Spiral Fracture of Humerus - Week 4

Four weeks on and I'm slowly getting better. They took more X-rays today and removed the hard cast. The doc says that he can see hard bone forming on the X-ray which is good. I was hoping he'd say that I've miraculously healed but no suck luck.

My shoulder isn't as sore as they said it would be but my arm is very weak. I have pretty good wrist and hand movement but that's about it. I can lift my forearm about a half inch before I start to feel any discomfort. My arm feels like it weighs about 100lbs. It looks like I haven't lost very much muscle but that's because I'm still pretty swollen. My hand is not which means the brace isn't too tight.

TREATMENT
I'm wearing a Sarmiento, cuff brace which is substantially more comfortable and better still can come off for showers. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get it on without help and off so that's a bummer. I'll give it a shot then bug the wife. More than anything I just want a clean arm. I'll be in a sling for at least another three weeks which is when I have to go back in for more X-rays.

My doc has always been a tad wishy washy on what I should be doing with my arm. I explained that I'm a very motivated person and that I will overdo it if he doesn't give me specific instructions. No pain, all gain is the advice. I should only move as much as the pain will allow and no to try to work through it. I have to continue using stress ball to work the muscles in my forearm and hand. Lifting my arm requires a lot of effort but the real trick is lowering it. Much like swimming or hiking, I have to stay mindful about the trip back. I can't just let my arm drop because that hurts so I have to be able to lower it slowly. Doc suggested spotting myself using my other arm just to be safe.

SENSATIONS
My elbow still clicks like crazy. It doesn't hurt but it can be alarming. I was told that it's norma and should subside once I can start therapy.

CHALLENGES
As always, getting back to normal is the big deal here. I've got at least another three weeks of not doing anything. I can use my hand but without a supporting arm it's difficult. I can clip my son's finger and toenails so I can sort of help. I won't be happy until I can do diapers again. I won't be super happy until I can pick up my son.

UPDATE
I was told that I didn't have to sleep sitting up and could lay however I was comfortable. Comfort was not on the menu last night. I got about 5 hours of sleep. It wasn't really painful but every little movement produced a pressure sensation in my lower arm. I'm going to go back to sleeping upright for another week and see how it goes.

Spiral Fracture of Humerus - Week 3

This is the beginning of my last week in the hard cast before switching to the Sarmiento brace. I'm not entirely sure what that will mean for me on the recovery front. It would be great if my arm will be strong enough to where I can remove the brae for showers but knowing my luck it will have to stay on for another week before I can do anything. I'm really hoping that my x-rays look good and that I'll closer to the six week end of the recovery spectrum rather than the twelve week. I think I've done a very good job of taking care of myself. My last injury was fairly healed at four weeks and I was able to begin therapy pretty quick. I'm keeping my fingers crossed but not getting my hopes up.

TREATMENT
Nothing new treatment wise. I've got one more week in this cast before I'll have anything new to report.

SENSATIONS
The arm pain is pretty much gone. The elbow joint is still pretty clicky but it doesn't hurt when it moves. I don't feel the humerus moving anymore. I'm sure it might still move a little here and there but I don't feel it. Every night there's a sizable itch in the same spot. It's possible that it's due to the nerves waking up but it's also pretty gross in there. I have rather hairy arms so I'm sure it's not very pleasant.

CHALLENGES
Sleeping and showering are still a chore. I should probably shower more but it's a pain so I avoid it. I've found that Wet Ones do a pretty good job with my armpit. I can get in there and give it a good cleaning before deodorant. I can also get stick deodorant in there without any discomfort. I go on frequent walks with the wife and kid when it's not too hot. It still makes my arm itch but I'd rather get in a walk than sit around. I'll be very happy when I can bend over again.

PAIN MANAGEMENT
Nuttin'

My Happy Place

Things suck for me these days. My job sucks and I've been nursing an arm back to health for almost two months now. My neighbors suck to the point of where any weekend they're home is a ruined weekend. I manage to not blow my brains out by looking at my wife and son and going to my happy place.

It's a place I'll never get to fully realize but I get to go there in my mind.

I wake up on a Thursday morning. I feed my son and eat a bowl of cereal. I won't be going to work because I don't have to. I have enough money so I don't have to work. I look out the back window and instead of neighbors having a beer at 9:30AM I see a modest property surrounded by trees. If I opened the window, I'd only hear nature.

Jill gets to sleep in.

I play with Henry for a bit and then get cleaned up. Henry gets some lunch and a nap then we all go downtown to Ted and Wally's for some ice cream. We went to the zoo yesterday. We'll visit the botanical gardens tomorrow.

No mansions. No sports cars. No yachts. Just comfortable living with all of my focus on my family. That's my happy place.

Spiral Fracture of Humerus - Week 2

Two weeks in and time is crawling. I had my first follow up on Monday.

TREATMENT
They removed the splint and switched me to a hard cast in order to let the weight of my arm keep the bone straight as it heals. My X-rays looked "good" to my doctor but it still looks awful to me and my wife. We were assured it's healing well. My arm has good alignment so I've got that going for me.

SENSATIONS
The worst part about the second week was forearm and elbow pain. There was a lot of joint movement but once the got me in a cast with my arm at a 90 degree angle (the ER team couldn't quite get it to 90) the elbow clicked and it felt great. There is still a little bit of movement with the humerus but pain is just an occasional pinch. I'm still going without pain meds. The worst sensation during the second week is the nerves in my arm coming back online from my original injury. It would give me a nice flash of pain several times a night though I haven't felt any since the switch to a hard cast.

CHALLENGES
I still have to sleep sitting up and will continue to have to do so for the next two weeks at least. I managed just two showers during the first two weeks which I'll readily admit was pretty gross. My wife and I have a needy baby and there just isn't much time for me to fuss with bagging my arm up. My cast is much smaller than the mess they had on my before so it should be a little easier to wrap up. I have rather skinny arms with pretty much no fat or muscle on the bad arm from seven weeks of little to no use. The bottom of the cast is pushing against the bone which is very uncomfortable. I'm currently fashioning some additional padding to support my arm there.

My hand is also very swollen so I have a stress ball that I squeeze but it doesn't do much for me.

PAIN MANAGEMENT
As I said above, I'm not taking anything for the pain since I don't feel much. If I could lay in bed all day and sleep I'd dope up and enjoy the ride but I have to work and help around the house which I think is better than being a zombie.

Spiral Fracture of Humerus - Week 1

I'll be doing a more focused blog on my recovery this time around. There's not very much info out there on breaks so hopefully somebody in my situation stumbles across this and finds it helpful.

Week 1
I'm hoping the first week will be the hardest so I can say the worst is behind me. I spent the first two days in the hospital sampling various pain killers and felt pretty lousy until I got home where I just felt sort of lousy. My biggest initial challenges were pain management and nausea. The latter is typically caused by stress in my case. This was my first morning where I was able to eat without the help of meds.

TREATMENT
For now I have a few splints secured with elastic bandages keeping my arm from pooping into various painful positions. I didn't really pay much attention while they put them on. I have my first follow up appointment next week to have it changed. I dread getting it done.

SENSATIONS
The bones still shift though it's usually pain free. My heart still skips a beat whenever they shift. My arms and legs occasionally jerk at night as I fall asleep. When the bad arm jumps it's pretty painful but it's gone after a minute. I have to stand up straight to keep everything feeling good but it makes my back sore. I'll be getting back into yoga when I'm all done.

My body wants to stretch in the morning but this hurts a lot so I resist as much as my body will let me.

CHALLENGES
Since it's been about six weeks since my original injury I'm still fairly good at doing everything with one hand. Opening jars and such is still tricky but I manage. It may be longer this time before I can use my other hand to help with the twisting.

Sleeping is also difficult since I have to do it sitting up. I have a lot of pillows but it's still rough.

Using the restroom isn't too tough.

Showering is another story altogether. I'm committing to two showers per week until I can move my arm without pain. The entire ordeal takes me about an hour to do on my own. I start by wrapping a towel around the top my splint and wrap. I use masking tape because it rips easier. O then put a large garbage bag around that and then duct tape it to my body. Duct tape will stay put in the shower but it's tough to take off. Once I feel that I'm wrapped well enough, I use the crappy sling I was given at the hospital. I keep the shower nozzle pointed at the wall just in case. The less water coming onto contact with my protective layers the better. A sponge with a long handle is good for getting those hard to reach places. There's no good way to clean your good arm so I just get what I can. After I dry off, slowly, I can take a less damp, soapy wash cloth to my other armpit and dry it quickly.

I went on a short walk yesterday. It was exhausting but I managed. The only downside is that I have a partially swollen hand now. I made a glove from a compression sleeve that I had leftover from my last injury and it's keeping things as tidy as possible. May wait a day or two before another walk.

PAIN MANAGEMENT
As long as my arm doesn't move it doesn't hurt so I haven't been taking anything for pain.

Square One

Just as things were getting back to normal, I experienced what has been described to me as a freak accident. I was replacing the sheet on Henry's mattress in preparation to begin sleep training him and moving back into my own bed. While stretching the sheet with my good arm and holding it with my bad arm there was a pop and suddenly I was on the floor watching my arm and hand twitch.

I screamed of course but didn't pass out incredibly. I told Jill to get Henry in the car and to stay away. I put my elbow back myself, thinking it was just a dislocation due to the extremely tight joints just slipping. my upper arm was also bending strangely but I had no reason to believe it was anything other than a dislocation. I held it all in place the best I could and made my way downstairs. Jill drove me to the emergency room.

Once there I had to wait for what seemed like an eternity. They finally got me into a room where I would spend the next three hours. I accepted morphine straight away but it didn't help much. I was quite cranky with the staff due to the severe pain. My father in law arrived and kept me calm while I waited. Jill had to get Henry home so he could be fed. The x-ray techs brought a portable machine this time but it took a lot of effort to get a shot of it. The two girls were very patient and nice. Moments later I'd be told that my humerus was broken. Again.

It was a spiral fracture that began near the end of one of my screws from the last surgery. It had apparently been weakening the bone until it just couldn't take it anymore. I would have to be admitted to the hospital. An army of nurses came in and got me splinted. My screams were so loud, my wife could hear me in the waiting room.

Once they had me adequately wrapped, I was moved upstairs to my temporary home. I painfully made my way into the uncomfortable hospital bed. I was given a shit-ton of pain killers then said goodnight to Jill. My heart broke as she left and I cried quietly as the drugs took hold.

The next morning was about what I expected. I was sick from the meds and couldn't do much of anything. I was visited by my doctor but was too out of it to comprehend anything. He came back when Jill arrived. I managed a bite of a hamburger and some soda but I couldn't bring myself to eat. I would later fill one and a half puke bags. Thanks, drugs. I was able to eat some jello after that.

They tried to put an immobilizer on my arm but my arm had too much stuff on it for them to fasten it. They hurt me quite a bit and I was very mean to them. They sent in another guy to help me get the sling back on then I passed out. I continued to be mean to everybody since I didn't know what they had done to me the night before and didn't think they were fixing anything. The head nurse came in and got me a doctor to speak with. I still wouldn't understand until later in the day. I was given a much lighter pain killer and slept better that night.

Friday morning I was doing better. I had calmed down and was able to use the restroom with less pain. My nurse helped me to a recliner in my room which was a little better than the bed. I slowly ate some cereal so I could take some more pain meds. Jill sent me a photo of her and Henry. I cried again but had to compose myself so I could heave the nurse bring me Kleenex. Jill called at that moment and I continued to sob like a baby. She talked me down and told me she was on her way with clean clothes. Once she arrived I perked up. We got me dressed and discharged.

I was happy to be home but I knew that this was going to be the beginning of a very long road to recovery. I see me doctor in a week and I will hopefully have a better idea of what to expect during the coming weeks.