In reply to UKC Articles:
Hi Chris, sounds like you've been through the mill there and I'm sure you've been given lots of "advice" by lots of people. Everyone is different, everyone responds differently and every injury is different so no one can get inside your head and your recovery but I thought I'd share a few things from my own.
I had a serious accident in the Himalaya in 1992. Some Swiss climbers made a film about it and the mountain that was shown at the KMF in 2016 and you can watch it here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0isgb2y1tfuukgi/Tupendeo_EN_H264.mp4?dl=0. A lot of people seem to have found the story and message uplifting and positive so may be you will too. It's meant to be upbeat....
A rockfall removed the front of my leg and severed my tib and fib halfway between my knee and ankle. It took just under a week to get my off the mountain and to a hospital in Jammu by which time I had pretty bad gangrene, frostbite and blood poisoning. It was all a bit touch and go. I spent 4 years on crutches. That's 4 years not able to walk. I had nine operations, an ex-fix, infection in the bone and so on. I was at Headley Court for a while which I'm sure you know. The docs told me I'd be doing well if I was able to walk to the shops and back. My leg is 2 cm shorter, my ankle partially fused and have frostbite damage all over the foot. They were not overly optimistic. I can remember seeing the last orthopeadic consultant who treated me and the first thing he said was "hmm, well that's a pretty nasty fracture" with several intakes of breath. Not exactly encouraging. There's a short article about the accident and my recovery here https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/jul/07/familyandrelationships....
That was a long time ago but I can remember all of it. Four months is really nothing in a lifetime and its not long in terms of recovery. The body is an amazing thing and so is the mind. Sure you have to work within the limits of your injuries but you'd be surprised at how wide those limits can be. It took me years to gain strength in my leg again but after about 5 years I was walking well on it and gradually, ever so gradually I was able to do more and more. You have to be patient and that was not always so easy. I don't think it's easy for anyone when you're used to being active, fit and healthy. I used to be a keen distance runner.
Cycling really helped because it's non-load bearing and got the circulation going in the lower leg and helped regain some muscle. It really was a long game though. Ten years after my accident I won a half marathon in Somerset. That's ten years later, after a few set backs for sure, but really it was beyond my expectation and that of all the consultants. That was back in 2002.
There are things I still can't do but there is so much that I can, but never thought I would. I did climb again although the love affair was not quite what it was. I switched to other ways of enjoying and exploring the mountains. Last year I ran the TransAlpineRun which was a 270 km race across the Eastern Alps. Fantastic in its own way. So be patient, be positive, don't get down about short term set backs, know that time really does heal and that a positive mindset will make so much difference to the healing, the recovery and outlook. I hope it works out for you. Jonathan