The broken hand: The follow-up doctor’s visits

November 06, 2013

Part of The Broken Hand series

• The accident
• The way home
• The Emergency Room
• The immobile arm
• The follow-up doctor’s visits
• The physical therapy
• The aftermath

The Follow-up Doctor’s Visits

I was fortunate to have support at home, so I wouldn’t have to leave to get my food or such. It was all taken care of. But you can’t stay like this forever.

Ten days after my accident, it was time to leave the home for a follow-up doctor’s visit that involved an X-ray and consult. It was a humbling experience. When I was leaving the bus, I got stuck between the automatically-closing doors. It hurt somewhat, but the scare was worse than the pain.

The visit itself was, fortunately, uneventful. The doctor examined my fresh x-rays, did an ultrasound, and told me the good and bad news. The good news was that there were no anomalies or complications, that I had done great by holding my hand still in the sling, and the recovery proceeded as planned. The bad news was that the “as planned” part would take four to six weeks.

Sitting still for weeks sounds difficult, but I kept myself busy with reading and other activities. Besides watching a bunch of movies, including the long-planned “Minority Report” that I still hadn’t found time for previously, I had the above-mentioned professional videos and books.

I was also anxious to get back to work, but it’s complicated when you can’t hold your hands on the keyboard on your desk. I found that a Bluetooth keyboard held in my lap helped a lot.

Initial recovery did indeed take four to six weeks as advertised, and a few more follow-up visits. The immobilizer finally came off right around Christmas time.