First Doc Visit, Post-Surgery

On Monday (8/31), I saw my orthopedist for the first time since he cut me open and made me less than an all-natural human.

It was a good visit, even though getting the stitches pulled out of my arm wasn't pleasant.

 

Courtesy Dr. Frankenstein

Thankfully, after my splint was removed, I was fitted with a new, shorter, REMOVABLE splint!

Don't worry, the flamethrower button is on the "safety" setting.

It also lets me adjust the tension with the handy dial you see in the pic. It better be functional, since they charge $440 for this little beauty (hopefully insurance will foot...or arm...the bill).

Here's an X-ray of my arm after getting the bone set in the ER. It's obvious why surgery was necessary.

"We think you're being a bit picky, sir. What do you mean this isn't close enough?!"

And here's a peek at what lies inside of my left arm now:

"Well, Mr. Hayes, you're screwed."

I'll go back in another 4 weeks to possibly get the go-ahead to try life without the splint, if I'm very careful. I'll also begin some PT to slowly rebuild strength and mobility. In the meantime, I can remove the splint to shower (there's also an arm sock I wear under the sleeve. I have two, so I can wash and alternate them, as they do get a little stinky), but I can't bear much weight with the arm, nor rotate my wrist.

While there for my follow-up, I also got the ball rolling with my knee. I will go in on 9/11 to start the process of figuring out what its problem(s) is (are). The insurance company won't sign off on a surgery for something that doesn't affect normal activity (are they insinuating that running isn't normal?) until all other methods of fixing the issue are tried, such as PT, steroid/cortisone shots, etc. So it could be a long process. If surgery ends up being the solution, I hope it can get done before the end of the year, since I've met my (ridiculously high) deductible this year and don't want to pay it again next year!

In the meantime, I'll be following my friend Adam's progress as he recovers from knee surgery. Hang tough, buddy, and good luck with your recovery. You'll be back out there running and making emergency bathroom stops at the quickie mart in no time!