Sunday 22 May 2016

Week 8 - 16 Mayy 2016 to 22 May 2016

No doctor appointment this week. However, i managed to wash my own hair on thursday!! Achievement  unlocked! YAY!

This post will be a reflection post and what i learnt from the past weeks.

1) my cast and sling is a good conversation starter.
2) Many people had their bones broken before. From taxi driver, to Grab driver, to hairdresser.
3) People compared their sprains with the fracture. I have to say the pain level is vastly different. I sprained my ankle last year, and the pain was nowhere near fracture. I had a grade 2 sprain and managed to hike up and down a mountain. No way am i able to do that with a fracture.
4) Sympathy from plenty
5) Life still goes on with one arm. Improvise and things will be easier
6) Showering is tough but is do-able without wrapping up the cast with plastic wrap.
7) You dont get seats offered on mrt and bus oftern.
8) I will always take multiple looks at people whom i saw with a cast on their arm.
9) I will notice people with a cast and sling
10) my family are very good to me.
11) I am wary of slippery surfaces.
12)  I dont have much pain.

All is not too bad with my fracture. With my fracture, i was able to leave work earlier and start work later. Leaving work earlier, i was able to go back to my parents' place and play with my nieces and spend time with my parents.

As a newly wed, there is presure, both from society and myself that i should not always be at my parent's place. However with my injury, i have legitiamte reasons to be at my parent's home as that is a place i can recuperate comfortably when i leave early from work. To be frank, I am still getting used to my inlaw's place and being able to go to my own parents' place everyday after work, made me really happy. I think this injury is a blesing in disguise for me.


7th week - 9 May 2016 to 15 May 2016

Appointment on 12 May 2016. Doctor told me that my next appointment would be on 23 May as she was not available on 19 May 2016. She told me that i am likley to be converted to a brace! YAY!!
I was instructed to do my xrays after my cast is removed on 23 May 2016. Difffeent from the usual. The usual practice is that xrays are done after re-cast as doctors would be worried that casting will caused movement and may shift the bones.

Xrays looked the same. It is a sign of stabilisation.


 
 

15 May 2016,

I had buffet lunch at Marriot hotel with my husband. I was worried that i wont be able to pick my own food and carry it over to my table. My husband helped me with the first round. Subsequently, i tried to take and carry my own food, i was able to do so. As i love seafood, i took lots of oyster, lobsters, crayfish and prawn. All these food requires both hands to peel. To do so, i placed the plates on my lap and i peeled the shell with both hands. The seafood were delicious.

6th week - 2 May 2016 to 8 May 2016

Nothing much again at my weekly visit to the orthopaedics. As usual, i was optimistic about my recovery.

Doctor told me another 2 to 3 weeks to convert me to a functional brace.


5th week - 25 April 2016 to 1 May 2016

Not much of an update. No pain as usual. Felt my arm to be really stable. Xrays looked the same.
Was rather optimistic that i would be able to remove my cast soon.



Doctor told me another 2 to 3 weeks more. Yay.







I was still not able to wash my hair. Had to visit the salon to get it washed.

4th week - 18 April 2016 to 24 April 2016

Appointment with the doctor on thursday.

Alignment is fine. X rays looked the same as before. The doctor prescribed me with calcium tablets. 


For the week, i felt that my arm was stronger and was able to lift up my arm highter. The nurses that do my cast were able to see the difference. I was able to move my injured arm with help from my normal arm. I was not able to do so previously.

3rd week - 11 April 2016 to 17 April 2016

It's the third week.

I managed to get my own wireless keyboard and brought it to my workplace so that typing of reports will be easier. I was able to type with both hands with the wiressless keyboard placed on my lap. I could not lift up my arm, so this was a good way to type.

On thusday,  review with the doctor. Doctor said alignment was good and kept me in the cast.



Thurrsday late afternoon, i was at my parent's place when my dad scalded his whole body with a pot of boiling soup. He was scalded baldy. My mum was feeding my two nieces, who are 2 and 3 yeas old, and was caught in a tough situation. My mum had to send my dad to to the hospital and someone have to look after my nieces at home and feed them. I took on the role to look after my two nieces and fed them with my one arm. They were very coopertative and understood that i had fractured my arm and they sat down and let me feed them easily.

Sunday 8 May 2016

2nd week - 5th April 2016 to 10th April 2016

5th April 2016 - Trip to A&E
Was supposed to be back at work, however my situation does not permit. My fingers joints are turning purple and my hands and fingers had gotten very swollen. As per advised from the Iceland doctor, I went to SGH A&E for my treatment in the morning. Waited for sometime and the doctor told me that he could not do anything and will not be removing my cast and would not take any xray. He commented that the collar and cuff looks too low and told the nurse to put me at a more elevated position. I went out of the doctor's room and waited for the nurses. At the nurse room, I told the nurse that i was not able to raise my arm and the nurse got another doctor in the room to take a look at my condition. The female doctor, i reckon, is more senior than the A&E doctor suggested for an xray given 1 week had past since my injury. Did my xray and my A&E doctor, together with an orthopedic advised that alignment was good. I was scheduled for an appointment with the orthopedic on 11 April 2016. Was given hospitalisation leave. I managed to change my top too with the help of the nurse. Finally had a change after 10 days.

Met my father after A&E. I did not tell my parents that i got myself injured. I only told them when i came back from my holiday. Met my mom afterwards and took a rest at my mom's place. My nieces saw my arm and asked if that was a bandage and if i bleed. I told them 'yes" even though, i did not bleed. haha. kids



6th April 2016 - 1st day back at work
Went back to work. My boss and colleagues were shock at the extend of my injury. Read and cleared my emails and catch up with some work. As i was using a laptop, it was difficult to type with one hand. Moreover, my office did not have any wireless keyboard, hence i have to sit upright to type.  Left early that day. Went back to my mom's place for rest and had a hair wash at a salon.

7th April 2016 - 1st visit to the Orthopedic
After i got injured in Iceland, i had gotten my brother to arrange for an appointment with an orthopedic as we knew that getting an outpatient specilist appointment is rather difficult and the wait is usually pretty long. My brother managed to get an appointment for me on 7th APril 2016 with a senior consultant doctor koh. Got my cast removed and i finally saw my arm after many days. My arm looks distorted. Doctor inspected my arm and instructed the nurses for a plaster cast for me. Did the cast and followed by xray. Doctor examined my xray and told me that my injury was pretty long and may take time, at least a few months to heal. She scheduled another appointment a week later. Met my dad and went to my mom's place to rest thereafter.


8th April 2016 
back to work again and had dinner at my mom's place. my aunt came and was shocked to see my injury.

9th April 2016 - First saturday in Singapore with my injured arm.
Met my friend for lunch at One KM. had steamboat. the waitresses were very nice to us and kept checking on my arm.

Had dinner gathering with my in laws' family. They were shock to see my injury too.

10th April 2016
Lazing around and visited my mom.