"Fractured Tibia & Fibula"

I slipped & ended up with a spiral fracture of my tibia & a fracture at each end of my fibula.

A plate was inserted for the tibia fracture & a pin in the lower fibula fracture. The surgeon set the tibia with a 4mm gap!

Upon returning to my home city I went to see a local orothopaedic surgeon the same week for confirmation that the treatment was OK. He assured me that this was the case. At the 6 week x-ray no healing of the tibia had occurred & he started making comments that I may need a bone graft. A the 12 week x-ray no heal was obvious. He then recommended that the surgery be redone (move the bone together to touch) & a bone grafted from my hip & while he was at it he would redo the pin in my ankle. I then queried him about why no healing had occurred & was it because of the 4 mm gap. He then commented that yes this was the problem & that he had been concerned about the gap since the first time he saw me (12 weeks ago). I am very disappointed that I was not advised of his concern at the initial consultation as I would have had the surgery redone then.

To make matters worse I ended up in hospital for 5 days, 9 weeks after the injury with 4 pulmonary embolisms that were a result of 2 undiagnosed DVT's (from the initial injury) in my calf. I am now not able to have further surgery for 3-6 months as I am on blood thinning medication. So an injury that should have been on the mend after 12 weeks is still not healed after 18 weeks & is likely to go on for at least another 4 months.