Broken Wings

Finally ready to give an update on my broken little chicken wing.  It has not been an easy 2 weeks, mostly complicated by the fact that it took longer than I expected to see an orthopedist but...getting a little ahead of myself.  Back to the beginning.

After my 6 hour ordeal in the Emergency room (where Taryn and Cody stayed with me the whole time), I was sent home with a brace/sling stabilizing my left arm (thank goodness I'm a righty!) and a recommendation to call an oncological orthopedist, Dr. Fazel Khan.  While I wasn't in a great deal of physical pain, I did experience a great deal of psychic pain.  I had multiple nightmares reliving how I broke it, the sound of my arm snapping, the weird sensation of seeing my lower arm basically "flopping around" on its own, the waking up abruptly thinking someone was pulling on my broken arm and literally saying out loud "It's OK.  You're OK."  But I wasn't.  It took several days for the nightmares to go away and one or two after that to even attempt going down the stairs. That still terrifies me every time I do it.

Gradually over the last two weeks I've learned to become more self-sufficient, learning to do many things one-handed, as well as recognizing which things it's just not possible to do on my own (for instance, I can bathe and get dressed on my own but I need Taryn's help to wash and dry my hair).  My moods vary widely - there are some days I feel pretty close to normal, others where my only desire is to lay in bed all day sleeping.  I get frustrated at least once a day and I feel grateful at least once a day.

There was a delay in getting an appointment with Dr. Khan - his wife had a baby.  But I finally got to see him yesterday.  He explained the nature of my break - a spiral shaft break of the humerus (upper arm).  He revealed that the bone did show signs of spots that are likely tumors, hence the need for an oncological orthopedist.  And he presented me with two options: Option #1 - leave me in the brace for a couple of months, then take some x-rays to see if it's healing.  If it isn't we would likely move on to surgery.  This is what 90% of patients do with my type of break. Option # 2 - surgery.  Dr. Khan would insert a rod in my arm and (if it doesn't seem enough) to add some plates.  I'd be in the hospital overnight, in a sling for 1-2 weeks, and then pretty much have almost full functionality in my arm.

I hadn't really understood how much more beneficial surgery would be up until then - I had been hoping to avoid surgery.  But the prospect of a better outcome combined with a shorter recovery time convinced me surgery is the way to go.  So I'm set to go under the knife next Wednesday, June 6th.  I've had to stop chemotherapy as a result (need to boost my immune system) and a quicker recovery means I can get back on my regimen that much sooner.  After all, this IS just a broken arm; I have bigger problems that continue to need attention.

During this time, I've been overwhelmed by the support received on so many levels.  So a few shout outs (and I hope I don't forget anybody but if I do, know that I've been having a few memory issues).  So here we go:  Taryn, Cody, Bruce, Lisa, Bud (calling me from his hospital bed where he just had a heart valve replacement), Jodi, Kathy, Sarita, Emily, Addison,  Joe, Patty, Mary, Ian, Chelsea, Maz, Kent, Danny, and BP who has been so accommodating these past several weeks.  Thanks to all of you for the support given to me.

One of my more boring blog posts - guess I just needed to get the facts out there.  Expect one after my surgery that's a little more entertaining (I'm assuming I'll get some awesome pain meds that will make future posts exciting, and almost assuredly embellished).

Save some prayers for my nephew Kyle.  He's the son of my newly discovered sister Karen.  Kyle has just been diagnosed with a recurrence of a melanoma he initially survived three years ago.  He's only 26 years old, and has a lot of support from his family and his girlfriend, but could use all the prayers we can give.  He is young - he deserves a long, happy life that he will get not only through the care of his doctors but also through the power of our many prayers.

Blessings and Love to All.