Yesterday I went to the hospital to see an orthopedic surgeon who told me to use my left hand as much as possible from now on, so this morning I thought I’d give typing with two hands a try, even though my arm is still in a sling, of course, and I’m not supposed to move my left shoulder at all.
Yep, yep, yep, this works…for a short post, anyway…
The orthopedist told me that my fracture is borderline for surgery. I’d actually been told the same thing last Monday, so I knew surgery might be in the picture. Aggghhhh!!! For a moment, yesterday, I froze…
When I told her about my smoldering myeloma, though, she agreed that surgery might be risky for me (that is, the risk of developing an infection afterwards), so she said, “ok, no surgery.” The fracture should heal properly on its own. She said she’d do the same if it were her shoulder. Fine with me!
I’m going back to see her in two weeks’ time, and then we’ll have a clearer picture. For now, the good doctor said, I have to think of myself as made of glass (Stefano’s aunt later suggested that, instead of soap, I should wash with the Italian equivalent of Windex, haha, very funny!).
This orthopedist had a good sense of humor, so we actually had a few good laughs, listing things I could do and things that I shouldn’t do with my left arm. She showed me an exercise that I have to begin doing as of today, and I’ll also need physical therapy once the fracture has healed completely.
So far so good.
Oh, speaking of good, a quick aside: it’s soooooo good to be able to type with both hands again! Fantastico!
I wanted to say a few words about the healthcare system here. Last Monday, when our family doctor told me to have an X-ray, Stefano and I decided to go to a private clinic in town. We thought it would be faster than going to the emergency room at Careggi, Florence’s university hospital. In retrospect, we should have skipped the clinic and gone directly to the ER. Reason: the clinic sent us over to the ER anyway, and I had to have my X-rays redone. Sp the clinic was a waste of time. Oh well.
The nurses and the doctors who visited me up at Careggi Hospital were incredibly attentive, and we had quite a few laughs, too (what can I say? I am irresistibly funny…Or rather, I THINK that I’m irresistibly funny…)…In short, my experience in Ortopedia at the ER of Careggi couldn’t have been better.
And all this excellent care, plus all my X-rays (and the CAT scan I had last Monday), cost us NOTHING. Not a cent. That’s how it should be. I couldn’t help but think how much it would have cost me to have all those tests and doctors’ visits in the U.S. Yikes.
I really do love this country…Not just for its ERs, of course! 😉
Anyway, onwards and upwards…The worst is over. I’m playing cards today with my girlfriends. Life is good again.