Mixed results from hospital visit

[Guest guest]

Well I have had a mixed bag of news from my wrist assessments and PT

appointments today - I will start with the good news though. My

therapist is thrilled with the progress and mobility I have achieved

in my newly tightened and reshaped shoulder already. She reckons

that I am at already at my maximum limits of movement that Mac

intends for me, something they expected it to take several months to

reach! So needless to say I am feeling rather happy with the fruits

of my very hard and painful labour. I still have a lot of work to do

to build up the strength and stability in the shoulder and the

biceps and I am always going to have limited mobility because of the

extent of shortening Mac has performed within my shoulder structure -

but so far I am thrilled and if the darned thing stays in joint for

a few years it will have been well worth the blood, sweat and tears.

It will be so good to give Mac something to smile about at my

appointment next week, especially as I have a feeling I will need

that to butter him up for the rest of my news! I will certainly have

to talk with him about my recent TMJ dislocations and of course my

troublesome shoulder blade, but the major problem looks like being

my wrist sadly.

That is where my bad news comes in I'm afraid. I saw the ER

consultant this morning and much to my delight had my cast removed -

Yay!! Little did I know that was the high point of my morning and

things would go rapidly down hill form that point. On examining my

newly freed wrist, the doctor was very concerned about eth amount of

pain I still had on dorsiflexion and to touch around the base of my

thumb area too. As a result he sent me off for four more films of

special x-rays (I swear I am glowing green now!) On returning from

radiology the doctor still wasn't happy so wanted the Orthopaedic

guys to see my x-rays for a more comprehensive opinion.

Thankfully while they went about this I was allowed to attend my PT

appointment - where my shoulder rehab has been modified to allow for

my wrist damage fortunately. When I got back round to the ER though

I could tell from the look on the doctor's face that things weren't

looking too good. Sure enough when he came to talk with me, the hand

OS has confirmed a fracture right across my Scaphoid bone. I had

been pretty resigned to this happening, but I certainly wasn't

prepared for the bomb shell that came next as the ER consultant

explained that even in the best of cases this is a nasty break to

fix, but in my case it is going to be even worse. The alarm bells

were already ringing before he spilled out that " we are looking at a

very long haul recovery here, probably 6 months casting and possibly

even surgery " Just what I didn't need to hear....

So I have been placed back in to a plaster - big bird yellow this

time! - and handed over to Mac for further treatment and care. Poor

Mac is going to have a fit when he sees what I've done. I just can't

believe that I've damaged the bone so badly, all I did was put my

arm back in the sling for goodness sake. I have to confess that the

ease and frequency with which my worst is dislocating and the

severity of the damage being done now is making me wonder whether

the time has come to just cut my loses and fuse the darned thing. I

don't really want that but I can't keep going on in the cycle of

constantly dislocating and weakening the joint. I'm spending more

time in splints and casts than out and I just have to consider

whether enough is enough. I think I will talk it over with Mac next

week in more detail, so that I at least know the full picture and

can decide whether it's something we should do sooner rather than

later.

Anyway, that is my latest news. All in all, I am feeling very

positive about how my shoulder is progressing but also rather

despondent about the situation with my wrist. I had really hoped

that my shoulder surgery would allow me to eventually get back to

using two crutches again and give me a little more time before

having to rely on the wheelchair - but with my arm in plaster

indefinitely and my wrist so messed up that's looking less likely

than ever. It's sounds stupid but I think my wrist injury may just

have brought my need for wheels forward even further. Sorry to be a

little down tonight guys, but I have to admit this is a blow to my

emotions. I think I need to go listen to my Amici CD for a while to

raise my flagging spirits again!

Take care everyone and please know that I am thinking of you and

here for you all.

Love and hugs.....Jo

xx