External Fixator is OFF!!!!!

We went to Orthopedics east today, after eating a full lunch. I'm not sure if this was a good idea, or a bad idea. Keep reading.

They first did x-rays as usual, and Dr. Duke explained the fracture is healing well, but still needs some immobility time for further healing. He then explained how the external fixator was going to be removed and that Johnathan would wear a cast for a few weeks afterwards. So we go to the "casting room", and the lady removed his ace wrap, gauze and stitches.

The bar for the external fixator was removed. No big deal. That thing was very heavy. Maybe we can get it melted down into a wedding band or something. (We are keeping all of the hardware. We sure paid for it!)

The screws for the external fixator were not any fun. They made Johnathan and I both nauseous. Him from pain, and I got nauseous from the blood. I can handle large wounds, hospital patients, and physical therapy, but i don't like watching needles go into the skin, and I don't like to watch oozing blood. Poor Johnathan. They did not give him a local anaesthetic, and he was in extreme pain.

She then yanked out the pins, with pliers. That was not pleasant.

We have pictures of all of these events, but I didn't have my camera (of course, it was on the kitchen table where I should have remembered to pick it up).. they are all on Johnathan's phone. We will somehow figure out how to post them on the computer.

Four screws (from the external fixator), and two large pins. We will post pictures of these as well.

They then wrapped his wrist with a new fiberglass casting and he was good to go. The casting was pretty neat, she just dipped the wrap into cool water to get the chemicals working. It heated up on his wrist, then cooled to form a hard, water-proof surface. She gave him a plastic sleeve so he can shower. I think that is the most exciting thing for him: he hates taking baths.

The cast is much better than the external fixator- he doesn't have to worry about bumping the bar (which bumped inside the bone), he has more finger room so he can button his shirts and be a little more independent, and people won't stare at him quite as much. He was waiting for me to pick him up today, and someone actually stopped the car and asked what happened to him. The external fixator was the best option for mobility and healing purposes, it strictly limited his wrist motion. He has a little bit of wiggle room in the cast, but the cast is hard enough to prohibit wrist motion and protect the fracture.

He will wear the cast for another month... he gets the cast off at 8am Halloween morning! :)

The cast is black, and we have yellow/gold pens for people to sign the cast with. Of course... App State colors!! :)


Thanks to everyone for calls and support. We have a lot on our plate right now (oh our house is a disaster), but things will get better! :) We love you all!