The arm is still attached to the body...

[fajrdrako]

The event of the day was going to the General Hospital for my annual encounter with Dr. Pollock, who put my elbow together eighteen months ago. It was x-rayed again today, because, said the nurse, there was a 'fragment' a year ago and they wanted to check it. She was gone before I could ask: a fragment of what? Where?

My elbow looks like this:



The (other) nurse agreed that the scar was a work of art, and the Doctor was totally chuffed at its state. "I never thought you'd have that range of motion," he said. He took photos of me with my arms straight (well, as straight as the left one goes) and bent, and held out, palms up, and palms down, to go with his lectures on this type of arthroplasty. "You heal well," he said.

This made me feel a lot better. I'd had a niggling streak of guilt, thinking that maybe I'd be able to straighten my arm if only I'd put a little more time, effort, pain, whatever, into my physiotherapy. Knowing now that I have exceeded expectations, I think that probably isn't true. I did all I could.

Dr. Pollock says I will probably need surgery to replace the other part of my elbow in ten years. Or maybe not; this is uncharted territory. He said the same thing a year ago, so maybe I get an extension.

I went home. I studied French. I studied a lot of French, and did a lot of homework, and went to my class feeling tired but prepared. Well, sort of prepared. Then I wrote the exam.

Tired now.

Comments

[deakat]

It's always nice to be told that one has exceeded expectations, isn't it? BTW, did you see Dave's Facebook update? It looks like he's months ahead of his doctors' prognosis. Want to visit him this weekend?

[fajrdrako]

I'm still hoping to go to see Dave. Think we'll find an opportunity?

[baronjanus]

Yay to healing well :) and to motion range!

[fajrdrako]

Healing is wonderful!