Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Clavicle Saga Update!

I met with my orthopedic surgeon this morning. He and I are both in total agreement that the plate which has been holding my right clavicle together needs to come out, and soon. After my two x-rays were taken, he feels that although the bone is fused, there are fragments that are still "floating."

As he said this my stomach dropped because I was certain he was going to tell me that I needed to wait another month to allow it to heal more. Honestly, I don't think my skin has another month left in it. From the lifted plate, it is so paper thin, its scary! However, he looked at me and suddenly I heard a choir of angels, "The plate has to come out now!" Music to my ears! I've never in all my life been so exited over something that I know will be painful.

It is set in stone, I will have my surgery on March 23rd. But of course we're talking about me here, and my whole journey has not be a cake walk, so this final surgery will be no different. The surgeon will take out the plate, the screws, the pins, the string, the wire, and whatever else is there, and in return he will need to do another bone graph. This time a MAJOR bone graph to ensure that my fragments will have something to fuse to. He's not 100% sure that he won't have to put any hardware back in. We're both hoping that I can walk away from the hospital metal free, he may have to use a few pins, but most likely not another plate. I will be in a figure 8 brace for who knows how long. (I'm a slow healer, so it may be close to two months.) All this is up in the air and we won't know how much I've healed until he gets in there to see with his own eyes, but I have faith that it will turn out alright, and I am patience enough to allow my body to do what it needs to do so that one day I will be pain-free and fully healed.

But for now, lets all do the happy dance! I'm having surgery!!! WAHOO!!!!!

1 comment:

Gregorio said...

You can't see me... but I am, in fact, doing a happy dance for you.

As expected, I look quite ridiculous... but it's worth it :-)