Della's Consultant Visit and consultation at the hospital with our concerns and queries answered by the Senior Orthopaedic Houseman. A large swelling of new bone tissue would form around the fracture and that the splinters of dead bone would soften and dissolve.
Then home for a little time to myself after which Debbie arrived on the school bus now diverted from ever stopping in Gordon Road. Later to the hospital on Guy Fawkes night and sat with Della as she went off to sleep and relaxed without the aid of any painkillers or relaxants for the first time
We approached today with some expectation and apprehension as we had asked to see Mr Vaughan-Lane to discuss the results of Della's X-Rays. Diana woke me up at 6.30am and we discussed things before she went off to see Della at the hospital. I took Debbie to the bus stop when we were ready and then drove on to join Diana and we waited for the Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon to come round. He did so eventually at about 10.00am and had his senior Orthopaedic Houseman, Dr Kuaseman with him and an assistant. Diana and I were hoping for a detailed chat with him, but he had a manner that would be received my most as reassuring but we felt was rather dismissive. He said that things were going all right and that we had nothing to worry about; that the bone would heal easily with no loss of function or performance. She would be riding again within six months.
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They had had a good look at the extension and felt that there was no shortening etc etc. We spoke later to the Senior Houseman and went to see the X-rays again and he explained that the fracture was a rotational one and that the bone ends that we had seen were actually alongside one-another as they were fragments from a twisting break. They anticipated that a large swelling of new bone tissue would form around the fracture and that the splinters of dead bone would soften and dissolve. Then this large ball of bone would slim down over time to resume the profile of a normal bone. The alternative approaches of putting a longitudinal pin through the thigh could risk disturbing the growing planes at the end of the thigh bones and the other of putting in a plate would involve leaving a large scar and doing other damage.
They had the 5 to 14-day window for any of these measures and we were only at the beginning of that and so the options would not be closed in a week's time. We had asked whether Della would be better in an orthopaedic ward for the specialist nurses and closer attention, but the story went that it was full of old people and that they wanted the help of paediatric nurses to back up their orthopaedic skills. The traction would last for three weeks and then she would be in plaster for some time after that. Di and I went and discussed all this over coffee and saw Cllr Pre Newbon (in for a toe consultation) who had a chat with us. I stayed with Della for the morning as she went into the playroom, and I played table football with her.
Then lunch in the canteen as Diana returned to take over from me for the afternoon session. I went home and actually spent a couple of hours outside, starting up the Rolls Royce and loading the new Reliant trailer, with the van and spares all into the inner garage. I jacked the rear of the van up and relieved the precious tyres of the weight. The Kimbolton School Bus did not stop opposite Willow Close tonight as the driver had been instructed not to and so Debbie had to walk from the other side of Little Paxton. She made some tea for us and then I sat in my office writing cheques and answering letters for the first time since Della's accident. They were getting desperately urgent and not all our creditors would understand our personal position. Later to the hospital and sat with Della as she went off to sleep and relaxed without the aid of any painkillers or relaxants for the first night.
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