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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Arthritis / October 2005update--well, the news gets worse and better
than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. i saw the ortho surgeon first. he said i broke the radius head in at least 12 pieces, did crsh half the ulnar head, drove a couple or a few piecs between both the ulnar and radius, and have 3 cracks running laterally and felt my osteopenia caused at least part of the damage. said he figured he could do surgery on me tomorrow and would have to use pins, plates, screws and an external, to my skin thingy to hold things in place for six months. and it would take a year to heal, but my hand would never be the same. he asked if i ever hand hand surgery before. told him about my ct surgery in that same hand and how i loved my hand surgeon, but that he retired. asked me who taht surgeon was. when i told him, he said sandboulte didn't retire, contrary to what my pcp told me. said if i liked and trusted taht surgeon, he wouldn't feel bad at all if i went to him. so, with my son in tow since he was driving, we headed with my xrays to my hand surgeon's office, on sheer instinct, without calling first. not something i would ordinarily do. told deskgal about why i was there. deskgal said dr. was only in on tuesdays, wednes. and thurs. and was booked solid until the 11th. told her how much i loved him for a doctor and that i would take the first available cancellation. told her i wanted him to have my xrays first and i gave them to her. she immediately took them to his nurse, who apparently looked at them and decided to call him into the hallway to show them to him. next thing i knew, his nurse called me back there and put alex and me in the plastering room. alex and i were floored. he squeezed me in to see him right away! he said he noticed two more breaks than the gen. ortho and radiologist did. i broke the head clean off the ulnar in addition to crushing part of it and fractured around another small bone i can't remember the name for. said most non-hand specialists would figure a year to mend, though poorly. he said if he doesn't rush to do all the surgery at once and makes the repairs in stages he should be able to restore most of my hand's funtion in maye 6 months, or more, depends. said he's thinking he can do part of it arthrosocpically and a different stage open hand. he said he wasn't going to pretend it is going to be easy, because it was going to be a lot of hard work for both of us. i told him i'm willing to work hard if he was. said he knew what kind of patient i am, because of how hard i worked the last time. also said my osteo isn't bad enough to cause all that damage. he felt that i must have overcompensated trying to protect my ankle when i felt it twisting out from under me, which caused me to land mainly on my hand, because my hand bones are literally stoved into my wrist bones and my wrist is dislocated. the part of the bone that holds the wrist straight in alignment broke away. it stll will reqire pins, plates, screws and that weird external thing to decompress my wrist. but i know how meticulous this surgeon is and how very much he cares about giving people back their lives. i'm so relieved and feel so good about having my hand surgeon take care of this. alex is very impressed with him and feels good about him working on this mess for me. alex never met him before sandboulte said, "no wonder th oxycodone isn't working for you!" when i showed him the bottle. left the room for a few minutes. came back and said he called the er to check my chart, the instructions on the bottle had me taking half of what i was given to me in the er. he said, "that's not enough pain control for this amount of damage. double it." and he wrote me another 'script so i wouldn't run out before my first surgery next friday. and he felt the crude er splint was causing some pain. so he had that changed to less bulky and a mor neutral position for my hand. so, mri's of my hand happen tomorrow. my bud, glo, is taking me tomorrow. i can hardly believe glo thanked me for thinking of her to ask for her help! isn't thanking my job, since i'm doing all the taking? what a sweet friend she is! tuesday is my pre-op appmt. and next friday begins my surgery saga. alex will take me for surgery. migth need a cab for pre-op, but i'm cool with that. so, that's how it goes for me. i like the way goodness and challenges are working together at this time.<smile> kate I can not imagine the pain you must be in with that amount of damage. Here's hoping the new doseage does the trcik for pain control. This reminds me of our former librarian. He was on the filing cabinet opening a high window when he lost his balance and fell. He tried to break teh fall with his hands and ended up fracturing both, He had surgery to pin both the radius and ulna and had the external fixator for quite some time. Once that was in place he came back to work because he was able to use his hands to a degree. Although you have fractured one, yours is very severe and I empathise over what the next few days will bring. We don't appreciate being bi-dexterous until we no longer are; I am sure that even simple tasks including personal hygeine will be very difficult. Kate, when you do something you do it well. (g) a simple fracture would have been sufficient, ya didn't has ta go and fractur it to such a degree. Rose @}>->-- Being educated means that rather than fearing the unknown, one seeks to understand it. RB Please remove "Ima" to reply. Geez, Kate. Well in the prayer can for you, girl. If there is anything I can do long distance, let me kknow. Reading material? Chinese herbs for rapid healing? Melinda > Geez, Kate. Well in the prayer can for you, girl. If there is > anything I can do long distance, let me kknow. Reading material? > Chinese herbs for rapid healing? > > Melinda "prayer CAN" is cool. i think i need to be canned.lol yeah, there is something---humor. if i'm permitted to make an occassional call, cuz you get me laughing so hard at myself. i think i'd love to laugh my way through this dip's trip<pun intended>. kate prayer CAN" is cool. i think i need to be canned.lol yeah, there is something---humor. if i'm permitted to make an occassional call, cuz you get me laughing so hard at myself. i think i'd love to laugh my way through this dip's trip<pun intended>. That of course would be my pleasure. Just realized that means you probably won't be getting down here for the samhein ritual. When I get my three wishes, you can bet great health for all of us is going to be first on the list. m > prayer CAN" is cool. i think i need to be canned.lol yeah, there is > something---humor. if i'm permitted to make an occassional call, cuz [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > m thank you. that was very sweet to read. me too, with my 3 wishes. and with so many peole wishing the same thing, it's bound to happen. yeah, i was wondering about the samhein ritual too. and my bud, babs, is supposed to be coming up in november, too. i think i'm only going to be able to do this one day at a time. a challenge to be sure, cuz i don't think this is all going to be arranged and/or scheduled in a neat little package for me.<smile> kate whoa! w0w, other things i can be grateful for--no high windows next to filing cabinets and i wrecked only one hand. i'm right handed, so i'm already thankful it was my left, is that what that torture chamber looking device is called? a fixator? thot both surgeons called it something else, but i had too much information to recall all the details. fixator works for me. oddly, i'm very grateful to the person who asked how to keep their hand dry. went to take a shower this morn and discovered i couldn't wrap the coban around the plastic bags by myself. tried hard, but no luck. butch used to help me with that. then i remembered my contribution to that thread. went in search of my son's mueller band with its velcro. worked great and was struggle free. it's my band now, mine, mine, mine.lol i know alex won't mind. it's hard to believe how such a simple fall could do so much damage. on the xray, it looks like gravel to me. i'm with you, rose---i wish i wasn't such a perfectionist at destroying bony structures. kate >I can not imagine the pain you must be in with that amount of damage. > Here's hoping the new doseage does the trcik for pain control. [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Please remove "Ima" to reply. oh, i'm so glad you're getting to use your hand surgeon. he sounds fabulous. the damage, tho, sounds simply overwhelming. and YOU sound as upbeat as you possibly can and positive. you're somethin' else. thoughts are with you, diane > oh, i'm so glad you're getting to use your hand surgeon. he sounds > fabulous. the damage, tho, sounds simply overwhelming. and YOU sound as [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > diane you surmised astutely, thank you. it really is overwhelming, diane. i don't think i was as upbeat at the first ortho's. as unfortunately, my emotions got the best of me there. he was a very kind and gentle man for a doctor, though there was an enormous amount of information he needed to convey about exactly what he saw that resulted from my fall and what lies ahead of me surgically to try to repair it all and all the inherent risks of those procedures (which somehow i heard, but my mind vaporized. these are not really dismissed or denied, but i don't want to be paralyzed by them, into inaction.). no way could i mentally process it all, in that moment, while also pushing back pain, so my overwhelm took the form of silent but unwanted, by me, tears (i would have preferred to save my tears for a more private moment). i did absorb as much as i could, to process later. but i was also embarrassed and apologetic for having made him feel uncomfortable, by my not being able to stay in my head. but that unexpected emotional release, there, helped me stay upbeat and where i needed to be at my hand surgeon's office, where additional challenging news to process came to me. i've been trying to process as much of the overwhelming information as i absorbed yesterday, here. but i also need to process that i couldn't process, if that makes any sense. the whole of it, i think i mean. it is even difficult for me to process here, because my pain levels are even breaking through the double dose of percocet/oxycodone. it was a blessing that i could and did sleep 3 hours this nigth, about an hour after the pain relief kicked in. took two more, an hour ago and have been doing my arm dance since, while reading and writing here. typing with one hand is helping me focus on something else beside/alongside this discomfort,. truth is, as rose indicated, i did a major and horrendous job when i landed on this hand. and not all of it is fixable, which, for me, is the stark reality of this experience. but, like you, i'm glad i have my hand surgeon along for this journey. he's a very interesting mixture of grandfatherliness (kinda looks and sounds a bit like the actor richard farnsworth), realist, almost poetic awareness about his work and his patients (i think because he totally loves what he does and loves giving people back as much of their hands as he can) and seeing aa well as being interested in his whole patient. i need to go rest now. kate > than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. kate, thank god for bright sides and hand surgeons we trust. like you i don't know what i would do without mine. They are hard to find. Hang tough kiddo. you will get thru this now. healing hugs, johnie >> than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > healing hugs, > johnie will do that, johnie. thank you for yoiur support & encouragement. kate Kate, sorry to hear about the breaks. I am glad to hear you got the hand surgeon you like to do the work. That was great news to hear. I can not imagine how much pain you must be in, I feel for you. I wish there was something I could do for you to help out. You take care. Warm fuzzies, healing vibes, hugs, prayers, TLC, and support coming your way.  SignatureLove and hugs to all Good thoughts coming your way too. Squirrely Jo > than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. > [quoted text clipped - 71 lines] > > kate Kate, <very gentle snips of things i loved receiving> I wish there was something I could do for you to help out. <very gentle snips . . .> you just *did*, jo. you really did. thank you, for helping me out, bigtime, by being your loving and caring self. that helps me more than you know. right now, that's exactly what i needed most. kate >> than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. >> [quoted text clipped - 71 lines] >> >> kate Kate, this is a great outcome (all things considered, heh). Signaturespammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply I'm going to die rather sooner than I'd like. I tried to protect my neighbours from crime, and became the victim of it. Complications in hospital following this resulted in a serious illness. I now need a bone marrow transplant. Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant, too. Please volunteer to be a marrow donor: http://www.abmdr.org.au/ http://www.marrow.org/ (((((kate))))) Praying for your hand to be healed properly! Vickie b. thank you, sweetie. kate > (((((kate))))) Praying for your hand to be healed properly! > > Vickie b. yeah, ari, it really does help. kate > Kate, this is a great outcome (all things considered, heh). > i can hardly believe glo thanked me for thinking of her to ask for her help! > isn't thanking my job, since i'm doing all the taking? what a sweet friend > she is! This is the part that strikes me the most. Allowing someone to do something for you is not taking. Your real friends want to do _something_ to help and making them feel useful when they feel helpless is a gift. Kelly C. > kate >> i can hardly believe glo thanked me for thinking of her to ask for her > help! [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Kelly C. thanks, kelly. i think i needed that perspective, cuz when stuff like this happens i'm not used to needing the kind of help that takes people out of their normal routine. kate >> kate Kate, Good news about your hand doc. Please know you are in my thoughts. Are you still going to be sending out your funnies through the e-mail? LOL I look forward to seeing them. debbie m. > than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. > [quoted text clipped - 69 lines] > > kate > Kate, > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > debbie m. LOL! i will when i can. LOL love that you asked that!LOL too cute.<g> kate >> than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. >> [quoted text clipped - 105 lines] >> >> kate You are right, both good and bad news. So glad you were able to go see this surgeon. The outcome will be so much different. Sending prayers, gentle hugs, and virtual ice packs. You did an amazing amount of damage, girl. Take those meds on the clock, not according to how you feel. Stay ahead of the pain - it makes a huge difference in coping. SO glad you are accepting help. We will postpone our little 'pinky swear' thing. And maybe this hand specialist knows a really good RD. Adelle > than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. > [quoted text clipped - 71 lines] > > kate > You are right, both good and bad news. So glad you were able to go see > this surgeon. The outcome will be so much different. Sending prayers, [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Adelle oh, great idea to ask sandbulte (i keep misspelling his name phoenetically) about rd's! i'll try to remember that, adelle. thanx for all your suggestions and for caring. ok on the pinky swear---i confess i didn't write aim, cuz i waited for a phone number and was going to try to call her wednesday afternoon, after my brand new new houskeepers left. little did the young women ane i know they were also going to be my ambulance service. what sweet gals, in their early twenties. they wouldn't let me wait for alex to arrive, so he could take me. i was actually pretty calm right after i fell. (except i was profusely sweating, a bit nauseous and trembly.) hand was hideouly distorted and instantly swelling, but my body goes into an instant anesthetizing mode. i calmly called both of alex's cell phones and left messages. i knew he was at bally's and knew whichever phone he took was in his locker. i know, adelle. boy, i did nasty damage (wish i didn't). . . it seems like with that much damage my arm should look like it belongs to a alien space creature. but my skin is not letting anything escape<g>. with th new splint holding it in a much more neutral/more natural appearing position, arm just looks swollen and a bit bruised (bruised whever skin shows outside the bandage). like what is all that surgery fuss about, just for swelling and bruises? duh . . . <g> (just now found one thing i can't do one handed on my 'puter--my alt/ten key sillies) gratuitous advice about seeing ortho surgeons: always take pain pills before you leave the house. that way when he/his plasterer changes your splint (or cast) the poor guy won't have to see an audiologist afterwards. i tend to be considerate in that way<g> old splint made it look worse. old or new, though, didn't change the nature of my mind's focus--distract myself big bunches, reposition and reposition some more, wiggle fingers and thumb to get swelling down as instructed, ice and mor ice, lie down/rest when pain eases up and thank goodness for pain pills. you're right about not letting pain get ahead of me. except about 40 minutes after i take the pills i get to nap for about an hour or two, then pain wakes me up. and i don't want to od on this stuff, so i'm staying with the minimum time frame and not shorter with this 10/650 oxycodone (instead of 5/325). every 3 hours would be mor in keeping with my arm's complaining, but 4's the minimum. it is definitely NOT TRUE that if you can wiggle fingers and thumb then nothing's broken. all that means is just about everything might be broken, except your fingers and thumb. y'know, my printer is just the right propping height, in just the right spot and on the correct side to make sitting here better than sitting most any other place in my house. what's also goodness is having friends who allow my copius and sophomoric ramblings.<smile> oh, and two of my other friends said they'd take me to my pre-op on tuesday. way sweet and unexpected. i did ask glo to drive me this morning, because i was in a bind but did'nt ask ethel nor linda (knew i had enough time to order a cab for tuesday--and didn't have the required lead time to order a cab for this morning). it's so sweetly amazing when friends just want to help like that. i feel humbled and so grateful for the dear people in my life. ok. time for the dose. thanks again, adelle. kate >> than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. >> [quoted text clipped - 71 lines] >> >> kate > gratuitous advice about seeing ortho surgeons: always take pain pills > before you leave the house. that way when he/his plasterer changes your > splint (or cast) the poor guy won't have to see an audiologist afterwards. > i tend to be considerate in that way<g> keep that in mind for appointments down the road! I know I really wished I'd taken pain meds before the 1st post-op appointment. Had no idea taking the bandages off from around the fixator would hurt so much. The really nice, sweet PA was doing it as gently as he could but I still had fun teasing him about making me wish I'd popped some pills! SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare >> gratuitous advice about seeing ortho surgeons: always take pain pills >> before you leave the house. that way when he/his plasterer changes your [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > him > about making me wish I'd popped some pills! whoa. it never occurred to me that they could even get bandages around that thing! thanks for cluing me in, nann! i will defonitely remember to take pain pills for that adventure. kate whoa. it never occurred to me that they could even get bandages around that > thing! thanks for cluing me in, nann! i will defonitely remember to take > pain pills for that adventure. not sure how they got all that stuff in there, but there were bandages wrapped around the pins and kinda padding the whole contraption. Seems to me they left them on for 5 or 6 days. SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare whoa. it never occurred to me that they could even get bandages around that > thing! thanks for cluing me in, nann! i will defonitely remember to take > pain pills for that adventure. not sure how they got all that stuff in there, but there were bandages wrapped around the pins and kinda padding the whole contraption. Seems to me they left them on for 5 or 6 days. that sounds about right to me, thinking back to my ctr surgery, if a similarity can be drawn. good to know. thanx, nann. kate SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare I'm liking the sound of this hand surgeon! Thank goodness he didn't retire. I am so sad to hear the damage to the wrist is so extensive. You are definitely on the prayer & positive vibes list for fast healing. I know why Glo thanked you. She sees her friend in pain and going through a hard time. She wants to do something to help her dear friend. Ah! said dear friend asked her to help with transportation! Something I *can* help her with. Thanks for thinking of me! Oh, and just thinking ahead to the external fixator period. My ortho always sent folks home with long lengths of stockinette to be used for tying the arm up to something to keep it elevated. Once I'd passed the elevation period, I found it to be great stuff to cut into shorter lengths, with a thumbhole/slit on one edge, and use as covers for the fixator. That reduced the reactions when shopping and spared the sqeamish having to look at it. It also protected my arm from the dust outside (it was the dry period before Florida's summer monsoons) and kept the metal from getting too hot in the Florida sun. Of course, I took the cover off when I went into to work to let them know how things were progressing ;) (I was off work because the pins were pressing against the radial nerve, pretty much keeping me from using my right hand at all.) You surely did the right thing going over to this guy's office. Hope the percocet increase is helping! SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare i need to parse this. hope that's ok. I'm liking the sound of this hand surgeon! Thank goodness he didn't retire. I am so sad to hear the damage to the wrist is so extensive. You are definitely on the prayer & positive vibes list for fast healing. ~~~ thank you. I know why Glo thanked you. She sees her friend in pain and going through a hard time. She wants to do something to help her dear friend. Ah! said dear friend asked her to help with transportation! Something I *can* help her with. Thanks for thinking of me! ~~~ i swear, nann, you made this sound just like glo would have said it, as if you know her. i mean i can literally hear her voice in it. Oh, and just thinking ahead to the external fixator period. My ortho always sent folks home with long lengths of stockinette to be used for tying the arm up to something to keep it elevated. ~~~how did you manage to "tie" that stockinette to anything? i ask because my left shoe came untied when nobody else was here last night. one by one, my cats came closer and sat in front of me. either they were observing the process and progression of this challenge, just in case any of them found themselves in this predicament; or, they were watching strictly to amuse themselves. i suspect the latter, because one of them took a swipe at the "string", just when i thought i was succeeding; and one waited, until i managed to make two loops and almost made a knot with them, to rub up against my shoe. not one of the 3 made any offer of help. sigh . . . i would've tied their shoes for any of them if any of them needed help with that. you'd think one of them would lend a paw of help not hinderance, but, noooo, not my cats! ~~~not wanting to trip on shoe strings and risk another fall, i finally had to take my shoe off. pushing away my very unpleasant thoughts about what kinds of germs that shoelace might have assimilated/acquired in its travels and weighing the potential alternative of more immediate injuries versus a bit more distant potential bacterial cultivation in my system, i managed to securely tie it into a double-bow while using my teeth and one hand. who would believe that tying a shoe could be so challenging? i have renewed compassion for 4 year olds learning to tie shoes. think i'm going to form an organization that insists upon velcro shoes for very young children, but NOT for cats! i want cats to have very slippery shoelaces that come untied all the time! Once I'd passed the elevation period, I found it to be great stuff to cut into shorter lengths, with a thumbhole/slit on one edge, and use as covers for the fixator. That reduced the reactions when shopping and spared the sqeamish having to look at it. It also protected my arm from the dust outside (it was the dry period before Florida's summer monsoons) and kept the metal from getting too hot in the Florida sun. ~~~oh, i hadn't thot about squeamish reactions to that hardware, but i can definitely recognize tha possibility. i will definitely try to find a way to keep that covered up. thanx for cluing me in about that, too. ~~~ does that fixator hurt to have weight or pressure of any kind on it? it looks like it would. i don't have to worry about florida sun up here in the northwest. but the thot of cold transference to my bones (like my old internal hardware used to do) is making me feel a bit apprehensive. cold metal makes my bones ache relentlessly. Of course, I took the cover off when I went into to work to let them know how things were progressing ;) (I was off work because the pins were pressing against the radial nerve, pretty much keeping me from using my right hand at all.) ~~~LOL! clever girl. that's one in you face way of saying, "i'm not goldbricking. there really is a bit more effort going into everything i do than usual." ouuuu . . . the pins pressing on your radial nerve is giving me the willies! you poor thing. how did you or your doctor resolve that? and how long did that go on before it was resolved? You surely did the right thing going over to this guy's office. Hope the percocet increase is helping! ~~~thanx. i think i got really blest the way things unfolded. i'd have gone to sandbulte first, if several months back my pcp hadn't told me he retired. i was blest the ortho, i saw first, asked if i had ever had hand surgery before and then followed up on my answer with more questions and then, knew sandbulte hadn't retired. then i was blest sandbulte's nurse decided to peek at my xrays and then, interrupted him to show them to him. and then blest the plaster room was vacant and that he decided to squeeze me in. a sequence of lots of amazingly blessed occurrances. and what's funny is i don't believe in coincidence.LOL i just don't have the brain energy to analyze it all at the moment.LOL ~~~the percocet and ice are helping. for me, usually, within 3-4 days of breaking a bone the pain subsides and this morning i'm noticing my wrist really is begining to quiet down, making the pills more effective. so, by friday's surgery day my need for pain pills should be much reduced. then, we start over again with the surgical assault that is necessary. kate SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare >>>> i swear, nann, you made this sound just like glo would have said it, as > if you know her. i mean i can literally hear her voice in it. well, I lived through it with a husband who mostly wanted to make me feel better, though the general frustration got to both of us at times. AND I'm a couple of thousand miles away, wishing I could do more to help! >>>> how did you manage to "tie" that stockinette to anything? heehee, I didn't, MIke did. You should have seen it. The only place we could think of to really tie up my arm was in the living room. So I slept on the couch with my arm tied up to a plant hook in the ceiling. When I had to get up, I slipped the stockinette off my arm and left it hanging there. Heh, when we got home from the ER, Mike was all about getting me set up on the couch with my arm tied up because he could finally DO something. Meanwhile, I wanted some food and a bath and the shock was hitting me..... it was not one of our more stellar moments. I wiped out on my bike on Monday and had surgery the following Friday, so I was sleeping out there all tied up for12 days. Didn't do my back any good. Your story with the cats though makes me just as glad I could live in sandals until my fingers were a bit freer. It was enough of a challange to tie my shoes after the pins were in and my hands were freer! (I only did so because I had to get out for some walks around the neighborhood - I was getting serious cabin fever. Our only vehicle then was a standard transmission car and I couldn't drive it with the pins in, so I was dependent on others, mostly Mike, for getting places.) >>>> not wanting to trip on shoe strings and risk another fall, i finally had > i managed to > securely tie it into a double-bow while using my teeth and one hand. did you rinse your mouth out really well afterwards? Either way, remember that the human mouth is one of the dirtiest places around in terms of germs, so you probably didn't pick up that much more. ;) >>>> oh, i hadn't thot about squeamish reactions to that hardware, but i can > definitely recognize tha possibility. i will definitely try to find a way > to keep that covered up. thanx for cluing me in about that, too. Well, you know I lived in a college town down south. You could be telling your life story to the person in line with you at WalMart. I just had to cut down on some of the reactions! >>>> does that fixator hurt to have weight or pressure of any kind on it? it > looks like it would. i don't have to worry about florida sun up here in the > northwest. but the thot of cold transference to my bones (like my old > internal hardware used to do) is making me feel a bit apprehensive. cold > metal makes my bones ache relentlessly. You definitely do not want to put any weight or pressure on the fixator. I had to sleep differently while I had the contraption on to protect it. In fact, our mutual desire not to harm the arm any put a serious crimp in our sex life for a while there. I think a cast would have been better in that regard! (then I only would have had to worry about not whacking Mike in the head, LOL) He had to tighten up the screws on the rod of my fixator a couple of times, doing so with very ordinary looking pliers. as he did it, I could actually feel the vibrations in the metal transferring to and traveling down the bone. It wasn't painful, but it was really creepy. One of the stranger sensation of my life. I would think you don't want the metal to get cold, especailly with what you say about your sensitivity to it. Maybe you need a big old thick sock that you can cut holes in the foot of to use as a warmer for it. Or look for some funky kids legwarmers in the store and have some fun with it all! > Of course, I took the cover off when I went into to work to let > them know how things were progressing ;) (I was off work because the pins [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > "i'm not goldbricking. there really is a bit more effort going into > everything i do than usual." the funny part is that I was working on a GYN, GYN Oncology and GI medicine inpatient floor of a hospital and I got some of the most squeamish reactions of all from the nurses there when I stopped by. ouuuu . . . the pins pressing on your radial > nerve is giving me the willies! you poor thing. how did you or your doctor > resolve that? and how long did that go on before it was resolved? The doctor determined that the pins were rubbing against the nerve, but the nerve wasn't actually trapped. As long as it wasn't actually trapped, he wouldn't move the pins. I had done so very much damage, the positioning of the pins was really critical to healing. (On our first post-op visit he told us he'd actually lost sleep worrying about the surgery the night before! We'd already picked up on the fact that he was worried, but all I could do was go with the flow with a good surgeon at that point. (Oh, and Mike went back with me on every visit because he was so fascinated with the xrays and wanted to see each set of films. LOL)) Anyway, the pin was rubbing against the nerve for the entire 10 weeks the pins were in. Among other things, it caused a sensation of enormous pressure in my thumb. I had this recurring dream that I work up and my thumb was swollen to the size of a baseball, it was that kind of pressure. I also couldn't stand to straighten my arm for more than 9 seconds because it increased the pressure on the nerve. Other weird things went on to - that part of my arm sweated more heavily than anywhere else and the hair came in thicker, longer and darker on the arm below the pin that was rubbing. It was really fascinating to help offset the discomfort. it was really rough, esp. being my dominant hand, but we survived. The nerve symptoms improved dramatically when the pins came out, then slowly over the next year, but all is still not normal. I can live with it though - as long as I have wrist braces available. Some weather changes still bring *major* nerve symptoms radiating out from the pin scar. Another interesting PITA, LOL. > a sequence of lots of amazingly blessed occurrances. and what's funny > is i don't believe in coincidence.LOL i just don't have the brain energy to > analyze it all at the moment.LOL maybe not coincidences, just a matter of what goes around, comes around. And obviously the caring manner in which your surgeon's office responded is a part of why you liked him in the past and were willing to just drop by. Or someone/something was telling you what to do and you were desperate enough to listen! >>>> the percocet and ice are helping. for me, usually, within 3-4 days of > breaking a bone the pain subsides and this morning i'm noticing my wrist > really is begining to quiet down, making the pills more effective. yeah, my surgeon told me that the moment the injury producing action is over, the healing begins. I hadn't thought of it that way, but saw his point. Our bodies healing mechanisms do kick in that quickly. so, by > friday's surgery day my need for pain pills should be much reduced. then, > we start over again with the surgical assault that is necessary. Well, at least you'll be expecting it, so you won't have as great a shock to your entire body And your pain medication will hopefully have the right amount from the beginning! SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare Oh, and I forgot the kicker about my wrist --- I had my bicycle/wrist accident in 1994, about 18 months after the 92 presidential election when Clinton beat the elder Bush. So, at the ER they just kept referring to the ortho who was on call as Dr. Bush. We didn't think anything of it, Bush is a common enough name, after all. When we got home, I glanced at his business card that he'd given me. His first name is Clinton. That's right - Clinton Bush. Poor man, to have that name during the last 18 years or so of American politics............. SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare On Sat, 1 Oct 2005 13:54:53 -0400, d'huit wrote (in message <GdCdnZlKSvTtUKPeRVn-sg@comcast.com>): >>>> i swear, nann, you made this sound just like glo would have said it, as > if you know her. i mean i can literally hear her voice in it. well, I lived through it with a husband who mostly wanted to make me feel better, though the general frustration got to both of us at times. AND I'm a couple of thousand miles away, wishing I could do more to help! ~~~auuwww, that's sweet. thank you. you have been helping me, though, y'know. this is way different tuff for me and you've been helping me get comfortable with it. >>>> how did you manage to "tie" that stockinette to anything? heehee, I didn't, MIke did. You should have seen it. The only place we could think of to really tie up my arm was in the living room. So I slept on the couch with my arm tied up to a plant hook in the ceiling. When I had to get up, I slipped the stockinette off my arm and left it hanging there. Heh, when we got home from the ER, Mike was all about getting me set up on the couch with my arm tied up because he could finally DO something. Meanwhile, I wanted some food and a bath and the shock was hitting me..... it was not one of our more stellar moments. ~~~LOL i can just see that! kinda reminds me of butch making jello (cuz he learned it in lamaze and food was always something he knew he could do) when i needed to go to the hospital to deliver alex. LOL I wiped out on my bike on Monday and had surgery the following Friday, so I was sleeping out there all tied up for12 days. Didn't do my back any good. ~~~owies. i bet that did no favors for your back. Your story with the cats though makes me just as glad I could live in sandals until my fingers were a bit freer. It was enough of a challange to tie my shoes after the pins were in and my hands were freer! (I only did so because I had to get out for some walks around the neighborhood - I was getting serious cabin fever. Our only vehicle then was a standard transmission car and I couldn't drive it with the pins in, so I was dependent on others, mostly Mike, for getting places.) ~~~cool that your hand was freer with the fixator in place. that's hopeful for me. i can only do sandals for short periods, cuz i can't put my lift in the left one and my back yells at me when i don't. i'm able to spread my fingers now, as well as wiggle them, but still can't put any pressue on them, like to type yet. and too the bandage and splint get un the way anyway. i'm hoping i can drive soon. my rav's an automatic, but i don't want to get behind the wheel while on these pain killers. >>>> not wanting to trip on shoe strings and risk another fall, i finally >>>> had > i managed to > securely tie it into a double-bow while using my teeth and one hand. did you rinse your mouth out really well afterwards? Either way, remember that the human mouth is one of the dirtiest places around in terms of germs, so you probably didn't pick up that much more. ;) ~~~LOL! caught me! i rinced with peroxide. LOL >>>> oh, i hadn't thot about squeamish reactions to that hardware, but i can > definitely recognize tha possibility. i will definitely try to find a way > to keep that covered up. thanx for cluing me in about that, too. Well, you know I lived in a college town down south. You could be telling your life story to the person in line with you at WalMart. I just had to cut down on some of the reactions! ~~~i hear that. makes you want to have printouts ready, so you don't bore yourself to death repeating yourself to strangers. LOL >>>> does that fixator hurt to have weight or pressure of any kind on it? >>>> it [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > internal hardware used to do) is making me feel a bit apprehensive. cold > metal makes my bones ache relentlessly. You definitely do not want to put any weight or pressure on the fixator. I had to sleep differently while I had the contraption on to protect it. In fact, our mutual desire not to harm the arm any put a serious crimp in our sex life for a while there. I think a cast would have been better in that regard! (then I only would have had to worry about not whacking Mike in the head, LOL) ~~~you're a restless sleeper, i gather. LOL my cats would likely be the ones beaned by it in my bed, when they get sneaky and won't let me chase them out of my room when i retire. He had to tighten up the screws on the rod of my fixator a couple of times, doing so with very ordinary looking pliers. as he did it, I could actually feel the vibrations in the metal transferring to and traveling down the bone. It wasn't painful, but it was really creepy. One of the stranger sensation of my life. ~~~that set my teeth on edge just thinking it as i read that. I would think you don't want the metal to get cold, especailly with what you say about your sensitivity to it. Maybe you need a big old thick sock that you can cut holes in the foot of to use as a warmer for it. Or look for some funky kids legwarmers in the store and have some fun with it all! uhohhh. that layering kind of thing never worked even with the metal inside my body being warmed, but not enough, by living tissues. hmmm . . . i think maybe that fixator is going to have to get friendly with my hair dryer/blower. > Of course, I took the cover off when I went into to work to let > them know how things were progressing ;) (I was off work because the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > "i'm not goldbricking. there really is a bit more effort going into > everything i do than usual." the funny part is that I was working on a GYN, GYN Oncology and GI medicine inpatient floor of a hospital and I got some of the most squeamish reactions of all from the nurses there when I stopped by. ~~~~boy. i wouldn't have expected that. but i guess if they were friends of yours i could understand it, because there is more than just a professional connection with you. ouuuu . . . the pins pressing on your radial > nerve is giving me the willies! you poor thing. how did you or your > doctor > resolve that? and how long did that go on before it was resolved? The doctor determined that the pins were rubbing against the nerve, but the nerve wasn't actually trapped. As long as it wasn't actually trapped, he wouldn't move the pins. I had done so very much damage, the positioning of the pins was really critical to healing. (On our first post-op visit he told us he'd actually lost sleep worrying about the surgery the night before! We'd already picked up on the fact that he was worried, but all I could do was go with the flow with a good surgeon at that point. (Oh, and Mike went back with me on every visit because he was so fascinated with the xrays and wanted to see each set of films. LOL)) Anyway, the pin was rubbing against the nerve for the entire 10 weeks the pins were in. Among other things, it caused a sensation of enormous pressure in my thumb. I had this recurring dream that I work up and my thumb was swollen to the size of a baseball, it was that kind of pressure. I also couldn't stand to straighten my arm for more than 9 seconds because it increased the pressure on the nerve. ~~~yeooowwch! i know that would drive me insane, not being able to get away from the pressure for a moment. boy, i hope that doesn't happen with this situation. it's going to be a challenge to get to all my appmts., for sure, until i can drive again. sounds like you had a good surgeon, who cared very much about you. i'm glad you did. Other weird things went on to - that part of my arm sweated more heavily than anywhere else and the hair came in thicker, longer and darker on the arm below the pin that was rubbing. It was really fascinating to help offset the discomfort. ~~~somehow, i don't think watching hair grow and observing variations in sweat propensities would be enough to distract me from that kind of discomfort.LOL but you're amazing! sounds like you found a zen zone with it all. it was really rough, esp. being my dominant hand, but we survived. The nerve symptoms improved dramatically when the pins came out, then slowly over the next year, but all is still not normal. I can live with it though - as long as I have wrist braces available. Some weather changes still bring *major* nerve symptoms radiating out from the pin scar. Another interesting PITA, LOL. ~~~yeah, i bet it really was rough for you. sure sounds like it. but hey, thank goodness that experience is now behind you! yeah, weather changes always affect my bone break sites, too. but generally, not all of them at once, thank goodness. what is pita? thanx again, nann. you're a huge help! i sure appreciate it and you. kate > a sequence of lots of amazingly blessed occurrances. and what's funny > is i don't believe in coincidence.LOL i just don't have the brain energy > to > analyze it all at the moment.LOL maybe not coincidences, just a matter of what goes around, comes around. And obviously the caring manner in which your surgeon's office responded is a part of why you liked him in the past and were willing to just drop by. Or someone/something was telling you what to do and you were desperate enough to listen! >>>> the percocet and ice are helping. for me, usually, within 3-4 days of > breaking a bone the pain subsides and this morning i'm noticing my wrist > really is begining to quiet down, making the pills more effective. yeah, my surgeon told me that the moment the injury producing action is over, the healing begins. I hadn't thought of it that way, but saw his point. Our bodies healing mechanisms do kick in that quickly. so, by > friday's surgery day my need for pain pills should be much reduced. then, > we start over again with the surgical assault that is necessary. Well, at least you'll be expecting it, so you won't have as great a shock to your entire body And your pain medication will hopefully have the right amount from the beginning! SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare >so, that's how it goes for me. i like the way goodness and challenges are >working together at this time.<smile> Kate let me know if there is anything I can do I am only a few hours away. Hopefully you have some fun DVDs to watch. Keep us posted and tell our thanks to Alex and Glo. --- MZ Visit my website: http://www.mzuschlag.com On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 20:30:11 -0700, "d'huit" <threecedars@comcast.net> wrote: >so, that's how it goes for me. i like the way goodness and challenges are >working together at this time.<smile> Kate let me know if there is anything I can do I am only a few hours away. Hopefully you have some fun DVDs to watch. Keep us posted and tell our thanks to Alex and Glo. --- MZ thank you, sweetie. that is so very kind and your dearness is very heart warming. truthfully, i don't know what anybody can do to help until the need is upon me. i'm not good at anticipating my needs at this point, because i'm in the middle of it all, as opposed to being on the outside and seeing the whole picture, if that makes any sense. i guess i'm saying i'm not able to be objective about what i need? i don't even know how to plan for my needs yet. don't know what the post-op stuff will be about or like yet. i suppose i'll learn a little about that come tuesday's appmt. wish i had somebody who knew enough about this sort of thing to know what questions to ask on tuesday. ah! i know! you can clone and send up a mini-nann for me to keep in my pocket!<smile> i keep wondering if friday is going to be out-patient surgery or if i'm going to be in the hospital for a day or so over the weekend. i guess i'll know that on tuesday morning, too.LOL this past week, before i fell, i culled a lot of dvds i've already seen and moved that box to my garage. i should make a list of those to post and see if anyone here would like to see any of them. but since i'm not driving, i won't be getting to the post office any time soon, so i guess that will wait. and i suppose i won't be picking up the most current releases that i hadn't seen in theaters, cuz my son prefers to go to the store without me, cuz it is obviously faster for him and he does work fulltime, too. he's got his hands full, poor kid. but, on the otherhand, i can hand him a list and he will pick them up for me if i ask him to. right now, i'd love to comfort myself with a chocolate almond ice cream waffle cone, from our stone cold creamery.LOL funny how my mind works, eh? ignore the rest of it and go for the goodies.LOL guess i'm currently "like an ant---always going towards the sweet stuff" as a friend of mine once said. i think my splinted and bandaged arm is wanting/demanding to be washed. it's itching like crazy this morning. i knoe i'm allowed to unwrap and re-wrap it for comfort, but i wonder if i'm allowed to wash it? y'think? i wannnnnnnnt to. kate > yet. don't know what the post-op stuff will be about or like yet. i > suppose i'll learn a little about that come tuesday's appmt. wish i had > somebody who knew enough about this sort of thing to know what questions to > ask on tuesday. ah! i know! you can clone and send up a mini-nann for me > to keep in my pocket!<smile> hmmm, I was just hinking of a couple of questions: 1) what meds can I take and which ones must I not take between now and the surgery? (I thought nothing of dropping back to ibuprofen when I didn't need the percocet and he just about went nuts because there was a greater risk of bleeding in surgery with the ibuprofen.) 2) what personal care restrictions/guidelines are in place post-op? (I was able to shower, keeping the affected arm raised and out of the shower spray, thank goodness! Needless to say, shaving my legs was a low priority!) 3) what type of anesthesia does he expect to want? I ended up getting general because the surgeon wasn't sure he could repair the damage fast enough for a nerve block. You sound like a similar situation, though simpler cases they often do with the block, per my anesthesiologist. I guess PT won't start for you until he's done more repair. you might want to ask about that, about how far down the line he'll want that to begin. It sounds like you'll be working hard on PT too to reinforce all the work he's gona have to do. > i keep wondering if friday is going to be out-patient surgery or if i'm > going to be in the hospital for a day or so over the weekend. i guess i'll > know that on tuesday morning, too.LOL I had outpatient surgery ultimately, but he said beforehand I might have to stay overnight. After surgery, he still gave me the option of staying if I wanted to, but as long as I was reasonably ok, I wanted to be home. Now, they made me prove I could eat and keep food down before I could leave the hospital. So, here I am with my right arm all pinned and trussed and tied up to an IV pole and I have an IV going in my left, unharmed wrist and they brought me STEW to eat! Like, how co-ordinated do they think I am? And Mike had left to get his own dinner so he couldn't feed me. I fished out some chunks of stuff from the stew and ate some of the piece of cake on the tray. Then when we left the hospital, I told Mike I wanted a butterscotch shake from diary Queen, forgetting the DQ was on the road to the main post office and it was now the evening of April 15th! Traffic was a killer, but man that shake was good! and i suppose i won't be picking up the most current releases that i > hadn't seen in theaters, cuz my son prefers to go to the store without me, > cuz it is obviously faster for him and he does work fulltime, too. he's got > his hands full, poor kid. but, on the otherhand, i can hand him a list and > he will pick them up for me if i ask him to. I've been so lucky with my major recovery periods. I shattered my wrist in mid-April and the World Cup of Soccer began about a month later. I watched all the games. Then I had my hysterectomy just before the US Tennis Open started and watched oodles of that. Never have watched either event as faithfully since! > i think my splinted and bandaged arm is wanting/demanding to be washed. > it's itching like crazy this morning. i knoe i'm allowed to unwrap and > re-wrap it for comfort, but i wonder if i'm allowed to wash it? y'think? i > wannnnnnnnt to. If you're allowed to unwrap it, surely a quick sponging off would be ok. Just do it GENTLY!!! And don't fall again while it's unwrapped! SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare > I've been so lucky with my major recovery periods. I shattered my wrist > in [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > started and watched oodles of that. Never have watched either event as > faithfully since! Funny how well we remember details like that isn't it? I was in the hospital wired on prednisone and on oxygen but otherwise wide awake and feeling pretty good during most of the first gulf war. Most of the nurses on the floor spent as much time as they could get away with in my room watching TV. Then a few years ago I was in for a couple of weeks for GERD surgery during the NBA finals. My last day and the last day of the basketball games I got moved to a room with a bad television. Maintenance got me a brand new TV before the game started. Party in my room! Jo Kate, may God continue working on that miracle for you. Finding your hand surgeon was just the first part of that miracle; and it is going to continue from here. Getting it all taken care of and then recovering will not be easy, but you are a fighter. And it is all going to work out great for you in the end because you have a good surgeon who knows you and cares about you. You may have to work on your patience a little in the meantime, but we are all here to support you. Please keep us posted when you can, as soon and often as you can. Love and best wishes, Gwen > than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. > [quoted text clipped - 71 lines] > > kate patience? what patience?LOL i knew something was missing! thank you,sweetie, for all your encouragement and caring. you are so dear. i'm glad you are you, gwen. kate Kate, may God continue working on that miracle for you. Finding your hand surgeon was just the first part of that miracle; and it is going to continue from here. Getting it all taken care of and then recovering will not be easy, but you are a fighter. And it is all going to work out great for you in the end because you have a good surgeon who knows you and cares about you. You may have to work on your patience a little in the meantime, but we are all here to support you. Please keep us posted when you can, as soon and often as you can. Love and best wishes, Gwen > than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. > [quoted text clipped - 71 lines] > > kate So glad to read this update. Prayers being said. I lit a candle too just to send it home... :) Duckie > than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. > [quoted text clipped - 69 lines] > > kate Signature_('> (_<_) _ _('< -quack (_<_) _ __('< *QUACK!* <_{__) _('< "|,,|_" (_<_) _('< "AFLAC!" (_<_) thank you, sweetie. your prayers are appreciated. kate So glad to read this update. Prayers being said. I lit a candle too just to send it home... :) Duckie d'huit wrote: > than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. > [quoted text clipped - 89 lines] > > kate Signature_('> (_<_) _ _('< -quack (_<_) _ __('< *QUACK!* <_{__) _('< "|,,|_" (_<_) _('< "AFLAC!" (_<_) Hi Kate, with all this mess, I am happy your handsurgeon is going to help you thoughts going your way Nikki > than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. > [quoted text clipped - 69 lines] > > kate me toooo. thanx, nikki. kate Hi Kate, with all this mess, I am happy your handsurgeon is going to help you thoughts going your way Nikki d'huit wrote: > than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. > [quoted text clipped - 89 lines] > > kate OH, Kate, that is good news. To have your hand doc back and to have him do the surgery(ies) is awesome! I know how happy you were with him. Good luck, sweetie, and keep us informed. DeeTee > than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. > [quoted text clipped - 71 lines] > > kate Kate, I'm glad that you are hooked up with a surgeon that you like. I can't believe you did that much serious damage. Rose is right...when you do something you really do it!! I hope that all of this goes well, it sounds like a really long road. ((Kate)) Char Kate, I'm glad that you are hooked up with a surgeon that you like. I can't believe you did that much serious damage. Rose is right...when you do something you really do it!! I hope that all of this goes well, it sounds like a really long road. ((Kate)) Char mr too. well, i guess i can claim the i'm very messy<g> cuz i sure made a mess of my wrist. sigh . . . i wish i wasn't so good at breaking bones. i can't wait until this is all behind me! geesh, i wouldn't mind being a year older right now, if it meant this *was* behind me. thanks, char. kate OH, Kate, that is good news. To have your hand doc back and to have him do the surgery(ies) is awesome! I know how happy you were with him. Good luck, sweetie, and keep us informed. DeeTee yaeh. he is awesome. only surgeon i've ever had who practcally doesn't leave scars. would have made a great plastic surgeon, i bet! thanks, sweetie. kate > than what the er doc said. so, there's a bright side. > [quoted text clipped - 71 lines] > > kate |
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