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UPDATE DD in college 17 hours away and she seriously injured her leg...

Jann in TX

By Jann in TX,
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Jann in TX

Jann in TX

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My youngest dd (20yrs) is away at college in Colorado-- about 17 hours away from me.  DD has a chronic pain disorder (CRPS).

Last week she injured her left leg/knee during a dance practice-- she is part of a K-pop cover dance club (largest non-academic club on her college campus!). She was lunging forward and her knee snapped and dislocated then she fell hard onto her knee.  She knew immediately something was very wrong.

Her BF took her to the ER and they stabilized her leg and referred her to an orthopedic Dr.  She was able to get an appointment 2 weeks out!  DH remembered that one of our new neighbors had a SIL who is a PA in dd's college town... one call later and DD now had a local primary care giver AND an appointment for ortho for the next day (good thing as she was out of pain pills).  PA was able to look at the x-rays and said that there were hairline fractures in her femur as well as bone chips where it met the knee-- and something was definitely 'wrong' with her knee.  Ortho ordered MRI (last week).  Today is Wednesday and Ortho's office finally let dd know (via phone message as she was in finals today!) that her injury is 'surgical' and they gave her the number of a surgeon...  We still have NO IDEA what she did to her knee-- it is still huge and she cannot bend it or even move her ankle. 

DD has had to rely on her friends and roommates for everything-- it has been a struggle just getting her to ASK for help!!!  BF was great the first few days but he had to study for his finals and the stress of her injury was too distracting (more to the story).  I was able to order her a wheelchair-- picked up today and a few of her friends have given her meals. With the wheelchair she can at least open the fridge (cannot reach microwave or oven/cooktop controls!)  She cannot drive and is pretty much 'stuck' in her room unless she has to go to campus for finals.  All of her roommates and most of her friends will be going home for Christmas through mid January-- so by this weekend her support will be gone!

DD was supposed to drive home for Christmas but that is not going to happen and flying is out too. 

We are waiting for a call back from the surgeon on Thursday-- hopefully they will let us know what is going on/extent of injury and what sort of surgery schedule/recovery time we are looking at.  DH and I talked and I'm probably the best option to fly out to help.

--

Update Feb 13: I'm back in Colorado for 2nd time-- Surgery will be on Feb.14.  She should be walking with crutches in about 2 weeks...looking at estimated 4 month recovery.  I'll stay 2-3 weeks-- until I'm confident she can drive and care for herself.

 

 

Edited by Jann in TX
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Ottakee

Ottakee

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That sounds rough.

can you daughter get a patient portal account and then share the log in and password with you so that you can see the mri report, doctors notes, etc?

also make sure he she has signed HIPPA forms at every doctor and testing place so that they can talk to you as well.

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Katy

Katy

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Something similar happened to me in college, though it was cartilage & ligaments, not bone. I was able to fly home with an immobilizer & crutches. The airline was able to bump someone & get me in a bulkhead row. They got me a cart between flights. I’m not sure if any of that would work, but people in wheelchairs do fly. I’d call one of the bigger airlines customer service and ask for advice before deciding. 

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Jann in TX

Jann in TX

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10 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

That sounds rough.

can you daughter get a patient portal account and then share the log in and password with you so that you can see the mri report, doctors notes, etc?

also make sure he she has signed HIPPA forms at every doctor and testing place so that they can talk to you as well.

She signed the HIPPA form-- our issue is that the first Ortho would not return her calls or ours and did not have a patient portal available.  If we cannot get through in the morning we will pull our PA card again and have him do it then let us know that way.

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Corraleno

Corraleno

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5 minutes ago, lmrich said:

Are you on Facebook? Most colleges have a parents' Facebook page. You  can ask on there for local help.

Seconding this — I'm on the parent FB page for DS's university, and there are lots of local parents on there who are happy to help when an out-of-state kid needs assistance. People have volunteered to pick up groceries and prescriptions, drop-off home cooked meals, drive kids to doctors appointments, etc.

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Jann in TX

Jann in TX

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I'm just trying to be patient a bit longer -- I really just want to know what is going on... all we (DD, DH and I ) have heard are bits and pieces and it has been over a week since the fall...  The ER Dr said that Ortho would explain the injuries-- DD said Ortho just walked in her room and said 'you need to schedule an MRI' and then left--she thought he would come back in but he never came back and she left without asking!!  So now she is being passed to surgeon-- hopefully they will tell us something. 

DH said that the message surgeon left for her today mentioned that she was "not stable" and that she was NOT allowed to fly. 

DD's BF is local-- long story here but in short we will not know until after his last final on Thursday if he will be available to help-- or if he and DD will still be together.

 

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MEmama

MEmama

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Ugh, it’s extra hard when they are far away, isn’t it? Hopefully you can fly or drive after the storm to help her out.

The suggestion to reach out to local parents (or Hive aunties) is a good one—there are always people who are happy to help.

I hope you’ll get to see her soon!

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skimomma

skimomma

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I will also suggest getting involved on the parents FB page if you can.  I am local to my dd's university and am on our FB page.  I have stepped in and helped several students over the last two years.  Many others have as well.  It is a pleasure to be able to assist knowing that it could be my own kid that might need it someday.  I have delivered food and medications, pulled strings to get kids in to see doctors that are not taking new patients, and have driven kids to appointments and the airport.  And I hope you can get there soon!

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Jann in TX

Jann in TX

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OK-- I went Momma-Bear on a few receptionists and FINALLY got a response...

DD has a torn ligament in her knee that will need surgery.  That particular surgeon could get her in in late January-- the week after classes begin for the Spring semester... she would have to miss a minimum of 1 full week of class-- not a good way to end your 3rd year of college!

Tomorrow she has an appointment in Denver (an hour drive) to see a different Dr-- there is a chance he could get her in sooner.  Ideally it would be great if she could have surgery at least 2 weeks before classes begin...

In the mean time they said it was OK for her to start putting weight on her leg and for her to 'try' to start bending her knee.  DD has CRPS and it is not letting up-- she has not been able to bend knee or ankle since injury (nothing wrong with ankle). 

So we wait until tomorrow to see when/if I get to travel to Colorado...

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Corraleno

Corraleno

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As soon as she has a better idea of when she will have the surgery and how long recovery will take, she should contact the university's Office of Disability Services and tell them what she will need and how long she expects to need it. At DS's school, the Disability Office will provide transport to and from campus as well as mobility assistance within the campus, and will work with professors to ensure students have the accommodations they need (e.g. recordings of missed lectures or access to professors' notes, extensions or exemptions for assignments, etc.).

 

 

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Jann in TX

Jann in TX

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Update Friday

We were able to get DD into an Orthopedic Surgeon in Denver this morning.  They are extremely concerned as her injury is more serious/extensive than what other Dr thought (last Dr just looked at MRI and x-rays-- never even saw her and next appointment would have been pre-op at end of January!). 

DD is now driving herself to a nearby hospital for additional CT and MRI scans-- ' and they told us that one of us (parents) needed to get there as soon as possible (not going to mention what they think might be going on)... her next appointment is Monday morning-- unless they need to get her to surgery sooner.

DH is flying up Saturday morning-- I have a medical condition and will not be able to fly until Monday--plan is for me to go up for surgery and to stay for a week or two after (I can stay at her apartment as DH will need to get a hotel).

-- Did I mention that her BF of one year broke up with her this morning because she was 'taking too much of his time due to her injury'...  we really liked this guy (and they were talking marriage just 2 weeks ago!).  I want to hug her so bad!!!!!! 

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kbutton

kbutton

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2 minutes ago, Jann in TX said:

Did I mention that her BF of one year broke up with her this morning because she was 'taking too much of his time due to her injury'...  we really liked this guy (and they were talking marriage just 2 weeks ago!).  I want to hug her so bad!!!!!! 

This is really weird, but I am glad he's shown his hand. Ugh!

This new doctor sounds like a keeper, and I am glad that she's getting more detailed care. Having a doctor that digs a little deeper and goes that tiny step more that shouldn't really be considered extra but often is extra is reassuring.

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Ann.without.an.e

Ann.without.an.e

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2 minutes ago, Jann in TX said:

Update Friday

We were able to get DD into an Orthopedic Surgeon in Denver this morning.  They are extremely concerned as her injury is more serious/extensive than what other Dr thought (last Dr just looked at MRI and x-rays-- never even saw her and next appointment would have been pre-op at end of January!). 

DD is now driving herself to a nearby hospital for additional CT and MRI scans-- ' and they told us that one of us (parents) needed to get there as soon as possible (not going to mention what they think might be going on)... her next appointment is Monday morning-- unless they need to get her to surgery sooner.

DH is flying up Saturday morning-- I have a medical condition and will not be able to fly until Monday--plan is for me to go up for surgery and to stay for a week or two after (I can stay at her apartment as DH will need to get a hotel).

-- Did I mention that her BF of one year broke up with her this morning because she was 'taking too much of his time due to her injury'...  we really liked this guy (and they were talking marriage just 2 weeks ago!).  I want to hug her so bad!!!!!! 

 

I am so sorry, prayers for your dd and your family. Being so far away has to be incredibly difficult for a mama.

As for the boy, these are the kinds of things you want to know now and not later after you're married, but it doesn't make it hurt less in the moment. 😞 

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Jann in TX

Jann in TX

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DD is alone in a hospital ER in Denver (it has been a BAD day)... they are running tests to rule out compartment syndrome...

Prayers appreciated.

One of DH's coworkers lives in the area and is on the way to hospital-- DD will spend night at her house if she is discharged!!

 

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Pippen

Pippen

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On 12/15/2022 at 7:19 PM, Corraleno said:

As soon as she has a better idea of when she will have the surgery and how long recovery will take, she should contact the university's Office of Disability Services and tell them what she will need and how long she expects to need it. At DS's school, the Disability Office will provide transport to and from campus as well as mobility assistance within the campus, and will work with professors to ensure students have the accommodations they need (e.g. recordings of missed lectures or access to professors' notes, extensions or exemptions for assignments, etc.).

 

 

Start looking into this as soon as possible, because my daughter had surgery for a meniscus tear at the start of 2nd semester. She went back two weeks after the term started and found out the hard way that support on campuses range widely. Universities apparently don't have to provide the same level of support for someone with a temporary condition in the same way they're required to for persons with disabilities. We wound up having to get her an electric scooter--the big kind with a seat. She schedule changed to some online classes and dropped the one that was difficult to get to, which also had a less than helpful prof. She was able to keep one or two in person classes, but it was rough. 

 @Jann in TX Praying for your daughter, and wisdom for doctors treating her! Feel free to message me if you want more details about managing on campus. 

 

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