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A funny thing happened on the way to the Ortho....

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Posted 9/3/2014 2:29 AM (GMT 0)
What an odd few weeks. I was fully geared for my Ortho appt. I was fearful of a MUA but had researched the procedure enough that I felt I was ready to discuss the situation with my ortho. I had my list of questions ready and even had approval for a new MRI w/contrast.

What I wasn't prepared for was being T-boned by a woman at 45 mph. Her fault 100% The impact actually left part of her bumper wedged into my rear passenger tire. According to the wrecker, police and mechanic this was a one in a million hit. The tire never lost air. The axel shifted over, the bumper and the side door are oddly shaped -- but the tire held firm!

My guardian angels were definitely on the job. The offending car's front end disintegrated across three lanes of traffic. I was pushed into another lane...an empty one thankfully. I was shaken but felt okay....well, no new pain okay. Then I stepped out of the van. YIKES!!! Such a horrific cracking noise shot through my shoulder. Enough that it blurred my vision and brought my stomach to the surface. Once I found solid ground again and relearned breathing, I realized that I could move more! I could raise my arm forward past shoulder level without assistance. Still hurt, but it moved more. Confused? Scared! So I moved it again. yep it goes farther. Nothing gained sideways or backwards, darn it.

I didn't really feel the need to see the ER yet again, but I relented and had my darling drive me. I did get lots of x-rays of my arms and neck. Of course I failed them. But, watching the attending Dr's face as he tried to explain how bad my arm was....that was fun! All in all no *new* damage. It was decided that these noises were probably just scar tissue breaking. Her insurance is paying for everything.

So today I finally got back in to see my Doc. We had our talk and have decided that a new mri with contrast is a great idea prior to any further measures. He is thrilled to see my ROM improvement. He did, however, suggest I don't break any more scar tissue via car accident. I have to agree. He explained the knot in my arm as the deltoid being pulled from the bone. That will be dealt with when the fix the rotator. I also have a referral to a neuro to discuss the continuing ulnar and radial involvement. Even though the EMG came back fine, "it is obvious that something is going on." The neuro will run their tests to rule out TOS.

Whew, this has been an odd few weeks. I feel like I have been kicked yet again but then given an ice cream cone. Oh, butter pecan!
;-)
Posted 9/3/2014 2:48 AM (GMT 0)
Funny Dae, well not literally but years back I had a partial knee replacement ana the darn tthing never had been right. Always throbbed and creaked and would catch an almost cause me to fall. Like you I got to-boned about the same speed and I was driving so he got me in the drivers door and of course my knee took the impact. Broke the hardware but they wanted to wait until swelling an bruising went away to repair it and the staples to come out. Well after all that happened and it healed it didn't bother me as much as it did pre accident an didn't lock anymore either. That was 7 years ago and I won't let them fix it for fear they will make it go back like it was.

I always say I don't fix broken things instead of viceversa.

Hope you continue to get movement improvement and I wouldn't seek any more accidents to fix it but won't look a gift horse in the mouth either.
Posted 9/3/2014 3:16 AM (GMT 0)
Wow.Glad you weren't hurt.Can't believe you weren't sore the next day from the seat-belt or the impact.

You're right.Your Gardian Angel was on duty.

Take care,

Rick
Posted 9/3/2014 4:03 AM (GMT 0)
Vickie,
Sometimes bad things end well. I am so glad your knee is better. Blessings are often hidden under a pile of mess. I am trying to hold onto the silver linings. Knowing how tough life can be I wanted to share this with everyone.

Rick,
Oh I was very stiff and sore for several days. But minor bruising is well worth the ability to touch a can of corn in the cabinet. I cant pull it out but hey, its been 6 months since I could do even that left handed.

I was pulled over the day before and chastised by a cop for wearing my seatbelt under my arm. He said I would take out my ribs that way. I said as long as my shoulder didn't take another hit I was okay. Guess who the first one on scene? Yep, and his first question... how is your shoulder. Being postmaster in a small town has benefits.

I think my angels should be rotated due to hazard duty.
Posted 9/5/2014 12:30 AM (GMT 0)
Daesin,
I had been putting up with thoracic pain for twenty years from a construction work accident. No Workmens Comp and no meds either. One icy January morning I was walking downs the steps to my at home frame shop and lost a split second of concentration on the ice. I lost my footing too and went out 90 degrees in thin air. When I hit the ribs on the opposite side of my previous injury took the hit, about an inch over would have hit my spine. I heard something crack and then I went out cold. When I came to my body heat had melted the ice and then refrozen so I was sorta frozen to the steps and couldn't move thought I was paralyzed for a moment.
All of this was at our house on 400 lonely acres, I thought for a second that I was gonna freeze to death cause my sweet wife was in CA helping a friend move. Anyway, I defrosted real quick and my ribs were indeed cracked, green stick fracture on the two opposite the injured part. Well, 4months later when all was healed, ribs take FOREVER to heal, my back pain was gone. Did the same as you. Tors the scar tissue lose and was good as new. That was ten years ago and I still have zero back pain. I also believe we all have guardian Angels now too . . . Q

PS: Thanks to Abiline for telling me to read your great post.

Post Edited (quincy17) : 9/4/2014 6:33:07 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/5/2014 6:02 AM (GMT 0)
Quincy,
Thank you for sharing. Awesome story! Well, okay ribs are tough to heal, however, isn't it amazing how things work out. I try so hard to hold onto the thought that not every negative event means horrible consequences; usually, but not always.

I am in a good mindset right now (I LOVE my tens unit) but it can be difficult to remember that we are all lucky every day. Sometimes we just have to shovel a ton of crap off the luck. I have a sign over my desk that reads: Every day, every moment is beautiful if we only look hard enough.

Ps Isn't that a trip to wake up frozen to the ground? I think that and shock helped numb the hurt enough for me to get up though.
Posted 9/5/2014 7:01 AM (GMT 0)
I'm glad that you saw the humor and pain in my therapy story, Daesin. I feel like you do, there is always a good bit in every day, sometimes you have to look for it and others are just right in your face. Today has been a fine one for me too, I like hearing that you are having a good mind set right now . . . I also like your end statement about acceptance. My wife, Connie, and I will wake up and the first thing we tell each other is how we are feeling at the moment, whether our pain has made us grouchy or our dreams were good, whatever. We proceed from there knowing that all is right with ourselves. We are both disabled so that makes our lives that much closer, does that make sense?
The 20 years I spent with thoracic pain and no meds is another story. That's why I like this site, lots of people fighting pain in every way possible. This cancer pain is a lot different than the back pain, I can accept that and the fact that I need meds to get beyond it but I'm at the minimum so I'm happy there. Keep in touch . . . Q
Posted 9/5/2014 9:24 AM (GMT 0)
I can't help but think that our little CP group seems to have some of the strangest "luck" going for them!

It's no wonder we can get the 'hairy eyeball' look from people sometimes. As if CP isn't enough, we seem to all live lives packed with such a variety of bizarre circumstances!

That's us in a nutshell, eh?

I'll share two stories: (1) I picked up my best friend (this was back in the 1980's) from the hospital, she was in a full leg cast and had an arm sling. So she was in the back seat. Getting off the exit, my brakes gave out. I was driving and said, "I have no brakes! I have no brakes!" I was slamming on whatever was left of them. By the time the car stopped I had a small fire underneath one of the rear tires. Meanwhile there's my friend fresh out of the hospital with her still broken leg in a cast and slinged arm....Eeeek.

(2) I picked my car up from having the front wheels aligned. On the way home, less than 3 miles from the shop, my right front tire fell off. I still had the slip to show the cop (which had the date and time on it).....unbelievable, I swear.



What a group we make, eh?











M.
Posted 9/5/2014 1:33 PM (GMT 0)
So very glad your okay! Sorry about the accident of course.
Hope you continue to improve for you...we got rear ended last year and whammy I got hurt, was in a 45 mph zone and those are hard hits...

Prayers and well wishes...
Posted 9/5/2014 2:09 PM (GMT 0)
That's a bit of luck all right. Did you chew out the alignment shop? My wife just had the steering replaced on her truck Our mech. Is always thou rough so he did the tie rod ends and all. When we picked it up he said to have it aligned right away, but not to let the guy sell us anything else. Sure enough the alignment guy said your tie rods need replacing! We took it to another shop. Our group does have some weird luck though, you're right about that . . . Q
Posted 9/6/2014 12:10 AM (GMT 0)
"Every day, every moment is beautiful if we only look hard enough."

I want to remember that!

This is a great bunch of stories. Love it!
Posted 9/6/2014 4:22 AM (GMT 0)
Quincy, yes I see humor everywhere. I tend to use laughter as a coping mechanism, when I am nervous, bored, tired etc. Much to the surprise of my Dr and PT I start laughing right before I cry. And when they ask what is so funny I laugh harder. Strange reaction I know but it happens. It really isn't good in front of a cop or judge though! Really really bad!

Merrida, isn't that fun when the tire out paces you? Or other bits and bobs. I recently had a harmonic balancer fall out of the bottom of my car a block from, my house...thankfully downhill of the house. (That's the Jolly Green Giants wedding band at the bottom of the motor. It holds the belt in place. A much needed piece of equipment).
I have worked on my own car for years. Youngest of 6 girls and my poor Daddy is a heavy equipment mechanic. I dislike being lied to by a shop. I hate when they think they can make money off of you because you are a girl or don't know.

I am now learning more about the medical world. I figure if I have the equipment I might as well know all I can about how it works. That is where you guys have been so helpful.

Abilene, I am so glad you enjoyed my mantra. By all means use it - share it- live it.

Today I had the MRA. Can you say BIG needle!!! I had a wonderful radiologist who was easily entertained. I had him laughing.... which eases my tension. I couldn't talk him into poking me in the numb parts. I tried. He made a few suggestions and is writing in his report that my pain management is not sufficient. Maybe that will help. If not at least I made his day. I find out Tuesday what the results are. I cant wait for the pain & swelling to go away. He said it would in 48 hours. I asked it that timeline worked on my waistline too... sadly he said no. Oh well, cant win them all.
Posted 9/6/2014 1:32 PM (GMT 0)
Hiya Daesin,
I agree with You and Abiline, I've been doing my best to live that mantra for as long as I can remember. I came from a sort of nut so family, lots of verbal abuse, alcohol abuse, etc so I got a degree in psychology to figure out what that childhood was all about. Learned it, understood it, accepted it. That pathway can be followed all the way through my life . . . It's definitely a useful life mantra.
Yah, I can see how cracking up in authority situations can be counter productive, not the reaction they're looking for. That should be good news on the low level pain management bit, get them to pay attention to you at the very least . . . Q
Posted 9/6/2014 7:57 PM (GMT 0)
Quincy,
How ironic. Sounds like we grew up on the same block. Masters in Psychology, worked with kiddos for many years before going to the Post office. In school found that many of my classmate had similar situations. We study what effects us. Maybe trying to figure out the extent of damage we endured?

Laughter is a wonderful medicine. But *never* use it during Army basic training!!! Unless you are willing to do LOTS and LOTS of pushups. I did make my son's drill sgt laugh during his graduation last year. Was the only time I managed that feat.

Today is harder to find the humor. My shoulder is really swollen and hurts at almost day one pain level. I know it will fade....just not feeling really patient today.
Posted 9/6/2014 8:22 PM (GMT 0)
I'm sorry you're having a pain day . . . I'm not at my best today either. There's a low pressure front moving in so I'm gonna blame it on the weather and not the fact that I overworked again today. I get so frustrated at having to lay around most of the time that when I have a project I really go for it. Today was a six foot cat gym we got from Amazon for our two cats. Got it done with no extra parts, not too shabby. Take care of your self and keep in touch . . . Q
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