"Black Ice" + Gravity = Fractured Elbow

[jeriddian]

It's always a long slow road, as you know. But keep up the good work!

[TransWarpDrive]

It's always a long slow road, as you know. But keep up the good work!

Thanks! I will!
I just realized something: I started therapy just 10 days after the beginning of spring. I've gone through the entire summer, and now I'm heading into autumn still going for treatment. It's hard to believe that a simple fall on the ice could have such far-reaching consequences...

[Rob]

Hey, I'm glad I could help! Yeah, you definitely want to wear something like that only as needed. I've had that experience with minor sprains (nothing that's ever required surgery, mind you), plus my sister's had plenty of experience as well (often with surgery in her case, so much so that in high school, her nickname was "Jenny Surgery").

[TransWarpDrive]

I had what may be my last session of physical therapy today. My therapist took some measurements of my arm and wrist movement for an evaluation to send to my doctor, then I worked on that resistance machine (the one that looks like an ice-cream churn). Since there's been no significant improvement in my elbow flexibility in some time, my therapist told me to go ahead and send the elbow therapy brace back to the company we're renting it from. She still advises me to work out with the dumbbells, though. It'll help to strengthen the arm further. Once the doctor takes a look at my arm on Wednesday the 17th, I'll know for sure whether or not I'm finished with P.T. for good.
It's funny - I have mixed feelings about it ending now. On the one hand, I'm glad to have recovered to the point where I no longer need the sessions; on the other hand, I hate for it to end. My therapists, and the entire staff at the medical center, have been very nice to me. They are true professionals who treated me with kindness and dignity while doing their best to help me recover from my injury. As I got to know them, I've come to regard them as friends. While doing the therapy exercises, we'd get to chatting about the world in general; discussing bits of our lives, and even swapping jokes now and then. I enjoyed working out with my therapists, and I'm going to miss them.

[jeriddian]

Good to hear on your progress, TWD. With the strength training, you should get pretty much everything back except you'll have a slight loss of flexibility, and that will become unnoticeable over time.

[TransWarpDrive]

I boxed up the elbow brace and shipped it back to the therapy equipment company today. They gave me two boxes, each with a prepaid UPS shipping label on it, to send the machines back in when I was done with them. I sent the wrist machine back sometime in July; now the elbow device's gone as well. So I can count that as another milestone passed.

[TransWarpDrive]

I got a call at work from my doctor's office today. It seems he'll be out of his office all next week, and won't be able to see me for my appointment on Wednesday the 17th. So, we arranged for me to see his colleague, Dr. Rob, on Monday the 29th at 3:10 PM. I know this is just a follow-up exam, but I'm not happy about having to reschedule like this. I guess it's the annoyance factor...

[TransWarpDrive]

Well, Monday's the day when I go see Dr. Rob for the follow-up exam of my elbow. This one'll determine whether or not I need more physical therapy. I honestly think I've reached my maximum flexibility on my elbow, so he'll probably say no. All I need to do now, I think, is just work on building up the strength in my arm.
This is all just speculation on my part. I'll know for sure on Monday.

[lunchmeat]

....She still advises me to work out with the dumbbells, though. .....

I don't think I'm available for workout sessions out your way just now, sorry.

[TransWarpDrive]

....She still advises me to work out with the dumbbells, though. .....

I don't think I'm available for workout sessions out your way just now, sorry.

That's okay; I'll muddle through without you... :P (just kidding)

Seriously, though - I had my appointment with the doctor today. He measured my arm's range of movement, took a look at the elbow with a fluoroscope, and told me that I've gotten as much mobility back as I'll ever get. He detected arthritis in the joint as a result of the injury, but that runs in our family to begin with so I'm not too concerned about that. He says I'm done with physical therapy; all I need to do is keep working out with the weights at home and I'll be fine. He mentioned that it usually takes about two years to recover completely from an injury like this - I guess he means getting the strength back in the arm. He gave me a note for my bosses at work, but limited me to lifting no more than 50 pounds due to the arthritis I just mentioned.
After I finished with the doctor, I went downstairs and told my physical therapist I wouldn't be needing more therapy. She was delighted at the news; it means we've succeeded in getting my arm usable again. I was thinking as I got in the car to go home: as of today, it's been exactly seven months since I started therapy. I got my cast off on March 28; the next day, I went in for my initial evaluation and we began working on my arm right away.
So now I'm done. And as melodramatic as it may sound, another chapter in my life has come to an end. It's an experience I never expected to go through, what with the injury and all, but I'd say it went fairly smoothly. And I had help from a lot of good people in the medical community.
Of course, the fact that all the bills were paid under Workmen's Comp made things easier too!