Ortho visit

This went very well. The doctor was encouraged by how well Robert's arm appears to be doing with the brace. He stated that it should be able to heal on its own. He said that the two bones are being held together by the soft tissue that surrounds them. He said that thankfully this tissue was not damaged and this is one reason he thinks surgery may not be necessary. He pointed out that Robert has a fracture up to his shoulder, so if he put a plate in, it would run from his shoulder to about 2 inches above his elbow. This would not be a good situation. He said if we have to do surgery, it will be a rod, which requires drilling a hold in the bone and inserting the rod. He said these can slip out, which requires drilling another hole. So, we really don't want to go that way if we can help it. We asked him how long the intense pain should last, and he said 2-3 weeks until those bones get set. Robert also has to sleep in a recliner until that time. The angle of the bones has improved and is no longer pointing toward the back of the arm. All in all this was a very good visit. Although the technician performing the x-rays kept getting the wrong view, so they had to take 9 x-rays. I am starting to wonder about all the radiation he has had lately... We will return to the orthopaedist on Wednesday for further follow up. Thank you so much for all of your prayers. We were glad for a more definitive answer about his arm. Now, on with the healing.