any surgeons or nurses on this forum information needed if possible please

[Spent2much]

My son had some hardware put in his elbow last August because he fractured his radial head infact it completely shattered and he his entire elbow was unstable and dislocated, he had ORIF , he has a titanium replacement radial head and a titanium plate in his lower arm with six screws.

He went Tuesday to be assessed for th plate to be removed , he agreed to the operation as an out patient and is now having second thoughts as he is concerned the recovery will be a long time , the nurse said sometimes a full cast is put on the arm again also but isn't often, he hates the thought of the cast and this is what is putting him off he has only just started enjoying life again and enjoys walking and riding his bike, he said he dosen't want to be immobile for another 3 months.

If there are any surgeons or nurses on here with experienc any help and encouragement would be grateful please .

His surgery to have the plate and screws removed is 11the Septmber

[Undercover Elsa]

Re: any surgeons or nurses on this forum information needed if possible please

Hi Hun,
I'm a (long since) retired A&E Sister, but very rusty!
Thing is, every fracture is unique, and it would be impossible even for an orthopaedic surgeon on here to give any opinion without all the relevant info.
The surgery your son has had so far indicates a serious complicated fracture involving a joint. The fact that your son has achieved reasonable mobility after a year is excellent, but gives a false picture in terms of his lower arm as the plate is acting as an internal splint. Once it's removed, depending on X Rays etc if the healing isn't yet complete then he would need an external splint or cast for a while to protect it. Better that than to undo all the good work so far and end up back at square one.

My best suggestion would be for your son to make an appointment with his GP to talk over his concerns and discuss what all his options are. Often in OP appointments it's hard to take everything in, and it sounds to me as if he needs more info from a professional involved in his case in order to make an informed decision and put his mind at rest.

Sorry I can't be more help

Elsa x

[jen_br]

Re: any surgeons or nurses on this forum information needed if possible please

I would have to agree with Elsa, even the most simplest procedures can go one way or another.

I would hate to speculate and it not come out that way!

[Spent2much]

Re: any surgeons or nurses on this forum information needed if possible please

Hi Hun,
I'm a (long since) retired A&E Sister, but very rusty!
Thing is, every fracture is unique, and it would be impossible even for an orthopaedic surgeon on here to give any opinion without all the relevant info.
The surgery your son has had so far indicates a serious complicated fracture involving a joint. The fact that your son has achieved reasonable mobility after a year is excellent, but gives a false picture in terms of his lower arm as the plate is acting as an internal splint. Once it's removed, depending on X Rays etc if the healing isn't yet complete then he would need an external splint or cast for a while to protect it. Better that than to undo all the good work so far and end up back at square one.

My best suggestion would be for your son to make an appointment with his GP to talk over his concerns and discuss what all his options are. Often in OP appointments it's hard to take everything in, and it sounds to me as if he needs more info from a professional involved in his case in order to make an informed decision and put his mind at rest.

Sorry I can't be more help

Elsa x

Thank you this is really helpful, the fracture has healed and the surgeo ns are really pleased with it . He can play his guitar and rotate his arm all ways, he just hasn't got full extention .
My son did get the very best treatment actually , he only fell off a two foot wall and yet the injury was stage 4 , three surgeons wouldn't tackle it so in the end they called in a Nigerian elbow specialist who made the radial head so he could play guitar again, i think this is dedication and cannot fault any part of his treatment. I think my son is very blessed to have been fixed by this man

[Undercover Elsa]

Re: any surgeons or nurses on this forum information needed if possible please

Your son sounds very lucky to have had such a good surgeon..the elbow joint is such a complex one, I'd just say go with what they think is best for his long term mobility, as they seem to know what they're doing. If that means the nuisance of having a cast on for a while it's small price to pay for a more permanent result. And as a guitarist (like my husband) he needs to regain all the fluidity and dexterity he can get.

[Spent2much]

Re: any surgeons or nurses on this forum information needed if possible please

Just thought I would update this , my son had the plate and screws removed April 29th 2014 , we were all really nervous about it as his injury was horrendous.
Anyway he went in on the Tuesday morning and had the operation at 12.30 and was home the same day .

It was the best decision he made because he has more extension and the pain has all gone . He seems happier now . He needed some good news because the injury claim was lost because of lack of evidence .

He was devastated by losing the claim but i pointed out that we have each other as a family and we are very close we love each other , he has a gorgeous little boy who he has been able to bond with since birth which is a blessing as he wouldn't have had that privilege had he been working . Family and health are worth more than any amount of money and none of us go without in our family we look after each other .

So good news about his elbow , the surgeon who performed the operation when he first had the injury also took the plate and screws out and he said , it was one of the worse injuries he had seen but was happy with the outcome

ps he didn't have a cast on just dissolving stitches and a bandage

[Pixie]

Re: any surgeons or nurses on this forum information needed if possible please

That's good news S2M Thank you for the update.

[Undercover Elsa]

Re: any surgeons or nurses on this forum information needed if possible please

Great news S2M, shame about the claim though!

[Spent2much]

Re: any surgeons or nurses on this forum information needed if possible please

Great news S2M, shame about the claim though!

Yes but he is happy enough and just changed his car to a Picasso like ours and he is now self employed gigging and is earning good money in the pubs with a new covers band