Sh1t Happens: Osteomyelitis
Osteomyelitis:
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Osteomyelitis.htmI contracted Osteomyelitis (Infection of the bone) near the beginning of April 2012 during surgery to remove Titanium plates from my leg which were their to support my shattered Tibia following a motorcycle accident 30 months previously. A fortnight of hospital, three further operations and a great deal of pain and discomfort followed.
My recovery is going reasonably well at the moment, but the experience was not pleasant. I am still taking four lots of heavy duty antibiotics daily as well as injecting myself in the stomach with an 'anti blood clot' solution and visiting the doctors to have the wound checked and repacked every day.
I currently have a 40mm x 20mm x 20mm cavity in my leg that will hopefully get smaller daily as it heals. I'm not going to do much jogging for a while but tablet effects permitting I'm able to get on with my life and work to a large extent.
Thanks are due to my wife, for everything, my family and friends for visiting and support and the doctors and nurses at
Derby Royal Hospital who despite having to work with some of the most archaic procedures, rules and regulations, did a great job overall. The food was also surprisingly good, I recommend the Macaroni Cheese, and the quantities adequate (cheers Matt !). Special shout out to the lovely nurses on Ward 204.If squeamish - do not look at the pictures !
I'm Back !
Back from hospital, mostly fixed and ready for anything. Many thanks to all who sent good wishes and visited. Cheers - Steve 
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Busted Leg - The Verdict
I attended the Derby Royal Hospital again this morning, I had an appointment with my consultant to discuss the results of my MRI scan and what I can expect in the future concerning my leg following my motorcycle accident.
The good news is that the ligaments are intact. The bad news is that it is unlikely to get any better. I can only bend my leg 90 degrees at the knee and I will continue to need a stick to walk, almost certainly for the rest of my life. The pain may get less after the metal is removed from my leg at the next operation in six months or so, apparently some of the screws are responsible for some of the pain due to their proximity to ‘stuff’ (I’m no doctor )
In practical terms driving a manual car will continue to be impractical for any distance, motorcycles and maybe even quads will be out of the question, I might be able to use my mountain bike or road bike at some point though if I’m lucky.
Anyway, according to the surgeon I am lucky I didn’t lose the leg - it was a bit of a mess apparently. Life goes on so I’ll make the best of it, I must admit I never expected my life to turn out this way, but Sh1t happens and you can’t always see it coming.
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If I Ride Again ...
If my leg ever heals to the extent that I can again ride a motorcycle, I have a second hill to climb. Convincing my wife that I should ride again.
At the moment she is dead against the idea, but I’m hoping she will mellow with time. Given that I have been very dependent on her over the last few months, for sometimes quite basic things, I have to listen to and appreciate her point of view.
Maybe if I buy another Harley, a bike with a reputation for slow and steady cruising, she may be more amenable to the idea.
My last Harley was a Night Rod Special which was not a typical Harley (it was liquid cooled and fast, see picture above) but next time maybe I should try something like this:
This is a Harley Davidson Fatbob, a newish design from (I think) 2007. I think it looks great.
I did say I wouldn’t get another Harley given that you need to spend as much time cleaning them as you do riding, otherwise they soon show their aversion to UK weather ... Anyway I’ll wait and see which way the land lies if (when) my leg heals properly