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Writer's picturejoshuainegt

Broken leg blues

Updated: Sep 29

I write this as I enter week 3 of fractured tibia recovery. I am feeling slightly better. Good things are happening in my body. I'm moving from the inflammatory to the reparative stage of bone healing. This is when the blood clots that form at the site of the fracture are replaced by something called a callus. A callus is a mass of mesenchymal stem cells that will differentiate into cells called chondroblasts and osteoblasts, the primary players in the formation of cartilage and bone. The process of osteogenesis (new bone formation) is constant, even in healthy bodies. With a bone fracture, the body generates urgent signals and the new bone process speeds up. This requires rest and good nutrition to maintain the increased activity. Recruited stem cells and other cell types, start building a new matrix on which bone will be built, and then induce the cells to change into cartilage or bone.


In the meantime, I still have a splint on my leg. I'm uncomfortable. and until recently things wicked hurt. I have a long way to go with healing. Until recently, I could feel subtle movements when I moved my leg - things (broken things) were still jiggling around in there. The doctor said it's normal, but I'm happy it's starting to subside because it was freaking me out. Recent X-rays looked good, but the doctor wants to wait at least one more week before removing the splint and putting on a cast.


10-12 weeks post-injury - when I could potentially get rid of the cast and start walking again - falls between August 26th and September 9th, the same time as our planned Burning Man road trip. Even though I should be mostly healed and close to cast-free by then, I am worried. Burning Man is held in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, aka the playa, and can dole out unpredictable and extreme weather, including dust storms, high temperatures, high winds, freezing temperatures, and rain. The playa covers seven square miles, big enough to house 70,000 attendees and art installations. Many people get around by bike because it's easier to get from place to place. I've never been to Burning Man, and it sounds epic - my kind of fun. But as I wistfully look forward to a time when I can run, hike, and bike again, it seems foolish to risk further injury or delay healing to go to Burning Man. It’s been a point of stress for me, too, since it was the one big trip we had planned for the year. If I have to choose between waiting to go to Burning Man or focusing on healing (without the risk of reinjury), I choose healing. But we'll see how the coming weeks play out...

After experiencing the pain of touching the toe of my broken leg on the floor a couple of times at home last week, I had been nervous to do much of anything. But with Shan's help, I have started taking baby steps to enter real life again.

  • I returned to work - after a week of pain meds and sleeping, I was back to work and pretty happy about it. Work kept me preoccupied. Feeling sorry for yourself is hard when you're busy trying to help clients develop new medicines. That said, I was pretty wiped out at the end of each day

  • I went to two races to support and cheer Shan - and he checked off two more of the 169 CT Towns, bringing him to 9 total, only 160 to go! I used the races to socialize, too - my friend Jen hung out with me at the tail end of the Ansonia 6-hour Trail Race where Shan got 2nd place (running 36 miles total) and Heather joined us at the Firecracker 8k on the 4th of July in Bethel. It was nice to catch up with friends and experience the energy of races. Nothing beats it!

  • I spent time planning - I've worked out the details of Shan's 200-mile run through NH from the Canadian border to the Atlantic Ocean. I'm excited, like super excited. It will be our first time using the campervan! I still can’t believe that after more than 4 years we have yet to do #vanlife together. So yeah, I'm looking forward to what the trip will bring. At the very least Shan will have another state crossing (and FKT?) under his belt and I have a fun adventure to focus on in the short term.

But first, let's heal this tibia! I’ll keep enjoying the beautiful flowers that Shan brings home from time to time. #idigthisguy #myperson













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