surgery question

[coroner]

Hopefully I can get a few responses here. I don't think this belongs in the "steroid" section but whatever.

Back in April I broke my fibula, had a plate and 6 screws installed. It's been 6 months now and the damn thing is driving me crazy. I'm finally ready to start another cycle because I've finally gotten back most of my strength (was the goal b4 starting another- being able to squat is important to me). The doctor this morning gave me the option of having the hardware removed. Unfortunately he also told me what the recovery would be like: another week on crutches, and another 1-2 weeks in the "boot" (the plastic cast with the velcro straps). After that it would take another 4-6 months before the bone is fully healed, and it would be weakened by ~30% by removing the screws.

I can't decide what to do. Right now I'm leaning toward doing the cycle and having the surgery sometime after that. My concern with this is that it may begin to get worse (painful).

If anyone has had this kind of surgery I'd appreciate your input. What was the recovery like, etc.

[iron4life79]

hey bro,
this is what would concern me........if you do a cycle, and strength goes up, you will try to push more than what your fibula can handle. not to mention that it takes ligaments and tendons a while to catch up to the aas induced muscle mass.
if it were me, i would have the hardware removed, slowly build the legs back to where you feel comfortable moving decent weight, and then hit a cycle. i know this is a long drawn out process, and not one you look forward to, but better safe than sorry.

peace bb79

[TANK01]

Have the hardware removed and take your time healing. Heavy lifting could seriously hinder the recovery putting extra stress on an already weakened area, the last thing you want to do is cause any further damage.

Best of luck with your recovery.

TANK

[Juggernaut]

Coroner, I’m recovering from surgery on my neck (fused four bones together) and I’m in a body brace for the next 3 – 6 months so I know exactly how you feel about getting back to the gym. Not to mention I had plans for a cycle of my own before this happened and was thinking of holding on the surgery, doing a cycle and then have the procedure done. But I started thinking along the lines of what Iron4life79 stated in his post. You sound like you love the sport so you’d have to agree if you walk back into that gym you’re going to push yourself hard 110%, right? What will happen if you re-injure or, worse yet, do something that leads to permanent damage? As much as it sucks, IMHO I’d say take care of everything first, heal, get back to 100% then hit it like there will be no tomorrow.

Good luck bro I feel for you,

Jugg

[Doc M]

Coroner,

I would tend to lean towards having the hardware removed as this can often lead to complications later down the road. Not in every case, but more often than not. I would also not attempt a cycle at this point in your recovery phase. Your bone will take quite some time before it is going to be able to handle the stress associated with heavy lifting, especially squats. Also, your adjoining tendons and ligaments will need a good amount of time to heal and strengthen. If you push this to soon, you may cause permanent damage and this would only set you back even further.

I know it is hard to be patient after suffering an injury that sidelines your efforts. But you have to look down the long road and weigh the options. Acting prematurely could cause bone damage, arthritis, and tendon/ligament issues that would only require more surgeries. Take the patient road and wait. Based on my eperience, you will glad you did a few years down the road. Good Luck and keep us posted as to your decision.

Doc M