Updating dealing with an elbow injury

As you guys know, I had an elbow injury after being hit by a pitch last Tuesday. I had gone to the walk-in clinic and the doctor thought I just had a bruise and the swelling may have been pushing on a nerve. Well, I had an appointment this morning with my doctor and here's what happened.

She pushed on the spot where my injury occurred and she thought she could feel a protrusion underneath my skin. She had her nurse call down to imaging to make me a spot down there and had me come back in an hour. We went down to imaging, got x-rays and a couple of other things they wanted. My mom and I went to the cafeteria and Starbucks in that hour. We went back up to the doctors office for the update. The doctor asked us if we wanted the good, the bad or the ugly. I said the bad. She said that my arm looks like it's broken and I'll need a cast. The ugly, I'll be in a cast for at least 8 weeks. The good, I don't need to see the specialist in Philadelphia. What sucks is I won't be able to travel to Florida to see my cousins and play softball this summer. They called the local orthopedist and got me an appointment for that day. They also called the specialist in Philly and had my appointment cancelled. We then went to the orthopedist and he confirmed the reading. They then asked me what color cast I wanted and if I wanted a traditional plaster cast or a waterproof fiberglas cast. I went waterproof so I can at least go swimming. My cast goes up to halfway up my upper arm. I'm kinda depressed that I won't get to play. But I'll get to see my little sister play in her first season of summer ball.

Thanks for the follow up!

It's actually good to hear it's a break with the elbow area, vs. structural/tearing damage.

I've done both, and you will fare much better with the break.

Ya, time in a cast stinks. And a swollen bruise pinching a nerve would have been best news. But knowing it's not torn in there, is the best news you could have heard.

Good luck!

Oh Gabby - I am sorry to hear this news. I know you must be really disappointed. Super glad you and your mom were insistent on seeing your doctor and you got a firm diagnosis and treatment started. Keep us updated on your progress and any potential PT that might be involved.

Take care of that arm and elbow - you are going to come back strong, I just know it!

Oh, damn. That sucks! I wish you the best for quick healing and a speedy return to the game.

Even without your throwing arm, you can keep your receiving skills sharp

Bad timing for this, but there never is good timing for a break.

I remember what my brother said after I smashed up my arm and wrist in a bike accident. It's better to injure yourself doing something fun than get fat and lazy and die of a heart attack.

When the cast is on it will seem like forever. At some point it will seem like a blip in your life.

One word of advice: if you are given physical therapy exercises, do them religiously.
In my case, the doctor said I would never get full movement back in my wrist and arm. I was one of the truly rare people who actually do their exercises, and I have about 99% mobility. If I hadn't done the exercises, all of them every day, I wouldn't get anywhere near that high.

Thanks for the update. I'm glad you got it looked at and are on the way to a proper recovery. Not so glad that it's broken. That can be a real bummer. Keep your spirit up!

slugger3 said:

Thanks for the follow up!

It's actually good to hear it's a break with the elbow area, vs. structural/tearing damage.

I've done both, and you will fare much better with the break.

Ya, time in a cast stinks. And a swollen bruise pinching a nerve would have been best news. But knowing it's not torn in there, is the best news you could have heard.

Good luck!

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Thank you for the well wishes, slugger3. Wearing a cast is a totally new experience for me. I've had a few broken bones before. I've had broken toes, broke a finger and broke my nose. Never anything I needed a cast for. I'm glad that the injury wasn't more serious than it was though. I know I'll be in a cast for at least 8 weeks. I'm also not out of the woods for needing surgery. That is dependant on how well I heal.

Mom_Coach_Fan said:

Oh Gabby - I am sorry to hear this news. I know you must be really disappointed. Super glad you and your mom were insistent on seeing your doctor and you got a firm diagnosis and treatment started. Keep us updated on your progress and any potential PT that might be involved.

Take care of that arm and elbow - you are going to come back strong, I just know it!

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Thank you for your well wishes. I'm sorry too that I got hurt. I was looking forward to going to the beach, going to Disney World and playing softball with my cousins. There is a chance we will be spending some time in Florida or on a cruise in July or August. That depends on how my arm is. If I'm out of the cast by then, that would be great. But I'm still disappointed that I won't get to play. One lesson I have learned...wear a batters elbow guard from now on, lol.

Eric F said:

Oh, damn. That sucks! I wish you the best for quick healing and a speedy return to the game.

Even without your throwing arm, you can keep your receiving skills sharp

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Thank you for your reply, Eric. It does suck that I'll be down for the summer. I had been looking forward to going to Florida and playing in a different environment than what I was here and learning a different way of playing softball and integrate it into my game. I figure I should be castless by the start of August if all goes well. You say I can work on my receiving skills while my throwing arm is down. What drills can I do with one good arm and can I still work on blocking?

smddad said:

Thanks for the update. I'm glad you got it looked at and are on the way to a proper recovery. Not so glad that it's broken. That can be a real bummer. Keep your spirit up!

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I'll try to keep my spirits up. It'll be tough knowing what I'll be missing out on. And thanks for the well wishes.