I came to the conclusion without consulting a doctor or doing xrays that I took a fall a little while back and got a hairline fracture someplace in my right humerus. I mistook the pain of that fall for arthritic pain in my right elbow. It was not exacerbated because I ride one day, rest one day and ride the next. Well riding three days in a row two of which were on a rigid single speed and sleeping in the back of my truck during some time off from school was enough to really do it. I've been an EMT long enough to know that little is done for a hairline fracture, most times we don't know we have them or if you're stupid like me just blow it off as pain associated with a somewhat active lifestyle. What I would have been told is wear a sling, rest, don't ride for 6-8 weeks, Ice therapy for swelling, anti-inflammatory meds for pain and if the numbness and weakness worsens in my hand and arm to get in touch with the doc.
Well I'm doing most of that just not wearing a sling. I am also using a TENS unit borrowed from BIL for pain control initially and now I just use it when I "try" to sleep. The tens unit has been a real sanity saver. I've seen tens units a fair amount in my working history and thought if they worked for an individual patient then good for them. Trying to sleep while getting a mild electric shock is a challenge, you get use to anything I suppose. My goal as always is to stay away form narcotics (cause they make me vomit uncontrollably) and keep the use of anti-inflammatory meds to a minimum to save my liver and renal functions as much as possible. I only take anti-inflammatory meds now when I wake up and before I try to sleep.
All this is happening in my dominant right arm which makes certain things a challenge. I cannot pick anything of any real weight with my right arm because of the immediate pain and the pain that I know will come later. Because of the challenge of sleep I nap throughout the day which is fine and quite zen. It's fine with the school schedule, I have work next week with a CPR recert so those days will be challenges. Nothing I can't get through I suppose.
So where does this leave me? Well when I tick off 6-8 weeks of no riding that puts me into late April/early May time frame. I was hoping by then to be in pretty decent riding shape by then. Now I am forced to ride a trainer sitting up with no pressure on the hands at all so no getting into the bends or resting on the hoods even. I have not crawled onto the trainer yet I wanted to give it another week or two before I started back. My summer out west is a big question mark right now. The very last thing I want to do is get out there and have an injury get worse and not be able to do dick and have to drive back across country early. In short I'm trying hard to be a good patient to myself.
I have not unloaded the truck since I have been back because of this issue and I really should. I can do very little I find. I suppose I could do some light walking or hiking which is a thought I suppose it just feels lame. I suppose it's better than sitting around stuffing my face with store bought brownies all day. I'll swing by the drug store and pick up a sling for when I walk so my arm is not jarred around so much.
I have a couple of sheets of 3/4 inch plywood I either need to return to the hardware store or make into a small bouldering wall, oh and I'd need permission to build such a thing here at big sister's place. Ugh, I really need to get a little place of my own. Either task requires a functioning relatively pain free arm. The truck for summer trips is pretty much done. Now I have issues with a mysterious vibration in the rear end which I need to get looked at sooner rather than later. I would have by now it's just that the auto mechanic that I use is out because of his recent hip surgery. So goes life.
I figure that's about it for now. Cycling for the most part will be put on a side burner for a bit, so prepare yourselves for a many "Head full of weird" entries. Thanks for reading.
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