Last Wednesday, after 7 1/2 weeks I finally had my cast removed! My arm wasn't as smelly as people said it would be, but there were other surprises - such as the great need for exfoliation and the newly-dark hairs on my arm, which I speculate is from lack of sun-exposure. According to my x-ray, my arm isn't completely healed yet, so if I fall on it without a brace on, I will need surgery. Because my PT appointment was an hour after my orthopedic appointment, one of my nurses found me a brace to wear between appointments so I wouldn't feel so terrified to leave the building for lunch. Then my physical therapist made me a custom-fit brace out of a large piece of plastic with a zipper, which is sort of modern/high tech-looking. She said that I can remove the brace 3-5x/ day to do my arm stretching exercises and she gave me exercise putty to play with to strengthen my hand.
The best things about the brace are:
- Being able to wash my arm/not having to use a garbage bag to cover my cast in the shower - so annoying!
- More clothing options - the 3rd cast didn't fit through long sleeves
- Not having to coordinate my outfits with the color blue all the time - the brace is white : )
- More range of motion!
- Much lighter/cooler than a cast - which would be nicer if it wasn't so cold out right now...
The only downside is the constant terror when I'm not wearing the brace. I haven't slipped on a rug or tripped over the cat yet, but it's a constant possibility because Pippin likes to stand under my feet and I'm a klutz - if I wasn't, I wouldn't have fallen in the first place. For now, I will continue to exercise extreme caution and hope that the next 3 1/2 weeks go quickly.
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