Revenge of the Wine Glass
Historical background – After being relatively healthy my whole life, I suffered e-coli poisoning in 2013. The strain is antibiotic resistant and continues to reoccur 1-3 times per year. In 2016, I had to have a full hysterectomy, with 9-weeks bed rest recovery. Fast forward a few months later…………… On the evening of June 2nd, 2017, my family hosted our best friends/family at our house for dinner and fun to celebrate the completion of hot tub installation and our new deck. Once I realized that I got in the hot tub with the glass, I asked the kids to take the glass and place it somewhere safe. What I didn’t know was that my 13yr old daughter had placed the glass on one of our deck stairs. At some point later, I went inside to use the restroom, and upon my return, I accidently stepped down the deck step directly on the wine glass with my right barefoot. The top of the glass popped, and the stem became a 2-prong weapon. I suffered a 5" long laceration of the bottom of my foot, from the inside center arch, through the plantar nerve that feeds my toes, up to the 4th toe. As I was on the deck steps, I then fell down the remaining steps resulting in a severe ankle sprain of the same foot. My life changed in one instant. The kids started screaming, my fiancé, Aaron and friends came running and carried me into the bathtub. My friend Nichole is a nurse, and as soon as she ran water over the injury, she wrapped it in towels and they rushed me to the hospital. I lost over 1 pint of blood by the time we reached the hospital. The dr. on staff was not a foot expert, but didn’t think there was enough time to wait for a Podiatrist to arrive. I received 14 external stitches, and 6 internal stitches, 3-day supply of pain meds and a referral to an orthopedic specialist. A few days later, that appointment began to paint the picture of the extent of the damage. The laceration was extremely deep, filleting tissue, hundreds of nerves, through the plantar plate, severing tendons and nicking bones. My foot and ankle was very swollen for weeks. Due to the wound care needs, I was unable to focus any effort on the ankle sprain for 6 weeks. This allowed my ankle swelling to subside, but caused foot drop. I was told that I likely wouldn’t walk for 4-6 months, which was NOT going to work with our wedding coming up in September 2017, just 3 months later. Wound care took about 6 weeks, and I was able to start physical therapy in late July. I pushed myself really hard, and was able to walk down the aisle with assistance on my wedding day. 3 months not able to walk, 9 months of intense PT helped so much, but couldn’t bring my recovery to 100%. Physical consequences of the accident – The nerve damage was substantial. I was blessed that nerves continued to re-attach 2-years after the accident, but none of my loved ones or medical care staff truly understand how much debilitating pain happens during nerve-re attachment episodes. For the nerves that weren’t able to re-connect, I live with chronic nerve pain, peripheral neuropathy. I do not have full control of my 2nd, 3rd & 4th toes. We are a family that hikes, camps, rides offroad vehicles, etc. I cannot do any activities that require me to stand or use tip-toes (yoga, running, climbing, dancing, etc). Hiking has its challenges, and modifications are necessary for me to be able to ride. I also have extensive scar tissue from the sprain. The combination of a pre-existing condition of hypothyroidism, combined with full hysterectomy and not being able to walk for 3 months contributed to me gaining 90 pounds, 70 of which I am still trying to lose. I had subsequent dental issues. I found that I clenched my teeth as a pain response, and I actually fractured multiple molars clenching while I was sleeping. Emotional consequences – I have an injury that gives everyone the heeby-jeebiez. My Orthopedic Specialist response when he saw the injury was, “Holy Shit”. I give myself the heeby-jeebiez when I have flashbacks of the accident. I have PTSD episodes when I see broken glass. I battle the monster of depression that constantly knocks at my door. My daughter lives with guilt because she placed the glass on the deck step and she hurts every time I have a “foot episode”, or I show a noticeable limp after a long day. My family, friends, and pets have all experienced my screams, cursing and tears that come with these episodes. Aaron feels so bad whenever he rubs my foot. He knows it helps, but he can’t take the tears and the feeling that his touch is hurting me. I am an independent, proud person and its hard to frequently need help. It is hard to stay upbeat, and focus with the constant electricity in my foot that feels like lightning, and my toenails sit on hot coals. Then there is the cramping and the frustration of not being able to curl my toes on command. I have gone through therapy, and desire a support group to help build a community of understanding with fellow trauma victims, and continue to build tools to help make everyday a little better. Thank you
