| I had a compound fracture of my right femur in 1997. I also had a steel bar inserted from hip to knee. I had fully intended to leave it in there, but eventually had it removed in 2000.
The removal was basically because the screws holding it in place were causing me pain. When climbing stairs the screws near my knee were rubbing against something and causing pain. I walked with a noticeable limp because otherwise the screws near my hip rubbed against something else.
I'd put on quite a lot of weight in those 3 years and removing everything was a bit of a bugger the surgeon told me. My scars are about 3 times bigger after pin removal than before.
One thing I will say is DO THE PHYSIO! I was pretty slack on this front and now have a big "dent" in my right quad. Basically the muscle is now in two halves. They joined themselves to the bone and scar tissue rather than back to themselves. If I had of done all the physio properly this would not have happened. I guess it's a talking point.......
Glad you're on the mend though sstu, it all sounds pretty horrific.
[Edited on 26-10-2005 by phillc]  | 
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