[orthodoc]

Tradition indeed! At this rate I must NOT marry again. It could mean instant death.

The good news with my son is that his talus fracture isn't the worst type. Those have almost guaranteed bony necrosis and collapse of the bone that supports the ankle, with predictable disability. My son has a number of bone fragments inside his ankle joint. Not great, but if they're too small to pin, the Orthopod will remove them laparoscopically. The downside is that he'll be left with a disrupted and uneven articular surface in his ankle joint, a guarantee of arthritis.

If the fragments are large enough to pin back in place the Orthopod will do that, but it means a much longer rehab and still no guarantees. He'll probably have early arthritis in that ankle no matter what. Not letting him know that, but that's the prospect. So it's upsetting to his father and me. Just a freak accident, jumped down 4 feet and landed awkwardly. No stupid pranks or alcohol involved - just one of those things that suddenly change our lives.