It's now been over three months. I'd like to say I'm completely back to normal. Actually, I think I've forgotten what normal feels like.
My wrist and collar bone are completely healed. Hurrah!! But my shoulder was still in pain and my range of motion extremely limited when I went back to the bone doctor. (Interestingly enough, on my chart, they were only checking on my wrist until I reminded them that my broken collar bone from the wreck was my main concern, that the wrist was the crack we didn't figure out until our second visit) The physician's assistant (a check on a broken wrist not warranting a bone doctor) thought I might have injured my rotator cuff and ordered an MRI and gave me some mumbojumbo about the collarbone having to heal before it would show up. (Had I gone to the Greenville Trauma Unit..... but water under that bridge) He scared me properly with thoughts of surgery and a year's worth of rehabilitation and physical therapy.
In the first few days following our return from S. Africa, Maura managed to work in a trip to the ER on Father's Day night with a gall bladder attack. As we were waiting to hear about her surgery date, I put the MRI date to the next week, and they pushed my follow up with the doctor about a week and a half later... just to give me time to stress about it since I didn't have anything else to do. What they didn't know was that I had an ace up my sleeve when my son's best friend/brother's mother called and pulled strings to get me an earlier appointment. Turns out I just had some separation issues and only needed physical therapy. I have become model patient of the physical therapy place. While they are fussing at everyone else to use their injured part more, they are bragging on me for improving at every visit. I'm one of the few, I think, that actually do those exercises every single day. I WANT to get better. I am MOTIVATED.
But the brain will just not heal by sheer will power. It's like trying to use hustle in golf. It just doesn't work that way. I really thought I was getting better in S. Africa. It was low stress. I was enjoying my time with Maura. I was getting 10-11 hours sleep per night. I was able to go most of the day and help her or read in the library, ride the bus or do light walking. Most of my dizzy spells had passed.
And then, we came home. I was feeling good so I tried to do a little cleaning out.. two closets over three or four days.. that's all. And it totally wiped me out... Dizzy, Exhausted... just crazy worn out.... and then... the ER, etc. Maura had her surgery on Friday, June 20, Kerry's birthday. I was too wiped out to stay with her so Nicholas took me home and Kerry stayed. I didn't have any trouble sleeping. I probably slept my normal 10 + hours. Nicholas brought me back to relieve Kerry and I stayed and we watched the World Cup (BTW the World Cup was a lifesaver that weekend because we only had Doris and Dale to visit poor Maura and TV is BORING!!!!!). I was still just unbelievable tired and had what I believe was a series of small seizures while sitting in the chair during the game. It felt the same as when I was doing the EEG where I just keep falling asleep except the last time I had a trembling all over. It's kind of hard to explain and I definitely do not want it to have been seizure activity, but I think it was.
I have asked for a referral for a new neurologist and am waiting for a call for an appointment (2-3 weeks now). I am on a waitlist. I continue to have greatly reduced energy and am dizzy when getting up in the mornings and when going to bed at night (or anytime). My head generally does not do well with up and down. I feel good for small periods of time and do normal things and then feel abnormally tired.
So... not finished yet, I guess.
