Fall Down NOT Downfall

Glad to be back in the mountains! All going pretty well here. Ed is a bit overworked, learning new housekeeping and kitchen chores. (see story below.) Computer work is difficult for me now and, hopefully it will be easier in a few months.

 I am healing. On May 25, I stubbed my left toe when following a neighbor to her back yard to see a bush of flowers. As we were walking in the grass along the paved sidewalk to get around her golf cart, I stepped up with my right foot, and tripped on the left, plunging me forward onto my right shoulder. I fell HARD! I heard cracking and crunching noises. I never had an instant to put out my arm to break the fall. So........after trips to two emergency rooms, I was sent home with pain medicine and an order for a CAT scan in 4 days. Of course, the hospital was jammed with life threatening emergencies and I sat on a gurney in a hall for several hours before seeing the trauma orthopedic surgeon. It was Memorial Day weekend besides being bike week!  Both emergency facilities took several x-rays (each wanted its own film).  The CAT scan was then viewed by another orthopedic surgeon at another facility. This doctor does shoulder joint replacements as his specialty. He would have had to do a reversal joint replacement - meaning that the top( head) of the fractured humerus would be replaced with a "socket" and the shoulder would be made into a ball. He also thought that the trauma surgeon who saw me first might be able to pin, rod and plate the humerus. Back to the first doctor. NO. He said there isn't enough dense bone mass on the fractured head to sustain an internal fixation for a successful repair and the reconstructive surgery most likely wouldn't hold up and another repair would probably have to be done.  Well........I had been in a tight immobilizing sling for over three weeks already and was ready to kill them both! The black arm was turning purple and yellow and the multiple breaks were healing (according to doc) because there was good blood flow to the injury. Since I had to make a decision on both recommendations I decided not to have any surgery and live with a permanent "range of motion" disability. Of course, it is my dominant arm, but my fingers work well and from the elbow down functionality is fine. Eight weeks of physical therapy, three times a week was ordered and I started immediately, accomplishing 5 sessions so far. I will be continuing PT here, reaching for the most function possible. The joint was also dislocated, due to the fractures, and will stay that way. I think I can deal with it. I'm NOT going to mention the pain and frustration because I actually feel fortunate that it wasn't my head or hip. So, I'm now entering the healing phase. HAD to cut off my long hair, but it was donated to the Locks of Love Cancer program and was 12 inches of a color they really loved. Gray hair was accepted and is sold to offset the manufacturing costs. That's good. There was NO WAY I could work with it long.

 June 26, 2012

  June 27, 2012

So now I will adapt and overcome. There was a saying in the PT facility that "The achievement of your goal is assured the moment you commit yourself." I am committed to functioning to the best of my ability. I'm even typing this fine, and have stacked two milk crates, topped with a board to move the mouse. My "helper" left hand moves my arm over to the lower level where my mouse now must be. Hooray!