Sunday, May 8, 2011
Another probable last post
For some reason I was having trouble editing that last post, so I just went ahead and published it and will correct it here. I am not sure they have any physical therapists in Leon, the city near me. I googled it and could not find any sooo....I guess Managua would be my only option for physical therapy over here and they would not let me be away from my site that often...plus, I would not want to be riding the bus a couple times a week to Managua especially if I had to protect my shoulder/arm in any special manner.
So, altho nothing is final for 45 days, it does not look good for me. My only hope is that I really don't have a tear and that the first doc was right and its only a couple bones rubbing each other and that they can handle that some other way. I am very curious as to why the first doc could not see a tear when the second doc makes it sound very obvious. I will want to have a second opinion on that for sure. You know that saying about how when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail..... well, I don't want to get caught up in that kind of a mess.
Nici, my kitty had two babies a week and 1/2 ago and I have found another volunteer in Jinotega who wants the momma and the babies so that is a really great stroke of luck. Next Saturday, I will take them in a box on my lap for a 2 hour bus ride to Esteli where the other vol will come to meet us from her site, 1 hour away, in Jinotega. Jinotega is much cooler, higher in the mountains, than down here so I feel like Nici will enjoy it there.
I will really miss these beautiful children, I'll post some more photos of them. It is so easy to please them by simply returning a smile or a hug, holding their paper still so they can erase something , picking up a pencil that they dropped, they are so grateful for any little consideration. It was so easy to make a difference in their day. I really loved my English classes....the kids are so enthusiastic, I often had 30 kids show up for an hour after school to speak a little English with me.
I am going to wear my arm in a sling next week so the kids will be a little better able to understand that I have something wrong with me. Otherwise, I look pretty healthy and they might not believe me or understand why I have to go.
That should do it for me....if I should happen to be able to return to Nicaragua and Malpaisillo, I'll post a blog for sure.
"Hasta la vista baby !!!"
So, altho nothing is final for 45 days, it does not look good for me. My only hope is that I really don't have a tear and that the first doc was right and its only a couple bones rubbing each other and that they can handle that some other way. I am very curious as to why the first doc could not see a tear when the second doc makes it sound very obvious. I will want to have a second opinion on that for sure. You know that saying about how when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail..... well, I don't want to get caught up in that kind of a mess.
Nici, my kitty had two babies a week and 1/2 ago and I have found another volunteer in Jinotega who wants the momma and the babies so that is a really great stroke of luck. Next Saturday, I will take them in a box on my lap for a 2 hour bus ride to Esteli where the other vol will come to meet us from her site, 1 hour away, in Jinotega. Jinotega is much cooler, higher in the mountains, than down here so I feel like Nici will enjoy it there.
I will really miss these beautiful children, I'll post some more photos of them. It is so easy to please them by simply returning a smile or a hug, holding their paper still so they can erase something , picking up a pencil that they dropped, they are so grateful for any little consideration. It was so easy to make a difference in their day. I really loved my English classes....the kids are so enthusiastic, I often had 30 kids show up for an hour after school to speak a little English with me.
I am going to wear my arm in a sling next week so the kids will be a little better able to understand that I have something wrong with me. Otherwise, I look pretty healthy and they might not believe me or understand why I have to go.
That should do it for me....if I should happen to be able to return to Nicaragua and Malpaisillo, I'll post a blog for sure.
"Hasta la vista baby !!!"
Probably my last post from Nicaragua
A lot has changed since Holy week and my previous post.
First of all, the good news. The recycler from Chinandega came with his truck to buy the plastic the kids had collected. I will attach a couple photos. The kids made 2800 cordobas which is about 130 dollars. They are thrilled and I do not know what they will want to do with the money. They were talking about t-shirts with their logo and a slogan on it. That would be nice. The other good news is that we got the fencing up on the gardens at both my schools and the semillaro in at one of them. Good progress and still no rain in sight. I heard a kid say the other day that it comes on May 21. We'll see.
Now the bad news. I had been having a pain in my left arm off and on so I decided to see what it was all about. The PC docs referred me for x-rays, ultrasound, nerve study and a neurological work up but all were negative. While we were in this process, I snapped one of the tendons that attaches my bicep to my shoulder. I have learned a lot about biceps in this process. We have two tendons there and apparently, it is not that uncommon to break one of them, usually the "long head" which is what I broke. Its not like I was doing push ups or roping cattle, I was sweeping ashes !!! when it popped. So, then I went for an MRI.
The doc in Nicaragua who read the MRI was concerned because he saw a couple bones rubbing together so they sent the MRI film to the PC doc in DC. He then sent it to a PC ortho in DC and he decided that I have a tear in one of my rotator cuff tendons as well as the broken bicep tendon ( which no one seems to think has any importance at all). All of this activity is on my left side and I am left handed so that makes it a little more problematic.
The PC doc in DC is recommending surgery. At least that is what I think so far.....have not had a written report from him. PC will medevac me to see my own doctor. Normally the medevac is to my home of record, but I am going to Baltimore to see an orthopedisrt at Mercy Hospital who came highly recommended by a good friend who has been around the medical scene for lo those many years. Also, I'll be able to stay with my sweet sister and enjoy her and her family for a little while.
So, here is the way I see it right now. If I do surgery ( which seems like the wrong thing to do since I have very very little pain and pretty normal range of motion) the rehab is 6 months normally. Once you have a medical condition, PC gives you 45 days to get it resolved or they medical separate you ( medsep). 6 months is more than 45 days. If I go the non-surgical alternatives which all the websites recommend to start with, I would have to modify the use of my left arm and engage in physical therapy. well, PC won't release me to return to my site unless I have full use of both arms and there is only one place I can get PT over here and that is in Managua which is a 4 hour bus ride away. Plus, they would not allow me to be away from my site often enough to participate in a viable PT regime. It is a little frustrating because there is a teaching hospital 30 minutes away but PC does not have a "relationship" with that hospital so they make everyone come to Managua where the PC heardquaters is. Not very efficient, in my opinion.
First of all, the good news. The recycler from Chinandega came with his truck to buy the plastic the kids had collected. I will attach a couple photos. The kids made 2800 cordobas which is about 130 dollars. They are thrilled and I do not know what they will want to do with the money. They were talking about t-shirts with their logo and a slogan on it. That would be nice. The other good news is that we got the fencing up on the gardens at both my schools and the semillaro in at one of them. Good progress and still no rain in sight. I heard a kid say the other day that it comes on May 21. We'll see.
Now the bad news. I had been having a pain in my left arm off and on so I decided to see what it was all about. The PC docs referred me for x-rays, ultrasound, nerve study and a neurological work up but all were negative. While we were in this process, I snapped one of the tendons that attaches my bicep to my shoulder. I have learned a lot about biceps in this process. We have two tendons there and apparently, it is not that uncommon to break one of them, usually the "long head" which is what I broke. Its not like I was doing push ups or roping cattle, I was sweeping ashes !!! when it popped. So, then I went for an MRI.
The doc in Nicaragua who read the MRI was concerned because he saw a couple bones rubbing together so they sent the MRI film to the PC doc in DC. He then sent it to a PC ortho in DC and he decided that I have a tear in one of my rotator cuff tendons as well as the broken bicep tendon ( which no one seems to think has any importance at all). All of this activity is on my left side and I am left handed so that makes it a little more problematic.
The PC doc in DC is recommending surgery. At least that is what I think so far.....have not had a written report from him. PC will medevac me to see my own doctor. Normally the medevac is to my home of record, but I am going to Baltimore to see an orthopedisrt at Mercy Hospital who came highly recommended by a good friend who has been around the medical scene for lo those many years. Also, I'll be able to stay with my sweet sister and enjoy her and her family for a little while.
So, here is the way I see it right now. If I do surgery ( which seems like the wrong thing to do since I have very very little pain and pretty normal range of motion) the rehab is 6 months normally. Once you have a medical condition, PC gives you 45 days to get it resolved or they medical separate you ( medsep). 6 months is more than 45 days. If I go the non-surgical alternatives which all the websites recommend to start with, I would have to modify the use of my left arm and engage in physical therapy. well, PC won't release me to return to my site unless I have full use of both arms and there is only one place I can get PT over here and that is in Managua which is a 4 hour bus ride away. Plus, they would not allow me to be away from my site often enough to participate in a viable PT regime. It is a little frustrating because there is a teaching hospital 30 minutes away but PC does not have a "relationship" with that hospital so they make everyone come to Managua where the PC heardquaters is. Not very efficient, in my opinion.
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