Bad Break

Making the best of a bad break

Or, how I spent my summer vacation

Posted 9/19/2007

EDITOR'S NOTE: Dolores submitted this article about a setback this summer just before she and Hugh flew off to Germany for a Rhine River cruise. The word "unstoppable" crosses my mind.

For the past 23 years, our summer has involved my teaching in July and August for the Rehoboth Art League. We leave near the end of June and return in late August as things wind down there. This year was planned to be the same as usual.

However, life has a way of changing our plans. On the night before we were to leave, both cars all packed, I tripped and fell over an Oriental rug that we have owned and walked over for 30 years. I hit the coffee table as I went down, heard a strange noise, and felt a lot of pain.

Medics arrived very shortly, and I was transported to a local ER. They are not the glamorous places depicted on TV, especially on a weekend night. After some time and X-rays, it was determined that I had broken my arm in 2 places at the shoulder. Nothing could be done at that hour, so I was sent home with a sling and some pain medicine.

On the following Monday, I was able to see a surgeon, who was optimistic about the break and elected to “wait” to see if it would heal by itself. So we unpacked, and waited for a week, when we returned to see him. This time the doc didn’t like what he saw in the new X-rays, and ordered me into surgery ASAP. This meant that I had to call Rehoboth and cancel all of my classes for the summer, since I didn’t know when—or if—I would be there.

A few days later I had surgery, with eleven 45mm screws and a plate inserted into my left shoulder. Most of the rest of the month was uneventful, just my sitting with an ice pack, a lot of pain killers, and enduring a lot of boring TV, while I tried to take care of other duties in Rehoboth by phone and e-mail.

After another trip to the surgeon later in July, I was able to go to Rehoboth for some of July and most of August. The Outdoor Art Show, which I chaired, went off very well, with marvelous sales, and even better weather. We returned home for me to start therapy just before Labor Day, and now I am well along with working with all of my new bionic parts. I have new appreciation for all of the chores, activities and day-to-day duties that we do using two hands. It has been an education finding out how many things one can’t do with one hand!

Alas, the lovely rug has gone. My therapy is giving me back the mobility that I need, and we are looking forward to a less than exciting summer next year.