Breaking both elbows was a big setback

[ElizabethW]

I have not been posting much lately because I have been recovering from a fall on the stairs on Christmas Eve where I smashed both my elbows. I have tried to keep up my spirits, but I have to say it has been quite an ordeal. For the first 6 weeks I had both arms in slings and was able to do very little for myself . I had a home care worker coming over twice a week for a few weeks to give me a shower, but my main helper has been my dear husband, who himself has been recovering from his stroke in November. He has actually been doing very well thanks to the excellent health care he received, but having to help me every day has probably helped him too in a way. My youngest daughter came to visit in January and cooked us a pile of meals for the freezer, which was a huge help.

So now it has been almost 3 months. The bones have mostly healed and I can do most things for myself, but my shoulders, which were painful before because of the RA, did not do well being immobilized for 6 weeks, and my elbows have not regained their previous range of motion. I am still drinking my coffee through a straw though I can manage a couple of sips like a normal person, so think I will be able to give up the straw soon. The things I still can't manage alone are putting on shirts, washing my hair, and getting things from overhead cabinets. That is a short list compared to where I started.

When I saw the orthopedic doctor after the breaks he recommended that I stop my Rinvoq, which was starting to show good results after 2 months. I had been through a miserable year with my RA , trying different meds that were not working for me, so I was not eager to stop Rinvoq. I asked my rheumy the following week and he advised me to keep taking it, so I guess I did the right thing.

So now I feel like I am coming out the other side.. I am doing well on the Rinvoq with just a few stubborn joints that still bother me - the left knee and those 2 sore shoulders. I think maybe I need some physiotherapy to get the shoulders and elbows moving better. My energy is improving and my blood tests have improved with the Rinvoq .

Sorry this is so long. It has been a rough go, but I have managed to keep up my spirits, and now it is Spring. The snow is almost gone and I am looking forward to better days.

[Wobbies]

Gosh, what a disaster for you. So glad to hear that you are improving now. Can only commend you for your bravery. Spring makes us all feel better though.

[ElizabethW in reply to Wobbies]

Thank you. I guess we do what we have to do. Feeling better.

[Neonkittie17]

What a horrid time for you both. 😢😑 Hope you are soon able to do more and sending gentle hugs. x💗

[ElizabethW in reply to Neonkittie17]

Thank you. I am able to do a little more each week and I am starting to gain a bit of strength

[Neonkittie17 in reply to ElizabethW]

I’m glad you’re improving and hope things get better week by week. Are you having physio?

[ElizabethW in reply to Neonkittie17]

Not yet but I think I need to look into it

[Neonkittie17 in reply to ElizabethW]

I hope it could help you.

[springcross]

Oh my goodness, you really have been through it, poor you. Thank goodness for your husband and it's great that he's doing so well now. Hope you continue to heal well and good luck. x

[ElizabethW in reply to springcross]

Thanks for your support. I don't know what i would have done without my husband. I guess we are a good team.

[springcross in reply to ElizabethW]

I think you're right. xx

[Hidden]

What a nightmare but how strong are you and your husband. Well done and let’s hope better days to come xx

[ElizabethW in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for the support. It has been a rough winter but the sun is shining and it is a new season

[Oshgosh]

You’re very brave.better days will come.Physio sounds a good idea x

[ElizabethW in reply to Oshgosh]

Thank you for the support. The orthopedic doc said I didn't need physio and that therapists can be too agressive, but I think I should look into it. I worry that if I wait too long it may be too late to improve my range of motion.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to ElizabethW]

If you don’t find you are happy with the physio you choose then find someone else - the physio I chose to work on my shoulder was really good but a few months ago I developed dreadful pain in my lower back / pelvis. I went back to see her and she said it was referred pain from my lumber spine.I knew that wasn’t right so I cancelled the follow up appointment and found another physio who sent me for MRI scans and it turned out that I had a sacral insufficiency fracture.

You could see if you can find a physio who specialises in people with osteoporosis - you may well not have that condition but a physiotherapist who deals with osteoporotic patients ought to be very careful and gentle with you - plus as my Pilates teacher who is also a physiotherapist is always telling us ‘never do anything that hurts, even if it is something you have done lots of times before and even if I have told you to do it’ so if anyone asks you to do s9mething that causes pain, just don’t do it.

[sylvi]

Oh Elizabeth i am so sorry you have been through that. The good news is your on the road to recovery now darling,. xxx

[ElizabethW in reply to sylvi]

Thanks so much. It is very slow but function improves a little bit each week.

[sylvi in reply to ElizabethW]

You will feel brighter with the nice weather even if you only sit in the garden and enjoy the sunshine darling.xxxx

[Mmrr]

What a strong resilient woman you are, hopefully your recovery moves along quickly now and you can enjoy the spring and summer weather with your husband.

[ElizabethW in reply to Mmrr]

Thank you. I am hoping I can do some light gardening by May, when the weather here warms up.

[Fruitandnutcase]

Oh my goodness! You have all of my sympathy and I am very, very impressed with how you are getting on in what is quite a short time.

Apart from the pain of the breaks it’s everything else you have had to conquer then to have RA on top of all that. Honestly I am in awe of you for all you have managed and of your dear husband for stepping up to help you, I’m sure like you say that will have helped him too.

I broke both bones in my right wrist in January 2020 and I think one of the most frustrating things for me was not being able to wash my hair - my husband like yours stepped up and did the housekeeping but try as he did he was just hopeless when it came to washing my hair - he is bald and hasn’t had any hair of his own to wash for years - unfortunately it all happened at the start of the big covid lockdowns so I couldn’t even go and have a blow dry at a local hairdresser and I had no one who could join my ‘bubble’ and do it for me. That was very frustrating.

I would definitely recommend having some physiotherapy, I eventually managed to get some hand therapy for my hand which ended up a mess (I developed CRPS when the cast came off) but with the help of some Zoom sessions with an NHS hand specialist this really improved.

I then had lots of sessions with a different private physiotherapist for my shoulder which developed another problem all of its own and that got things working again so I can definitely recommend physical therapy.

Honestly though, you sound as if you are doing amazingly well you should feel really proud of yourself. Well done for keeping your spirits up. Spring will definitely perk you up so best wishes to you and your lovely husband.

[ElizabethW in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thank you so much for your support and for your input on physio. I need to give it a try I think.

I hope that your wrist, hand and shoulder are doing better now. I had to laugh when you talked about your husband washing hair -- mine is the same. what little hair he has is cut very short - but he is learning. Housekeeping has been pretty spotty, but I am able to do a bit now and I am thinking of getting someone to come in and clean once a month. He does a nice job with the laundry.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to ElizabethW]

Yes, thank you, things are practically normal now.

I have an amazing Pilates teacher who is also a physiotherapist (but not one of the ones I saw for my shoulder or my sacral fracture) and she moved onto Zoom so we had three zoom sessions every week all through lockdown, she says we helped her through lockdown but it was really her who helped us. We now meet in person for one session and Zoom on the other two sessions. Ours is a very small group of people of a similar age and all of us have aches and pains somewhere so our sessions are all tailored to our needs. I did invest in a few gadgets when I wasn’t able to do anything. I decided my motto would be ‘you’re never too old’.

In the past I wouldn’t buy or replace household items because I was getting so old I didn’t feel I would get my money’s worth out of it - well all that stopped.

First of all I bought a Magimix Le Mini chopper because I just wasn’t able to chop anything and I do like making soup, then I bought a dinky little lightweight Dyson hairdryer because I couldn’t manage to weird my other one, then I bought a Dyson stick vacuum cleaner because I couldn’t handle the one I had and I was in danger of tripping over the hose of the one I had. I was able to use all three and although I’m not a lover of housework, it felt good to be independent and I had absolutely no regrets about splashing out for any of them. So think on things that might make your life easier and treat yourself.

You know the saying ‘you’re only young once’ well my motto is now ‘you’re only old once’ so go for it ☀️

[rabbits65]

I see you live in Canada Elizabeth , when you mentioned snow, I knew we didn’t have any here in the U.K. . Would you consider getting a stair lift put into your house now you’ve had such a dreadful fall . You are a brave lady to cope so well . Please be very careful from now on . I moved to a bungalow as I had a nasty fall on stairs and that was 8 years ago . I dislocated my shoulder after that I got the stairlift. Then I moved to the coast to the bungalow. Miss sleeping upstairs however bungalows are much safer. I am 69 years , nearly your age .

[ElizabethW in reply to rabbits65]

Thank you for your support. I am still a bit nervous on the stairs, and only go up and down a couple of times a day, and then I am extra careful and mindful. I would actually like to move to a bungalow closer to my daughter who lives in a city of 90,000 which is 3 hours away. It's not a decision to be rushed into, but I have been checking the real estate listings online. My husband and I moved to our quaint small town 6 years ago when we retired, and we do like it here, but being in a city where there are more services and transportation. as well as being close to our daughter, would be good for us, I think.

[rabbits65 in reply to ElizabethW]

I know the feeling there as my daughter lives 95 miles from me. I came down to Bexhill on sea 7 years ago . Now if I wanted to go back to Hillingdon again I couldn’t afford the difference in house prices . If you don’t move do consider a stair lift . You can get them installed a bit cheaper as they fit reconditioned ones for about £600 . Better than risking falling again .

[Deeb1764]

Oh no that is awful but fingers x moving forward gently into spring time x

[ElizabethW in reply to Deeb1764]

Yes, some nice warmer weather will do us all good

[Sheila_G]

Oh you poor thing. What a terrible time you are having. I hope you go from strength to strength now, you and your husband. Sending healing hugs to you both. x

[Lizard28]

You are a trooper, that’s a lot to deal with, well done getting through it. I hope you continue to make progress. 🤗 (gentle hugs)

[janmary]

We don’t appreciate our abilities to do simple things until we can’t - what a difficult season you have had but each new task you can achieve now will be a celebration. Hope your remaining difficulties ease soon.

[Hidden]

Sounds like you both deserve medals 🏅

[oldtimer2]

I was quite surprised by the physio I have seen following a fall and fracturing my spine (and my scaphoid in my wrist). She was much more cautious than me with the exercises that I had downloaded from the Osteopororis website: theros.org.uk/information-a... but I was pleased that she was able to make some adjustments to the exercises that I had started doing while i waited for the appointment.

I would have thought it worth seeing a physio and judging for yourself how much of the advice to follow - as we always have to with our long term condition which has to be managed largely by us day-to-day with input from the professionals to give us guidance.

[Leics]

Wow that must have been a tough few months and it sounds like you’ve been a star getting through it and so has your husband by the sounds of it. We have a beautiful day today which as you said will definitely help us all I hope the weather is good where you are. If your orthopaedic surgeon can’t / won’t recommend a physio then maybe it might be an idea to see if your rheumy department could get you in for a few sessions with someone that is used to seeing patients with RA. I have first hand experience of a physio that made things worse so perhaps they would be a better choice. As others have said I think a real treat for yourself and your husband is in order even if it’s a weekend away or a meal out. Keep on trooping and keep us posted how you’re doing.

[ElizabethW in reply to Leics]

Thank you. My rheumy has referred me for physio in the past, though it was years ago. She did help me regain movement in my fingers.

[Green230461]

Bless you dear heart 💜 Keep the straw and change the drink- you deserve a stronger beverage!

Hope you continue to improve. Let us know as positive stories on here raise everyone’s spirits.

Glad to hear as a good Canadian you got your man- he sounds great.

Happy March hope the snow goes soon💐

[ElizabethW in reply to Green230461]

I can actually manage a glass of wine without the straw!

[Evie3]

Oh my goodness…poor you! So pleased you r recovering….what an awful ordeal for you….and your hubby. What would we do without them. I am pleased I have no stairs now.

[ElizabethW in reply to Evie3]

Thank you. I am lucky to have him.

[helenlw7]

Wow! What a disaster for you and your husband. I’m glad that things are beginning to improve, and that the Rinvok is is working for you.

[ElizabethW in reply to helenlw7]

I had a bit of a flare after the fall, and I was worried about that, but things have settled now and my bloodwork is improving, so I am feeling good about the Rinvoq

[barbieg]

Oh my goodness me, what a truly dreadful time you have had. I do hope you continue your recovery and can look forward to some warmer weather. That always helps. I hope you can find a physio who fully understands what you need and I’m sure it will aid your recovery even further. Sending you my best wishes and gentle hugs.

[Paisley58]

Urgh..... how awful! I fractured my wrist last May and still not 💯 and that was a struggle much less two elbows 😲

Wishing you all the best, hoping you'll be back to your old (RA under control) self soon.💐🙏