I Broke My Elbow

Well, the title pretty much says it all. I’m plinking out this post with one hand while the other is wrapped in a sling.

Here’s what happened: Theo and I went for a hike…a 12 mile hike around the perimeter of a nearby lake. It was a gorgeous day, we had childcare for the kids…we were ready to tackle this! It had rained the night before and it was MUDDY, so we really struggled through that first mile. Our shoes and socks were already soaked and there was mud splattered all the way up our legs. The first mile took soooo long because we were just picking our way over, around and through the muddy spots.

And then…whoosh…my feet went right out from under me and I landed on my butt, with my arms out behind me. I guess my right arm took the brunt of my fall, because I heard a good little snap and had immediate pain.

This is wild. I’m 34 years old, never broken a bone, generally healthy, not overweight, very active…and I slipped, fell down, and broke my elbow. I know I’m not invincible, but I am in a little bit of shock that this happened.

Anyways, I was in total denial, so I decided to finish the hike. 11 more miles walked with a broken elbow….oops haha. Honestly, the pain was manageable because I was moving and distracted, but it’s so obvious to me now that my elbow was broken.

*I’ll write more about the actual hike in another blog post because this was a local bucket list item for me and it was one of my favorite days to date…other than the broken elbow, I’d add this to my list of one of those days I’d love to relive!

That night I was in so much pain, and I slept horribly, so by 9 the next morning we were heading to an ortho urgent care to get some X-rays. Sure enough, I fractured my ulna…its a very tiny fracture, but because it’s an elbow and there is a joint right there, I was then sent over to a different hospital campus for a CT scan.

Since it was Friday, the whole afternoon passed and we didn’t receive any results. We just got a sling and tried to manage the pain until Monday when someone could get us results. Well, they call on Monday and tell me the doc can see me and go over my results and establish an action plan……….in TWO WEEKS. That’s his earliest open appointment. ??????

Like, I get that its a very small fracture…but its also my elbow and I currently have zero mobility, pain, four children, a very active/hands on job, and general life to live. At this point, no one has even told me CT results and given basic directions like “immobilize in a sling and don’t bear weight” ….or maybe I should be stretching and using my arm?? I don’t know ’cause nobody has told me. Thankfully, we do live in the age go Dr. ChapGPT, and while I would never recommend Dr. Chat over a real human doctor, desperate times call for desperate measures…we put all the medical jargon CT results into Dr. Chat and he told me to wear a sling, immobilize, and not bear weight on my arm. So that’s where I’m at.

Thankfully, the pain has been mostly manageable. Yesterday after teaching all day I was IN PAIN, but 8 hours on my feet and constantly moving IS a lot to ask of a broken arm, to be honest!

Anyways, I feel dumb for breaking my elbow in the first place. I feel like I’m a burden now, and there is nothing that I hate more than being a burden. My family and community is taking good care of me, and I’m learning that a little rest won’t make the world stop spinning. I’m also getting real tired of typing with one hand, so this post must come to an end.