Jonathan had an appointment to see the orthopedic surgeon at 11:20 today. (He insisted on driving himself one-handed.) About five minutes after he left I got a phone call, "Can you come pick me up on the corner of 14th and State?" Apparently the car broke down. I got the kids in the car and half way there he calls and says, "Never mind, the receptionist said that if I'm going to be late to just come in at 1:00 because the doctor has lunch at 11:45. I'm going to call AAA and have them tow the car to Hillside. Can you pick me up from there?"
So at 12:30 we picked up Jonathan from the auto repair shop and drove straight towards the doctor's office. I filled out the paperwork for Jon (it's really a bummer that he injured the right shoulder), and Matthew, Melissa, and I waited in the lobby. The kids were very good actually; I bet it didn't hurt that I bribed them with lollipops!
We stopped by the bathroom to wipe off stickies when Jonathan heard us and called us to the examination room. The doctor was there discussing the injury and possible options. He said it was a level 3 separation in which the collar bone is completely separated from the shoulder blade. Here's a link with more information. Turns out that this is the worst kind. Unfortunately there aren't any really good options. He can let it heal on its own, but he won't have the same strength in that arm as he did before, he will likely have a lump on that shoulder (a special brace may limit that), and possibly be more prone to arthritis in that shoulder. If he has surgery it will be more painful, it may or may not increase the strength in that arm as opposed to letting it heal naturally, and there are possible complications using screws or the newer surgery technique (I forgot what it was called). Either way he will need to wear a brace for at least 6 weeks. Basically neither option is great.
Jonathan plans to talk with another surgeon who specializes in surgery on shoulders Thursday, before making up his mind. Meanwhile he's looking into one-handed keyboards because he's going nuts typing 25 wpm and voice recognition software just isn't there yet...
Waaay too frustrating to program at that speed, and he'd be climbing the walls if he couldn't program for 6 weeks. He's already getting restless.
2 comments:
Jonathan, I hope you heal well and quickly. I'm really sorry to hear about your injury.
We will pray for you as you make your decision on surgery. I can imagine that you are going nuts; our hearts go out to you.
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