Week 7 (plus 1 day) status report
Aug. 8th, 2003 11:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
annathepiperOn the good side, having a smaller brace on my arm now is making this whole broken arm thing more bearable. On the bad side, being 7 weeks and counting and expecting 8-12 weeks for the stupid bone to heal is exhausting me just thinking about it, and that isn't even getting into the utter lack of any kind of time frame to expect my nerve to get its shit together. I'm really, REALLY tired of my arm not working right. I know it's not a rational reaction, but sometimes I feel like I am forgetting what it feels like to have two working arms, and that's depressing. So's various and sundry people who have been telling me that "gosh, it took two whole years for the nerve I damaged to come back!"
Speaking of nerves, I had mine tested today. Various people have warned me it would hurt. It did, but not unbearably; the only time I whimpered was when the guy poked a needle into my bicep. Most of the time I was able to distract myself by curling my other hand into a fist, or thinking very hard about my toes, the way I do at the dentist.
The first part of the test was relatively okay, just using a zapper to shoot little jolts into my arm. Unsurprisingly I got less sensation and reaction on the side of my hand controlled by my radial nerve than I did on the side controlled by the ulnar; the latter actuallt twitched when zapped as opposed to me just being aware of the current. I did notice little lingering after-tingles, though, on the radial side.
Despite the needle portion of the testing hurting, in a way it was kind of neat because I had not realized that the test would involve translating my nerve activity into SOUND. Once the needle was in, the equipment registered a certain level of background static, and each time the EMG guy asked me to flex a certain muscle or turn my hand or wrist or elbow a certain way, the static would get louder and more crackly as I did so.
The good news: After testing various points from my forefinger clear up to my bicep, the guy gave me a preliminary verdict that yeah, the nerve connection is still there, just very weak. He kept using the analogy of a phone line, which was kind of amusing. I was able to get a response out of his equipment for every little motion he asked me to do, and that was somewhat reassuring. He also told me the nerve signals were actually stronger up near the break, which makes sense after a fashion, if that is where my body has been working hardest to heal.
The bad news: He wouldn't commit to any kind of time frame in which I could expect the nerve to come back, nor would he hazard a guess as to what kind of damage it has taken. He made a point of noting that his verdict was only preliminary, and added that my doctor should have his final report when I go in to see her next week.
As I have posted in other entries I had an apparent high reaction to the tuna melt sandwich I had for lunch this past Monday, but so far despite eating other things that involve tuna since then, including tuna sushi rolls today, I haven't managed to have a similar thing repeated. I will just have to try that tuna melt sandwich again.
Having a smaller brace seems to be both blessing and bane. It means better mobility -- and BEING ABLE TO PLAY -- but it also seems to mean that my bone is has less support now. Especially when the brace slips down enough to ride on my elbow, as it is wont to do. All this week I have been having these pangs of almost-pain (and sometimes when I am tired... or at least more tired than usual as I am always tired these days... actual pain) on the level of the bone, and it's distracting.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kathrynt and others have said that this is good, that it means my bone is knitting back together stronger.
I hope so, because it IS distracting and a little worrisome; I keep wondering "aaah am I gonna break it again?! aaaaaaaaaah!" in the back of my brain. Definitely a question to ask the doctor in a week.
Lastly, a review of things I can and cannot do at the moment, as newly discovered this past week:
1. Play smaller stringed instruments: mandolin, bouzouki. Tried my guitar, but it is too big for me to comfortably manage right now even with my improved mobility.
2. Type, at least a little: I can get my hand up to my keyboard if my laptop is appropriately situated, but my right arm is really shaky and requires support (e.g., my knee) to stay there for more than a few seconds. Also, my hand can't really straighten out enough to properly hit all the right-hand keys, so I have to move my whole hand and sort of drop my fingertips where they need to go.
Stupid hand. Feels like I have a clamp or something on it, forcing my fingers to be unable to rise past a certain point. Except there's nothing there, and no weight or anything.
But at least my forefinger and thumb have been occasionally randomly twitching, which I am also told is a good sign. It's also disconcerting, though. I think on some level I am still a little wigged out by my arm going spastic in the x-ray room.
OKAY DONE NOW. Time for bouzouki.
Speaking of nerves, I had mine tested today. Various people have warned me it would hurt. It did, but not unbearably; the only time I whimpered was when the guy poked a needle into my bicep. Most of the time I was able to distract myself by curling my other hand into a fist, or thinking very hard about my toes, the way I do at the dentist.
The first part of the test was relatively okay, just using a zapper to shoot little jolts into my arm. Unsurprisingly I got less sensation and reaction on the side of my hand controlled by my radial nerve than I did on the side controlled by the ulnar; the latter actuallt twitched when zapped as opposed to me just being aware of the current. I did notice little lingering after-tingles, though, on the radial side.
Despite the needle portion of the testing hurting, in a way it was kind of neat because I had not realized that the test would involve translating my nerve activity into SOUND. Once the needle was in, the equipment registered a certain level of background static, and each time the EMG guy asked me to flex a certain muscle or turn my hand or wrist or elbow a certain way, the static would get louder and more crackly as I did so.
The good news: After testing various points from my forefinger clear up to my bicep, the guy gave me a preliminary verdict that yeah, the nerve connection is still there, just very weak. He kept using the analogy of a phone line, which was kind of amusing. I was able to get a response out of his equipment for every little motion he asked me to do, and that was somewhat reassuring. He also told me the nerve signals were actually stronger up near the break, which makes sense after a fashion, if that is where my body has been working hardest to heal.
The bad news: He wouldn't commit to any kind of time frame in which I could expect the nerve to come back, nor would he hazard a guess as to what kind of damage it has taken. He made a point of noting that his verdict was only preliminary, and added that my doctor should have his final report when I go in to see her next week.
As I have posted in other entries I had an apparent high reaction to the tuna melt sandwich I had for lunch this past Monday, but so far despite eating other things that involve tuna since then, including tuna sushi rolls today, I haven't managed to have a similar thing repeated. I will just have to try that tuna melt sandwich again.
Having a smaller brace seems to be both blessing and bane. It means better mobility -- and BEING ABLE TO PLAY -- but it also seems to mean that my bone is has less support now. Especially when the brace slips down enough to ride on my elbow, as it is wont to do. All this week I have been having these pangs of almost-pain (and sometimes when I am tired... or at least more tired than usual as I am always tired these days... actual pain) on the level of the bone, and it's distracting.
kathrynt and others have said that this is good, that it means my bone is knitting back together stronger.I hope so, because it IS distracting and a little worrisome; I keep wondering "aaah am I gonna break it again?! aaaaaaaaaah!" in the back of my brain. Definitely a question to ask the doctor in a week.
Lastly, a review of things I can and cannot do at the moment, as newly discovered this past week:
1. Play smaller stringed instruments: mandolin, bouzouki. Tried my guitar, but it is too big for me to comfortably manage right now even with my improved mobility.
2. Type, at least a little: I can get my hand up to my keyboard if my laptop is appropriately situated, but my right arm is really shaky and requires support (e.g., my knee) to stay there for more than a few seconds. Also, my hand can't really straighten out enough to properly hit all the right-hand keys, so I have to move my whole hand and sort of drop my fingertips where they need to go.
Stupid hand. Feels like I have a clamp or something on it, forcing my fingers to be unable to rise past a certain point. Except there's nothing there, and no weight or anything.
But at least my forefinger and thumb have been occasionally randomly twitching, which I am also told is a good sign. It's also disconcerting, though. I think on some level I am still a little wigged out by my arm going spastic in the x-ray room.
OKAY DONE NOW. Time for bouzouki.
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no subject
Date: 2003-08-09 12:04 am (UTC)In in the words of a muppet pig, "Love da bouzouki music1"
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Date: 2003-08-09 02:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-09 12:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-09 02:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-09 05:56 pm (UTC)I also broke my heel bone falling off a ladder. Cheryl wrapped it in a ACE for months, while again I didn't anything that caused pain.
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Date: 2003-08-12 08:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-09 11:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-09 02:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-09 10:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-12 08:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-09 11:57 am (UTC)Yeah, it sucks about having no end in sight. I'm right with you there...there is no date on my "being stablized". "Ah feel yor pain."
Hang in there and take care of yourself. I would also suggest trying to eat lots of bananas with your tuna (not together, but at the same time), as it MIGHT be the combo of the two that did it. And bananas never hurt.
Hugs.
no subject
Date: 2003-08-09 02:42 pm (UTC)