Radial Head Update

Following along from my visit to the ER last week, and learning I’d broken my elbow, I had my appointment at the Fracture Clinic with Dr. Wotherspoon this morning. After a follow-up X-ray, he concluded that I likely require surgery.

Most likely this will involve a radial head replacement with titanium. It’s a simple surgery, done under anaesthetic, that takes about 30 minutes. It’s got good outcomes.

All of this is contingent on a follow-up CT scan, scheduled for Monday evening, that will give him a deeper look at things.

I have an appointment for next Friday morning to review the CT scan, and possibly roll right on into surgery. If not Friday, then likely the weekend. Recovery takes 6-8 weeks.

This is all a surprise, given that I thought this was a “simple” fracture with an “easy” recovery. But I’ve never been put off by surgery, and… TITANIUM ELBOW!!

The most immediately practical outcome of today’s appointment was that I received a new, larger sling. The one I’d been given in the ER was a “medium”, and I now have a “large.”

Otherwise it was helpful to get guidance that, in this liminal period, my best strategy is to simply let pain be my guide: I’m not in imminent danger of my arm snapping right off.