EMG, NCV, oh my!

The trauma from the fracture has improved, the swelling is finally better and after giving the traumatized radial nerve 6 weeks to settle down they are going to do the first EMG/NCV to figure out just how damaged the nerve is.

Let me warn you - this is NOT fun at all, but very necessary.  Unfortunately the news isn't good.  My radial nerve has sustained a severe injury.  I'm very lucky it doesn't appear to be completely dis-attached. There seems to be a very small strand of nerve remaining which is very good news!  The Dr. has no reason to feel that it won't recover at this point but once again it will "take a long time."  The damage appears to be above the elbow because my left triceps is also impacted.  Bummer.  They now tell me it will be a solid year before I get my hand back.

They will repeat the EMG around Halloween (which will be 5 months) and hope to see some progress.  Until then:  keep using the hand with the dynamic splint, work on straightening the wrist daily and remain patient!

And "a long time" really means ...

A really long time!  Anatomy lesson #2:  The radial nerve grows about an inch a month.  The physical therapist is saying that her experience tells her that it will be about 8 months for the radial nerve to recover.  8 months!  Ugh.  Of course my first question to her was, "Does this mean I will wear the contraption for 8 months?"  Yep.  I guess I already knew that answer. Quite honestly, the arm feels best when in the dynamic splint - it's just ugly!  More importantly, it draws a LOT of attention and I'm really kind of tired of explaining what I did to my arm.  I broke my arm.  Really bad.  Why can't that be enough?

I have to wear what??

Yesterday the cast came off and today I had an appointment with the physical therapist to have a splint made for my wrist and to discuss the plan for physical therapy.  I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't THIS!

dynamic radial nerve splint

It's called a dynamic splint, but really it's quite a contraption.  It actually feels really good to have my wrist in the proper position.  Since I am able to bend my fingers, with this device I have some use of my hand because the rubber bands spring the fingers back, something I am unable to do on my own.  I am unable to lift any weight and have very little range of motion in my elbow so it is completely awkward, but a good feeling to see my hand functioning.

I had the range of motion measured in the elbow:  extension 40 degrees, flexion 100 degrees.  There's a lot of work to be done but the orders for now are very strict.  No pool, no ocean, no submersion into water for two more weeks while the incision heals.  I can finally shower without a bag, I'm to move only what I can do on my own, working on it every day and with the exception of that therapy 5 or 6 times a day the elbow stays in a sling and I wear the dynamic splint every waking hour.  They made me a second splint to wear in the shower or to the beach - - where we are headed now.  Thank God I'm not in a cast!

For shower, pool, beach and sleep.

I heard again that it will "take a long time" to get the use of my wrist and hand back but no one is giving me any hints as to just how long that is.