Progress!

[eregyrn]

I know, I'm hell at updating. But, as you can tell from my writing this, I came through the surgery fine. (Except for the nerve block not working to actually block the pain, and except for the Percocet making me ill.) Massive, massive thanks to elishavah, and also to veejane, for all the help they've been giving me. I apologize for not being good about replying to comments, I really appreciate everyone's well wishes.

Yesterday was the 11th day after the surgery, so I went in for my postop checkup. Everything looks good! The cast finally came off (and this had been the most annoying cast, yet). I now have a very small plastic brace that goes on with Velcro straps, which I can take off to shower (!!!!!!) and to do my exercises. The incision is big, but healing well; the skin is already pretty much closed over. The whole arm and hand is a bit achey, and feels vulnerable because it isn't so well protected. The bone won't actually be healed for another four weeks, but because the plate is holding it together, I can start on rehabilitating everything.

The weirdest part is that I am supposed to now be doing all kinds of exercises to get a hand and the wrist back in shape, and it's very strange to have nothing at all on the arm, and to be trying to tell it to do things, and it's not be able to do them. I know that will come in time, as I work on it.

Below the cut, my x-rays, so you can see the plate and all the screws.

Comments

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

Yes, the plate will always be a part of me, now.

[sazabhadri.livejournal.com]

So does this mean they'll hassle you at airports from now on?

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

Possibly. The assisting surgeon actually addressed this in the pre-op "going over all the things that might go wrong so you have to sign here to indicate that we totally told you about that" part of it. He said that this size plate SHOULDN'T set off metal detectors, but it might. And they used to give out little cards for travelling that would certify you have a plate in you, except after 9/11 they don't do that any more because the little cards are way too easy to forge. So he suggested that if I ever do set off metal detectors, I invite them to wand my arm, as that plus the scar ought to convince them of my harmlessness (short of the scar being where I intentionally replaced my radius with C4 and a detonator, I suppose).