Call me the bionic woman - i have a new elbow

[disneyholic family]

(i'm posting this on the 2 boards i frequent)

so....it's a long story that is very difficult to write with one hand - and my left hand at that.

two weeks ago, as i was walking towards the exit of a hiking store (how ironic) i tripped over something and took a high speed dive into the floor.
had it been a pool, it would have been the most perfect racing dive ever.
Alas, it was a very unforgiving stone floor, not water.

Naturally i put out my hand straight in front of my diving body to catch myself.
and before my eyes i saw my arm snap in the opposite direction of what nature intended as white flashed across my eyes.
i landed on the floor and began screaming in pain. Screaming that wouldn't stop for 3 hours when the emergency room orthopedist finally popped the elbow back.
I should add that i'm allergic to morphine, making pain control nearly impossible.

However, popping the elbow back in place wasn't enough.
Apparently, when i do something, i do it right!!
As it turned out i had also shattered my elbow - meaning it would have to be surgically replaced.

Long story short, i'm now a bionic woman with a new elbow.
My right arm is all bound up so i don't know yet how successful the surgery was in terms of function, but i woke up from the surgery, so in my book that's a success!!

I won't be able to drive for 2 months (making work, caring for my mom, etc. difficult if not impossible).
But it could have been worse - had i not put my hand out, who knows what might have happened. A whole host of possibilities even worse than shattering an elbow!

And just think, next time i'm trying to watch the MK parade, i'll really be able to elbow my way to the front (just kidding)

..

 

[madmumof2]

Oh no Beth, Are you in any pain now?

 

[stephensmum]

Oh Beth, you poor thing. Is it still very painful? When is your holiday & will this affect it?
Had to laugh at the vision of you bionically elbowing your way through.

 

[queendisney]

oh my...you certainly seem to have done that in some style! Hope its not giving you too much pain still.

Here's a bit of pixie dust to help it heal quickly.

 

[disneyholic family]

it hurts but just regular hurt, nothing like what that was.

now it's more the challenge of having to do everything one handed - with my left hand. frustrating and challenging

 

[alibeau]

Wishing you a speedy and painfree recovery

Ali

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

It sounds like you've been through it = hope the new elbow is fine when you are up and running with it

 

[tinkerpea]

Wishing you a very speedy recovery I know all too well what having to do pretty much NOTHING feel like You will get totally sick of it but thank god it was fixable!
last summer my DM did the same to her knee it popped out whilst my 8yr old son was on holiday at hers well she couldnt sit down or move as it locked so my son after 3 hours had to call a ambalance for her and get my brother to pick him up whilst she went for her Op after trying to put it back in they told he it was shattered and so needed shaving and putting bk! she never complains and has to be bed ridden for her to rest!! so i totally feel for you she hated it and the pain was a horrid always there pain

sending lots and lots of

 

[catherine]

Wow, so sorry to hear that! Hope that you are soon pain free and fully recovered!

 

[disneyholic family]

thanks!
i just got the post operative splint off.
now i have to keep my arm bent against my side (with a sling)
if i move it out i could dislocate the new elbow part.
and i'm supposed to do physical therapy exercises (trying to regain range of motion)
i have to do them 5 times a day for a half hour each time (with lots of pain involved)
i dont know how people are expected to self inflict pain that way

anyway - just now when the surgeon was practicing the exercises with me i could barely move my arm - seems a monumental task to get my arm back to what it was

 

[Sarah28]

oh you poor thing, hope you'll be fully recovered soon

 

[tinkerpea]

I know when my mum had to do the exercises she kept thinking its doing NOTHING and they KILL!!! for a few wks she just thought she was getting nowhere but kept on with them,then her knee swelled up real bad it took a few months of her being persistant with alternate resting/exercising and just when she thought it was no good and she was still on painkillers it slowly started to get better.....her movement range isnt what it was but it no longer throbs and hurts and she can do most things again its been about 8 months now and she is doing so much better

so i know its a horrid journey but keep with it

 

[disneyholic family]

I know when my mum had to do the exercises she kept thinking its doing NOTHING and they KILL!!! for a few wks she just thought she was getting nowhere but kept on with them,then her knee swelled up real bad it took a few months of her being persistant with alternate resting/exercising and just when she thought it was no good and she was still on painkillers it slowly started to get better.....her movement range isnt what it was but it no longer throbs and hurts and she can do most things again its been about 8 months now and she is doing so much better

so i know its a horrid journey but keep with it

it's good to know there's light at the end of this very long tunnel!

i have to admit that i was very depressed yesterday.
i can't dress myself on top at all so i feel a bit of a prisoner.
and i still can't shower because of the surgical wound - so it's a bit difficult to feel upbeat right now.

but i know this will all pass eventually.
and i'm very embarrassed to be feeling this low when really it's a pretty minor problem in comparison to so many much worse things!

but i hate feeling so useless that i can't even dress myself (i slept in my clothes last night as i didn't want to bother DH who has way too much on his plate with me so completely out of commission)

well at least i'm confident that i had the best surgeon available, so the outcome will eventually be as good as one could hope for.