Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
That is the sound I suspected we'd be hearing as soon as the cast was removed. We weren't disappointed!We headed to the surgeon's office for Dave's first post-op appt. He was looking very chipper heading into the office. We weren't sure what the arm would look like or how big the incision would be.
At the office, we were escorted to an exam room to wait.
The Assistant came in and started unwrapping. And cutting. And removing the surgical cast. Then it was revealed. Dave says it looks like the arm on a corpse. With old-man skin. It did have that 'special' corpse color about it. And the incision was bigger than he expected.
I wasn't sure how I'd do. I wondered if I'd get a bit woozy and have to sit. It was close a few moments (even thinking about it now is oozy), but I didn't pass out.
The stitches were removed and he was fitted with his new stylish mechanical arm brace. This thing allows him to pull his arm toward his body, but doesn't allow more than a 90 degree opening. He'll have it set to this range for two weeks, then he'll be back in to have it opened a little bit more.
This goes on for weeks. And weeks. And months. Can you tell the moment that Dave was informed that he should be doing NO exercise for a loooong time? We'll see how that goes. :/
Anyhoo, it's nice to have the cast removed and sutures out. He can now bath his arm and put on long sleeved shirts (brace goes on top then). And he can now scratch to his heart's desire.
2 comments:
Dave, I've read with interest your progress with this injury. I had the same injury several weeks after you did and scoured the Internet, before seeing a surgeon, to figure out what the heck I did to myself. Our surgeries were about the same, but I got a ROM brace instead of a cast. My physical therapy starts in about a week or so--four weeks after surgery. You're probably well into yours by now. As this is a rare injury, I've looked for causes beyond the seemingly normal activity that caused it. Certain antibiotics (Levaquin in my case) and corticosteroids (nasal spray in my case) have been shown to contribute to tendon ruptures, though the jury is still out on a definitive link. I had recently used both for a sinus infection prior to the injury. I had also done a lot of heavy lifting for a few days prior to the injury, which may have weakened the tendon. Just some food for thought if you had been prescribed either medications prior to your injury. Regardless, I hope you're progressing well and wish you a full, if not speedy, recovery. I've enjoyed your blog for the nature photography as well as the information on the injury we unfortunately share. All the best! -Chuck
Chuck: Two years later and we respond. Sorry! I just saw this comment. Thanks for the info. If you are still following the blog, you see that he is doing well in terms of the bicep. Hope you are enjoying his photography still! Best!
Callie
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