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Friday, May 27, 2022

The elbow saga continues!

 I had my second surgery in Kitimat on May 16th to fix the broken ulna just below the elbow.  All the pins and wires placed in Mexico were removed as they were lifting and a plate and screws placed on the broken bone. Went well I guess but since I didn't talk to the surgeon who knows. Production line!  They had trouble getting me out of post surgery pain(morphine, fentynal and tramadol.)  They gave me some written instructions and a prescription and said bye bye and we made a one hour drive hime to Terrace,..sure not the care I got in Mexico but it cost the travel insurance plenty!.  T Lots of bleeding from the bandage that night at home but some compression stopped it. Saw my GP on Wednesday the 18th and he thought it was OK but that I should have a bandage change on the 23rd or 24th.  Turns out wound care at Public health does that...who knew because no one told me I could call them for help.  By Sunday the 22nd it was bleeding too much so I went to the ER.  They did the x-rays that the surgeon had called for and unwrapped the arm.  Soaking wet with blood!  Wounds can't heal if they're wet! New bandage and home. Public health called and wanted to see me the next day...now everyone was on high alert.  Changed again on the 24th and still bleeding a bit. Yesterday the 26th my GP changed it again and it had bled but was dry.  X-rays showed the hardware is in place and healing has started.  The big worry is getting infection around the metal plate.  Today a bit more bleeding. 

Am I tired of all this...you bet!  Next week light physio and more bandage changing😁

If I'd been informed about what to do from the start I wouldn't have been so worried.  My big fear was that the metal wouldn't hold and I'd be back to square one.  Lots of pain this time but slowly getting better.  Lucky for you that I'm not posting pictures of the unwrapped wound🤣

Saturday, May 7, 2022

Elbow update

 So...how am I doing...well...could be better.

We arrived home April 28th and I saw my GP on the 3rd of May, had x-rays on the 4th, spoke to my GP on 5th about the x-rays.  At this point my hip is OK but my elbow is not. There has been some closure of the broken bone but it is fibrous tissue and it is a non union that will not get better...  So yesterday the 6th granddaughter Abby drove me to Kitimat to see the orthopedic surgeon there as Terrace does not have one.

So..more surgery.  Fibroid tissue between broken bone and it will never heal. I could leave it but pushing movement would hurt. More than just the initial break happened. Joint and bones displaced and some damage to the wrist which may require orthoscopic surgery in the future. So I choose get it as close to normal as possible and hope for the best.  Remove pins and wires, clean up the bone so it can join, a plate and screws and remove fibroid tissue. Not a small task.  Did physio contribute to this mess..maybe..maybe not.  In any case what's done is done and now I'll garden like hell for ten days and have day surgery in Kitimat by the orthopedic surgeon Dr Van Der Merwe on May 16th.   

Fingers 🤞

Not a great outcome but...life goes on!