Broken arm (humerus) recovery journal

[Jitterbug]

I'd go zero alcohol if I were you. Faster bone and muscle healing, especially now you can't do much lifting at all.

You've got anything like a GHR at your gym? Give them glutes and hammies a workout. Do some abs too. Too much work on the bike can be catabolic for muscles.

Not sure what your arm brace is like (mine wasn't as bad), but consider it an opportunity to exercise some creativity on the sex part. I'm sure you'll come up with something.

Here's a Pook's post (I think he paraphrased an American president) to keep you going: Endure!

 

[runner83]

I'd go zero alcohol if I were you. Faster bone and muscle healing, especially now you can't do much lifting at all.

You've got anything like a GHR at your gym? Give them glutes and hammies a workout. Do some abs too. Too much work on the bike can be catabolic for muscles.

Not sure what your arm brace is like (mine wasn't as bad), but consider it an opportunity to exercise some creativity on the sex part. I'm sure you'll come up with something.

Here's a Pook's post (I think he paraphrased an American president) to keep you going: Endure!

30 Apr 2011 – 95 Days Since Injury

Thanks mate for the link to that post.

Yeah, over the last 13 weeks I haven’t done any strength stuff. Reason for this is that the first 6 weeks I didn’t really feel like it since my arm was still mending, and the last 7 weeks, doing an hour or more of physio exercises a day, busy with work and on the bike, I just haven’t found the time.

Plus, I will be (probably on 9 May) restarting working up on the project north of here, living in a small town without a gym, for 5 nights a week.

I have a barbell, dumbbell, weights and a bench still in the place I was staying up there when I broke my arm, so plan to use those and get back into it then. I have lost muscle mass, but am sort of surprised by how I still look half decent.

Re the drinking, I have cut down, but haven’t gone to cutting it out completely. I mean, if you can’t have a few beers with mates occasionally, what’s the point? That’s just my philosophy anyway, and I doubt a couple of beers every so often has slowed down my bone healing much.

I caught up again last night with one of the girls I’m seeing, the 30 year old. The last few times I’ve seen her, things have been escalating, and she has been really into me, but the arm has made things awkward. Plus I think she’s been holding herself back even though she is turned on.

Anyway, back at her place last night, she had a shower and got changed. She bent over at some stage, and I saw she was wearing a g-string...We watched a movie and then ended up making out on the couch. Her top came off (she has D cup minimum I would guess) and then things went from there.

Bloody hard getting my jeans off with only one hand (and because of how we were lying she only had one hand free as well), but managed, then her pants came off.

Had to get her help to get the condom on, and then as it turned out, we ended up in the usual guy on top position, since that seemed to work best, with one of my legs on the floor to support myself in lieu of my broken arm.

The first time we had s!x (just before I broke my arm back in late Jan) the sex was average at best (we were both drunk) whereas this time, ironically with only one arm, it was way better. She came twice and was pretty noisy!

Apparently my brace squashed one of her breasts when we were doing it, but she wasn’t complaining at the time.


Exercise Bike

Since last entry:

22/4 => 15.3 km, 34 minutes
23/4 => 30.5 km, 70 minutes
24/4 => Day off
25/4 => Day off (ANZAC Day)
26/4 => 32 km, 74 minutes (passed 1,200 km total distance)
27/4 => 24.1 km, 54 minutes
28/4 => 15 km, 34 minutes
29/4 => Day off

 

[runner83]

4 May 2011 – 99 Days Since Injury

The brace finally comes off!

Went back to the hospital on 3 May and the brace was finally taken off (12 weeks with the brace, 2 with the cast before that). I could have, but didn’t, keep it as a souvenir.

My arm has shrunk heaps. I’m limited to only lifting < 1kg of weight with that arm and go back for another check in 6 weeks.

I’m starting to get used to writing with my left hand again, but typing with two hands feels pretty strange.


Physio

After the doc, I went to the physio and he gave me more exercises to do, and took me through them. After 1 day of them I am really sore (wrist, elbow and shoulder) as I start to get things moving again. I am to take each exercise to the point of pain (in wrist, elbow or shoulders, not at the break!!), and have a heat pack to use to help get tendons / ligaments moving again. My left side is pretty stiff!

The routine I’ve been given, 3 times a day, takes about 2 hours a day all up.


Girls

I’ve put the 22 year old on the backburner for now since her interest seemed only average.

On Monday night, before the brace came off, I caught up with the 30 year old at her place again. This time, we ended up doing it on her bed, me on top again.

I lasted a fair while and she came 3 times. Good to know that she is one of those girls who can come in guy on top position (I’ve been with some who could only come from girl on top).

I will have to be fvckin’ careful now that the brace is off though, that I don’t rest too much weight on that arm…!


Exercise Bike

Since last entry:

30/4 => Day off
1/5 => 30.2 km, 71 minutes
2/5 => Day off
3/5 => Day off
4/5 => 20.3 km, 49 minutes

 

[runner83]

19 May 2011 – 114 Days Since Injury

Fvck, it has been busy the last couple of weeks! I’m now back working on a major project up about 1.5 hours north of my hometown, living up in a smaller town closer to the job during the weeks.

Good, hours are longer, but pay is basically double (pre-tax), so can’t complain!

I’ve been continuing with the physio exercises, doing them a couple of times during the day, in the site office meeting room or wherever I can, and mobility seems to be improving, although my shoulder and elbow are still sore from getting joints moving again.

Still can’t straighten my left arm fully, but seems to have improved. Back to the physio next week.

Not lifting any heavy weights with the arm yet. To be honest, I haven’t touched a weight for like 15 weeks now, and yet one mate of mine who has been hitting the weights really hard has biceps only 2cm larger than my right one (the uninjured one). Of course, my strength will be right down, but still, didn’t have the heart to tell him.

I’ll be too busy with the job probably for the rest of 2011, so weights is not anywhere top priority at the moment…I’ve got bigger stuff to make happen.

I’m still seeing the 30yo, it is getting semi-serious. Have spent the night at hers a couple of times. Apparently her cat likes me way more than anyone ever before (but then again, who can blame him and I like him, he’s a nice old cat).

She is going away on holidays to Bali for a couple of weeks (by herself) in a few days, will catch up with her tomorrow night before she heads off What happens, happens…

Exercise Bike

Since last entry:

5/5 => 15.5 km, 35 minutes (passed 1,300 km total distance)
6/5 => Day off
7/5 => 20.1 km, 45 minutes
8/5 => Day off
9/5 => 20.6 km, 48 minutes
10/5 => 20 km, 45 minutes
11/5 => 20.1 km, 48 minutes
12/5 => 2.1 km, 47 minutes (passed 1,400 km total distance)
13/5 => Day off
14/5 => Day off
15/5 => Day off (yes, was really busy these last 3 days)
16/5 => 20.1 km, 47 minutes
17/5 => 20.2 km, 48 minutes
18/5 => 20 km, 47 minutes

 

[samwoods622]

Hello Everybody,
This is Nice Discussion Found Here about "Broken arm". Really its great. Thanks very much!

 

[runner83]

29 May 2011 – 124 Days Since Injury

Back on 21 May, I went for my first run since I broke my arm. 5.5 km in 30 minutes. My legs were a bit sore for a day or so afterwards, but looks like all the boring exercise bike sessions in the 15 weeks before that have paid off.

Earlier today, I did my second one, 6.7 km in 33 minutes, which is pretty much near my regular pace.

I’m not going to bother to record aerobic exercise in this journal anymore, since I don’t have time to keep it up to date, and I keep it in my own records anyway.

It served its purpose earlier on when I needed it to help myself keep motivated, but now there’s no real need for that.

I’m continuing with the physio exercises, aiming to get as much flexibility back as I can in both my elbow and shoulder. There’s a possibility that I will never be able to completely straighten my left arm at the elbow, but my aim is to simply get as much movement back as I can. What happens happens.

Apart from that, flat out with work. Updates in here will probably be a bit more infrequent. I’ll probably just aim to give once monthly updates from now on.

 

[Fuglydude]

This is a fantastic journal that shows how determination, toughness and focus can help you get through adversity... Props man. Good to hear you're recovery is almost complete.

 

[runner83]

This is a fantastic journal that shows how determination, toughness and focus can help you get through adversity... Props man. Good to hear you're recovery is almost complete.

Thanks mate. Recovery is ongoing. I go back to the doctor's on Tuesday for another x-ray.

Arm still has some pain in the elbow and shoulder as I keep getting mobility back into them.

I probably won't be on here much for a while, since I'm now on a major project which keeps me busy (including travel) for about 12 - 13 hours a day.

I'm getting into running again and to be honest, I probably wouldn't have a lot of time for lifting weights anyway, so if I take it easy with my arm for the rest of the year, won't be a huge loss for me anyway.

I'll post updates periodically, maybe once a month from now on.

 

[Huffman]

Good on you mate! I have to tell you my arm doesn't completely straighten out either, but it really sounds worse than it is. Just keep doing your exercises and get back as much as you can. Even with an arm that is not completely straight I can still do everything I want, cycling, punching, everything. In many activities it's actually not healthy to lock out the arm completely, so it's barely noticeable. I can do one-armed pushups these days no problem.

And yeah, keep going strong! When I was at the point where you are now I got kinda depressed and anxious about the whole thing... good to see you're not a wimp like that

 

[runner83]

Good on you mate! I have to tell you my arm doesn't completely straighten out either, but it really sounds worse than it is. Just keep doing your exercises and get back as much as you can. Even with an arm that is not completely straight I can still do everything I want, cycling, punching, everything. In many activities it's actually not healthy to lock out the arm completely, so it's barely noticeable. I can do one-armed pushups these days no problem.

And yeah, keep going strong! When I was at the point where you are now I got kinda depressed and anxious about the whole thing... good to see you're not a wimp like that

Thanks mate, I really appreciated the feedback you and the others have given me throughout this journal..yes, I suspect it will be similar for me, but it definitely won't be the end of the world if my arm doesn't straighten fully.

I did go through a bit of a dark period around the 6 - 10 week mark, but it has all been up since the brace came off.

I go back for the next check up in 3 months and don't really have any great desire to start lifting or doing anything strenuous with my arm, since I'm too busy with work anyway, and will be until the end of the year.

I am getting back into running though.

lmfao

And yet, you'd be surprised how common it is. Have a look on Google.

Freedom can only truly be appreciated by those who have fought for it.

Money can only be truly appreciated by those who have had to work for every penny of it.

Love is only truly appreciated by those who have had it snatched away.

And a sound body can only truly be appreciated by those who have gone through illness or some physical trauma.

A broken arm is hardly the end of the world, and for me it has actually been a beneficial experience, since it has given me a new found appreciation for every day of good health I have, and a new focus on my mental toughness to succeed in everything that I do.

 

[Huffman]

How is your arm now?

 

[Kirk]

eat 6 times a day if you haven't already done so. Your metabolism will increase due to having to break down food all day whilst keeping in mind your desired calorie intake.

 

[runner83]

Long time since I've been on.

Arm is going great. I'm too flat out at work to do any real strength training, but able to lift stuff with no worries.

This journal got me through the darkest period.

Life is always good, as long as you never give up.

 

[Huffman]

Long time since I've been on.

Arm is going great. I'm too flat out at work to do any real strength training, but able to lift stuff with no worries.

This journal got me through the darkest period.

Life is always good, as long as you never give up.

Good on you mate!