"Old Lefty" who USED to be broken

You know, I guess if there were memorial services for broken and busted up arms, then today would have been "old lefty's".  On this, the 235th day of confinement, Dr. Chan took a look see at the 
x-rays and pronounced it "healed."  The 8-month ordeal was finally done and as I sit here and type this blog post, I couldn't be much happier.


I didn't sleep well last night, much like the night before my surgeries always went.  I tossed and turned and I'm really not sure why.  I knew when I woke up this morning at 3:30 that it was pointless to go back to sleep so I got up and readied myself for my 7:30 appointment in Wichita.  Driving over there gave me plenty of time  to think about things and when I walked through the doors of the Kansas Orthopaedic Center, I knew it would be my last time.  


As usual, first stop was x-rays.  By my count I must have had a hundred of them taken over the course of  time since August.  Only this time, I had a strange request for the x-ray technician.  I asked her to take a photo of what my arms looked like from the outside instead of the inside for a change.  She laughed at me and said that was the first time a request like that had been made of her.  The photo, shown below, is a part of the healing process for me.  I have taken many pictures since my accident because I never want to forget what I had to go through and equally important I always wanted to remember all of the people who put my "humpty dumpty" arm back together again.

 Actually, from a distance with one of your eyes closed and the other one half-open, my left arm really doesn't look so bad.  But up close, you can still see a marked difference.  Dr. Chan said it can take up to a year for all of the swelling to go down and the stiffness I feel most of the time, especially in the morning...well that's going to be the way it is from now on.  The arm, from the shoulder down to my fingertips, will have a shrunken appearance for now.  With luck as I begin to use it and build back the muscle tone in it, there's a chance that it might get a little better.  The scars have faded a bit over time but they are still very apparent.  I kind of think that the first one looks something akin to the Nile River but that's just me. Probably the most noticeable difference to me is how the skin looks.  In appearance, the left hand looks about 10 years older than the right but hey, that's just me.


One of the things I have learned is that it doesn't pay to be too vain in situations like this one. Wait a minute, I think I should rephrase that....It does NOT pay to be vain AT ALL during times like this.  In the beginning, I was so self-conscious about the way my arm looked.  Seemed like my fingers looked more like fat, little sausages with all the swelling that was taking place and of course, can't forget "the bump".  During the first month or two, my fingers were crooked and my feeble attempts to use them (for example the sticker-peeling fiasco of September) showed just how far I had to go to get better.  And now, as I look at it this very moment, I believe I have to say that I think "old lefty who used to be broken" is the most beautiful arm around....hope you understand what I mean.


But my greatest heroes of them all, my students at Lincoln Elementary, soon helped me to learn that there was nothing to be ashamed of in the way that "old lefty" looked.  They were among my  staunchest supporters and cheerleaders.  Soon we all grew accustomed to "the look" and after awhile, no one even noticed or cared.  I will always love that memory and the children that provided it for me. 



Dr. Chan did some measurements of my wrist's mobility and range of motion.  I could tell by the look on his face that he was very pleased.  After looking at the x-rays he told me that I was as good as he could make me and given the severity of my injuries in the first place, he was actually surprised that I improved as much as I did.  He gave permission to now go back to whatever I had done before, just to be careful.  Seeing his "ear to ear" grin made me feel like the 8-month journey had been worth it all.


I asked him what he thought about my returning to a part-time job as a C N A and I could tell by the "frowny face" that he began to wear that it didn't look good.  He advised against it, simply because of the need to lift and turn patients.  Not only could I get hurt if someone were to land on my wrist, I could also hurt someone else if my strength suddenly gave way.  I respect his decision and though I will miss it, it's best not to.  I also wanted to ask him about bicycling once again.  The minute he heard the question, I knew what he would say.....not exactly what I wanted to hear.  I can return to bicycling but once again he uttered these words (and he meant them) "DO NOT crash and burn, Peggy!"  He reminded me that if that happened again to "old lefty" the results could be even more disastrous.  


And with that, it was over.  I gave him a hug and thanked him for saving me.  And he said something very similar to what I heard all along from him, only this time it was slightly different.  "Peggy, YOU GOT WELL, and that's thanks enough for me."  


Before leaving, I had to stop one more time in therapy to visit my good friend and now "former" taskmaster, Kim Lockwood.  I was just sure that he would want one more chance to see how far he could twist my left forearm without my screaming out in pain, "STOP!"  LOL But he didn't although he did check to see if any strength had returned to my left hand.  Since this whole ordeal started back in August, I was lucky to score an "18" on the strength meter.  But today, I gave it all I had and ended up with a score of "28"...I know that a gain of 10 isn't all that wonderful but at least it's getting a little closer to matching the "55" that the right hand can give.  I'm getting better every day! :)


Before I close this blog post, I surely do wish to thank all the folks who helped me get through this time in life.  The doctors and nurses, friends and family who helped me to get better will never forgotten by me.  They provided so much help and there's no way that I could have gotten by without them.  May I make one last comment....and it has to do with the man from Missouri who provided the bone material in order that a graft could take place to repair my wrist.






I have said all along, and I say it again today, the decision to be a donor upon your death is a very personal decision to make.  Not everyone wants to do that, not everyone agrees with it.  I respect your decision totally.  But if you are someone who is willing to do that, please be sure that your family knows of your wishes.  Consider donating not only your organs, but skin, cartilage and bone as well.  As for me, I found out first hand of the importance of harvesting bone.  Before August 10th,  2011 I had absolutely no idea it could be done.  Now I try to tell everyone that I know about it, always hoping they will never need to find out, but realizing that somewhere along the line they or a family member may of necessity, find out.


Thanks for reading my "bucket list journey of 2011" each time.  It's been good therapy for me to write it and as I looked back over some of the posts from August-November, I realize that many times pounding the keys of this keyboard helped to "save me" from myself.  :)  It was way better than Percocet or Lortab for taking care of the sadness and overwhelming feeling of loss that I sometimes felt.  

I made it friends~But you guys always knew that I would.  Time to move on now.  Taking the rest of the week "off" from writing in this blog.  But once I get settled in Valley Center this weekend, I intend to start again.  So my friends, I'll see you then.






From the "Good Book"~John 15:13
"No greater love hath a man than this....that he would lay down his life for a friend."
In remembrance of Eleanor and an unknown 45-year old man from Missouri whose death and subsequent donation of his bones enabled the doctors to repair my busted up wrist.  Rest in Peace whoever you may have been.  I will meet you in Heaven one day, I'm sure.