A Month and a Half Later

A Month and a Half Later

Jacob Schlitt

"I still can’t get over the fact that a little fall on June 14, is still a problem on July 29, exactly a month and a half later."

2013-07-29

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2013

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A MONTH AND A HALF LATER

I still can’t get over the fact that a little fall on June 14, is still a problem on July 29, exactly a month and a half later. I was told that nothing was broken (except for my nose). I was told that the cuts and bruises would heal (except that the gash on my right leg would take a little longer).

Well, why was the pinkie on my right hand still hurting? Why had the gash not healed? No one had an answer about my pinkie. Perhaps you should see Dr. Tamara Rozental, the “Hand and Upper Extremity” specialist in the BI’s Department of Orthopaedics. And with regard to the scab forming over the gash, perhaps you should see the “wound clinic.” I made an appointment to see Dr. Rozental, but I could never reach anyone in the wound clinic. I called, left my number; they called back when I was out . I will call again. In the meantime, I did what Dr. Taylor recommended: I covered the wound with gauze which I wet with a saline solution. I should note that several days after the fall, it was concluded that the wound was infected and I was given antibiotics, which apparently made the infection go away.

Today, on July 29, I saw Dr. Rozental, preceded by three more x-rays of my pinkie, which had been x-rayed after the fall. Those x-rays had been viewed by the physician in the Emergency Room where it was concluded that there was no break, and by my Primary Care Physician, who also concluded that there was no break. So why was it still hurting?

When Dr. Rozental looked at my pinkie and at the x-rays, she smiled and said it certainly had been broken, but it was a clean break, and it is healing, so there is nothing we need to do. She pointed to where the bone was broken, which meant nothing to me, and said that it is easy to miss. I asked what would have been done if they found if it was broken. Most likely tape the pinkie to the ring finger, immobilizing it. A bad break would have required surgery. I am pleased that mine was a good break. With time, the pain would diminish and eventually go away entirely.

Yesterday, I wore my braces which are supposed to help me walk properly, lifting the front of my toe. However, the brace rubbed against the wound, aggravating the scab, and, I suspect, setting back the healing. Let me try calling the wound clinic again.

7-29-13

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