I am my Booboo: an Update

I visited the orthopedic surgeons at the hospital this morning just before the crosstown traffic in NYC became unbearable due to the evil influence of yet another holiday parade, this time, the annual Saint Patrick Day's Parade. While there, I was known as "proximal humerus"; as in "here's the proximal humerus's x-rays" and "the proximal humerus thinks she has a proximal ulnar fracture, can you check that out while you are at it?"

The bad news; after some very painful moving of my lower arm to maneuver it into a small portable x-ray machine, the docs did find a second fracture, at the proximal end of my ulna -- my elbow, just as I expected. (I also have another fracture of my fibula, but not so bad that I can't walk around, but bad enough that it is excruciatingly painful when I attempt to stand up, especially from a squat, and I can't stand up, either, without "climbing up a wall" using my good arm).

The good news is this "proximal ulna" is not a bad fracture at all, certainly nothing like a fracture of the proximal humerus! There is more good news; both fractures are healing well, although I am supposed to not move my arm for another three weeks so the bone fragments stay aligned properly. I am supposed to move my lower ar, though, so maker sure I don't lose my range of motion.

So, to make sure I could follow their instructions without damaging my arm, they gave me a different arm sling that allows me to move my lower arm while keeping my upper arm immobilized. This sling, a wide elastic band that fits around my waist, has two smaller bands on it, one that fits just above my elbow that keeps my upper arm immobilized against my side, and the second that fits around my wrist, keeping my lower arm immobilized against my belly. All these bands open and close with velcro so I can operate it by myself, without having to tighten straps and whatnot with only one hand.

The x-ray technician suggested that a boyfriend would be very helpful with the various straps and whatnot, to which I laughingly replied that finding a boyfriend has been a long-term project that obviously has not been successful.

And thanks to the great Spaghetti Monster, but my doc also gave me more pain meds that are stronger than ibuprofen -- tramadol. When I read more about this drug, I learned that Tramadol also relieves symptoms of depression in some people, although it is not licensed for that purpose. But considering that I've been battling a mixed mood state as well as varying levels of pain for the past three weeks, I am wondering if I'll notice any change in my mood? Of course, simply relieving my pain is probably sufficient to improve my mood state, at least somewhat. As I read more about Tramadol, I was quite disturbed to learn that it renders a person severely constipated, as in, sometimes requiring medical intervention (yeah, I know you don't want to read about rock-hard poop any more than I want to write about it, but that's the ugly fact of this drug).

That's all I need: MORE health problems! Especially problems like that. Sigh!