have big muscles in your legs you have to relax. Well after about 20 minutes of this they decided to knock me out and reset my leg in the OR. Even after knocking me out it took them 1 hour before I was relaxed enough to set my leg. I came to 4 hours later.

My wife is the rock of Gibraltar. Through all of this she has been unbelievable. She is such a strong person. I guess I have seen the true meaning of unconditional love. In my lowest times of this injury she has been the oak to lean on.

She has been making me a healthy breakfast and healthy snacks for the day. I went to my union meeting the other night and everyone said it looked like I have lost weight. I owe it all to my wife. She is my best friend.

The start of my problems

It all started as a great Sunday on a long weekend. I got up at 5:30 AM. On the road by 6:20, going to meet my good friend Ed for an irish breakfast in Dorchester. After that we were going to ride our motorcycles out to East Bridgewater following a route we had designed. We had planned a benefit ride for the homeless veterans shelter in Boston. We wanted to make sure the route had no serious problems, as we planned for alot of motorcycles the following sunday. After I did this test ride I had plans to see the Red Sox play. My friend Eddie had the tickets, it was going to be a great day.
So here I am cruising on a beautiful Sunday morning on my 2005 Harley Davidson Road King. Life was good. When a person driving a car going the oppisite direction I am traveling decides he wants to go down a side street on my side of the road. I had no way of stopping and hit him in the right front fender. The force launched me off the bike and I flew somersaulting through the air. Landing on my back, I slid 30 feet down the street. When I stopped I noticed from the pain that my left leg was screwed up. Everything else seemed ok.
Itwo guys pulled over and got me my cell phone from my bike. I called my buddy and told him I wasn't going to make it to breakfast. Then I called my wife, who was still sleeping. I left a message to call me back. When she called me back I told her what happened. The firemen on sight told me I was going to Boston Medical Center for treatment. She said she would meet me there. I cannot imagine what was going through her head. I felt so bad. So they strapped me up and took me away.