Week 2 Post-break
I spent the first week with my broken arm immobilized against my chest, my elbow at a permanent ninety-degree angle while I traveled 1,200 miles by car with my husband and son to my daughter’s college graduation in Massachusetts.
The trip there was relatively uneventful. The dull ache in my arm could easily be masked with just one Extra-Strength Tylenol so I was very thankful. I followed instructions to rotate my wrist from time to time and move my fingers around so they wouldn’t get stiff. That got easier by the day.
Since it has never hurt, even a little, I almost forgot that my eye was black, blue, green, purple, and bright red except for those times I got out of the car. I first thought people were just staring at my cinched-up arm attached to the wide elastic belt around my waist. Maybe they were, but their glance quickly went up to my scary-ugly eye. I didn’t mind or care, except when people made comments to each other as though my hearing had also been affected. (“She’s pretty banged up” is a tame example.)
Then there was sleeping. Sleeping in a chair at home is one thing, but on the road and in a hotel it was hard/often impossible. I guess it really didn’t matter since I just slept in the car after we got going each day, but some nights were pretty uncomfortable with no solution except to wait it out.
The graduation was nice and I am proud to have three of my four kids out of school. We moved Daughter out (with no help from me) and the car was completely stuffed. It was nice to eventually get home.
Tuesday, I saw the orthopedist. He said I could take my arm out of the sling and straighten my elbow for periods of time each day. That felt great. He showed me some “exercises” to do to roll my shoulder a bit. He also told me that there was NO way I would be swimming across the Great South Bay in July, or Alcatraz in August. Instead, I could be swimming again in three months with my strength probably fully back in six. I gulped and let that dose of reality slowly sink in as he readjusted my sling and said I should come back Friday for X-rays.
The only swimming event now on my calendar is September’s Big Shoulders swim in Lake Michigan. I’ll leave that there and see what happens. I cancelled upcoming rowing events, the bay swim, and won’t do the Senior Olympics pool swim events next week (my records had better remain intact!) I will eventually cancel my Alcatraz entry and am hoping I can transfer it to next year.
For now, I need to figure out a reasonable workout plan. Possibilities include walking on the gym track, water walking, rowing with my good arm on the rowing machine, and right now I’m not sure what else. Problems include the difficulty getting a bathing suit on (may just wear shorts since I’ll just go waist deep), and the huge amount of time it takes for me to do anything with my dominant hand in a sling. Bigger problems are feeling like a slug, envisioning my muscle and strength going from 100% to close to nothing by the time my bone is healed, and my ever-present healthy appetite.
Susan
109 Days to Alcatraz 