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Surgery and Injury Recovery Update (Updated: Mar 19, 2014)

John T. Haller's picture
Submitted by John T. Haller on March 13, 2014 - 5:12pm

As folks following along in my last blog entry know, I broke my leg/ankle in December, which affected app updates and site updates for a while. I wanted to post a quick update on where I'm at with recovery for folks who've been asking.

Things have been healing slowly but surely. About a month ago, I was given permission to start putting a small amount of weight (30lbs or so) on the ankle, which has helped in regaining some flexibility. I've been doing physical therapy twice a week for the couple months. The pain is much better, flexibility is improving. All good things.

I've been able to sit at my desk again for extended periods without too much swelling/pain for a little over a month, which is why all apps have been up to date. I've also been doing some small site updates/tweaks (cleaned up the header, slightly better page loads), updating the PA.c installer, going through the app bug list, and started updating apps with outdated formats (AbiWord is the first). New apps have begun flowing again (LazPaint last week, another app is coming today or tomorrow). Dev tests of Apache OpenOffice and the new Opera are available. And I've been working on the Platform again (you'll notice more bugs and features checked off in the tracker each day... a new beta will be dropping in the next couple days).

Financially, I was fortunate to have insurance, as I always have due to my pre-existing condition. If I hadn't had insurance, my health bills would be over $40,000 ($35k for the hospital alone, excluding anesthesia, pain management, ambulance, physical therapy, and followups). With insurance, I'm at about $4,000 so far. A couple people have inquired about assisting with the this, so I have setup a donation page on my personal site for those who are interested.

My next followup with my surgeon is this coming Tuesday at which point we'll assess if the bone is healed enough to schedule my next surgery. That will involve removing the screws immobilizing the bones allowing the soft tissue to heal. And, hopefully, allowing me to begin working up to walking again after healing from that surgery. So, fingers crossed on that. The titanium plate and other screws will stay in permanently, as my first step on my journey to becoming Wolverine.

I wanted to thank everyone who is a part of PortableApps.com and our larger open source community for your support through this. It's been a big help in keeping my spirits up and keeping me working on rewarding software while recovering.

All the best,
John

Update March 19: I had my 3rd followup appointment with my surgeon last night and he's happy with my progress. He thinks the ligaments will be healed enough to remove the immobilization screws in another month, so we've scheduled my next surgery for mid-April. Until then, I can put a little more weight on it to help regain flexibility but still can't walk on it. And I'll continue with doing physical therapy twice a week. Work-wise, I'll still be able to sit at my desk for extended periods. Thanks again everyone for your well-wishes!

Comments

The pain must be hard on u.. Thanks for all the efforts at working on the updates despite u are unwell. Really appreciate it. Hope to hear good news for your next surgery Smile

I've just sent you a modest donation to add to the recovery fund!

Thank goodness we have (mostly) free health care in the UK otherwise I'd be completely broke :^)

Portable Apps is a great resource so thank you; I'm sure everyone joins me in hoping that you'll be back on your feet soon.

Charles

This is my first of learning of your situation, and I'm blown away by the commitment and work you continue to put into this site.

I'm a big fan of your work since the earlier days of the site and think your commitment has been incredible. I wasn't even aware of the kidney donation, and now learning of your ankle I am blown away by the great work you do to this site throughout.

I've replaced a substantial portion of the applications I use by yours, and the convenience of your apps has pushed away me from pirating other software.

All the best for a speedy and full recovery, and many thanks.

Edit:
I'm not a rich man, and at mid month I'm currently between pay packets. But have made a Google Calendar Entry to remind me to donate to you on the first of April. Alas I can't afford much, but I'm sure every little helps.

Edit 2:
Kept to my word. Donated [29J70160CS4120112]. Struggling to make a payment before end of tax year, so that's all I can part currently, but something's better than nothing I'm sure.

Hello John,

lovin' your work and will support you with a small donation.
Take care of you.

Cheers

John T. Haller's picture

I had my 3rd followup appointment with my surgeon last night and he's happy with my progress. He thinks the ligaments will be healed enough to remove the immobilization screws in another month, so we've scheduled my next surgery for mid-April. Until then, I can put a little more weight on it to help regain flexibility but still can't walk on it. And I'll continue with doing physical therapy twice a week. Work-wise, I'll still be able to sit at my desk for extended periods. Thanks again everyone for your well-wishes!

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

I think my computer caught something when I was in hospital last June, and that's how I arrived here. My sympathies, John! I pulled my tibia out of the ankle socket and fractured the fibula about a third of the way up. By October the bones had knit, but I'm still dealing with muscles, ligaments, and tendons. I'm writing to express more sympathy than someone with, say, a broken wrist would usually be able to summon. People who've never had to deal with the immobility issues simply don't get it. Every detail of your story above, however, matched mine so closely that I wondered if you had the same insurance! If you have lots of family and friends I'm sure you're tired of talking about your injury, but if you're a hermit or live on the second floor you may find relief in swapping stories, so I wanted to offer my ear. I doubt you need it, but just in case!

SamMadHands