Last Wednesday (2/19/14), I arrived at work just like any other normal day. But that day was different. I got out of my car, stepped onto the sidewalk leading to the door, and a few steps later slipped on some ice and severely dislocated and broke my ankle. I don't remember anything about how I fell, how I did not land on my belly or my wrists, how I even landed. I was carrying some bags (my laptop, a bag with a change of shoes to wear inside the office, my purse, etc.), so I might have landed on one of them? And I now believe that I fell the way that I did because I was instinctively protecting my baby. I didn't have any pain in my belly or anything indicating that I had fallen on my belly... so much that I didn't even think about that possibility until the EMT asked me about that and if I had felt the baby move since I had fallen. I just remember lying on the ground and looking up at my ankle that was now deformed. My foot was almost perpendicular to my leg bones. It just wasn't right.
There was a guy that was walking up to the door that I flagged down and told to run inside and get help. I was able to reach my purse, so I called 911 right away and asked that they send an ambulance. It was right at 8am and there were a number of people arriving at that time, so over the next couple minutes a number of people had gathered around. There were some nice people who put my bags back in my car. There were also a number of close work friends who were around offering to go to the hospital with me or call anyone I needed. My main thought... Carl was on an airplane on his way to Denver for a conference, and I knew immediately that I would call my in-laws and see if they could come meet me at the hospital. In this day and age of cell phones, I don't know anyone's phone numbers! So it was just easier that I call the people I needed to once they got me into the ambulance. When the ambulance arrived, the EMT said "this is going to suck for you because we have to move you and I can't give you anything for pain since you're pregnant". Yeah, I figured that. I was prepared for that. And at that point, I can honestly say that I was in shock or denial or something. I could feel my ankle and feel some pain and that it just didn't feel right, but it wasn't throbbing/piercing pain, so I could really think clearly and keep it together. Once inside the ambulance, the EMT took off my shoe and sock and wrapped my ankle in a pillow. I looked away while they did that. I knew what it looked like with my sock and shoe on, and I certainly didn't want to see it without my shoe and sock on. So, I distracted myself and made some phone calls. Big Carl left work immediately and met me at the ER. I also called my Mom right away, mostly just to inform her. But she cancelled any plans she had, packed a bag, and got in the car to drive up to the hospital to be with me. I don't know what I would have done without them at the hospital with me. So thankful for them.
They took me to St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights because they have an OB there and they'd be able to check and monitor the baby appropriately. I waited just a little bit in the ER before the doc came in to talk with me. He explained that they were going to take x-rays and that they had called ortho because they would be the ones to reset my ankle. He didn't elaborate much on too many details. I think he didn't want me to know how bad it all was. Which is a good thing. In fact, when my mom came, she took a look at my ankle and I told her that it was just dislocated. We laugh about it now, but she said that she knew there was no way it was only dislocated. There was a cut on the top of my foot where the bone started to come through the skin. Bad news. Pretty funny now when we look back on it. Again, I continued to be in denial. I was concerned, though, about the baby and how we would be able to manage my pain and not affect the baby. The doc said they could give me morphine. By this time, Carl had landed in Denver. I had no cell phone service in the ER but Big Carl did, so I asked that Carl call my doctor to inform her of what had happened and ask about the safety of morphine. She said morphine, in small amounts, was fine and harmless to the baby. And then she was insistent that we get an ultrasound ASAP. She wanted to know how the baby was doing after the fall. I kept feeling the baby move so that was good news to me, but I was in agreement with my OB doc... I wanted an ultrasound to be sure. We expressed these concerns to the ER doc and he said he would work on it.
Not long after, they took me in for an x-ray. And of course, since I'm pregnant, I had to sign a scary waiver explaining the health risks and impact on the baby. Very scary. But they needed x-rays so they could see how bad it was. The x-ray techs were so nice and they quadruple shielded my abdomen. They had 2 aprons that they folded in half and placed over me. They got quite a few shots and I had my eyes closed the entire time so I didn't have to see my ankle. They were being as quick as possible, but it still took a little bit of time and by that time the pain was setting in.
Here is one of the first x-rays they took that shows just how badly dislocated/broken my ankle was:
Once they got me back in my waiting "room" in the ER, the nurse came and was able to give me 4mg of morphine. That relaxed me for a little bit but wore off quickly. The ortho doc still hadn't come, and I was concerned about the pain associated with him resetting my ankle. I thought we had missed our window. The ortho doc finally came between 12:30-1pm I think (after we had been there for 4ish hours!). They were able to give me more morphine, but I was in a lot of pain and it just didn't help that much. Thankfully, he was able to give me a local anesthetic to numb the pain while he reset it. I could still feel pressure, but no stabbing/throbbing pain. They had me move to the edge of the bed with my legs dangling off. And the doc was talking to me asking me about Audrey and about the new baby... basically distracting me. But nothing can distract you enough when someone pulls on your broken ankle to put it back in place. Holy cow. Again, so thankful that my mom and big Carl were there with me to encourage me. Once the ankle was reset, the doc put a [really heavy!] plaster cast around it. It was soft around the outside top layer, but hard on the underneath. Then, I had to get more x-rays. There was a possibility that he would have to redo the reset if the x-ray didn't show what he wanted, but thankfully he didn't have to do that. He said that I needed surgery within the next week, as long as my OB doc approves that and they can come up with a plan to keep the baby safe. We were hoping for that because the other alternative would be to wait until after the baby is born (10 more weeks). And at that point, they'd have to "be creative".
Now that we have a plan for the ankle... how about the baby? The ER nurse had come in at one point to hear the baby's heartbeat, which we heard very faintly. But still no ultrasound or true monitoring yet. They didn't get me up to OB until 3pm-ish. They hooked me up to 2 monitors, 1 to monitor the baby's heartbeat and 1 to monitor contractions. Heartbeat was strong, clear, very good... in the 150s, which is what it has been throughout my pregnancy so far. But... I was having regular contractions. I had 3 contractions within the first 5 minutes she had me hooked up to the monitor. Not good. They gave me ice chips, a huge cup of water, hooked me up to an IV, and then ordered me dinner hoping it was just because I hadn't eaten or drank anything since 7am that morning. (I was so thirsty, but they wouldn't let me drink down in the ER for fear I think that I would get sick.) After about 4.5 hours of monitoring, thankfully the contractions stopped. It ended up that I really was contracting only because of a lack of food and water. Thank God.
While I was waiting there being monitored, I talked to Carl and he said that he was able to get on a flight that night so he could come home. I assured him that all was ok, but he said that he really needed to be here. And my mom and big Carl agreed.
We got home from the hospital about 8:30-9pm, and Audrey was already in bed. Joyce had picked her up from daycare and took care of her thankfully. She was surprised when she woke up in the morning and saw Grammy there. And then when she came downstairs and saw me with a "boo boo", she was kind of alarmed and scared I think. Very hesitant around me. She's warmed up a little, but still a little hesitant. Look at the card she made me at daycare. So cute and thoughtful of her teachers to help her make that for me!
I met with an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Baylis, yesterday to discuss the plan for my ankle, and we have surgery scheduled for 7:30am Monday morning at Chris in Oak Lawn. He came up with a plan with my OB doc and the doc on call to have an OB nurse with me for the entire surgery, monitoring the baby on a fetal monitor. So that's really good. They'll probably keep me overnight on Monday night so they can closely monitor me and the baby as I recover. I feel really comfortable with the surgeon and the plan that he and my OB have in place. I know I'll be in good hands and at a great hospital with the greatest care.
It will be quite a long road from here. 6 weeks in a cast after surgery with no weight on my ankle, and then a boot after that. Maybe I'll be out of the boot by the time I have the baby. We will see!
I have great support here in Carl, my parents, and my in-laws. We're doing pretty well! Considering...
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