A question for those with some medical knowledge. My grandson was involved

[Arkansas Granny]

in an accident a few days ago and broke his pelvis. He is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday, which is nearly a week after the accident. Is it customary to wait this long? Also, what can be done to repair a broken pelvis?

He also suffered a skull fracture, but it is apparently not severe. He is in his mid 30s with no underlying health issues.

The accident happened in Zurich, Switzerland. My daughter has flown over to be with him, but has not had all her questions answered clearly due to the language barrier.

[GPV]

1. I hope he heals quickly!

[Arkansas Granny]

2. He's in good health, otherwise They say he will be able to travel in 2 to 3 weeks.

[GPV]

4. That's good news at a scary time

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. They may be waiting for any swelling to subside.

When I fractured my ankle two years ago, I had to wait nearly two weeks before they'd do surgery on it because of the swelling. The surgery was successful.

Best of luck to your grandson.

[Jirel]

5. Timing isn't too weird.

There are a lot of reasons they may wait. Sometimes it’s less urgent to do surgery immediately. Also, with a skull fracture (and possibly some internal injuries near the pelvic area), they may be waiting to make sure he’s safe for anaesthesia. Bruising/swelling in the area is another reason to wait. If you can wait a little until it’s safe and a simpler surgery, it’s worth it.

You can stabilize a pelvis just like a host of other bones, with hardware. Depending on what happened, they may need to mechanically join some pieces to ensure healing and alignment.

[Irish_Dem]

6. I have had a number of broken bones, and generally they have two weeks to do surgery.

I broke my leg during covid when surgeries were being shut down and had to wait almost three
weeks for surgery, but it it went well.

There are a number of reasons for a week's delay, maybe medical, maybe due to surgeon availability etc.

I am assuming the surgeon is going to go in and stabilize the pelvis with metal rods, pins or screws.
I have those in my leg, ankle and spine for injuries to those bones and and I am fine.
(I have osteoporosis.)

Despite all of it, during warm weather I walk 2 to 4 miles a day and have no disability.
Your grandson is young and healthy so should do well.

Good luck to him, I know how he is feeling. He is in pain right now and in shock that he cannot be mobile.
And doesn't know how it will all turn out.

He doesn't know it yet, but his physical therapists are going to be very important to him. Once the surgeon
does the surgeon, your grandson gets turned over to physical therapists and they are the ones who will help
him walk again and adjust to post op conditions.

[SWBTATTReg]

7. Perhaps ask someone from the US Embassy to come in and help you w/ translations? Just a thought...

Good luck w/ the operation.

[electric_blue68]

8. Wishing a successful surgery, and full recovery for your son! I've had two major...

accidents: ripped rotator cuff muscles on my dominant left shoulder/arm, and a tri-fractured right ankle. Wow, though, this must really be shocking to him being an even more major accident!

Once he's healed up enough from surgery one of the most important things is doing the rehab exercises like 98+% of the time to heal properly!

Now I probably did mine 95% - 97% of the time. I healed up very well on my shoulder/arm, and excellently with my ankle and I was 59 for that one.
I'm suggesting more bc thinking how extra major the pelvis is. He can probably slack off a really little bit.

Again, all the best of luck to him.

And deep breaths for you!

[Mr.Bill]

9. A medical facility with

no translation capabilities? That's odd. Hospitals here have translation available via a phone service.

[Raven]

10. I broke my pelvis a couple of years ago. They did not operate. They sent me home and said bed rest

and then rehab. It took about 8 weeks before I was able to walk, first with a walker, then with a cane. My pelvis healed completely.