While shoveling snow on our parking lot for the first time since it was paved, Henry slipped and tried to break his fall, landing on his left hand. He knew something was wrong right away. However, this was 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning and we had church in an hour. So I wrapped up the wrist and he held the left hand at waist height most of the time. Church proceeded as usual. We even had a first-time visitor come! Praise God.
We got to the hospital about 4:00 pm at the emergency room as it was the hospital's day off. They took an x-ray and it was determined he has a distal radius fracture. The ortho doctor was on duty and recommended surgery and to return Monday for a consultation.
You can see the wrist is swollen and out of joint a little. His arm was wrapped in a splint and a sling and we went home.
Monday we returned and saw the same doctor. He ordered some tests to determine the extent of the injury and prep for surgery. First was a blood test, then an EKG of his heart to see if that was OK and an MRI of the hand.
Finally we went back to the ortho doctor and he explained the procedure scheduled for 2:00 pm on Wednesday, Jan 18. He went through a list of things and explained the procedure in detail and what to expect. The options were a local anasthesia to numb the entire arm where Henry would be awake, or sleep. He chose the sleep one as he was told by two other friends that the local is very painful and sometimes does not work. This also means he will have to stay overnight Wednesday. Which also means he asked Hiraoka-sensei to preach on Wednesday evening.
The doctor will put a metal plate over a fractured bone and screw it down. He said Henry would need some rehab, maybe 1-2 visits.
Our insurance will cover most of the expense, so that is a blessing. I am Henry's chauffeur for a few days, although he insists he can drive with one hand--NOT!
Please pray for complete healing.
