Can I get a break? It's not what it seems; I did not break my arm, but I need a break from the streak of bad luck. Well, I woke up with worsening pain in my wrist. I was able to get an appointment with OrthoCarolina this morning. They took an x-ray and determined that there were no bone issues, so it seems that the prednisone possibly caused a tendon to rupture suddenly while catching a softball last week. I was still able to catch a frisbee because the pain in only when I turn my hand in. I might need to give up sports until I can fully heal my body. Here's what my very scientific medical report said:
Musculoskeletal: There is very mild swelling over the ulnar side of the left wrist. She has no tenderness over the metacarpals or over the distal ulna. She has no tenderness over the TFC. She does have exquisite tenderness over the ECU tendon and ECU synergy test is sharply positive. There is no palpable subluxation and no obvious subluxation with ice cream scoop test. She does have pain with active ulnar deviation but no increased pain with passive extension. She has good range of motion of the fingers and the wrist. PLAN: I explained my clinical x-ray findings and I have reassured her that I see no bony pathology but she most likely does have an injury to the ECU tendon. I have explained anatomy and the possibility that she has ruptured the retinaculum around the ECU tendon, which would need surgical repair. For now, would recommend cast immobilization for 3 weeks to shut down the motion and see if this will heal. She agreed to that plan. We have also discussed cortisone injection and she has had bad reactions to cortisone injections in the past and wishes to avoid that. She has asthma and just finished a 2 week course of oral steroids.
I came home and went on with my workday. Working from home is nice. Tomorrow I go in for a final meeting on one of my projects I've been working on for a while now. Tonight we kept on supporting local businesses and got take-out from Qdoba. They were still very much social distancing. Here are some photos from the store. I was given permission to post these. You might notice we are not wearing face-masks. I talked to my doctor about wearing a face-mask. She told me that anyone with asthma should not wear a mask because they will re-breathe their own carbon dioxide and it will reduce the oxygen. I cannot breathe with one on, but we do take other precautionary measures.
After dinner, we watched the news and went on a walk. While we were walking I picked up a stick and banged it on the ground while we were walking. Somehow I either got bit or cut my other hand. I've decided I need bubble wrap when I'm awake or I just need to stay in bed. I still think, somehow, I will manage to hurt myself.
Updates on the Coronavirus...SC opened restaurants to the public today for indoor dining and plans to open salons and gyms next Monday. Meanwhile, NC is still on lockdown.
Have a good night and stay safe!
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