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[Lyte Edge]

So a little background first in case you didn't know: I recently moved to Japan to be an assistant English teacher for the JET program. I can only speak a little Japanese, so it's almost impossible for me to understand what they tell me at the hospital! I have gone to the hospitals with fellow English teachers, but even then, something is lost in the translation...

I had a scooter accident Saturday night, and went to a hospital on Sunday. They took X-Rays and told me nothing was broken, but there was severe swelling at my knee. I felt much better today, but it was still hard to walk, so I asked to go back to the hospital to see about getting a crutch.

They took me to a different hospital , took more X-Rays, and then the doctor tells me that a bone DID fracture and that it's a serious injury! I got a cast and some crutches now and have to take it easy for an entire month. Don't know what the hell I am going to do about school now. I told them I will try to go to school tomorrow. I think if the teachers can help me get up and down the stairs, I'll be fine.

The doctor said I could get surgery, but it was only needed if I "play sports." Does anyone know anything about broken bones? Wouldn't surgery be better and possibly help to heal me faster? If I stick with the cast, I have to wear it for a month!

Any suggestions?

 

[Deleted member 1235]

tell them you play rugby and need your leg back. surgery would make it better faster right? get the surgery, i've always wanted surgery....

 

[Blackace]

So a little background first in case you didn't know: I recently moved to Japan to be an assistant English teacher for the JET program. I can only speak a little Japanese, so it's almost impossible for me to understand what they tell me at the hospital! I have gone to the hospitals with fellow English teachers, but even then, something is lost in the translation...

I had a scooter accident Saturday night, and went to a hospital on Sunday. They took X-Rays and told me nothing was broken, but there was severe swelling at my knee. I felt much better today, but it was still hard to walk, so I asked to go back to the hospital to see about getting a crutch.

They took me to a different hospital , took more X-Rays, and then the doctor tells me that a bone DID fracture and that it's a serious injury! I got a cast and some crutches now and have to take it easy for an entire month. Don't know what the hell I am going to do about school now. I told them I will try to go to school tomorrow. I think if the teachers can help me get up and down the stairs, I'll be fine.

The doctor said I could get surgery, but it was only needed if I "play sports." Does anyone know anything about broken bones? Wouldn't surgery be better and possibly help to heal me faster? If I stick with the cast, I have to wear it for a month!

Any suggestions?

You need to find out if not getting surgery will cause you damage later.. when I was 15 I broke my ankle, well triple fractured my ankle... I have two pins in it to this day... the doctor told me that if I didn't do it there was a chance that my ankle would fuse.. since this is a knee if you cracked it along the joint it could cause you much pain later in life.. you need to find a friend who can really translate for you and get all the info...

 

[The Bookerman]

You need to find out if not getting surgery will cause you damage later.. when I was 15 I broke my ankle, well triple fractured my ankle... I have two pins in it to this day... the doctor told me that if I didn't do it there was a chance that my ankle would fuse.. since this is a knee if you cracked it along the joint it could cause you much pain later in life.. you need to find a friend who can really translate for you and get all the info...

I had a quadruple fracture on my left leg 2 years ago. Yes, two fractures on each bone in my leg. A stupid Snowblades accident, this is definetly the worst accident I ever had. But now I can walk and do all the stuff I used to do.

 

[Blackace]

I had a quadruple fracture on my left leg 2 years ago. Yes, two fractures on each bone in my leg. A stupid Snowblades accident, this is definetly the worst accident I ever had. But now I can walk and do all the stuff I used to do.

Yeah me too.. But mine was across my ankle.. I can't jump like I used to be able to.. that's for sure..

 

[ourumov]

First of everything I'd try to get an opinion I could rely on...And I would avoid surgery...

 

[Lyte Edge]

First of everything I'd try to get an opinion I could rely on...And I would avoid surgery...

I want to avoid surgery if possible for sure, but if it means the bone heals up better, then no question that I would get it. I just think that maybe I could keep the cast and heal up, then get surgery done after returning back to the States later on. (thing is that would be a year at the earliest)

One of the JET advisors here called me and told me his father is a surgeon and he is going to ask him if he thinks the surgery is a good idea. Tomorrow I will find out exactly where the bone is fractured and what type of surgery it is. I want to say I thought I heard them say "fusion" but I am unsure.

Everyone here in Japan is being very cool about this though. The advisor told me to call the board of education first thing in the morning; it's very possible that they would let me just go to my base school down the road for a month and pass on going to the other two schools until I'm better.

 

[Ruzbeh]

So how does it feel to have a broken leg? Can you describe it? I can't imagine how it must feel like. ~_~

 

[manngc]

Dude, that freakin sucks! Try to get a copy of the X-rays that reveal the factured bone, and get them to your family doctor in the States for a second opinion. I would definitely want to avoid sugery, but let the doctor decide the best course of action...Do your parents know yet?!

Mann

 

[Lyte Edge]

Dude, that freakin sucks! Try to get a copy of the X-rays that reveal the factured bone, and get them to your family doctor in the States for a second opinion. I would definitely want to avoid sugery, but let the doctor decide the best course of action...Do your parents know yet?!

Mann

Yeah, I want to see if I can get the x-rays sent to the States for sure. I emailed my parents but no response yet.

So how does it feel to have a broken leg? Can you describe it? I can't imagine how it must feel like. ~_~

I think my case is different. I was up and walking(limping) around today just fine with very little pain. When the doctor said a bone was broken I was shocked! So the only "pain" I have at the moment comes from the cast being a bit heavy on my leg.

Taking a crap was a pain in the ass, no pun intended, and I have to figure out how to keep the cast clean when I am taking a shower.

 

[Triumph]

I told you not to fuck with the Yakuza, Lee.

 

[Blackace]

I told you not to fuck with the Yakuza, Lee.

Scooter...hehe.. He found himself a not so coy Japanese country girl..
"How'd you get that black eye Lee?"

"I fell down the stairs..."

 

[Lyte Edge]

Heh, I feel like the Bride in Kill Bill 1 sitting here right now. "Wiggle your big toe...." Once it's over I'm going for revenge against those Yakuza bastards. :lol

 

[sprsk]

YOU AH CHAMP

 

[Matlock]

I WANT TO STROKE IT

 

[whytemyke]

Surgery will you have out of action a lot longer than a cast will, so unless you're going to be running around constantly, you should be ok with just the cast.

Believe me, you want to avoid surgery at all costs. Recovery from any surgery (unless arthroscopic) sucks ass when it's sports related, cuz then you've gotta do rehab and all that shit. It sucks.

 

[DarkAngelYuna]

You didn't stay in the hospital for weeks, its not a badly broken bone. A true broken leg and you're in that bed in a hospital for 3-4 weeks atleast with it hanging from the ceiling.

 

[Blackace]

You didn't stay in the hospital for weeks, its not a badly broken bone. A true broken leg and you're in that bed in a hospital for 3-4 weeks atleast with it hanging from the ceiling.

that's true with a break.. not a fracture.

 

[bobjuice]

You didn't stay in the hospital for weeks, its not a badly broken bone. A true broken leg and you're in that bed in a hospital for 3-4 weeks atleast with it hanging from the ceiling.

I snapped my tib and fib clean and was out of the hospital in four days. Needed a cast for six months, but nevertheless.

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

Any suggestions?

Seek the assistance of Black Jack!

I'm afraid the only advice I have is useless now. It comes from doctors I used to work with and it was, never get seriously injured abroad. :X

 

[the year 20XX]

If there aren't any long-term drawbacks to the no-surgery approach, avoid surgery. Surgery is extremely expensive. Plus, it's surgery.

Although... does Japan have free health care? I actually don't know.

 

[rareside]

I believe under the JET program, he'd be covered up to 80% of the medical fees. We just had a meeting yesterday where they went over all this shite with us.

Just make sure you talk to all the right people before you make the decision.

 

[the year 20XX]

20% of the cost of surgery is still probably really expensive. Totally do it, though, if there's a permanent side-effect of not doing it.

 

[Lyte Edge]

20% of the cost of surgery is still probably really expensive. Totally do it, though, if there's a permanent side-effect of not doing it.

I'll find that out today, I think. Like I said earlier, the doctor already said the cast would be fine, but I am going to ask again.

However, it may be better to get the surgery done in a few years' time instead (when I am back in the U.S.) if it's the kind of surgery that you can wait on.

 

[psycho_snake]

At the beginning of the year I had teared the cartlidge in my knee and they said that it wont heal on its own and that it could keep tearing until it would eventually tear completely and told me that if i want the problem sorted I might have do do surgery on it. i decided to have the surgery on it but it was only a keyhole operation so it wasnt too bad, but I still advise you to take the operation. Broken legs are so common so its no major operation, plus, operations aren't all that bad, I had one just a week ago on my hernia. If you are going to leave it then it will probably get worse, unless you are prepared to sacrifice playing most sports and doing other things too.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Damn dude, I read the first paragraph and thought you were attacked for not knowing fluent Japanese or something.

Sucks about accident..get better!

 

[Teddman]

Sorry to hear that, it must be doubly hard to suffer such an injury in a foreign country.

I recently moved to Japan to be an assistant English teacher for the JET program. I can only speak a little Japanese, so it's almost impossible for me to understand what they tell me at the hospital! I have gone to the hospitals with fellow English teachers, but even then, something is lost in the translation...

Knees are nothing to be taken lightly... How confident are you in the doctors? I would want to see one who's a native English speaker.

Given any thought to flying to the States for a second opinion?

 

[Lyte Edge]

Sorry to hear that, it must be doubly hard to suffer such an injury in a foreign country. Knees are nothing to be taken lightly... How confident are you in the doctors? I would want to see one who's a native English speaker.

Yeah, that's the thing...I really would like another opinion. I found out that there is an English speaking doctor that is recommended, but I don't think he is anywhere near where I live. The doctor that I went to yesterday did seem on the ball from what I could tell, though. He knew exactly what the injury was and showed me on a model what had happened. I just want to find out if I will be okay with the cast (this is what I was told) or if once it heals from the cast, the bone will not be at 100% until I get surgery. I talked to some other people that had similar injuries and was told that the cast worked fine. My father had a similar injury when he was around my age, in fact.

Given any thought to flying to the States for a second opinion?

Sure, but that would mean quitting my job. And if I was actually in a lot of pain, I probably would be doing that.

Didn't get to go to the doctor today but I will be taken there tomorrow. Apparently the hospital was closed today. :/ Glad I don't have to go there for anything serious.

What's actually pissing me off now is that the board of education thinks I shouldn't have to be asking the teachers for rides to school and wants me to take taxis. If I did that to and from school every day for a month, that would cost me $600. I don't think I'm asking too much to have the teachers pick me up (I'd be willing to take taxis home even or visa versa) when I go to the schools 1-2 times per week and the schools are 10-14 minutes down the street.