Hi
I'm still struggling to spend much time on my laptop. Sjogren's has not been uppermost in my mind recently. A broken arm has.
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h81/Scottietottie/image.jpg[/img]](http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h81/Scottietottie/image.jpg) (http://[img%20width=112%20height=150) This x-ray was taken on Thursday. As I broke my arm in August I was pretty disppointed that it wasn't looking better than that. I was told that I'm stuck in the humeral brace until at least Dec 27th.
There have been discussions in here about slow healing. I wonder if that plays a part - or whether the doctor just messed up by not pinning it.
Anyhow - I'm sorry I have been away from Wednesday chats for so long but if I use my hand for long my arm aches.
It is getting better. I can actually tear toilet paper and butter toast again now!!
Take care - Scottie :)
If slow bone healing is a problem related with Sjogren's, then that may be why my leg has been slow to heal.
Heal strong Scottie!
Hang in there Scottie...slowly but surely your arm is healing.... and I know it's much more slowly than you would like! ;)
Oh Scottie - That x-ray looks ghastly! The docs haven't tried to bring the broken parts of that bone together more? Perhaps I don't understand what I'm looking at, but that doesn't look right to me. I feel for you.
Many many years ago when I was in graduate school I broke my right wrist attempting to ice skate - an "onion fracture," where the outer layer of bone on the ball joint somehow separated from the inner layer. After most of a term with my writing arm in a cast, the hospital docs removed the cast and sent me home. The wrist still hurt but I figured it was just weak.
I got home to find an urgent message from the hospital - the head radiologist had just looked at the films and determined the wrist had not healed right. I returned to the hospital where they re-fractured the wrist, re-set the bone, and installed me in another cast. I can still easily recall the pain from the procedure.
In the years before and since I have broken numerous bones that have taken their time to heal. I've had severe osteoporosis since my 40's but I've often wondered if the Sjogren's wasn't a factor. My rheumatologist says osteoporosis is more common in those of us with autoimmune issues. I imagine the body's immune system to be pre-occupied with other things, and not focused on healing bones.
Joe I hope your leg gets stronger soon as well.
Everyone take care,
Genko
Your leg has been taking a while now too Joe!
I dislocated an elbow once and felt pretty disabled with that but it was my left arm. This has been a whole lot worse. Ee drops have been a nightmare and showering, drying and dressing. I've had to buy new clothes that will fit over a shoulder brace. At least I know I will end up with a working arm eventually. I'm very aware that many people these days are not so lucky.
Take care - Scottie
Hi Genko
I suspect it might have healed up by now if they had pinned it. They said it was lined up enough not to.
I sincerely hope it doesn't have to be re-broken! I'll see how physio goes when I'm able to do it. I have a DEXA scan scheduled. I don't think I have osteoporosis though. I'm sorry to hear that you have had it for so long. This is the first bone I've broken apart from the top of my coccyx when I fell down stairs once. I didn't realise just how much they hurt!
Take care - Scottie
:o :-[ YOUCH!
I'm sorry this is dragging on and on...hopefully the docs know what they are doing. I broke a leg about 5 years ago and they had to put a plate and a bunch of screws in it - it was no fun...but the bone did heal beautifully. They told me not to take any anti-inflammatory drugs while it was healing because they impede bone knitting. This was all before I got really sick from the autoimmune stuff (I had some symptoms but nothing major before then). Pain from a bone break is so awful....I hope you are not in too much pain. :-\
Now that is really interesting. I have been using paracetamol and Ibuprofen for pain relief and, of course, Ibuprofen is an NSAID. Have cut right back on them now though. The doctor knew that was what I was going to take. He suggested codeine but I said I couldn't cope with the effect it has on my moods.
Maybe the healing will be faster if I ditch the Ibuprofen. I was in a lot of pain. It is much more manageable now. It has reminded me that pain is relative .
Take care - Scottie
Scottie
I'm sorry to hear you are still having problems with your arm. We don't realize how much we use them 'til we don't have full use of them, do we?
Sending you healing vibes and a hug.
Kathyx
Yeah - I had never heard that before my leg break either. Most of my pain was from inflammation, of course, but it was a nasty spiral fracture (hard to heal) so they were pretty strict - no tylenol (paracetamol), ibuprofen, etc... - just narcotic pain relievers. I am allergic to codeine so they had me on oxycodone and oxycontin...I HATE narcotics (can't understand now anybody could get addicted to them - they're awful!) but the pain was so bad I didn't care. I took them as long as I had to, then got off as quickly as I could. If the pain flared up, I'd take half a tablet of oxycodone, but I did stay off the NSAIDS. Hard to believe they were worse for me than the narcotics, but I guess in this case it was true.
Here's an article from a reputable source that gives some info.... http://www.arthritis.org/nsaids-fracture-healing.php
The orthopedic surgeon told my mom that it would take a year for her bone to heal from her broken hip. Three months for the muscles to come back. She and my dad both have osteoporosis. I'm doomed by genetics! LOL! Now she has quit doing her exercises, told the home health nurse flat out she wasn't going to do them. The physical therapists have quit coming. So, I bet it's going to take longer than a year.
Hope you are back to your old self soon, Scottietootie!
AAAAAA, Scottie, So sorry to hear that. I hope and pray it gets better soon. :-* :-*
Scottie, so sorry to hear about your arm! I think any AI disease has an effect on our healing, our bodies can't figure out what to do/fix/or leave alone. Feel better soon!-hootyhu
Scottie, I'm so sorry you are healing so slowly. Have you considered getting Dragon software so you can speak rather than type? That would be much more comfortable for you.
At least you have an excuse to not host Thanksgiving!
Hugs, Sharon
Last years version of Dragon does not seem to work well with the forum for me. There seems to be some interaction that hangs my computer. The new version $80US direct from the company may have solved that issue.
A year to heal, that may be why I feel like it is taking so long. I have almost five months left to make a year.
I hope that it does not take you a year to heal Scotty.
Wow! So do I Joe. I am really missing being able to drive. Have been spending a fortune on cabs to get to appointments. Hubby will only drive me somewhere if he feels like going and he doesn't feel like going many places.
I am sorry that this is taking so long Scottie---you too Joe!!!
I guess I have a question. Do they generally align bones in adults and wait for them to heal. I guess that seems to be a practice more common in children as they heal so fast. I may be out of the loop about this. It is something that we should all know more about because of the autoimmune effect and healing issues. Thanks Irish
My impression is that it depends on the break...if it's not a bad break and the bone ends meet reasonably well - and it can be immobilized effectively - they will let it heal on it's own.
In my case it was a bad fracture that ran vertically as well as horizontally, and on top of it I waited about 6 hours to seek medical attention (long story)...in that time, the tissue around the break swelled up and caused the bones to displace significantly - the only way to get it back together and hold it that way was to put in a plate and screws.
So I guess especially for autoimmune patients for whom surgery is especially risky, DON'T WAIT if you think you have a broken bone - it can sometimes make the difference between a simple cast and having to go through surgery and have metal implants. :-[
I broke my left leg. I have an automatic transmission. I can drive when Jan lets me have the car. I can not drive for a long time. Often have her drive if I had a long walk in a store.
My mom had a clean break of the femur right below the ball of the hip - straight across - the surgeon put in three screws to hold the bone in place. She's 74 yrs old and has no autoimmune issues. But does have osteoporosis. They just put a bandage over the incision site when she was at the hospital.
She was supposed to have a follow-up appointment this week to see how it is healing but I think it had to be rescheduled because my dad has a radiation appointment. We are down to only one driver in the family now.
A friend of ours told us that his mother broke the same hip twice. Yikes! Now that's scary!
Hi Irish
The consultant did talk about possibly pinning the arm but said that as the bones were pretty well aligned he hoped they would heal naturally. I think cost probably comes into the equation, although he didn't say so.
Personally I feel the healing process would now be further on if he had pinned them. The arm is undoubtedly healing however. I can carry cups and plates now, which I couldn't manage a week ago. It has a way to go but I wouldn't like to have it pinned now!
Take care - Scottie :)
You are coming along, Scottie, if you can carry cups and plates now. I guess as far as whether your arm should have been pinned or not, it would be hard to say at the beginning. I certainly understand you feeling now that it would have been better and a shorter healing time if they had done it.
Just glad you are still improving...little bits at a time, right?
Oh Scottie..so sorry about the break, but happy you are on the mend.
Unfortunately as we get older we do mend slower...
I too am glad you are on the mend. Getting older is a tad hard on us for sure.
susanep :)