consultant examination, and remove old plaster
x-ray
consultant meeting again to discuss results
new plaster
The new plaster has to stay put for six weeks (next appointment 15th June), so that's the best part of the summer trashed.
During the x-ray, after the old plaster had been removed, I was asked to put my arm into positions it just didn't want to go in - the pain was hard to bear. Up until then I had some fancy notion I would be off walking again in a week or two (how naive can you get?) But from that revelation in the x-ray room I guess that it is going to be a very long physiotherapy job to get the arm back to anything like viable movement, that is after the six week plaster period.
I was able to see the x-ray for the first time; it looks as though somebody has thrown the Meccano starter kit down and hoped for the best.
Things have moved on with orthopaedic plastering. When I was at Darlington hospital there was a guy who had fallen off a ladder causing leg and ankle fractures so fragmented as to be inoperable, and that he would not be able to walk again for a year (lucky me?) Well one leg was plastered from toe to thigh and he had opted for alternate black and white stripes (Newcastle fan). I was offered choice of colours and opted for blue - pure whimsy, no political, religious, sporting or other connotation. I don't do football.
For the immediate future I am intending to walk each day round the village to try and retain some kind of fitness. I have not been given any formal physio instruction, but informally the guy in the plaster room advised me to keep exercising my shoulder, and he showed me a couple of appropriate exercises.
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p.s. I am working on the slide show for Berwick to Weardale
Sorry to learn that your arm is going to take longer to heal than you'd hoped Conrad but with a good physio you might be back in action sooner than you think. I very much hope so. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteNow: do you find the 1:25 000 OS map on your iPhone useful? I didn't buy it (I have the 1:50) because I have the 64GB iPhone and didn't want to use the storage. However Lynne has just bought the 128 GB iPhone so might buy it. Do you think it is worth the money? Thanks - but no hurry.
Afoot -!Afoot - 1:25 is erratic. Sometimes it will not open. I don't really understand how it works. You can select a large area and save it as a sort of separate map but it is not easy to do. I got some help from Gayle for my Berwick walk and it does provide a more stable platform. I would estimate that I had it available 90 per cent of the time but could always revert to the more stable 1:50. Sorry to be so vague. On the whole it is a resource that I value but find frustratingly eratic, especially weighed against its cost. Maybe Memory Map have improved their instructions since I bought?
ReplyDeleteSent from my iPhone
On 5 May 2017, at 19:55, afootinthehills wrote:
afootinthehills has left a new comment on your post "The long road ahead":
Sorry to learn that your arm is going to take longer to heal than you'd hoped Conrad but with a good physio you might be back in action sooner than you think. I very much hope so. Good luck.
Now: do you find the 1:25 000 OS map on your iPhone useful? I didn't buy it (I have the 1:50) because I have the 64GB iPhone and didn't want to use the storage. However Lynne has just bought the 128 GB iPhone so might buy it. Do you think it is worth the money? Thanks - but no hurry.
1:25 is erratic. Sometimes it will not open. I don't really understand how it works. You can select a large area and save it as a sort of separate map but it is not easy to do. I got some help from Gayle for my Berwick walk and it does provide a more stable platform. I would estimate that I had it available 90 per cent of the time but could always revert to the more stable 1:50. Sorry to be so vague. On the whole it is a resource that I value but find frustratingly eratic, especially weighed against its cost. Maybe Memory Map have improved their instructions since I bought?
Sent from my iPhone
On 5 May 2017, at 19:55, afootinthehills wrote:
afootinthehills has left a new comment on your post "The long road ahead":
Sorry to learn that your arm is going to take longer to heal than you'd hoped Conrad but with a good physio you might be back in action sooner than you think. I very much hope so. Good luck.
Now: do you find the 1:25 000 OS map on your iPhone useful? I didn't buy it (I have the 1:50) because I have the 64GB iPhone and didn't want to use the storage. However Lynne has just bought the 128 GB iPhone so might buy it. Do you think it is worth the money? Thanks - but no hurry.
Posted by afootinthehills to conradwalks at 5 May 2017 at 19:55
Yes as Gibson says, Sorry to hear of your predicament it must be pergatory for someone as enthusiastic as yourself. I imagine there are many walks going to get planned. Hope the Mac is ok.
ReplyDeleteI bought a subscription to use the 1:25000 maps for the whole UK from the OS. It's perfect for me. £20 per year. Works flawless on iPhone 6 and 6s.
Afoot - I made hash of that reply. Typed I in the email notification of the comment then copied and pasted into blog which seems t have copied everything several times over.
ReplyDeleteBest advice re 1:25 is to follow Alan R's example - sounds like a bargain to me.
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Alan R - thanks for your comment. I reckon I will be doing quite a few local walks. Been out today, down to New Barnes, Bob--in café, bacon butty and back over Arnside Knott. Most enjoyable.
How immensely frustrating. Yes, it will take some time to get your arm moving again even after the plaster is removed. Hope you're managing on your own OK. It's amazing how many simple tasks seem to require two hands. ☹️
ReplyDeleteRuth - thanks for confirming, from a proper medical background, what I think I have been in denial about since the accident. Anyway, now i know what the score is I will be trying to make the best of a bad job. I find I can manage almost everything fairly easily. One exception is donning the knee length support stockings I'm supposed to wear, but i am wearing knee length ski stockings and shorts at the moment, so in my layman's view I am hoping they may have some benefit.
ReplyDeleteConrad and AlanR - thanks for that information. Much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a shorter, but complete, recovery than you anticipate, Conrad.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope for fantastic weather in September and October, and you can defer your summer until then.
ReplyDeleteRe:Shardlake - I think Revelation was my favourite. Wasn't so taken with Lamentation.
(And just to hijack the comments slightly to reply to Gibson: I only have a 32gb phone (actually, 16gb plus 16gb memory card) and use 1:25k map. I find the painful bit to be selecting and creating a file of the area I want (and remembering to do it before the trip), as I don't have the space to be carrying the whole country around with me. I bought the whole of the UK for a bargain price (£150? Can't remember now) and now that I've got it, I wouldn't want to be without it.)
That deal more than rivals the Louisiana purchase - few of us really want to, Remainers or not.
ReplyDeleteThe current price is over £230 I think Gayle(Memory-Map). AlanR's deal I can't find though I suspect I haven't looked hard enough.
ReplyDeleteWell Conrad, I suppose you'll just have to try to stay positive and find some good books to read. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteRegarding maps, I have Anquet at 1:25000 for the entire UK on a micro SD card inserted in Samsung S5. It works fine.
Don't know how long it will last, but I've been paying much closet attention to where I put my feet lately. So thanks for that, and a speedy rehab.
ReplyDeleteMarcie K.
Marcie K - as far as i know you are a new commenter, and so welcome to the blog. I also now scan the path ahead like a permanent minesweeper. I know the experience has eroded my confidence to some extent, especially in view of my 77 years - as a young fifty year old i wouldn't have been giving the matter a second thought. However, i have no intention of giving up - yesterday i walked 9.5 miles locally.
ReplyDelete