Chapter 2
I’ve always thought ortho is one of the most underrated departments in any hospital. Think about it – almost everyone has some form of bone issue at some point. They go to ortho. The ortho team fixes what’s broken, heals what’s cracked, and replaces what’s lost. It seems like they have a solution for everything bone-related.
That was my perspective going in. This team changed it completely. They may have been overlooked by others. They were definitely overworked.
My left knee was shattered. I was wearing a knee guard, but the impact was too much. I couldn’t bend it or move it quickly. The external fixator was a nightmare. The kneecap, the patella, was shattered into pieces. The ortho team managed to fix it using what remained, tying it together with a wire to hold everything in place. Broken bones typically heal in about eight weeks; these shattered ones are a different story. This took much longer. My thigh muscles also needed repair for the tendon and blood vessels. Then we had to wait for the plastic surgeons to complete the skin grafting before ortho could do what was needed next. All of that had to heal first, before I could even think about walking again.
The team
Dr. Ratnakar Rao told me I would walk again. And I did. He is one of the best ortho surgeons, I can say that with complete certainty. Look at me now, walking around. He has the rare ability to make sure a patient truly understands their own condition. He explains everything in plain language, so you know exactly what is happening and how recovery will unfold. He says all of it with a slight smile that somehow manages to comfort you. If he tells you that you will walk, you will walk.
My last surgery was to remove the wire that had been holding my kneecap in place. It had healed, and the wire’s job was done. When I was brought to the operating theatre, he walked in and said, “Don’t give her local anaesthesia, she’s going to walk back home.” That one line gave me everything I needed. I walked out of there with a walker. And now I walk without any support, as much as I can. Full bending of the knee is not possible due to ligament loss, but I tried to do what I could with what I have. It will take more time. I am working on it.
Dr. Ashwin is someone who really listens. He listens to everything: the patient, the family, even the things that might seem small or silly. He makes sure you feel heard. He gives straight answers and explains every possible outcome so that you are never caught off guard. That clarity is something every patient needs, and he gives it without hesitation. He was genuinely happy to see me stand and walk with a cane. I don’t use one anymore. So thank you, Dr. Ashwin, and the entire ortho team.
The coordinator, Mr. Srikanth, and the nurses in the department know me by name now. They ask about my well-being every time they see me. They were genuinely happy when they saw me walking first with a walker, then a cane, and now on my own. That kind of care means more than they probably realise.
Physiotherapy
Mr. Srinivas is an excellent therapist. He is experienced, thoughtful, and finds every possible way to get you moving. He told me my case was a little out of the ordinary, but that he would do everything possible to help me take my first steps. He did exactly that. It was painful, but it worked. He would think, analyse, and come up with new routines tailored specifically to what I needed. He is genuinely good at what he does. Thank you.
Mr. Bikash Samal came in later and took the time to understand the case fully. He challenges himself to try different methods, making sure I keep working at it every single day. He is focused on getting me walking without any support, and I can feel that effort. It is a long road ahead, but having someone like him on it makes a difference. Thank you.
With all of that said and done — all the surgery, the therapy, the encouragement, at some point, it comes down to you. People will push you, guide you, and believe in you. Sometimes they may feel you are not doing enough, or expect more than you feel you can give. But only you know what you are capable of. And only you can take that last step.
That is what worked for me.
My mom told me later that when she saw me in the ICU after the accident, she quietly feared I might never walk again. Some people in the hospital thought the same. Doctors know exactly what can go wrong, and they have seen cases like mine.
But me? Not once did I think I couldn’t walk again. It was just there, the belief. It never left. So after the external fixator came off, I already knew I would walk. And honestly, I wasn’t even surprised by how fast the recovery moved, how quickly I went from walker to cane to nothing. I just knew.
I didn’t say it out loud. I just knew I could walk. Trust me, though, for the first few weeks, I was crying to my husband to make me believe it’s all a dream. I asked him for a time machine, so I can go back to the day and avoid this accident.
You are completely alone in it. No one can feel it for you, fight it for you, or choose it for you. The rest of them are here to support, and that matters enormously, but the decision to face it, to keep going, that one is entirely yours. So it’s alright. You made it.
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