Thank you for the get well wishes, Bob. My family and I are opting for the second opinion. If surgery is unavoidable or will give the best results, I'm going to get the surgery. I figured my thinking was right. I needed it confirmed.
I'll take the advice to heart and do everything they ask of me while I recover. I want to come back as strong as before the injury...if not stronger. I'm starting to research sports therapist to see what's available in my area...but again I'll probably go to Philadelphia for that, too.
You say about having a plate in your arm and not being able to feel it or the screws. What happened that you needed plates and screws installed in your arm? What was your op like? What was your pre and post op like? We're you able to feel the plates and screws at first? If so, what did it feel like and how long did it take for that feeling to go away?
A few years ago, I tried to get more exercise, especially bike riding. For a while I was riding to work, about 5 miles each way by bike, and on the weekends my wife and I would bike downtown to the farmers' market (the Saturday farmers' market is the largest in the country). We took a tandem bike, and filled up the basket with food. On the way home we temporarily left Madison for the city of Fitchburg. When we were less than 2 miles from home, we went down a hill too fast. There was a curve from a road to a bike trail. On one side was a big ditch. To prevent from going into the ditch, I turned the tandem sharply the other way, which crashed the bike. My wife was smart enough to keep her hands on the handlebars. She was scraped up a bit, but didn't need treatment. I instinctively tried to break the fall with my left arm. Instead, my left arm snapped, breaking both bones, and messing up my wrist bones as well. One of the cops who came to the scene was a friend, so he was nice and took out bike home and explained the situation to our kids, while my wife accompanied me to the hospital.
A little later I had to have surgery on my arm. It wasn't that bad. I never noticed the plate and screws at all.
I don't have 100% motion in my arm, but, since I did the exercises, I came very, very close. I find that the sort of wrist snap used in a peel drop ball loosens up my wrist a bit, and makes it feel better. My wrist is still stiff, and always will be.