Hi,
Very weird you reply exactly now...
I have problems with that leg since the last 2 years (pain on and off as well as higher body temperature as normal).
After visiting 3 orthopedists in Brazil and a few other specialists (eg. infectologist) because of that pain and the heat where the fracture was, I decided to get the rod out of the femur. Only one orthopedist in Fortaleza/Brazil wanted to do it. The others thought they did not have the correct tools to get it out.
To my surprise and big disappointment, when I woke up the Brazilian surgeon told me he could not get it out and only removed the screws. He said he would need to cut the leg into 2 pieces to remove the rod. He took a biopsy which showed a bacterial infection around the fractured bone, a type of bacteria not looked for in previous exams.
I contacted the surgeon who put the rod into the femur in 2008 and he said the rod should come out a.s.a.p. because of the infection.
In previous years surgeons suggested to get the rod out after the healing process but these days they suggest to leave it in there if there are no problems.
So 3 weeks after the operation in Brazil I went back to Australia (a 48 hours VERY painful trip which I wont forget).
The Cairns surgeon removed the rod and last night I arrived in Germany (this time flying in front of the plane in my own suite) where I will stay until the pain is gone.
So, I hope the pain will be gone after a while. The Cairns surgeon asked me not to kite for the next 4 months (and I will follow his advice).
Cheers and all the best to you
Caesar