Image: Orthopod.
I saw the orthopedic surgeon this morning and he said that my fracture does not need surgery. I asked to see the x-ray and here's what I saw; the proximal end (the "head") of the humerus was broken off, but still in proper alignment. I'd draw a picture for you, but don't have a scanner to share it, so instead, I'll just describe it for you.
As you can see in the above image, there is a point where the head of the humerus meets the clavicle and scapula to form the shoulder joint. Well, the "round ball" that is at the top of the humerus is broken off. Since there is nothing to anchor the fractured bone to, they cannot immobilize my arm in a cast, so instead, they put it into a sling.
I didn't think to ask the surgeon what would lead him to perform surgery, but I assume there are several things that would cause him to follow that course of action (displacement is probably the first/worst condition, although I am merely guessing).
But considering the expense of surgery, and my lack of insurance and steady employment, the "no surgery" option makes me happiest.
So I am at my neighborhood coffee shop right now and I am somewhat disappointed that I am not very functional: I have two book reviews and one peer-reviewed paper that I was working on for you. It looks as though you have to wait, and I really wish you didn't have to! Although I am happy to be among smiling and friendly faces once again (yes, it's kinda lonely in my apartment, even though I do have my parrots to keep my company).
Ouch, and my sympathies! How long do tey expect it to take healing?
I had that same kind of fracture a couple of years ago and I empathize! I wore the sling for a couple of weeks and the pain gradually went away, was several months before I used that arm to lift much but it was fine for normal daily stuff, especially after the first month, and I regained full range of motion etc over time without surgery or PT. Best wishes for a quick recovery!
Take care of yourself! Don't strain anything.
I am a doctor (pediatric; alas)... If it really is a fracture at the head of the humerus, you really should double/triple check about need for surgery (hey doc... how would you be treating me if I had platinum insurance).
How to find/get low cost health insurance:
http://www.healthinsuranceinfo.net/
How to access low cost/no cost primary care:
http://www.hrsa.gov/help/default.htm
And of course since you are in NYC you can get orthopedic surgery, if need be, at the public hospitals, Bellevue and the others:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/hhc/html/home/home.shtml
Hoo baby! How's the pain level? Is it tolerable at least?
Thanks for the update and sending good wishes your way!
A wing in a sling is a miserable thing
But I'm glad that it's not a worse crack--
Now bring on the Spring, and the birds will all sing
When GrrlScientist's shoulder is back!
(Keep using the sling longer than you feel you need to--you'll feel better before you are better.)
Ok. Sounds like a plan: Scientist heal thyself. Feel better and don't push yourself.
Sorry to hear about this--best wishes for a speedy recovery.
I'm glad you don't have to go through surgery. Look after yourself and take it easy.
Poor girl... Please take care!
I hope they've got your sling adjusted so things aren't grinding any more. Is the pain subsiding at all?
Take care of yourself and don't overdo things....... like, don't lift anything heavier than your birds :-)
At the risk of seeming uncaring, which I am not, I ask: How do you do that? How do you break just the cap off a bone? That area of the shoulder seems well protected by muscle. I can see it being dislocated but I'm just surprised that such a break is possible without other damage.
In any case, good luck with it. I've only broken one small bone - a finger, and it was quite painful until I admitted it was broken and saw a doctor. However, it was my right hand and my job required me to keep notes on paper (how quaint). After a week of writing left handed the frustration built to the point where I took my cast off and dealt with the pain. Not a smart move but I survived.
Get well soon! Here's some parrots to cheer you up: http://podblack.wordpress.com/2008/03/04/many-feathered-holidays/
you aren't uncaring, oldfart, and in fact, most people enjoy talking about their war wounds. in fact, i'd enjoy talking about my war wounds if i had gotten it by escaping from a rampaging cab or if i had rescued a paralyzed person from a subway, but alas, this is not the case. the fact is that i was injured by voting for someone whom i dislike. i'll bet you never knew that one could be so terribly injured by voting for the wrong person, did you?
actually, i am just a klutz. an injury magnet. i slipped and fell on my shoulder on the sidewalk. although i don't remember much except the pain. in fact, all i really remember is screaming my head off and crying in the ER when they took my coat off. and then took my jacket off, which i was wearing under my coat. i don't remember getting home, although i know i rode the bus and then the subway.
kylie, thanks for the video. that is so cute, especially the ducks .. i think the pain meds are doing this, but i laughed watching them walk across the sandy beach, although i have no idea why they are so cute.
oldfart asks How do you do that? How do you break just the cap off a bone? That area of the shoulder seems well protected by muscle. I can see it being dislocated but I'm just surprised that such a break is possible without other damage.
It is more common than you imagine. A couple of years ago I fell off my bicycle while traveling down a moderate incline. I put out my left arm to brace myself for the fall, and suffered what the orthopedist called a "FOOSH" (falling on outstretched hand) injury. It busted the head off the radius; it took a titanium brace and 9 titanium screws to put it back together. I can send my x-rays to Grrl to post on the blog if anyone is interested; it is an impressive amount of metal!
Apparently FOOSH injuries to the head of the humerus are also relatively common. The neck of those bones Humerus or radius) is skinnier than the rest of the bone, and the force from a fall onto your arm can often end up breaking it at that weakest point.
Anyway, I hope GrrlScientist recovers quickly, and that the pain (which I also remember as being quite intense) soon becomes only a distant memory.
My dislocation+fracture injury (described at http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2008/03/my_broken_wing.php#commen… )
wasn't even particularly violent. I was walking on ice, and turned a corner. My feet slipped out to the side, and I fell on the pavement landing on my right side, with my arm still down along my body and my legs in the air. I don't have X-rays to share, but there's a large number of screws and a big plate on the bone, enough by itself to set off the scanners at the airport about 70% of the time. The surgical scar runs from the top front of my shoulder, down in an arc above the armpit and across the muscle, about 20 cm total length. I've also got a small mark from the screw hole in the top of my shoulder for the hardware that had to go in from that side.
I had a handful of physiotherapy sessions a few months after the injury. I'd recommend that, even if that isn't covered by your insurance, you at least go once to get a list of exercises you can perform to ensure that the shoulder doesn't bind up.
I got full use back pretty quickly. About six months after the injury, when I went back for a X-rays and evaluation with the surgeon, he was actually surprised at how far my arm could move (I had a larger range of motion than he did). He took photos of my range of motion so he could write an article about it.
Oh yikes. Just checked in and saw this. Good lord.
OUCH.
A quick but very important note: stay off the ibuprofen, and if you can stand to, stay off paracetamol as well. If your stomach can handle it, stick with buffered aspirin. Reason being, ibuprofen and paracetamol slow bone growth and healing, by up to several weeks. Yes, there are cites for this -- first one I turned up:
Laurence E. Dahners and Brian H. Mullis, "Effects of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs on Bone Formation and Soft-Tissue Healing", J Am Acad Orthop Surg, Vol 12, No 3, May/June 2004, 139-143.
http://www.jaaos.org/cgi/content/abstract/12/3/139
-- but there are a lot more studies confirming this effect if you look.
You may not have a choice about needing the painkiller -- I've had broken bones and remember this -- but if you use the NSAIDs as little as possible, you will heal faster.
...And please not to do this any more. {{worried}}
Now that I think about it, this sounds an awful lot like what happened to a friend's mom quite a few years ago. We were coming down her front sidewalk (which slopes a little bit) on the way to the driveway when suddenly she stepped on a patch of ice, her feet went flying, and she came down WHAM! on her back and shoulder. I don't know if she actually broke the head of the bone, but the break was high enough that they couldn't put a cast on it.
Based on you guys' experiences, I suppose I should consider myself lucky that when I took a flying spill like that on the ice several years ago, I only ended up with a badly sprained wrist from having landed with most of my weight on it. It made life interesting though. I was working as a bank teller and had to work out a way to count money with only one good hand - the "wrong" one at that. Surprisingly, I got pretty good at it.