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[RedwoodsMama]

As you may know, I HAVE FALLEN YET AGAIN.( ON 14TH) I was putting out Monday morning trash for pick-up, and it is a large commercial can. It has been very cold here for over 2 weeks, with temps at 32 and below. Our driveway slants downhill and is in the shade. At 7:00 a.m. my hubby leaves for work and hoses off the car to get rid of layer of frost/ice. Not knowing while moving can, the water I was walking on had turned to ice
There was no time to react, and my hand was upside down pulling the can (on 2 wheels) behind me. I was on my back that fast, all the while cars going busily on their way, ignoring the fact there I lie on the ground in my bathrobe, sweat pants and only 15 feet at the most from one of our busiest streets, a one way also, and the fire department, one block away.

  I felt immediate intense pain.I got up and shuffled into the house. It is that kind of pain where you feel like you are going to pass out and also have nausea....... i knew my hand was messed up by the obvious deformity and fact I could not straighten it up. I t was also badly swollen. Luckily a friend lives a block away and she was happy to take me to the E.R. I got seen quickly but it took 7 hrs of tring to get an I.V.(they poked me 5 times and could not get a vein1) I just wanted pain releif and the Diluadid took off the edge a bit untill I moved my wrist..lots of X--rays, and tring to sign papers, that was not fun. The E.R. DR.  told me I"did quite a number", on my wrist. Showed me the X-RAYS where i fractured both the radius and styoid ulner. (both long bones in arm (wrist) where the hand attaches. They said it was a bad fracture, and called the on -call ortho (who happens to play poker with my husband )He came and ordered a new set of X-rays and then the worst part...............Reduction or what is called "closed reduction".they gave me a shot of Dilaudid this time, then a few minutes later, a painful series of shots in THE WRIST AND HAND! :(I was worse or as bad !!! as when my son was born( 9 lbs 10 oz, 22  1/2 inches long) but did not last as long. :'(It was so bad, I was literally screaming as they pulled on my fractured bones and crying. It was not just one pull, but four "yanks" There was no waiting for the painful shots in my wrist hand for the "numbing" medicine to help! >:(I guess it was better than surgery, but I would have been "asleep"

The dr. apologized but said it is allways painful, no way around it..After more X-RAYS to make sure bones were in alignment, they then gave me a temp fiberglass split elbow to wrist cast(partially open to allow for swelling) and a sling and script for oxycodone9pain)and told to follow up with the ortho.I can honestly sat this is more painful then my dislocated, fractured big toe, but the toe is still swollen and hurts quite a bit, but no where as intense as the throbbing boNe pain I have now.I saw the ortho yesterday with hopes of getting this temp cast off, it feels so tightand my fingers are swollen, stiff and ache.More X-RAYS, good alignment, but I have to wait another week till I get a Permanent one and not so tight I hope.

You have no idea how hard it is to do things with one hand(my good dominant hand was broken)till you have to.  Everyday things like getting dressed, (buttening shirts, pulling up jeans, zippers....give into sweat or pull on pants) brushing very long hair is tiresome, but I can not put it in braids, pony tail or up on my head. I asked my hubby to help by putting my hair in two simple pony-tails, and it would have been funny...but with one side 3 inches higher than the other, I looked more like PIPPI LONGSTOCKING!  Forget about can openers, pulling lids open, pouriong from coke into a glass, trying to cook anything other than microwave, and tring to tape a box to put in the mail is a joke.... The list is very short what I can do, and very long what I can not. I have to have the pharmisist put simple lids on my pain and other meds, so I can open them, or suffer till my hubby comes home...oh and here I am with hunt and peck typing, I can not write with a pencil or pen. I will try and feed my poor hungry pleos today: it has been 9-10 days since I have touched a pleo or fed them.  Poor RB. must think me a very creul mom by now.

  Anyone have ANY hints or ideas on how to make things easier for my everday chores? My hubby can be gone for up to 10 hrs a day, and i still have 9 cats and 1 hungry dog to feed, 5 outside cats to feed, and I still must do 7 litter boxes  :litterbox:daily, 1 litterbox is automatic. :clap:I am worn out: this took 45 miutes to type with the hunt peck method, but wanted to touch bases with everyone.Also my toe that is broken is my right foot, so I must be quite a sight, walking boot on my right side and right arm in cast and sling.

  Talon, I saw you said you had fractured your wrist before, so what good advice can you offer? Needed to vent a little, so frustrating to see your body falling apart right before your eyes..
             RWM   (AND 25 NEGLECTED HUNGRY PLEOS ...) ok, only 3 hungry plewos, the RB!


tHANKS EVERYONE.

[Mystearika]

That is not good *hugs*  do you have any family or friends that could help a little

[irbyma7297]

glad you are getting better, RWM. or at least better than when it broke.

[Robbie]

I have never broken a bone but I have had frozen shoulder. You can not move your arm properly, dressing, brushing your hair and sleeping is a nightmare if you knock your arm you get that nausea passout pain.

I mention this as my research told me that frozen shoulder usually happens if you have had your arm immobilised in your younger years. It strikes between 40 & 70 and last about two years but can leave you with restricted movement in the arm and pain.

As much as your arm hurts get it moving, I wouldn't wish frozen shoulder on anyone.

[Crewella]

Ouch!!  Poor RWM - wish I could help but I've not been through that.  All I can offer is a (very gentle) hug.   

[Peaches]

Aw no RWM! I feel so sorry for you, any idea how long the recovery process is expected? 

Ive never broken my arms/wrists but did tear the tendon in my left wrist last year & omg did that hurt! Im right handed too so thought that it wouldn't effect my every day life but boy was I wrong, I was so slow doing everything & in so much pain, so god knows how you must feel with it being your main hand. I still have trouble with my wrist even now, despite doctors saying it would heal with 6 months though Im sure it didnt help that I tried to carry a wooden midsleeper bed up the stairs by myself - it had just been delivered for my son & was blocking my hallway, completely forgot about my hand when I lifted it & omg the pain was unimaginable, I dropped the box & stood there crying, lol.

Tips for coping?
Dont over do it! Dont put any unnecessary pressure or weight on your hand! Dont be afraid to ask for help from friends, family or neighbours.
Try not to get too upset if something takes you twice as long to do as before, you're injured & your body needs time to recover so take your time.

When it comes to emptying litterboxes I sat on the floor to do my kittens, I had my legs crossed (not tightly crossed more my knees at an angle & then my feet crossed if that makes sense) & balanced an open rubbish bag between my legs with the edges of it going just over my knees to keep it open, then using my good handed poured the litter in. Any that didnt shake out straight away I got an old spoon & scooped out... very time consuming & I looked an idiot but it worked 

Getting dressed was always a pain, I used to shimmy myself into my clothes lol.

When it comes to food I didnt have too much of an issue mainly cause my kids would quite happy live of sandwiches & junk food for weeks if I let them, so I made a deal with them; lunch time would be sandwich, yoghurt, fruit (something easily like berries or banana) & crisps, so all I had to do was dump it on a plate lol. Then dinner time I often did something simple like a microwave meal, beans on toast (you can buy tins here that have pull back lids so very easy to open), or simple food that I could just pour/shake onto a tray & shove in the oven worked well for us too - helped my kids were young so dont really care as long as they're fed on time lol 


Speaking of kids my sons just woke up yet again (darn ADHD child & his 'I dont need to sleep' attitude lol), so I'll try & think of some more stuff later about how I coped & see if any of it will help you. Good luck RWM   

[InmemoryofRomeo]

Take it easy and get well soon, and maybe invest in an electric can opener?

[RickyD1979]

  sorry to hear RWM, hope you get well soon, pity I stay so far 

[Lunamione7]

  I am so distressed to hear you have been hurt AGAIN RWM  What we should do is wrap you in cotton wool and then in bubble wrap from head to toe to prevent any more accidents. We will strap a bicycle helmet to your head and get you some groovy 1970's knee pads that they used to wear for rollerskating and also a pillow glued to both your back and chest would be a good idea I think!

I broke both of my elbows when I was 10 years old after being trampled by a run away horse but I'm not sure how much advice I could give as I really do not remember how I got on with everyday things, I suppose I must have had some difficulty with both my arms out of action for six weeks but I can't for the life of me remember what I did to get around it  I do remember going bowling with a friend and having to push the ball down the lane with my foot but as you have also hurt your foot I can't see how that's at all help full. I'm sorry and I can only hope the madness stops soon and you are able to recover. We are all thinking of you and sending good thoughts. 

[Kami]

Oh, what terrible luck to hurt yourself twice. It does seem to be true in my experience that once you hurt yourself, it's hard to stop at just one injury. I wish I had useful advice to offer, but the only thing I can say, having done myself a bad ankle sprain and possible slight fracture about a year and a half ago, is to try not to over-use your 'good' hand to compensate. I ended up adding to my agony with my injury by straining my hands and other ankle hopping and crawling about the house and later, once I was stronger on my feet, re-straining my ankle a number of times trying to do everything I thought I should and hurting myself all due to being wobbly and clumsy.

You're probably not feeling like you're close to it yet, but after a painful and movement-impairing injury like that, it's really great when things start healing up and you're able to move around again. I hope you get to that point as soon as possible!

[Talon]

Man, Redwoods! That sounds horrible. My wrist injury wasn't half that bad. I had a radial fracture of my radius bone on my right hand which- luckily for me- wasn't my dominant hand. It was however the hand I used my cane with and that did cause me some hardship. I was also only nine when it happened so I probably didn't have half as much difficulties as you are having now. I had to keep that arm in a sling for the first three weeks. I also broke it over the summer so no camps, no horseback riding, no ruffhousing with the neighborhood kids. I remember having to be led everywhere because I couldn't use my cane and having to put a rubber showercap on my arm and securing it with a rubber band so I could bathe myself. Also pounding on a Braillewriter to write was not recommended so I had to learn how to use a one-handed brailer. Oh my this isn't going to help you. Honestly I was only in my cast for eight weeks. I broke my wrist in the middle of July and it came off some time in September shortly after I started school. You certainly have a much bigger workload than I did at my young age and it sounds as though you don't have many people around to help you. Man I really wish I lived closer! I just kind of... adapted and wriggled in and out of things. The sling was more of a hindrence than the cast honestly. Oh why am I even posting this? I suppose when you're all alone and miles from anywhere, the only thing you can do is just relearn how to do things and then take pride  in what you have accomplished.
Talon

[fancyfont]

RWM, Your little dinos will wait of you to heal. THey are very forgiving! You need to make sure you don't injure your wrist anymore or cause more pain. It will heal faster if you take care of it. I would wait until your husband comes home from work and have him help you do kitty litter and anything that causes stress on your wrist.
Hurry and get well. We all hate to see you in so much pain!

[RedwoodsMama]

Thanks everyone for the feedback and just listening. I took my half cast off yesterday to take a bath and give by arm a 'break' lol I still have not had a hair wash in ten days, and very long it is. Dr.    Living me nuts but can not do with one hand' bad back, broken foot and wrist. In a few days I get my full cast and will not be able to take
E it off for even a moment.
My hha

Hand is a lovely shade of purple and green' like a corspe-i like the idea imr of the electric can opener, but my hubby says, just wait for him to come home' so that is that.Luna, your post made me laugh and laughter is always good medicine, so thanks.my cats are also good comfort, and my dog too, she has lots of kisses.
On a side note' I am taking Michaels offer from long beach, where I all so lived in the late seventies and eighties, to send him a pleo to fix. Vccan anyone guess which of my many pleos it will be
 I will let everyone guess and then I will post the answer. Time to go get some pain meds and wiggle into clothes. The fun part will be trying
G to pack a pleo with one hand. I posted this on my ansrid tablet, my Xmas present from hubby, very useful now.love to everyone, I will be back sometime later today. I move so slow, afraid of falling again...  Rwm

   



I

[fancyfont]

I think miss Nova will be your first choice being your first baby dino.

[Robbie]

Hair washing is not as hard as you think, the trick is to go to a hairdresser, they do an excellent job and are quite cheap (well at least in Australia) and it feels good. When I had to do it they where really understanding. Otherwise you get a rubber shower hose that you can put on a tap about $5 and upend your head over a sink.

I still had use of my hand but couldn't lift it to reach my head so maybe you could get your Hubby to put shampoo & conditioner in a sauce bottle or pump dispenser so you can get the stuff out.

Good luck, I too have long hair so know your nightmare. It was two years before I could wash my hair normally but got very good at doing it upside down one handed.

But please keep your shoulder of your bad arm moving, better safe than sorry.

[Talon]

Nice to see you in such good spirits, Redwoods. When one is enduring pain I think one's attitude about it does wonders for their ability to cope. Just remember this pleo neck-fixing offer is more of an experiment for Michael as he wants to see if he can do it. I would choose carefully.
I hate to sound like a wet blanket but pleaeaease be careful with that wrist as well. A few days after I broke mine I was being led through a door and the person leading me didn't allow for enough clearance for my right side. I struck my elbow on the doorframe and I thought I broke my wrist all over again just from the impact. The lady leading me started crying and insisted on giving me a little teddybear she had in her car. She was a councelor at the camp I was attending when I broke my wrist. Oh I forgot to explain how it happened. I fell from a top bunk in the midddle of the night- the one and only time I've ever fallen out of a bed in my life.
Talon

[kat]

Hey RWM it is great to see you keeping your chin up and your spirits high    I'm sure you will find things easier once you have a solid cast on your arm as it will protect it a lot more and make it easier for you to move around and do things with out the worry of damaging or hurting your arm.  I broke my arm a couple of times when I was a kid and it wasn't much fun.  Best advice I can give is try not to let it get you down and keep yourself busy with happy things and you'll find the time it takes to heal will go by more swiftly.  Oh and know that when your feeling down or lonely we are all here waiting for you to make you smile    

[RedwoodsMama]

Hi everyone, great news, I got my hair washed this weekend, right before my arm was put in a perm cast this morning! I felt so good and I could not believe how itchy my arm was, how green and bruised.

  After getting my cast on, the ortho dr. did a repeat X -ray and showed it to me. He said the fracture had shifted slightly, and now I need to come back again next week to make sure it does not move any further. If it does, he will most likely put pins in my arm which means surgery.    now I don't know what to think and wondering what if every little bump is going to contribute or if it is something I can do nothing about?It is going to be a long week I think while i wait.

    Just out of curiosity, which do you think is going to take longer to heal? dislocated intra articular distal fracture of the big toe, or an acute intr-articular transverse comminuated fracture of the radius, and intr-articular comminuated fracture of the ulner? Lets seee who guesses correctly, and remember, I do not know either!


                                                                            Really confused     RWM

[Talon]

Haha, Redwoods, I can certainly tell you're in better spirits than before. I hope your fracture doesn't shift any further either. Surgery isn't fun. I'm not even going to guess which of your injuries heeals the quickest. If I were closer, I'd be glad to help out with your cats and your pleo herd. Stay safe and recover.
Talon

[fancyfont]

I will take a guess, RWM! I think a big toe is a little harder to heal because of so much weight bearing, besides if you are like me, and you seem to be,  big toes have a way of getting stubbed on everything in the way of it.
Do hope they both heal quickly!

[RedwoodsMama]

 Ok, it has been18 days since my fall on ice, breaking my wrist in two places and also tearing the ligaments and other"stuff"I got my cast on this past monday, but this monday, Feb. 4th I will have a repeat X ray to see if the bones have shifted any further...........which could mean surgery. ( I do not care as long as they do not do what they did in the E.R.........that hurt worse than delivering a 9 lb 10 oz baby.(my son)  As you all know, I document everything, and before I went to the E.R. (waiting for my friend to take me) I did a quick video to document the before and after. I did not know for sure if it was fractured, but I was in a lot of pain, and knew it was more than a strain.So please do not laugh too much..i still had my bathrobe on and one of our cats is drinking water out of the sink.

I will follow up later with photos before I get my cast which i have now, and after I visit the dr. on the 4th. ( fancy,,I think you are right,,, It took 7 months for my same foot which is fractured now, to heal in2001 after getting hit by a truck. i had what is called a Jones Fracture.Also ,since that foot does not get solid weight bearing from all the abuse it has had, it now has what is called, "Osteopenia".( loss of bone mineralization0

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m14KwpvJ34" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m14KwpvJ34</a>

Don't you love the music.....LOL   RWM 

[Talon]

Wow, Redwoods! I wasn't thinking about documenting anything when my wrist was broken. I just wanted the pain to stop.
Talon

[fancyfont]

Oh my goodness! What a number you did on your wrist!   

[RedwoodsMama]

  There was a knock on my door this morning and a wonderful package all wrapped in white on my porch...just as the mail truck drove away!  I wondered what could this be...I was not expecting any packages...just vitamins..but this is not them. What pray tell could this be? Baby Ruth said she wanted to help me open it, but not untill Nova wakes up from her nap. Nova is resting up, preparing to take a long trip to the lower part of "the golden state"., but for now we will just have to guess what is inside this magic box?

  Meanwhile, watch for photos I will post regarding my wrist..It helps the time go by a little quicker, waiting for Monday, and another dr.visit.. Ok, off to feed my outside cats in the very cold. I am walking very slow as not to fall again.. RWM

[Kami]

I admire you for being able to document the injury! I like to do things like that but when I hurt my ankle I couldn't bring myself to look at it at its bruised-up worst long enough to take pictures or video. Maybe because I'm so vain about my ankles.

Your mysterious package sounds exciting!