It Has Been Quite a Week

 When last we gathered I was proclaiming that I was getting better every day.

If only that were true.

Last Tuesday we went to the doctor for the consultation. Everything about that visit was wrong, beginning with the parking garage being full which seems like a small thing but when you are already anxious, it just added more stress. Bruce dropped me off in front of the five story building and I went to the fifth floor solo. At first the young woman didn't seem to be able to find my name, however once she did, she handed me a clip board with about eight pages of documents, six of which were in fine print, mostly saying that if we were to sue, we wouldn't get much. Then there were the usual documents asking irrelevant health information. Try getting pages off a clipboard with one hand! So, we were not off to the best start.

Eventually I was called for an x-ray, something I was dreading like mad. It was as bad as I expected, in part because they had to manipulate my arm. The other part was how little compassion they showed. Little did I know that it was about to get worse.

Back in the gigantic waiting room, we did just that. Once again, eventually I was called back to see the doctor. We waited for a while (again!) with my arm resting on a bedside table looking like this. 

 

The splint removal was what gave me so much pain as I feared it would. As well, my arm was irritated from the bandaging. Okay. the door opens and a young woman came in identifying herself as a PA. In my mind there is a place for a PA and this was not it. Anyway, I won't bore you with the rest of that miserable visit because it is just too much to relive. Suffice it to say that I left with a black cast which I will show shortly. 

From the minute the cast went on it did not feel right and for the next five days I was miserable. Most of those day were spent on the perch below.

I watched television like it was going out of style. For most people that is nothing newsworthy, but for me it is, as I ordinarily watch so little. Turns out that there is a whole lot of good stuff on the little screen!

My arm was killing me more as each day passed. What made it tolerable was more kindness than I could imagine from our friend.Patti brought Four Rivers barbecue which we ate for two days, loving every bite.Connie brought over her famous lentil soup. On Sunday, Susan walked over in her raincoat with homemade beef stew. Who doesn't love comfort food that is both warm and delicious? Yesterday Rhonda brought this picture worthy chicken pot pie that tasted as good as it looks. Absolutely amazing, right?

I was able to enjoy dinner last night because, although I was meant to wait two weeks before I went back for a check up, I just could not stand the pain and swelling any longer. As you can imagine, Bruce was lying awake at night with worry. It took 30 minutes of being on hold before he talked with someone but when he did, he arranged a visit for 10:40 at the Lake Mary office which is about twenty or so miles away.

As it turns out, it was a good move in spite of the drive. For reference the downtown office is about two miles from here. Am I the only one who hates the phoniness of hospital advertising? Seriously, if you need a hospital, why would you be smiling? 

This waiting room was about a tenth of the size of the other one and easy to get to with ample outdoor parking.

Being called back in short order was the first good sign, followed soon thereafter when the doctor walked in. So here he is explaining why he is encouraging us to let it heal naturally. Both of us found him pleasant enough and he did not rush us either. Very young, right?

For this visit I took a pain pill prior to arriving, anticipating how much it was going to hurt. I also remembered my small camera and am so glad that I did. After he talked with us he had Danny take off the cast. 

Perhaps you will note my purple swollen fingers? 

Unlike when the cast went on, Danny was so very gentle explaining as things progressed. He used the saw on one side,

and then the other. Even his grip was so gentle and caring.

Then he slowly pulled it apart. I must have been nervous, well of course I was, when he pulled it apart as the picture is blurry.

It does, however give you a notion of how it is done. From there I had more x-rays, done with exceeding care and then we went to wait for the next step. I had Bruce take this to show the swelling.

There is a little dent on the inside middle of my forearm where the cast was. The doctor returned, reporting that the bones end are still mostly aligned. Bruce was worried that the fellow who put the cast on had moved something, mainly because prior to getting it, my pain level had decreased. 

For the next two weeks I will have a splint which Danny applied with great care.

Needless to say we made our follow-up visit at this office. 

What we learned is:

• It is a bad break that will probably take up to a year to fully heal. That said, more immediately, after eight weeks I should be able to use it with care.
• A splint works as well as a cast but people seemingly tend to remove them, something I do not plan on doing.
• I need to get ahead of the pain and use a combination of Ibuprofen for the swelling and Tylenol for the pain. Taking it on a schedule should help as well.
• Having people working on me who are kind goes a very long way.

For now, my arm is still swollen but there is great comfort in learning that it is normal.

It still hurts, however, not nearly as much as it did with the cast. Now that I have more useful information,  what I will have to work on is patience. 

In other good news, we had our house professionally cleaned and it is sparkling. Bruce has been doing an admirable job, but he is no match to the amazing team here today. Oh my, what a treat. 

Always a silver lining my friends.

your friend,

Gail