Take you hands out of your pockets! A cautionary tale.
Posted by: manicatel on 19 January 2008
Well, there I was, just taking the dog for a walk, & having chat with the missus.
It was chilly & I had my hands inside my jacket pockets. I tripped over my laces & tried to get my hands out of my pockets, but was not successful. I landed on the point of my left elbow, in extreme agony. I pretty much passed out with pain. Had to walk quarter mile back to the car,& mrs drove me to hospital.
End result? Broke my humourus in 3 places just above the joint, & smashed the elbow joint into several smaller bits. The consultant had to break another bone & disassemble my elbow joint to implant a metal plate, as well as relocate a nerve line that goes to my little & ring finger, as otherwise I could lose feeling in those digits, or lose them altogether!
A minimum of 3 to 4 months off work. Bloody hell. All that, just from taking the dog for a walk.
Just got out of hospital, 5 days later, feeling pretty sorry for myself.
Moral of the story is "DON'T walk with your hands in your pockets". If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.
Sympathy, or at least some very funny comments invited.
Matt.
Posted on: 19 January 2008 by Chillkram
My missus had the same break a couple of years ago from tripping over a raised paving stone. Her arm's never been the same since and gives her a lot of pain.
Very nasty.
My sympathies Matt.
Mark
Posted on: 19 January 2008 by KenM
Not very humerus, but someone was going to say it.
Sincerely though, my sympathies.
Ken
Posted on: 19 January 2008 by Jim Lawson
Sorry to hear of your injury. At least you didn't land on your face and break your nose or cheek.
Speedy recovery,
Jim
Posted on: 20 January 2008 by scottyhammer
matt,
im sorry to hear that mate - hope you get well soon. were you walking the dog BACK from the pub by any chance !!
email me and we will have a meet at mine as you will have plenty of time on your hands - i should have some new black boxes by then as well.
best regards, dave
Posted on: 20 January 2008 by scottyhammer
oh! and tie yer laces up.
Posted on: 20 January 2008 by manicatel
Hi dave,
I can't even drive a car for the next few weeks, at least!
I saw the hammers mancs fa cup game on a hospital tv, morphine'd out of my head. Everything looked to be in slow motion.It looked like Ashton couldn't even run! Tell me it was the morphine, please!
Oh, & the laces were tied.Long laces, meaning large loops to the knot. Just large enough in fact to get the toe of my left boot through the knot-loop of my right boot! Thing is, I can listen to cd's, but I can't put lp's on one handed! Oh well.
Cheers, Matt.
Posted on: 20 January 2008 by scottyhammer
well whenever you can get over to mine then let me know and well arrange something - ill even show you how to tie knots properly
i used to be a steeplejack !
dave
Posted on: 20 January 2008 by scottyhammer
oh, and bad news mate it wasnt the morphine !
whu were shite.
Posted on: 20 January 2008 by JWM
Very sorry to hear. My dad did exactly the same thing a few years back.
James
Posted on: 21 January 2008 by Bruce Woodhouse
Ouch.
I hate to give medical advice on here but it might be worth a conversation with your docs about your bone strength. Obviously a nasty blow but if you've had a bad fracture of a long bone just occasionally this is a sign of low bone density/osteoporosis. Rare in men but might be worth discussing with your doc as some fairly simple tests could exclude the problem.
This is more the case if you are 50+ really and the need for tests does depend on various other bits of your medical history too.
Bruce
Posted on: 21 January 2008 by Jono 13
At least you didn't do what my father did after breaking both bones in his forearm having fallen all of two steps up a step ladder.
He looked down, saw that his hand was in the wrong place and promptly pulled it back in place. After he came round from fainting my mum drove him to the nearest hospital where the doctor declared that it was spot-on and just put it in plaster.
Matt all of the muscle in your arm will be wasted after being plaster so get a squash ball and start squeezing.
Jono
Posted on: 21 January 2008 by manicatel
Thanks for the input from bruce & jono.
At 45, hopefully my bone density should be ok, but its worth a look.
Jono, at present, I am being told to concentrate on 2 very basic exercises, 1 is forming a fist & then spreading my fingers open, as quickly & as wide as possible, & 2, bending my elbow joint from approx 20-90+ degrees to get as much range of movement as I can. A squash ball or similar does sound like a good idea for the v. near future.
Cheers,
Matt.
Posted on: 21 January 2008 by Jono 13
At least the dog didn't get you!
Perhaps I should have said that I broke my elbow aged 5 and only some handy surgery saved the use of my right hand. I still have the scar 40 years on.
Do pay attention to the physio, they are trained to make it hurt and they enjoy it!
Think personal trainer with added pain.
Jono
Posted on: 21 January 2008 by nap-ster
There's a lot to be said for slip ons.
Posted on: 21 January 2008 by Svetty
quote:
Originally posted by Bruce Woodhouse:
Ouch.
I hate to give medical advice on here but it might be worth a conversation with your docs about your bone strength. Obviously a nasty blow but if you've had a bad fracture of a long bone just occasionally this is a sign of low bone density/osteoporosis. Rare in men but might be worth discussing with your doc as some fairly simple tests could exclude the problem.
This is more the case if you are 50+ really and the need for tests does depend on various other bits of your medical history too.
Bruce
Guidelines/indications for DEXA scanning??
Posted on: 21 January 2008 by northpole
Aaoch!!
In my teens I slipped and fell on ice & landed on my elbow. I didn't go to the doctor or hospital but I was in alot of pain for several weeks. Teen attitudes, eh? Yours sounds alot worse and the pain must be excrutiating.
Every sympathy & a speedy recovery to you.
Peter
Posted on: 22 January 2008 by domfjbrown
quote:
Originally posted by manicatel:
morphine'd out of my head
Lucky sod! When I blacked out down a flight of stairs last year and got whiplashed, KO'd, and two huge scars on my head (and a bruise on my arm that was so deep it's still visible now, 4 months later!) I got diddly-squat (though ended up with 6 weeks off work and the strongest dose of codiene they could give me for 3 weeks
Still can't feel my thumb and two larger finger pads though (something to do with T5? nerve damage) - not so fun for touchtyping!
Can you feel your fingers, etc OK?? Speedy recovery too
Posted on: 25 January 2008 by David Sutton
I also slipped on ice as a teenager. Ended up with similar injuries to Matt (although not as serious)and did not get my hands out of those pockets in time!
Good luck with the recovery. Hope you get plenty of time to listen to your hifi!
David
Posted on: 25 January 2008 by manicatel
Once again,
Thanks for all the positive messages & tips.
I'm having the staples out next week & at the same time, the consultant will assess the progress & work on the next stage of rehab.
Cheers,
Matt.
Posted on: 26 January 2008 by scottyhammer
good luck son and dont forget to mail me when you can drive.
regards, dave
Posted on: 26 January 2008 by manicatel
Hi there dave,
thanks for the kind thoughts& invite.
Have you got your new boxes in yet?
Looking forward to your report & piccy's.
Matt.
Posted on: 26 January 2008 by ryan_d
quote:
Do pay attention to the physio, they are trained to make it hurt and they enjoy it!
Think personal trainer with added pain.
They're not called physio terrorists for nothing
.
All the best with the recovery....and Jono is right, the rehab will hurt but you'll be in better shape by the end of it.
Ryan
Posted on: 26 January 2008 by scottyhammer
hi matt,
yes they are in and everything is positive so far, i will post a new thread in due course as the gear is still warming up.
and of course i will post pics.
take care.
regards, dave
