It's been 7 weeks to the day that I carry a piece of semi-permanent junk in my arm, also known as a "Cobra fixator". It's not a secret, I was very skeptical about switching from plaster cast to pins on my broken arm. The procedure seemed too invasive (holes drilled into my bone?), too risky (it's a surgery after all!), and simply not "necessary" (wouldn't plaster do?).Struggling through the first days after the surgery (including an infection which could not be traced to the pins, known as pin-track infection) all my prejudices were confirmed. I was on a potpourri of painkillers, antibiotics, and paracetamol to simply get through the days and barely through the nights.After 2 weeks the excruciating post-surgery pain as well as the 104+F / 40+C fever due to infection both had subsided. From then on I considered my decision to "go pin" the best I've ever made! The quality of life is a thousand-fold better than carrying a cast! The beauty of the slick "Cobra" is it lets me move my joints! I can move my arm without holding it in an awkward position which leads to back pain. I can wiggle my fingers and even use them for typing and holding light things. I can move my wrist sideways (the "top pin" prevents the up and downward motion of my wrist). My finger strength is returning. My biceps however is shrinking... Oh well. I think rehab will be minimal. At least I hope so!I agree, the look is something to get used to. My cobra is therefore hiding inside a bandage and only gets out during cleaning sessions. One more week and she will be removed altogether. She is definitely not going into the trash! Right now, the ideas "key chain" and "wind chime" rank high in the ideas contest. Better / other ideas are still welcome!
I knew the day would come where I'd have to exchange my homely baggy-clothes-and no-bra style for a more publicly acceptable outfit. Admittedly, for the past 4 weeks my style has been dictated mercilessly by function over form (sometimes to the extend of no form at all...). People who know me know that my taste can do better than sleeveless shirts and shorts. But, simply because my taste had a whim for fashion, my arms wouldn't necessarily be able to perform the task of dressing myself properly!
Now I wouldn't go as far as calling a bra a fashion statement... but please, all you female readers out there, hold one of your arms on your stomach and try to put on a bra. Guys, after you are done laughing at your girlfriends, try it yourself. For the fun of it!Buttons, zippers, hooks, belts - all those cute little accessories become a serious threat to your being on time for a meeting!Your hairband becomes your best friend - to keep non-compliant hair from constantly falling into your eyes. Because, tying it in the back is a task to be mastered in another 2 weeks (that's when your stiff joints will hopefully loosen up again and you can actually move your arm behind your head).Hook earrings are just... beautiful! Because, they don't require two hands to put them on! (I'm just so happy that on Philippines' beaches shell and bead earrings sell 5 pairs for 2 dollars! I have plenty of inventory!)Oh, and while you are shopping for earrings, make sure you get the matching necklace - long enough to easily wrap around your neck a couple of times!
Anyway, no matter how good the camouflage or fashionable distraction. Everybody will notice the bulky skin colored bandage on your wrist immediately. That's a tough one to accessorize...
I’m happy that the strong wind that partially caused my broken arm is the same strong wind that keeps Manila (relatively) cool these days. At least there is no flood of sweat running down the inside of my cast causing the itch everybody has been predicting so far. Keeping the inside of a plaster cast ‘hygienic’ is virtually impossible. Coming to think of it, the cast was molded over the aquatic remains of Lake Taal. We all know what a vivid biotope that lake is. This thought coupled with the information of a knowledgeable website on broken bones, which predicts “pale and scabbing skin” under a cast puts the brakes on my eagerness to have it come off...
But, let’s have a look at the one-arm effect on daily body hygiene. Let’s start with dental hygiene. Brushing your teeth is no problem once you managed to balance your toothbrush between your lips in order to apply toothpaste with the healthy arm. Try flossing and you’ll realize that one arm is simply not enough. If you are a frequent user of mouthwash, make sure you get a flat bottle – one that you can somehow squeeze between your plaster arm and chest to unscrew the top. I highly recommend plastic bottles!
Showering is a no-brainer as long as you either can keep your cast outside the shower curtain or are able to tie a trash bag (unused!) around it. Washing your hair becomes a challenge especially if it is long. I’ve been contemplating for the past week whether or not to shave my head. So far, I could restrain myself from shaving my top hair.
Less of a restrain but more of a handicap is the removal of unfashionable body hair in more delicate locations... It’s like trying to lick your elbow – certain acrobatics are simply impossible given human anatomy. If ever you do manage to bend yourself weirdly, chances are you just broke a bone. And how do you explain this to the ER doctor!? “Well, I tried shaving my armpit?!”
Now, before you think I turned into a smelly and overgrown creature within the past week of being incapacitated let me tell you I’ve two loving helping hands taking good care of me.
It's been 7 weeks to the day that I carry a piece of semi-permanent junk in my arm, also known as a "Cobra fixator". It's not a secret, I was very skeptical about switching from plaster cast to pins on my broken arm. The procedure seemed too invasive (holes drilled into my bone?), too risky (it's a surgery after all!), and simply not "necessary" (wouldn't plaster do?).
