Skateboard Accident: Update on My Condition

[DiracPool]

I don't want any medical advice so please don't give it. I've got the best medical team in the country taking care of me. So please don't shut down this thread.

I have a large number of fans on this site, deservedly so, who want an update of my condition.

Yes, I had a skateboard accident and I went to the clinic and they said I may have chipped a metacarpal bone

 

[berkeman]

Hope you heal soon, Dirac.

 

[DiracPool]

Hope you heal soon, Dirac.

Thanks, I'm waiting on the call from the radiologist. The primary doctor says it looks as though I may have a bone chip from the x-rays. It's my right hand, it's the hand that I'm solving the grand unified theory over with my scribblings. So it must be protected.

 

[OCR]

Hope you heal soon, Dirac.

 

[Evo]

I have a large number of fans on this site, deservedly so, who want an update of my condition.

Reminds me of the song "Oh lord it's hard to be humble, when I'm perfect in every way". Hope you heal up soon. I just recently broke the middle finger on my right hand, I'm right handed, so that's my mouse hand. Just cracked, didn't even need to be set.

 

[DiracPool]

Reminds me of the song "Oh lord it's hard to be humble, when I'm perfect in every way".

Lol. Well, I'm perfect in every way that doesn't involve the use of my right hand. I hope your middle finger heals fast too. I've always wanted to bond with you Evo, I just never thought it would be over broken right hands. But I guess you take what you can

 

[Evo]

Lol. Well, I'm perfect in every way that doesn't involve the use of my right hand. I hope your middle finger heals fast too. I've always wanted to bond with you Evo, I just never thought it would be over broken right hands. But I guess you take what you can

We're bonded, I bet I have more broken bones than you, I've broken my left arm 4 times, 3 times in 11 months twice in 2 weeks.
Three broken fingers on my right hand, one finger seriously deformed due to an incompetent doctor that couldn't read an x-ray. Long story.

Anyway be careful with those skateboards!

 

[DiracPool]

Anyway be careful with those skateboards!

Yeah, screw skateboarding. I'm done with that. I'm going to stick with surfing. I'm the wipeout king, but when you wipeout surfing, your wrist hits the soft sea water, not solid pavement.

 

[berkeman]

I bet I have more broken bones than you,

Not to mention the chainsaw incidents...

 

[DiracPool]

The radiologist said I broke my triquetrum bone. Did you know you had a triquetrum bone? I didn't. Now I do. Every minute

http://www.mayoclinic.org/carpal-bones/img-20007898

I guess your wrist is made up of 8 small bones, carpal bones. The most commonly injured carpal bone is the scaphoid bone. But I didn't injure my scaphoid bone, I injured my triquetrum bone, so I'm special.

 

[gjonesy]

Broken bones suck, I've broken my ankle so many times the bone chips look like shrapnel on x-ray...lol

 

[berkeman]

I broke my triquetrum bone

What are they going to do to fix it? Any surgery or just cast the wrist?

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e3/8e/f6/e38ef6a991a15ee0400c3c2ada982706.jpg

 

[ProfuselyQuarky]

Yeah, screw skateboarding. I'm done with that. I'm going to stick with surfing. I'm the wipeout king, but when you wipeout surfing, your wrist hits the soft sea water, not solid pavement.

No! Don’t screw skating! It’s so much fun!

And, BTW, you do realize that water is not “soft” and if you hit the water the wrong way, it can feel as hard has pavement. Literally about half the students in my class surf (including some teachers) and they have wonderful stories to share

 

[ProfuselyQuarky]

I bet I have more broken bones than you, I've broken my left arm 4 times, 3 times in 11 months twice in 2 weeks.
Three broken fingers on my right hand, one finger seriously deformed due to an incompetent doctor that couldn't read an x-ray. Long story.

Evo, what do you do? BMX biking?

 

[Evo]

Evo, what do you do? BMX biking?

No, I walk around the house, a lot of accidents were from doing light gardening.

 

[jim mcnamara]

Bone density can change with gender, age, and dietary factors. Here is a study that simply tabulated by age and gender.

Bad news: women > 60 had a nearly 7-fold increase in fractures:

Among those aged 35-55 years, the fracture rate (persons per 10,000/year) in men was about double the rate in women (65 vs 35). The fracture rate was almost 7 times higher in women over 60 years versus women less than 55 years of age.

I would guess that testosterone mediated behavior in younger men has an effect as well. Anyway:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10525717
Age- and gender-specific rate of fractures in Australia: a population-based study.
1999: Sanders KM1, Seeman E, Ugoni AM, Pasco JA, Martin TJ, Skoric B, Nicholson GC, Kotowicz MA

Bone density:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11063899

 

[DiracPool]

What are they going to do to fix it? Any surgery or just cast the wrist?

Not even a cast, just a wrist brace. They said to wear it for 6 to 8 weeks. They're very short on details. I think it may because I've got Obamacare. I may go in and squat territory in the medical clinic tomorrow, though, and get some answers.

 

[berkeman]

Yeah, ask about range of motion (ROM) implications of the break with and without surgery. It may be no difference (I'm not familiar with that particular bone), but it's worth asking. As long as there are no ROM issue differences, no surgery and no cast can be good things. How are the swelling and pain doing?

 

[DiracPool]

Yeah, ask about range of motion (ROM) implications of the break with and without surgery. It may be no difference (I'm not familiar with that particular bone), but it's worth asking. As long as there are no ROM issue differences, no surgery and no cast can be good things. How are the swelling and pain doing?

I'm really psychologically depressed. The swelling is finally going down after 5 days. But my triquetrum bone still hurts. I can touch it. I don't think these people are sophisticated enough to understand "range of motion." Or at least they're pretending not to be because I got Obamacare.

 

[jim mcnamara]

What you seem to be getting is poor medical care from an overloaded clinic. While I'm not a fan of how our medical system provides and pays for services, I think the the blame for poor care cause lies beyond obamacare. In any case, you are entitled to some decent answers about your wrist. Insist on getting them. Blaming a system you hate will not get the help you need. Period. It may make you feel better - for a short period.

 

[DiracPool]

What you seem to be getting is poor medical care from an overloaded clinic. While I'm not a fan of how our medical system provides and pays for services, I think the the blame for poor care cause lies beyond obamacare. In any case, you are entitled to some decent answers about your wrist. Insist on getting them. Blaming a system you hate will not get the help you need. Period. It may make you feel better - for a short period.

Yes I agree. And thanks Berkeman. You're right about the overloaded clinic. It is a walk in urgent care and it was crowded. I had to wait an hour to be seen. It's a good clinic, though, and I trust the integrity of the doctors. Unfortunately, trust doesn't go very far in this world and you have to scratch and claw for any justice. My mom used to say this. It would be nice to go to the doctor and they look at you and take care of the problem. But the reality is that you have to harrass the doctor. The squeaky wheel gets the grease

 

[berkeman]

But the reality is that you have to harrass the doctor. The squeaky wheel gets the grease

I wouldn't use the word harass. Just ask good questions. Do your homework ahead of time, and ask pointed questions about the break, ask to talk through the x-rays (displacement, separation, etc.), ask about the prognosis without intervention, etc. Use Google to research this and make a list of questions that you can take in your head to your next meeting with the doc. In my experience, docs appreciate and respond to good questions that are well researched. Kind of like the PF...

 

[DiracPool]

In my experience, docs appreciate and respond to good questions that are well researched. Kind of like the PF...

In my experience, I've noticed that docs hate smartypants that walk in knowing their research. Lol. So whenever I deal with medics I seem to feel I have to act stupid. But you and Jim are right. I'm going to be proactive on this and not be a weak suck. I mean, it' my right hand for christ's sake

 

[berkeman]

I've noticed that docs hate smartypants that walk in knowing their research

There's a difference between a "smartypants" attitude, and a calm inquisitive person who has been reading reputable websites and asking good questions. Good docs are not afraid to answer intelligent questions.

whenever I deal with medics I seem to feel I have to act stupid

You don't have to act that way with me. I have no problems answering good questions, and sometimes issues come up that I have not asked about yet. Like, if I have a Pt who has researched Raynaud's disorder and they ask about it when I'm assessing them, that's a pretty helpful clue for me.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/raynauds-disease/basics/definition/con-20022916

So when it comes to your hands especially, it's good to do some reading, and ask straightforward questions when you see the doc. Be calm and inquisitive, and make it clear that you are just interested in how this injury and the potential treatments can affect your future mobility.