Recovery from Accident

The lengthy recovery

I sat looking at the X-rays in the hospital in Patan and thought I was lucky and should make a speedy recovery. However this couldn't be further from the truth. Read the story below !

27/05/03 - Operation in Patan Hospital to set fracture which involved inserting a steel rod through the Tibia and screwing it in place below the knee and above the ankle. That treatment started with my arrival in Casualty. Just try to imagine it, I'd stopped taking pain killers several hours before my arrival to allow the hospital to provide their own medication. Unfortunately it would be a few hours after my arrival at the hospital before this happened. I had to go through the most incredible pain in Casualty due to the most incompetant staff and just wanted to get flown back to the UK for treatment. Because of the open fracture, I had to have my operation in Kathmandu but luckily things improved dramatically once I transferred to the Ward. The bed I had for 7 days was like sleeping on concrete and within a couple of days my arse was more uncomfortable than my leg. If you think that hospital food in the UK or the US is bad then you should try the food at the Patan Hospital !. A reasonable menu was on offer but out of the large selection of items, only 4 things were available. The burgers sounded tempting but tasted like flattened yak turd !. The Chow Meine tasted like it was cooked in 5 year old chip pan oil !.

03/06/03 - I was let out of hospital in the afternoon and taken to the hotel to relax and have a decent shower and drink before a meal with all the Sherpas and Cooks. It was like being released from prison as all I'd done was walk up and down the hospital corridors. A few glasses of coke in the sun and then we got ready for an excellent meal with the group. Unfortunately I was on the soft drinks because of all the antibiotics I was taking. It was great to meet all the Sherpas and the cooks again. Walid and Peter had already returned home but everyone else was there.

04/06/03 - Flight back to the UK with Qatar Airlines with Dave Pritt. For both of us, this was our 1st and probably last trip 1st class. Pity I couldn't drink any of the Champaign that was on offer !

05/06/03 - Wasted trip to hospital. Told to come back Friday. Endless phonecalls from friends and the media.

06/06/03 - Trip to Stepping Hill hospital to check on the work done by the Kathmandu Surgeons. The results were good except a slight worry about the size of the screws used. After stopping off at work to pick up a notebook to catch up on e-mails, the BBC then came round to my house in a rushed report to get edited and aired on the evening local news.

I was to have the following 4 weeks off work to rest at home.

03/07/03 - 1st day back at work after 3 months off. Taxi ride to work and then lifts from people at work

16/07/03 - Screws above the ankle removed to allow leg to start weight bearing. The next 6 weeks with the assistance a crutches saw a slow improvement with more and more use being gained from the left leg with the assistance of Physio Therapy.

21/08/03 - 12 weeks since the original operation and the leg should be healed enough to start exercising again and this is recommended to help encourage even further bone growth.

18/09/03 - No further improvement in main fracture so all exercise must stop due to complications until further notice.

Further checkups in October and December showed very little improvement so no progress was made.

New Year was spent in Scotland as usual but a lot of time wasting was required.

During February the BBC film and Air an update report on BBC North West Tonight.

18/03/04 - The Consultant at the hospital is convinced a major improvement has occured and I complain about movement and clicking in the joint. Told to rest for another 3 months !. At this point I confirm I have posponed my return to Everest for 1 year until 2006 as I need to feel 100% confident about my physical condition. As an alternative, Rachel and I decide that a trip to New Zealand in January would be more feasable.

29/03/04 - Work agrees to allow me to carry over 2 weeks holiday from 2004 to use for New Zealand holiday. The Boss also agrees in principle to my 2nd attempt on Everest in 2006. No further planning can start until full mobility is gained.

06/05/04 - Trip down to London for the Royal Humane Society Award ceremony in which the Royal Navy received 2 bravery awards for their part in the rescue. Also a meeting with Dan Clifton about the possibilty of making a few about the accident and resulting resue.

During May, the ankle area was start to develop a loud snapping noise which felt like it originated from the fracture site.

10/06/04 - Hospital checkup confirms that fracture has healed and exercise can start again. I express concerns about loud snapping noise and further tests are carried out. No further information is found from these test results and I am told not to start impact exercises and just keep to cycling and swimming for 3 months.

15/06/04 - After concerns that an explaination for the loud clicking noise could not be found, I needed a second opinion for peace of mind. Saw an Orthopedic Surgeon at the BUPA hospital to discuss the fracture. He says he is certain that the clicking and movement I can feel is ligaments snapping into place and locates one that is definately producing most of the noise. He recommends the removal of the remaining screw before the end of the year and the removal of the Nail in the Spring. As a climber, the risk of further broken legs is very high and would be a major problem if the Nail was still in place. Recommends also that I can try other Cardio exercises like walking and using the stepper.

Over the next 6 weeks, I will concentrate on gaining fitness with the use of the cycle in the Gymm only and then at that stage I will start walking on the treadmill and using the stepper only if I feel it is safe to do so.

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