Liz Sterling
broke her wrist in 2005 and thought it was minor. Then RSD symptoms
set in...
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Diary
of a broken wrist
Broke
wrist September 2005. Slipped on seaweedy boat slipway whilst
photographing Margate sunset. Perfectly healthy, former professional
ballet dancer and had just finished choreographing the school show.
Never broken a bone before. Wouldn't let ambulance men even
look. So painful and wrist all bent over. A&E try and pull it
into alignment without anaesthetic. X-ray. Had to give me gas and
air as old ballet legs started kicking out in self defence. Admitted.
2am for operation inserted k-wires in wrist. Spent 3 nights in hospital.
Plaster from knuckles to arm pit. Terrible pain inside plaster.
Tramadol pills great, so got to sleep with those. But daytime pain
unbearable.
Think all fracturees must have same & go to bed daytime with
more Trammies!
But day pain gets worse, so went to A&E. Get plaster
slit up the side… huge relief immediately, wish I'd done it
sooner. Get outside and swelling fits into new space.
Can't go back in 'cos just told them 'marvellous'. Builders at home…
one of them jemmies plaster open further with a monkey wrench? Ah!
great! But worry sets in. Will the grafting bone dislodge? Wrap
bandage round to tighten it up again. Swelling continues. Fingers
grey. A&E nurse says "keep twiddling them". "You
shouldn't have this amount of pain at this stage", she says.
Go back A&E. Get new, smaller plaster. That too has to
be split later.
6 wks after accident see consultant. He takes out wires and
I get hand brace with Velcro so can adjust for swelling. WHOLE ARM
AND FINGERS STIFF AS A CRICKET BAT.
Start physio. Very painful red finger joints, swollen fingers,
mottled grey.
Elbow won't extend and forearm won't twist in either direction.
Physio gives me sheet of exercises that are impossible to do. She
manipulates to excruciating pain. I think all others fracturees
must have same. No one is noticing all the telltale RSD signs. Told
to work thro' the pain. This is what professional dancers do and
I do it religiously. Hot bath for 1 hour at a time with full set
of my own made-up exercises. Then do all the physio exercises. Self
massage of arm relieves pain. Will continue with this diary, now
after midnight and wrist/thumb too painful. But I think I'm on to
something with those bath exercises.
Nov. 05. Have now had several appointments with the consultant's
colleagues. Have only seen my consultant once at the first visit
and again to take out the K wires.
All say the same to keep going with the physio. One said, 'unusual
you have no twist in forearm'. Another said my hand bones are
showing up as not dense.
Feb. 06 GP wrote to Consultant -"Dear Chris, do you
think this 57 yr. old lady might have RSD?"
Working hard, stretching, clenching, twisting forearm, rolling
play dough, holding a light weight, exercising whole arm, both
arms, self massage, rubbing rough materials over to readjust nerve
sensations, swimming, arm/hand on Jacuzzi jets, treadmill, walks
swinging arms, warm gel packs, hour long bath exercises, acupuncture,
Chinese massage, homeopathy.
