IM Nail and Metal Detectors

One thing I forget to mention in my previous updates about the recovery process of having an intramedullary nail (IM Nail) in my lower left leg was my first experience of going through airport security.

About a month ago I went to Spain on a stag do and I was quite intrigued and anticipating when I got to London Gatwick airport to see what would happen when I went through the metal detector. As I stepped through I was waiting for the alarm/beep, but it never came.

I was actually disappointed and wanted the alarm to go off as it would be like a vindication for the pain and having all that metal in my leg.

So, no, an IM Nail does not set off metal detectors at the airport.

A Ghost on Hampstead Heath?

Although I’ve lived in London for 11 years I’d not been to Hampstead Heath, so last Saturday I decided to correct this. I took a number of photos on my phone and when I transferred them to my PC I noticed one of them contained something a little unusual.

Do you know the unwritten rules of modern communication?

With the proliferation of communication mechanisms in the last 20 years you will have noticed and conformed to as well broken the unwritten etiquette of modern communication.

For example, if someone communicates to you using a certain form of communication, e.g. Email, then you are expected to respond using the same form of communication or something higher up on the hierarchy.

The communication hierarchy is as follows:

Do people still write letters?!

If you respond with a lower form of communication, e.g. one person calls and leaves a voicemail and the other emails back, then the first person might feel snubbed, but it will depend, of course, on the nature/content of the message.

However, the communication hierarchy has an almost inverse correlation to the unwritten social convention of how quickly you are meant to respond to the various forms of communication without seeming rude.

The following table outlines the amount of time with which you are meant to respond to a general ‘how are you doing?’ contact:

Type of Contact	Acceptable Response Time
SMS/Text Message	Within 24hrs
Missed Call (with Voicemail)	Within 2 days
Missed Call (No Voicemail)	Within 6 days
Email	Within 5 days
Letter	Within a month
IM Message	No response actually required

These response times can be considerably reduced depending on who is communicating to you and the nature of the communication, for example, if it is your partner, your boss or your mum!

Normally we instinctively know these rules but we all occasionally get them wrong, or some have different views of what the rules are, and then we end up offending someone.

Some people prefer to use certain forms of communication, e.g. my mate Alex always calls and practically never texts, where another Kim always texts and never calls.

We all know people who are particularly poor at responding to any sort of messages. I have one friend like this, but they do it to everyone so some think this is okay. I don’t. I think not responding to a communication shows lack of consideration and respect.

It doesn’t matter how busy you are everyone can spare the few seconds it takes to email or text a friend ‘Hey, how’s it going? Super busy at the moment but will be in touch in a few weeks’.

We have all been offended by someone else’s poor communication, but do we have a right to be upset with them if the rules are unwritten?

Me and My IM Nail Part 5 – 6mths since the Op

<< Me and My IM Nail Part 4 (5mths on)

In January 2010 I broke my left tibia and fibula and had an operation to have an Intramedullary Nail (IM Nail) inserted. The doctor at the time told me, I thought rather vaguely at the time, it would be “6 months before you could do the things you want to do”.

It’s now been 6 months since the operation and I can confirm the doctor was right. I can do the things I want to do, but the leg does not feel like it is completely normal and back to full strength and capability. This is not the end of recovery; there is still some progress to be made.

The leg is really starting to feel like a normal leg. I have finally lost my limp and this was confirmed by my physio and friends are very impressed with how easily I’m walking about.

Me with a couple of friends as I am stretchered away from Clapham Junction where I had the accident

I started jogging 2 weeks ago. Not on the treadmill, but proper jogging in my local park, Clapham Common. I just did 10mins and it was at a very slow pace. When I finished I felt so elated to have been able to do this and my leg felt fine as I walked home.

My physio recommended, after hearing of my initial 10mins run, to do 3 runs of 10mins every other day (to give the leg time to rest) to see if the leg was able to cope without any problems and then to slowly build it up from there.

I didn’t quite follow her instructions and have increased each run by 2.5mins and yesterday did a 20mins jog. I’m a lot slower than I used to be, at the moment, and it takes me 11mins to reach a marker I used to do in 10mins. I’m really quite unfit as have not been to the gym in ages, but in a way this is good as if I was fitter I would be tempted to run for longer and maybe push the leg too hard too soon.

My visit to the physio last week ended up being my last visit, touch wood, as she gave me the all clear. I still have physio exercises to do:

• 3 sets of standing on tip toes 15 times on my bad leg and once this is quite easy, to start hopping
• One-legged (on bad leg) lunges or rather lowering my body through bending my left knee
• Using the wobble cushion (see below)

My physio recommended buying a wobble cushion as she said the receptors in your ankle basically go to sleep when they aren’t being used for some time and standing on a wobble cushion helps wake them up and will prevent you from falling over when on uneven ground. This type of rehabilitation is sometimes referred to as proprioception or proprioceptive re-education.

Firstly, you stand with both feet on the cushion and try to maintain your balance. Hopefully you will find this quite easy. To make it harder, try closing your eyes whilst doing it. It’s amazing how much you rely on your eyes for balance. With your eyes closed it just the receptors in your ankle giving information to your brain about how to stay balanced. Then try it with one leg (the bad one) on the cushion and then with your eyes closed.

I still have my scars and bruise from the accident and kneeling on my left leg is not really an easy thing or comfortable thing to do. A friend of mine who went through the same thing just over 18mths ago thought perhaps he would not be able to kneel properly ever again and then gradually he was able to.

Walking down stairs is easy but I am still very aware of my leg’s limitations and it doesn’t feel quite natural.

As it is 6mths since the operation I thought it might be useful to reflect on the recovery period so far.

I feel I worked really hard and put a lot of effort in the first 3-4 months, but after that either my will or energy seemed to diminish. Once I was basically able to move about (although with a limp), work and socialise I stopped trying so hard. It wasn’t a conscious decision, it just sort of happened that way.

I think I was really trying hard to beat the 6mths recovery time and when I realised I wasn’t able to, particularly when the physio told me I shouldn’t start running yet, I lost some of my motivation. But this could be a good thing in a way as I know others who have pushed themselves too hard and that has ultimately led to a delay in their recovery.

However, I am pleased to report to anyone else who is or about to go through the same thing that after 6 months I really do feel quite good and, as the doctor told me, I can do all the things I want to do.

In January, now (as in July) seemed so far away and I didn’t want to think about all I had to go through to get there. Although the pain largely goes away, it is still sore and you are reminded of your leg problem pretty much the whole time, in every step you take, when you lie down, having a shower, etc. That is not the case anymore, thankfully. Yes, I am still quite often physically and psychologically aware of my leg’s limitations, but this seems to lessen by the day.

My advice to those recovering still remains the same, you should be very short sighted and set yourself small goals to achieve, try not to look a long way into the future.

Have you even been to a private detective or investigator?

To me, private detectives are people you just see in the movies and on TV. Recently, I got chance to meet one.

Someone I know is having relationship issues and suspected, very strongly suspected, their partner of cheating on them. They decided they needed to know for sure and engaged the services of a private investigation agency (London-based Flyonthwall Investigation and Surveillance Services).

For moral support, I was invited along to their meeting with their potential investigation case manager and although it is a difficult time for my friend I was absolutely fascinated by the process and excited to meet a real life private detective.

Rather than meeting in an office, they offered an option of meeting at my friend’s place or at a coffee shop or bar they knew or felt comfortable in. My friend chose to have the meeting in a bar in central London and the detective was there waiting for us and my first reaction was, and it sounds silly to say, that he looked nothing like a private investigator. I guess he would not be good at his job if it was obvious to everyone.

The meeting was simply a consultation meeting for my friend to discuss their situation and for the investigator to outline what they do, how they work and what the costs would be. I was very impressed with the detective’s approach and the compassionate yet professional manner with which they treated my friend.

It is clearly an emotional and traumatic time for my friend and through their experience, the detective was able to give practical advice and talk through the consequences of the results of the investigation. They explained that unlike in the movies they do not break and enter hotel rooms but offer services that operate within the law and a set of ethics.

At no time was my friend pressured or even encouraged to begin an investigation, it was completely down to them and the detective simply explained what the services were without any obvious salesmanship taking place. My friend had already decided to go ahead with the investigation but the detective offered them more time to consider the decision.

The investigation did go ahead and, although I was not involved directly, my friend told me that it was carried out very professionally and sensitively. The outcome of the investigation was as they expected, unfortunately, and the detective agency provided them with a comprehensive report that could be used as evidence in a divorce proceeding.

Overall I was very impressed by the service provided by Flyonthewall Investigation and Surveillance Services who really did help my friend rather than exploiting her traumatic relationship situation.