Whoops! How did that happen?

[Slid]

Boxing Day about noon, I trip over a Xmas present, damage my left shoulder (badly and painfully) and we end up calling an ambulance, as I could not imagine moving. 8 hours later, we finally get home. I have fractured the head of my left humerus bone and it is noticeably displaced. The assumed dislocation of the shoulder was incorrect on my part. Waiting to hear about an operation some time in the near future.

What an experience, bumping around from one Dept to the next like a pinball. Worrying mainly about how I sort out the one brew in FV and when I can get around to the next ~8 brews I had mentally sketched out.

 

[Honk]

Ouch, that sounds painful, and not a good way to spend boxing day. You didn't say if any alcohol was involved in your accident?

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
Bad luck!
I hope you get rapid and effective treatment.

 

[Slid]

Ouch, that sounds painful, and not a good way to spend boxing day. You didn't say if any alcohol was involved in your accident?

Oddly no. I was up early, around 8:15, went far a run, had breakfast, then did some ironing and got ready for work today - new gym bag packed and clothes ready etc. When the accident happened, I was pretty much as sober as it gets, this time of year.

 

[Slid]

The Fracture Team don't think an operation is required, so I go back on Jan 2nd, to see how it is and make a next call on further treatment - physio etc.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Worrying mainly about how I sort out the one brew in FV and when I can get around to the next ~8 brews I had mentally sketched out

Sorry to hear your bad news but at least you now know you do not have to have an operation i am sure Bri will be able to give you some tips on one handed brewing as nothing seems to stop him.

.

 

[Gunge]

It's God's way of telling you than men do not do ironing.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

It's God's way of telling you than men do not do ironing.

 

[GerritT]

Sorry to hear it! Maybe now is the time to start with kegs?

 

[Slid]

Well, all seems to have gone fairly well for the last 7 weeks or so and I have some decent movement back in the left arm. Getting back in the swimming pool made the most difference, once the bone was clearly knitting back together after 5-6 weeks. No actual swimming, as such, of course, but the water supports weight and that makes it much easier. Have been trying to remain fairly active in the meantime, even though it was mainly just walking for what seemed like forever during the cold weeks of Jan and early Feb, when walking on a slippery surface would have been very silly indeed.

Will hopefully be getting back to work in another week or so and am planning a trial brew session on Wednesday next week (rain forecast!) to use up the open hops and generally get back to using my arm properly.

No running until 12 weeks from the incident on Boxing Day, as the consequences of a fall on a partially mended bone are not worth risking. That, in its own way, is worse even than not being able to make beer. You could even buy beer, as SWMBO reminds me. It's very hard to buy a new shoulder.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Glad to hear you are nearly there. :thumba:

 

[Slid]

This is by now as near to being better as I guess it is ever going to be. I have seen a Physio through work roughly ever other week since going back to work. First app was in early March.

The exercises have taken about 45mins a day and have been to progressively regain mobility (first) and strength (second). A bit tedious at times, but sometimes you "JFDI" as they tend to say a lot in retail businesses.

 

[Slid]

Back to running similar distances as before, now and also back to just being a bit overweight @ 77kg (I was 65kg half a lifetime ago). Arm / shoulder now almost "as was". So, only lesson to be learned is "don't do stupid things".

 

[DavidDetroit]

Back to running

Being denied the ability to run is a bummer. Glad to hear things turned out. Drove me crazy when I couldn't go jogging.
I snapped the distal (think "distant") tendon of my bicep where it connects at the elbow. Bicep rolled up like a window shade when it happened, was pretty gross. Fine now except the radius and ulna (forearm bones) fused at the elbow area so that the lower arm won't rotate (think turning just your wrist to read your watch and not being able to).

 

[strange-steve]

I snapped the distal (think "distant") tendon of my bicep where it connects at the elbow. Bicep rolled up like a window shade when it happened, was pretty gross.

Power lifting? That's a common injury in alternate grip deadlifting.

 

[DavidDetroit]

Power lifting? That's a common injury in alternate grip deadlifting.

That is the common way but I got creative. I was playing adult baseball. The pitcher threw an off-speed pitch, I swatted out/lunged with the bat, one-armed, extending it sharply and SNAP. I knew something was wrong, I finished my at-bat, then went to the hospital. It got fixed well enough--I can do push ups, type, ride my motorcycle. Any swinging sport (golf, baseball, etc.) is off the table though as I mentioned since the two bones near the elbow fused together.
I know a guy who ripped his pectoral (whatever the chest muscle is) lifting right at the tendon. That seems worse than mine. I always lifted responsibly and safely. Now I just do the Total Gym and go jogging. I'm on my second Total Gym as they will eventually wear out.

 

[strange-steve]

Sounds nasty. And yes I've seen the results of a torn pec, pretty horrific:

 

[Slid]

Same pretty colours you get if you fracture a proximate humerus, but over a more expansive region. No doubt the illustrated areas will darken and migrate over the course of a few weeks.

Nice pic, @strange-steve !

 

[Slid]

A few weeks further on and it is almost as if it never did happen. In the meantime my Father-in-law fell over and did rather worse to his right shoulder whilst out playing golf.

Funny old world.

 

[DavidDetroit]

@Slid Golf is a non-contact sport unless you're golfing with some unpleasant characters. Hope your FIL is on the mend.
My niece (17 year old) broke both her wrists while hiking in a forest.
I got no rainbow color from snapping the distal bicep tendon. I probably would have freaked.