So, I think I left you all with me breaking my elbow. As you might be able to tell I am doing much better now. I'd take you through the whole misery of the emergency room ordeal (all 11 hours of it) but frankly, I don't want to go through it again. So just know it was awful. The doc on call actually janked my arm once but then he hit his head on the lamp so I figured it was kind of a trade off.
After getting home I was sent to a specialist who turned out to be the same guy who did my carpal tunnel surgeries on both wrists. Good doctor but kind of a cold guy but he had a good PA, Douglas, that helped with the bed side manner part. I wound up having to have surgery on my arm because it was such a small place to try to immoblize and I have so much tissue there (read that as I'm fat and the fat moves around too much to isolate the bone). Not one doctor would say the word fat, they'd hem and haw and I would say, you mean because I am fat?, fluffy? Obese? Of course that is what they meant but wouldn't or couldn't say. But at least they knew I was aware of the issues.
We tried using a cast for about two weeks but that didn't help as my arm fat kept allowing everything to move. So it was surgery time. I'm going to spare you all the details of that as well because for me it is over now. I have two months of wearing an external fixator. It was four metal pins that were set into my arm bones held together with a bar so that I could not move my arm. Everyday the dressings needed to be changed and the pins cleaned with hydrogen peroxide. I had a splint as well to keep everything in place. Much of this time was hazzy for me as I was on major drugs to keep the pain under control.
A week before the pins came out I started physical therapy. Painful but so needed. I can now say that I am sure that without my doctor and my physical therapist I wouldn't have the function back in my arm like I do now and it just gets better as time passes. I had an amazing doctor who did a great job on my arm and Mary, my therapist made me wok and stretch the arm to get my mobility and flexability back. I can't thank them enough. I made a small book for Dr. Lawson (I'm planning one for Mary, too) and he was so touched he hugged me (he asked if it was okay first). I was so surprised and really touched. I mean this is a guy that just doesn't do that kind of stuff normally.
Anyhow, I'm back at about as good as I'm going to get. So I hope to post more often. But I'll warn you. I've had an old friend move in with us for a while. I've have to share my computerwith her for job hunts. So I don't always have the computer when I'd like to. But as you already know, I can't blame her as I am a sporatic poster. Sorry about that. I will try to do better though :-)
Take care and play nice.
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