Fandango’s Provocative Question #199

After you break parts of you, are you ever the same again? This is the question du jour.

Have you ever fractured a bone (or bones) that was serious enough to require inpatient hospitalization and a post-operative stay in a rehab facility? What bone(s) did you break? How long did it take in rehab (inpatient or at home) before you were back to “normal”? And did you actually achieve the same level of functionality you had prior to the fracture(s)?

The age at which you were when you broke whatever you broke makes a huge difference in how well you recuperate. Children break bones all the time and a few months later, they are fine. Children heal quickly and usually completely.

Then there is us. We don’t heal quickly and frequently not completely. Of course, it depends on what you broke and how badly broken it was.

I broke my back when I was 13 and I was 19 when I had to be repaired. There are a lot of shoulda-coulda-wouldas involved. I should have gone to the better hospital and used a better doctor rather than staying local. If I had done that, I would have gotten some post op therapy which I never received. It might have helped although the kind of surgery they were doing back than was primitive compared to what they can do now.

The messed up spine I have today is the direct result of the earlier injury and the surgery I had when I was a teenager. I was functional for about 45 years between the surgery and when I came unglued. I was never entirely out of pain, but I was active and did all sorts of things, including taking horseback riding lessons and riding huge roller coasters. About fifteen years ago it went from bad to worse, probably because of a car accident.

All those years when I was active and lively, my back was gradually seizing up as calcification enclosed it. The calcification is also protective. It keeps the spine in place, but it doesn’t feel good. I had a couple of auto accidents during those years and while they weren’t serious per se, they didn’t improve the spine much.

Otherwise, I haven’t broken any bones. I’ve torn ligaments and tendons, but no breaks. Just that spine. But honestly, one broken spine is more than enough.

As for hospitalization, I was in surgery and nearly died afterward (infection) and then I was in the hospital for four more months. I didn’t get any therapy, but this was in the 1960s and they didn’t believe in therapy unless you were an athlete.

Functionality? It took about 2 years before I could function somewhat normally, but eventually I did all the things I was told to never do. I’m not sorry I did.

Did those activities further damage my spine? I doubt it. My spine is what it is. As long as I don’t have a serious fall or a major auto accident, it won’t get worse or improve. The big issue is advancing arthritis — almost universal and affects most mammals as they age. Some have it worse than others.

The arthritis is also a side effect of joint damage. Any damaged joint will likely become arthritic. Most older mammals (dogs, cats, horses, lions, tigers, etc.) become arthritic regardless, with or without joint damage. Arthritis is the curse of being warm-blooded.

I was not in a position to wait for improved surgery and although the surgery has improved, I’m not sure it makes you feel any better than the old surgery. Basically, spinal surgery is excruciatingly painful. Recovery takes a long time. Also, when you stop hurting so much you wonder how you can hurt that much and not be dead, you are not going to be the same again. A damaged spine will never be undamaged. You have to be careful to not re-injure yourself. This mostly involves NOT falling or having accidents — including not climbing ladders to clean gutters.

One needs to accept ones stage in life and not do things that will endanger you. You gotta remember you ain’t a kid anymore 🪜

Categories: #FPQ, #Health, Anecdote, Arthritis, illustration, Provocative Questions

Tags: #FPQ, breakage, Fandango's Provocative Question, Marilyn Armstrong, Spines