The Dreaded “F” Word

One moment my husband and I are on our daily walk and the next I’m on the pavement looking at the sky wondering where my right arm is.

Apparently my toe caught an uneven part of the sidewalk. Rather than drop I thought I could catch myself to save a fall. My husband said I took 5 running steps then smashed into a parked car with my right shoulder.

All I remember is looking toward a house that was being renovated so didn’t want to land on the tools then made a decision I would flop onto the trunk of the car and be okay.

This didn’t work and my husband said I was running trying to get my feet to catch my body. So there was a lot of momentum behind the hit.

I turned my head right and saw my fingers so thought I must have dislocated my shoulder.

A young man, Ben, who was working on a house across the street came running over saying “Can I help you?”

I said to just let me lay there to catch my breath. I didn’t want an ambulance because I thought it was dislocated.

Bob had to walk about 35 minutes to get our vehicle and Ben reassured him he would not leave me alone. There are so many good people in our world as sometime later a young woman walked by sat down and kept me company too.

When Bob arrived Ben and he lifted me up while the woman held my arm. We drove to Urgent Care where after an X-ray it was determined I needed surgery. We were sent home with pain killers and instructions not to eat or drink after midnight.

After a sleepless night we checked into the hospital at 7a.m. My last pain pill was at 2a.m. Once checked in and moved to a waiting room a nurse inserted an IV. I asked for a pain pill and she said she would ask the doctor. This went on until 4 pm, with a CT scan and a move to another holding area from which I would be admitted.

The nurses and CT techs were wonderful and kept asking for pain medication. Unfortunately The Emergency docs considered me admitted under the surgeon and the Resident Ortho understood I had to be admitted under the Emergency Doc.

The nurses were texting the surgeon, who was in surgery, and talking to the charge nurse, plus my husband was asking constantly for medication.

Finally at 4 p.m. I got something and was admitted to a room. The Ortho resident said I’d broken the ball part of my humorous in 4 places as well as the humorous bone so it couldn’t be fixed. I would need a reverse shoulder replacement.

Bob and I were stunned. When I saw the Orthopaedic Surgeon he explained the bone fragments had moved so he would have to fish out the fragments and then try to put me together again. He said I was kind of like Humpty Dumpty. It was going to be a complex surgery and would take 4 hours.

He also explained that with a normal shoulder replacement patients are happy because they work well. With me, because I had a good shoulder I wouldn’t be as happy. There will be limited mobility.

The surgery went well and I was discharged Saturday. Broke it Tuesday September 24, surgery 26.

I have no complaints about care I received. The whole process of admitting patients through Emergency when they have an assigned Doctor must be looked at.

So what have I learned from this?

1. I’m happy I’d been doing balance exercises and could stand up from our couch or dining chairs unassisted. My legs were strong. If Bob had to pull me up I think the pain would spike. So begin today. sit on a sturdy chair, say nose over toes and stand up. at first you might need to use your hands.
2. Luckily I’ve always written with my left hand. I’m not a true leftie however with practise I can feed myself, brush my teeth etc.I am only typing with 1 finger so please ignore mistakes.
3. Physio starts immediately and we were taught in the hospital how to do each exercise. I’m blessed to have Bob there because each session takes us over an hour. Supposed to do 4 sessions a day……..My cousin had shoulder replacement surgery said the “physio hurts like hell but do them to prevent a frozen shoulder” He wasn’t joking!! The physiological is no longer as painful and I’m able to do them consistently no stopping to ice and then carry on.
4. I ‘m happy to have Bob as he walks me to washroom, opens pill bottles, cuts meat, supervises physio etc. If I didn’t have him I would have gone to a rehab hospital till I was independent.
5. if you need to retrieve something from the floor do not bend over. There is a chance blood will rush to your head and you might faint. Instead squat. So incorporate squats into your routine.
6. it was recommended that I get a chair for the shower. We did and I feel safe on it. If a doctor or physiological recommends something do it!
7. There are so many kind friends and relatives in my life I am blessed. Also strangers and my hospital roommates were kind.
8. We had just got back from Spain where we walked over 18,000 steps a day. No falls. However now I will walk with two sticks just to be more steady.
9. Can you stand on one foot while you brush your teeth? Alternate feet. Your balance is important.

While one moment we were planning to head to our winter home in mid-October, now we have a follow up surgeon’s visit next week and then in 3-4 more weeks. I’ll be seeing the physio right after the surgeon for more exercises which will be my job for the next two months. We hope we can travel in January.

Accidents happen. When they do get it fixed, follow medical advice and continue to enjoy life.