My Freak Accident

[NEDenise]

Okay...so the x-ray below shows the kind of day I've had. :(

To celebrate Father's Day, my sons and I took my husband and his dad bowling this morning. "Ladies first', they said. So up I stepped.

Now, friends, I'm no pro bowler. But I was taught by my dad...years and years ago...and though I don't always score well...I have beautiful form. In my youth, I once won an award for being "the most graceful bowler".

I stepped up to the approach line. I stood ready...started to move...reach out, pull back, release, glide...and then my foot caught on some kind of debris that was stuck to the flooring. I flew forward...head first...put my other foot down to catch my balance, only to discover that the lanes are freshly oiled on Sunday morning. My foot went flying. My hand went down to break my fall. My head hit the floor. Twice.

I'm told, that it was quite spectacular to watch. Frightening...but spectacularly so.

I was stunned, but not unconscious. People rushed from several lanes away in each direction. Then, many of them rushed away just as quickly when they saw the angle at which my hand rested.

As my husband, father-in-law, and two sons all rushed forward to come to my rescue, I waved them off. I could just see the mayhem that would have ensued if any, or all of them tried to walk on that oily floor. I sat up slowly, without benefit of my hands for support. Then, with as much dignity as I could muster, I slid on my butt, forever ruining the shorts I was wearing, until I got off the oily, messy part of the floor.

It wasn't until I tried to stand up that I realized how much pain I was in and the desire to faint became overwhelming. Anyone looking at my arm could see that something was terribly wrong. I, could feel the wrongness too.

Anyway...
short ambulance ride...
long wait in ER...
lecture from ER nurse because I don't have a port (so inconsiderate of me/so inconvenient for him)...
x-rays...
surgery pep talk-must have surgery to fix "shattered ulna and radius" by end of week...
many Percocet...
splint...
resting at home...
much pain...
hoping for a plan by Tuesday.

Never a dull moment. Still secretly hoping this is a bad dream, and I'm going to wake up any minute. I'm battling cancer. I just had my breasts reconstructed, I shouldn't be having my wrist reconstructed. Someone is very confused!

I know...things could be MUCH worse. But really...was this necessary? :)

Denise

[michka]

Oh no! Poor Denise! and you mean they sent you home without taking you in surgery right away? You sure didn't need that. I hope they gave you strong pain killers. I am sending hugs. Michka

[Mtngrl]

Oh, Denise. So sorry.

But you are an excellent story teller, I must say.

[ElaineM]

A BIG OUCH !! I hope you have the surgery asap and heal well. Stay away from the bowling alley on Sundays.
Take good care of yourself. Better yet I think the men in your life should take care of you for a few days. Smile.

[Becky]

Ughh - poor you but what a vision! Keep us informed of your upcoming surgery. Uggh - poor you.

[LeahM]

This is horrible. A Fathers Day that will never be forgotten. How on earth did you type all that??

Percocet is my new pain killer of choice. Take as perscribed and rest....I too can't believe they didn't do surgery immediately.

Rest my friend, I am thinking of you.

[Mandamoo]

oh Denise - ouchie! May your recovery be speedy and painless.
Amanda x

[JennyB]

Rest up and wait for the plan - what shocking bad luck and yes how did you type all of that story???

Jenny

[KristinSchwick]

Denise,
That stinks- I never thought lightening could strike twice, but then it must because we're all here fighting this beast. So sorry to hear this new turn of events. I can't believe the nerve of the ER nurse who complained that you didn't have a port- what an ass. There are bigger issues with ports than just convenience for some random nurse.
God bless and hang in there, I guess be thankful it wasn't worse- like a hip.
Kristin

[karen z]

Denise,
So sorry for this accident. I, too, can not believe you need to "wait on" surgery. I must tell you that you are a very good story teller as MtnGrl mentioned. I could picture it all................in great detail. Hope you are feeling better soon.

[LoisLane]

Oh Denise I am so sorry to hear about this accident. Who would have thought that an innocent outing what end up like that! I dont understand how they would let the public use the lanes it they were oily. That must have been such a fright for your family. I hope you are not in too much pain and get this surgery done ASAP. Take care Denise best wishes Lois

[caya]

Oh dear, Denise - how awful for you. Take every Percoset they give you. Keep us posted... hope you are not in too much pain.

all the best
caya

[KsGal]

My goodness...Denise! That looks like a nasty break. Who would have thought...bowling! ((hugs)) Im so sorry. Like you don't have enough on your plate. I sure hope it feels better real soon.

[Ellie F]

So sorry to hear about this. These things alaways seem to come out of the blue and just when things are looking good.Hopefully it will get sorted soon and then you'll be back on track.
Hugs
Ellie

[Ellie F]

Forgot to ask in my last post if the break is on the arm you had lymphoedema?
Ellie

[Bunty]

Oh Denise - what a story... you poor thing! You certainly did that injury in style. I think it's great that even though you have cancer, you are out there living a full and enjoyable (!) life. Hope you heal well and don't have too much pain. (I ended up in hospital for two months a year after my Stage IV diagnosis with a badly broken leg and arm after a car hit me whilst riding my motorcycle!)
Best wishes
Marie

[Pray]

Blessings to you Denise! I do hope you have a quick recovery!

[karen z]

Please let us know when your surgery is and how long your recovery will be.
kz

[snolan]

That totally stinks, what a bad weekned for you. Good thing is bones heal, just be patient. Life is never dule when we want it to be.
Suzanne

[KDR]

Denise,
I feel for you, dear friend! Hope you are out of pain and on the mend soon.
Why was there oil on the floor of a bowling lane? This sounds ludicrous and I'm mad that my friend was hurt!
Love
Karen
PS When Yasmin was four, she went to a bowling alley party. They gave the little ones the 8 lb. bowling ball. Yasmin dropped hers, her hand stayed in the ball, she went down with it, and split her chin on it, exposing the bone. Yes, we left party and went into plastic surgery.

[sarah]

Well Denise,well it's better than more cancer but horrible to have happened. Loved the way you told it! hope the pain pills work well.
hugs
Sarah

[cienna]

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Take care of yourself,

Cienna

[chrisy]

Well, although I am SO sorry you had to be the victim of this freak accident, at least you did it spectacularly. I'd expect nothing less from you.

I hope the pain meds are doing their job and that you can get into surgery and healing mode soon.

I'm also dealing with a freak accident but am embarrassed to say it was nearly invisible to the outside world when I stepped off a curb and ended up with a ruptured tendon in my calf. This was in April and it's only last week I started physical therapy to be able to walk again!

Hope your rehab is unglamorous, dull, and speedy,

Chris

[BonnieR]

If I were you, I might be having a conversation with a lawyer regarding the liability the bowling alley has regarding that oily floor. That is a real hazard.Their insurance should at least pay for it.
Keep the faith.

[Estelle]

Denise,

How awful. As if you don't have enough to deal with! Now just get though your surgery and take care of yourself!

Estelle

[7andcounting]

Denise, I am truly sorry, you didn't need that. The one thing that gives me comfort, when things go awry, is that we have bad surprises AND good surprises. You are definently in need of a good surprise. Hoping you can keep a positive attitude and know we are all thinking about you and wish we could give you a big comforting hug.

[twosenuf99]

Denise,

So sorry to hear about your accident. Like so many before me I can not believe they sent you home without surgery. WOW. The nerve of the nurse to whine about you not having a port. Please keep us informed of your surgery and recovery. Hoping for a speedy recovery.
Take care of yourself..
Tracy

[jml]

Oh Denise!
I'm so sorry that happened. How frightening for you and your family! You mentioned that you hit your head twice, so I hope they paid close attention to that too.
Rest easy, heal quickly & please keep us posted if you're able to type!
Keep the Faith~

Jml

[tricia keegan]

Ouch!! Sorry to read this Denise but could'nt help a sly smile on reading your story lol, I know it was'nt funny and do wish you well and please keep us posted!:)

[chekmark]

OMG you poor thing. I slightly chuckled at your candor and picturing it but then as I read further I thought WOW. Really, a lecture for no port. People amaze me. You my friend need to take care of yourself. I wish I was close so that I could help you. And if I am not mistaking, didn't you just go back to work or are getting ready to. I hope things go well with the surgery, will you need physical therapy? Did the bowling alley have you file an incident report? Please keep us posted if you are able to type after surgery. I am always here for you sista. God Bless. Darlene

[Jackie07]

Any update? (You mentioned about possibly hearing something Tuesday...)

Reminded me of your own motto: "“ Life is a grindstone, and whether it grinds you down or polishes you up is for you, and you alone, to decide. ”
– Cavett Robert

Take care and be sure to keep us updated...

[NEDenise]

Is it any wonder I love you guys!?
With everything else you have going on...you still reach out to me. If someone had told me 2 years ago that I would feel genuine love and friendship for a group of people I'd never actually met...I'd have rolled my eyes, and thought, "Yeah, right...and tomorrow night, the sun's gonna set in my back pocket.
But, here we are...and once again, I find myself feeling cyberhugs coming at me from my HER2 friends all over the world.
God is certainly good.
And I love my life!

And that's not the drugs talking either! As Jackie pointed out...I'm being "polished up again"!! At this point parts of me have achieved a nice high gloss...but it sets off all the bruises rather nicely, even if I do say so myself.

Since the ER doc's face went all ashen as he looked at my x-ray...and he said, "you really need someone who's dealt with a break this bad before, to fix this."
"I wouldn't mess around out here, in the suburbs", he continued, Get one of the guys in the city...and soon."
"This has to be fixed by the end of the week, or you might not ever regain full use of that hand."
...I got the idea this was not something to take lightly. Naturally, I then found the humor in it anyway...and posted the highlights for all of you to enjoy! (I know, you're all shocked by this! Since I'm usually so serious about things!) I'm sorry if I made anyone worry. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to share the whole mess with all of you.

To those of you who sent compliments about my story telling...thank you, sincerely. I'm very flattered by your praise. To those of you who smiled, or laughed...thanks to you too...I really like to make people laugh...especially at my own goofiness.
And, for all of you who sent warm wishes and prayers...thank you, thank you, thank you!

So...here's the latest in my saga...

I saw the surgeon late yesterday afternoon...nice man, very compassionate. And, my surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning...at his insistence. (His scheduler initially said next Tuesday was the earliest opening in his schedule. He said, "Move something, this can't wait.")
He's done many, many breaks like this one, but said the pieces of my bone have migrated into the actual wrist joint...making my case a little bit of a challenge. And, yes, if you're wondering, it's every bit as painful as it sounds...and twice as disgusting to look at!

Thank you Jesus for modern medicine! (Again!) Fifty years ago...if BC didn't finish me off before this spectacular feat of acrobatic bowling prowess occurred...I would have had to live out my days with a disfigured and virtually useless hand.

Instead, I'll be able to set off TSA alarms from 50 paces... because they'll be reinforcing my poor bone with a metal plate, and a bunch of screws.

The bad news yesterday was that the osteopenia I knew I had...has progressed to the full-blown osteoporosis I've been dreading. So, once my arm heals, I'll be looking into some fairly aggressive treatment to try to prevent more of these pesky fractures.

At least it wasn't my lymphedema arm...which is also the hand I write with...but that means for the next 6-8 weeks...I don't have a "good" arm to do things with. It also means I can't put on, or take off my compression sleeve by myself. Sheesh!

Today's conundrum is...I can't take Advil for the pain, because of the risk of bleeding during surgery tomorrow. And while Percocet makes me sleepy...it really doesn't to anything to alleviate my pain. So...
whiney,
whiney,
moan, complain,
whine some more...
my aaaaaaaarm hurts.
Thanks for letting me share that...I feel much better now.

I'll let you know how things work out tomorrow. Prayers would be most appreciated!

Denise

[karen z]

Thanks for the update and good luck on your surgery. I know it will go fine. You can do this !

[LeahM]

Thanks for the update. Glad to "hear" your smile. Good luck with the surgery, I know you will be great. Good vibes and prayers coming your way.

[JennyB]

Good luck hope it all goes well.

When I was young ie years ago - we had a show on telly about a storyteller called Jackanory you just reminded me of it!!

Hugs Jenny x

[Laurel]

Hey Denise, while I am truly sorry you had a less than graceful outing at the alley I cannot help laughing at your description of the event! So well was your story written I could picture it all right down to the oily smear on your butt!

I am very sorry you are in pain and inconvenienced, but I just want to thank you for the mental images! Here's to hopin' you heal amazingly fast!

BTW, how did you manage to type your post?

[NEDenise]

How did I manage to type my post?

Slowly...v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y!
:) Denise

[Becky]

I know everything will go fine. Also, my daughter has a metal plate in her arm (upper) and has only set off alarms once. I will be thinking of you.

[7andcounting]

Denise, you are so right...that's what I tell myself as I go into every surgery....atleast we can be "fixed". I am glad this surgeon is getting right to things and not waiting. I'm glad for your humor, it's our best defense sometimes! I am praying for you that your surgery is successful and that you heal very quickly. We all love you and look forward to more of your descriptive, and encouraging posts!

[Pray]

Gods blessings Denise! I am so sorry you have to go through all of this! Please, I do not expect you to respond to my pms. I will be thinking, hoping and praying for you tomorrow!

[Vicki revised]

Wow! Hope it heals quickly without any complications!

[Shobha]

Denise,

Your spirit comes shining through this post - wishing you speedy recovery!

hugs,
shobha

[Laurel]

Wondering how the surgery went, Denise? Hoping you are all pinned together again and back working as a "hand model" for some snarky cream or nail polish manufacturer soon! I think you have your own "life comes at ya fast" commercial in the wings!

Hang in there!

[greenacres]

Just got back from vac and saw this Denise, I'm so sorry you went through this OUCH! Hope you are doing well by now! Hugs.

[KDR]

Denise,
How are you? Please give us an update when you can.
Thinking of you,
Karen

[rhondalea]

Arrggh! I'm such a loser! How on earth did I miss this? (And now I'm wondering what other shockers are in store when I continue the quest to get caught up.)

The telling of your tale is hilarious and a testimony to your ability to make sweet treats from sour fruit. Still...I can't believe this has happened to you.

Please let me know what I can do for you. I'm keeping busy, but there are no crises in my life, so it would not be any trouble at all to offer a hand when you need one.

<hugs>

[NEDenise]

Karen and Rhondalea,
So sorry it took me so long to reply. I wasn't exactly sure how to respond. At first, I was really frustrated by this latest infirmity...but I'm over being bummed, and am back to looking on the bright side of things. I realized that I didn't let cancer drag me down...so it was just plain ridiculous to let this situation get to me!

The arm looks good. My surgeon is to be congratulated. Me, who went for the DIEP reconstruction because I didn't want foreign bodies (implants) in me forever...well now I have a metal plate and like...8 or 9 screws in my wrist. Permanently!

The surgeon took off the giant splint/bandage "thing" last week and they make a custom, removable brace for me to wear. I can take it off to shower. I can wear it in the pool. But...my arm still hurts. And when I take off the brace to stretch and do the little exercises he gave me...it hurts more. (Now, we're not talking Taxol quality bone pain. Not even as bad as Neulasta. But...it doesn't go away, either)

I can drive, and do a few things around the house, but I never realized how limiting it could be to be unable to rotate one's arm. As long as my thumb is pointed straight ahead (or at the ceiling, when my arm is bent) I'm good. Rotate just a little, and OUCH! Perhaps, that's why he told me not to do that until at least after I see him next month. Duh!

But, that means...no cutting veggies, no carrying cups, plates or glasses, no un-screwing anything, no typing with both hands, no holding a burger with two hands, no painting my own nails, no folding laundry...you get the picture.

To the great relief of everyone else in my household, I can still clean the bathrooms, and load the dishwasher. And, once someone else cuts up all the raw ingredients, I can cook too. Beyond those few housekeeping tasks, my husband and sons couldn't seem to care less about tidiness...so my dust bunnies will still be waiting for me when my wrist gets a little more limber. :)

So...the short answer is:
I'm good! Thanks for asking!
You are both on my list, when I count my blessings! :)

Be well my friends!
Denise

[LoisLane]

Hi haven't popped in to speak to you in a little while. I am really annoyed that you are going through all this crap because they let bowlers go on the lane when it had been oiled! I agree with Bonnie I think you need to have some legal work done here. I am actually the last person to suggest legal actions because I hate how our society is always suing this person or that person for insignifcant things but YOU have a case and you should be compensated for this. I know legal fees can be hefty but many lawyers will take their payment out of settlement. Take care Denise you are really a trooper I would be quite pissed off...love lois

[NEDenise]

Hi Lois,
I did consult a lawyer (family friend), and sadly there is this thing called "assumed risk". It basically means that if you go bowling, you should assume that you could get hurt.

Evidently, unbeknownst to the rest of us...bowling alleys are routinely oiled. You're not supposed to walk on the oiled part. The oil is for the sole enjoyment of the bowling balls. Unfortunately, once I lost my balance...I didn't really have any choice about where my feet walked...and it did not end well.

On the bright side, my insurance covered the surgery, doctor...etc...so it could be worse. I just have to pay all the co-pays.

Thanks for your outrage on my behalf though! And thanks for the get well wishes!
Denise

[KDR]

Denise,
Sure hoping you are on the mend sooner than later. What a couple of years you've had! May the pain subside and your mobility return-
Your friend
Karen