An Ortho visit and a fracture.. or is it?

The view when I need to just... Breathe

 The time had come.  3:30pm.  My mother picked me up from my yard, I live two doors down from her, and we headed to my Ortho appointment.  I kept going over it in my mind, you know... the possibilities.   12 weeks in a cast or,  maybe a date for surgery.  My mind was in overdrive, and I was trying to keep up.

 Being in this temporary cast was already getting under my skin.  I wasn't able to do anything properly, cooking one handed was getting old, the itching at times was more than I could handle, and man was the whole restricting thing getting on my last nerve.  I started to feel tied down during the hot days, and in Florida there are plenty, that ripping the thing off came across my mind more than a time or two.  Between my OCD and anxiety, I had to mentally work hard to keep it on.  I lashed out more than a few times at my sweety, what kind of person does that?  I mean, the phrase hitting rock bottom doesn't even come close; I was well past rock bottom.

 We headed down Boyette road, cause taking John Moore to 60 is just so much easier than traveling, 301 to 60.  At one of the lights on Boyette; my mother suddenly fears she is lost.  With a little convincing and a calm voice, I remind her that through the light, is Fish Hawk and by turning right we would have been heading in the direction of my sisters old address.  Thus, reminding her that a left turn, would bring us to 'her' Walmart {as she calls it} and lead us to John Moore road; with another turn or two of course.  We were back on track.

Yes, I am starting to worry about my mother now.

We arrive at Florida Orthopaedic Institute, I fill out the mountain of paperwork and wait for my name to be called.  CNN is playing in the waiting room, and the big story of the moment was President Obama statement of same sex marriages.  Not that I am going to get into any political debate over this, the President happens to be my sons boss, I brought it up because I remember listening to it on the T.V. as my mind was in triple over time.

Anyway, my name is called.  We, my mother and myself, rise and walk in the direction I was told.  "Right this way Miss Joslinda.  Down this hallway, all the way to the end and turn left."  Easy enough.  It lead to another full waiting room.  The door there read X-ray.  I didn't wait to long, I hadn't finished the pile of paperwork, and the time seemed to move right along.  I mentioned in my last blog "An emergency room visit, and a fracture" that I had injured my left hand as well, so it took longer then it should have to fill out the New Patient paperwork.  My hand kept going numb, and being left handed... this was not a good thing.  But as fate would have it, well more like the reason for my appointment, I was called for my x-ray as soon as I finished my paperwork.

Don't you just love the look of bones in an x-ray

Through the temporary cast, three views were taken. " Turn your hand slightly this way". she said *click click*  "Place your palm flat on the table". she added *click click*  "Lets try a view like this". she ended with *click click*  My inners were now on film, and I couldn't see anything wrong.  Not that I would even begin to know what I was look for.

looks kinda webbed, don't you think?

Once the x-rays were taken and developed, we were asked to wait back in the main waiting room.  Right way I thought "great, the fracture wasn't healing and surgery was the only other option".  With no health insurance and no job, I just knew my wrist was going to fuse together and cause me plenty of pain in the future.  We waited.  My name was called again and I was told, "third door on the right".  My x-rays were pulled up on a computer, hence the photos above, and the temporary cast was removed. 

ER April 23rd

Ortho visit May 9th

The lighter skin, is the direct result of not relaxing and attempting to tackle Holmes type of projects.  It never felt so good to scratch and feel my right arm, as it did when that cast was removed.  Still, as you can see; the swelling continued and caused such pretty patterns on my skin.  I was so happy to be free.  It was like taking a breath of clean crisp air.  You remember Mork from Ork {Robin Williams}, the Egg scene where he tosses the Eggs in the air and yells "Fly, be free"... I was in that moment.  I was free!!!

Soon enough Anthony Infante DO enters the room.  The nicest, kindest, physician I have ever encountered.  He asked me to explain how I injured my wrist.  Than he enlarged my x-ray films to a size, that I am sure my daughters in Texas could have seen, he moved the film via mouse, left and right... up and down.  He studied every inch of every smaller wrist bone under my skin.  The rolling chair he sat on, soon rolled in front of me.  "Can you close your hand into a fist?"  I did.  "Does this hurt?"  No  "How about this?"  No  "How about here?"  "OUCH!!! Wait a minute." I cried out.  With my right hand in a fist over my mouth I begged him "Please just give me a second, don't move it again please"  Tears ran down my face in pain.  I wanted to jump out of my skin.  With deep breaths and throbbing pain, I said "OK".   "Your good now.  Are you sure?"  Yes I replied.  "What was that", I asked "I felt that in my elbow and down to my toes."   

The pain was so strong, I wanted to rip my skin off.  At that very second, I would have welcomed the removal of the whole area.  The complete answer would come with an MRI, But I didn't have one.  The muscle appears to be torn.  The problem, an MRI would be quite a cost for someone with no insurance, that would be me.. the no insurance injured person.  The plan, is a very strong anti inflammatory medication in the form of a pill,   an anti inflammatory medication in the form of topical cream that will be mailed to me, a brace for the area, ice 2/3 times a day for the swelling that just wont go down, wrist exercises to loosen the stiffness the swelling is causing, and a appointment in 3 weeks... for a more invasive treatment plan if the current treatment plans doesn't work. 

Poor Poor right wrist muscle

If you look closely at the above photo ~ just above my wrist area, again please forgive the farmers tan, and the first photo of when the temp cast was removed, you can see the growing swelling problem.  In just that short time, simply bending my thumb and fingers was making the skin to tight.  Tight enough, that my thumb would get stuck, and I would have to force it correct again.  Oh yes, OUCH was used many times during this visit. 

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you.  He was so nice, that he even looked at my left hand.  I have sprained the thumb area of the palm of my hand.  The result of using a staple gun single handed, a mistake I wont make again. 

Well, my Home by Holmes days are over, for the moment.  I am to exercise my right hand/wrist/arm and relax the left hand for the next three weeks.  Lord help me.  Oh another thing, the physicians assistance made it a point to tell me as he was handing me my exit papers and prescriptions, "Make sure you follow everything he told you to do.  Everything.  I'm hear to tell you, he will know if you don't".  I am sure he is going to test the range of motion when I return, so I am going to work hard on delivering good results when I see him again.  At the moment, this very second, I can not even bend my wrist backward.

This is going to hurt, a lot!