Joe, you'll be OK. Thanksgiving weekend I went to the Daytona Turkey Rod Run with my son and some friends. After drinking a (few) beers at a friend's house that night I tripped over a garden hose in his driveway. I ended up with picture #1. I tried to drive home 200 miles south the next day, but only made it 3 blocks away before calling my son to come get me. Then we all went to brunch. I finally went to the hospital that afternoon after I got out voted by EVERYONE. I know, the doctors were amazed too. Pain? OMG!!!!!! I tore ALL of my ligaments, tendons, and a couple of muscles along with a big chip off of the top of my arm bone. Had surgery 2 weeks ago. You get to have a really big bandage. Picture #2. Useless??? Now my arm makes a great coffee cup holder, or beer holder. Picture #3. I start therapy next Tuesday. I won't lie, I'm scared they'll break everything the doc just fixed!!! Bad news.... I'm left handed. Good news.... I'm losing weight cause my right hand sucks with a fork!!! At least my right hand always wiped my butt. >
Well slept ok Arm is sore Bill the dog is fine great picture Waterboy geez bro hope all works out for you. That beer can get ya. But I'm ok pops is coming over later watching BJ .. Pops was able to meet Mike S yesterday he came and grabbed Eric's car and is headed to Ohio.. wish I could of met him safe travels my friend.
Dear Joe, I never wrote a "Dear Joe" letter before. I'm writing this because I know you are sitting around doing nothing. I hope you find humor in my writings. > The night I busted my arm... When I tripped over the garden hose I guess I was going face first towards the ground. I must have assumed the "push up" position on the way down, and unfortunately I'm guessing my elbows were locked. Hence the injury. My son said I got off the ground, bragged I didn't hit face first, and then just sat there saying, "OH, OHHH, OHHHH!!!" Something is not right. "Get me another beer!" I drank 3 more beers, fast, and then went in the house to go to bed. (Pass out.) I woke up in the morning and my first sense was OW!!! My arm was killing me! My 2nd sense was I needed to pee, bad. I went to the bathroom, for some reason I unbuttoned my pants and zipped my zipper down. Ahhhhhh! Then I discovered I couldn't button my pants back up. My left arm was "good for nothing!" Everyone was still asleep. I walked out to the open garage, holding my pants up, to gather my stuff and go home. My buddies friend was out there. I didn't know him well enough to ask him to button my pants! Shortly afterwards my son was up and buttoned my pants. Believe it or not I've never been to a hospital in my life, except to visit people. The hospital.... 16 hours later I'm at the hospital. They were sooooo nice! They took some x-rays and said I dislocated my shoulder. They were going to give me morphine. Yes! They inserted an intravenous line. I sat in the bed with my right hand holding my left arm like a baby. 10 minutes later the nice, older woman doctor came in and said, "On a scale of 1 to 10 how is your pain?" I told her, "Whatever you gave me, that stuff works!" She said, "Sir, we didn't give you anything yet." She said, "Sir, let go of your arm." WOW!!! WTF!!!! The most pain I ever felt in my life!!!!! She said, "We'll call that an 8.5." Then they gave me morphine. A little later 4 doctors and or nurses came in. They huddled. I said, "I slept in a Holiday Inn Express." "I know what you are going to do." They all laughed and the doctor said, "Sir, it can go many different ways." They pulled on my arm 4 different times! Nothing! Then they brought in a hot looking doctor woman. Yeah! They huddled again. The hot looking doctor said, "I am going to stick my thumb up your armpit." I busted out laughing and said, "This is how this relationship is going to start?" The whole room of people busted out laughing!!! 2 big men put a sheet around my upper torso. The nice old woman doctor and a female nurse pulled on my arm in the opposite direction, and sure enough, the hot doctor stuck her thumb up my armpit. Finally it popped in place!!! They gave me a prescription for 12 pain pills and sent me on my way. Monday, got the script filled. Ahhhh!!! No pain. Called the orthopedic office and got an appointment for Thursday. By Tuesday afternoon my pain was very little. So I saved 6 pills and switched back to my favorite medication... BEER! (I might need the pills for some other time.) Thursday I woke and my arm felt GREAT! Oh yes, I was black and blue from my upper shoulder down below my elbow, but my arm felt great. I don't need that stinking sling! Went to the doctors office. Boy are there a lot of messed up people there! I felt good. I'm taken into the examining room. I sat with my hand folded on my lap. Ya, my right hand had to put my left hand on my lap, but I'm thinking I'm healing fast. The doc comes in. First thing he says is, "Where is your immobilizer?" I told him, "I'm healing fast, and it hurts my neck." He looks at my Xrays, then turns back to me and says, "You don't understand the seriousness of your injury!" Crap!!! After a Cat scan he said I did a good job. Everything was ripped and torn apart. Oh crap, again. He said he was going to have to cut the ball of my humurous off and screw a new ball on because it was fragmented, shattered, and crush. More oh crap! They gave me a better immobilizer. The weeks before surgery I made a lot of messes! One day I was starving. (My wife is at work.) I thought I'd make soup. Easy enough to do one handed. I'm getting ready to eat my nice big bowl of New England Clam Chowder soup. "Good for nothing", my left hand had gained some mobility. So I put the spoon in my left hand. I'm eating!!! Good for nothing is working!!! The 3rd spoonful and "good for nothing" lost all strength, landed on the edge of the large bowl of soup, and spilled it EVERY WHERE!!!! I was soooooo frustrated!!!! I'm starving, my food is on the floor, and now I have a BIG mess to clean up. BAD WORD!!! Another day I went over my buddies garage to watch football. I come home and my wife says, "Your shirt is all wet looking at the bottom." I said, "That's weird." I wasn't fixing any sprinklers." Then I figured it out. I smiled at my wife and said, "This damn immobilizer doesn't let me hold my shirt up when I pee!!!" "Useless..." My oldest son and I drove up to St. Augustine to move my youngest son. I got to drink beer and watch as they loaded my truck and trailer. My oldest is backing the truck up to hitch the trailer. I go over to crank the trailer wheel down and my son's neighbor says, "Get out of the way John." "Your going to hurt yourself." "Your useless." We all laughed, but it was true! Do you know what it is like to watch your wife cut up your meat for dinner like you are a kid? You will.... I can't raise the hood on my GS to check anything. My left hand doesn't have enough strength to pull the lever, or raise the hood past the 2nd latch. My son's are really GREAT, but I hate relying on them for everything! Don't worry Joe, WE WILL GET BETTER!!!!
I was told I needed RC surgery but decided to wait....4 months later it healed on it's own. Total of 6 months....it was 2 months before I went to orthopedist for MRI. Same deal with my back....I backed out of surgery....and live with a certain amount of pain....part of gettin old IMO...... Good luck with the recovery......
So....... Where in the world is Joe? Joe, are you out there? How is sleeping with your dumba$$ sling? I hate mine!!! I can make out during the day with it, but sleeping with the 20 lbs. bowling ball flat out sucks! My doc said I'm allowed to take it off when I'm at home relaxing. So I wear it for a couple hours until my arm gets tired of that position. Then I take it off until my shoulder "wants" it back on. I went over my buddies garage yesterday. I guess I did good because I didn't pee on my shirt once! I think the key is to wear a shorter shirt.
Yep sleeping sucks During the day cold therapy and some elbow exercise that's about it. Walking around outside during the day pops came by in his car I was ready to hop in and go.. but I'm doing good Just relaxing
Do your PT. I have had 2 on the same side. With the second one the therapist came to start PM the next day. No pain, no gain.
glad to hear you are doing well joe. yes, my immobilizer is back on. i had a bad day yesterday. tried to take the kitchen trash bag out to the garbage. we have those big garbage cans that the truck picks up with it's hydraulic arm. i couldn't open the lid and put the trash in at the same time. pissed me off. then the "penguins" are down here again. couldn't stand hearing my mother in-laws mouth talk and talk and talk. so i packed my cooler full of beer and went to my buddies garage all day till 10 pm. ahhh..... much better. 5 more days and they leave for the west coast to meet up with the main "flock." i can't wait... those dots were explanation points. >
buickv8mike, i guess you are talking to joe. my doc didn't want me to move my arm for 3 weeks. i see the pt on tuesday.
