Day 0 - The Accident

I "exploded" my tibial plateau (my surgeons words) in a biking accident December 28th, 2022. I was headed to work on my e-bike early on a damp morning. I believe my bike tire got stuck in a trolly track and I fell hard. However, it happened so quickly I can't be entirely sure. The second I hit the ground I knew something was horribly wrong. I used my apple watch to call 911 and waited in the fetal position on the ground in the middle of an intersection until the ambulance and firetruck arrived. Being an ICU nurse, I told the EMTs "I either tore every single ligament in my knee or I broke my tibial plateau." When they loaded me onto the stretcher, I felt all the fragments in my leg shift and wild pain cut through the shock. I was taken to the only hospital in the city accepting patients via the Emergency Department. I was alone and so therefore I continually denied pain medicine. I felt I needed a better grasp on the situation before I had anything to cloud my thinking. Outwardly, my leg looked slightly swollen--a small bump at the top of my shin at most. To make a long story short, I had x-rays taken (leg was broken in 5+  visible locations), pain medicine administered (Fentanyl), a thigh-high splint applied (while my leg was suspended from a light pole via gauze and my big toe). I spent the next 30 hours alone in the Emergency Department as COVID restrictions didn't allow for visitors.