Steve's Injured Arm (1 month update)

by Steve Bamford on May 30 2006

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Feeling much better

 

Well things are much better.  The arm is now at the 32 day mark......the last week or so things have progressed to the point where I can use it for typing without it throbbing after 30 secs.  I've been to physio once last week for the first time and again today.  Unfortunately the exercises she asked me to do last week have irritated the worst damaged area (where the cut in the muscle was deepest).  I'll be resting my arm until this pain subsides in a few days or a week.  At that point I will move slower with the arm exercises and consider more physio appointments once the arm reaches the 6 week mark and the muscle has had more time to heal.  The physiotherapist says I will regain full mobility in my arm with persistent stretching exercises.  I will resume careful stretching exercises once my muscle has more time to heal to regain mobility in my elbow and wrist (mobility was lost due to the accident and lack of use).  The wrist still has swelling which is limiting it's full mobility.....but the wrist is very close to having full mobility.  I also massage the injured area with cream twice a day to soften the scar tissue on the skin and below the skin and this also moisturizes the skin scar and will reduce it.  I'm avoiding all sun exposure on the scar as this makes scars worse.  I'll be continuing the physio appointments for a while to come.

I'm also wearing a gel sheet.....a 1/8" think silicone sheet with mineral oil that covers the cut and is held in place with an elastic sleeve that covers my forearm.  These gel sheets are used for burn victims to level out scar tissue and to keep the scar tissue from drying out.....I need to wear this at least 10 hours a day for 2 months. 

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The lines in my arm are from the gel sheet and the swollen area

This gel sheet is actually quite effective at leveling the scar on the skin.

I can now lift about 8 pounds with my injured arm.....2 weeks ago I could only lift my cell phone before I felt pain in the cut muscle.   My left arm was always my strong arm until the injury.  I've been off work for a month and don't think I'll be returning to work for another month...my wife is keen I fully heal before returning to work.  Some skin on my forearm (about 30 to 40% of the paralyzed skin) has regained feeling.  A large section of the skin on my forearm has no feeling at all and this might return in 2 years or never return.  I also have phantom pains in my skin and muscle as feeling returns to these areas and the nerves reconnect.  The muscle works fine.....but I do have pain in the undamaged part of the muscle halfway between the cut and my wrist where one of the tendons connects to the damaged muscle.  Some skin has regained feeling, but for 2 weeks as it regains feeling....it feels like the worst sun burn.  This feeling was so bad that my breath touching the hairs on my arm would cause me pain, so I shaved off those hairs......which was odd as most of that skin had very little real feeling and only a phantom sort of feeling (hard to explain).   And the skin doesn't automatically regain full feeling.....sometimes a numb sort of feeling is all that will return....I will wait and hope.    

I can now dress myself.....tie my shoelaces and do all the little things you take for granted when you have 2 hands.....including driving my 5 speed car.  It is good to see my life slowly returning to normal.

It is looking much better as you can see in the photos below.

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Apr 30 2006 May 28 2006

The gel sheet really does flatten out the scar tissue on the skin.

All things considered....things are going very well, but I am limited and need to devote time to my healing process, which is why I'm not working at my job.  At this point it looks like I'll be off work for a total of 2 months.

Steve

Photos and text © by Steve Bamford