Derek's Broken Leg (Part 2)

We were able to get an appointment with the orthopedic doctor Monday morning. Luckily, Helen and the kids were already off because of a county teacher furlough day.

Everything was going as well as could be expected. The doctor was joking around and Derek was coming to grips with his predicament. The doctor said the break looked clean, ordered a thigh high cast to fully stabilize the leg, and told us it would be a matter of weeks and Derek would be walking around again.

Following normal protocol, Derek heads back for more x-rays after getting his cast to make sure everything is set properly.

When we saw the doctor again he wasn't joking any more and told us that the x-ray revealed the break was worse than he originally thought and that he was going to consult with another doctor who was in surgery. The doctor told us to go home and wait for a call from his office. He said that Derek would likely need to have a plate put in to stabilize the bones. Derek lost it. He was just coming to grips with all that was in front of him and the new news put him over the edge. 

The doctor told Derek to put his cell phone on vibrate to try to sooth any itches.

We got a call from the doctor's office and they were 90 percent sure that Derek would need a plate. They were scheduling a CT Scan to get a better image of the break. We were hoping we would be able to get the CT Scan done the same day, but we waited and waited and it didn't happen.

When we get the CT Scan scheduled we're supposed to call the doctor and let them know so we can get the surgery scheduled right away before the bones start to heal.