Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Photoshop Users Conference

Woohoo! Lookie what I get to go to in May!


And better yet, my company is paying for it so it's free!!! I love photoshop and have dabbled with it for many, many years. This will be the first time I get some formal training for the advanced levels and I'm stoked!

Photoshop Users Conference

Woohoo! Lookie what I get to go to in May!


And better yet, my company is paying for it so it's free!!! I love photoshop and have dabbled with it for many, many years. This will be the first time I get some formal training for the advanced levels and I'm stoked!

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Elbow Prettiness

This is what a broken elbow looks like one week after the incident. Nice swelling with no indication of an elbow being under there - this is actually an improvement from 5 days ago. Amazingly enough, my elbow never hit the floor when I fell, rather I caught myself with the palm of my hand. The bruising is the result of the fracture itself, caused by a nice bone-to-bone chain reaction...pretty nifty, eh?

Elbow Prettiness

This is what a broken elbow looks like one week after the incident. Nice swelling with no indication of an elbow being under there - this is actually an improvement from 5 days ago. Amazingly enough, my elbow never hit the floor when I fell, rather I caught myself with the palm of my hand. The bruising is the result of the fracture itself, caused by a nice bone-to-bone chain reaction...pretty nifty, eh?

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

No cast!

Yay! My orthopedic specialist appointment didn't end with me having a cast applied to my broken elbow! *happy dance*  Instead I am only doomed to the sling for the next 8 weeks and possibly some physical therapy later.  Not so bad considering the alternative.  I got me some more drugs too, that always helps.
So in the last 5 days I have learned to do many things one handed - some of which take great talent.  I can now get dressed, button and unbutton my pants, open mail, type pretty good, take a shower and wash/dry my hair, apply make-up, drive my truck, put on my sling and feed my fish, to name a few.  What I can not do is connect my bra (sports bras for the next 2 months), open tightly closed bottles, hold objects heavier than a sheet of paper in my left hand, fold laundry (yay!) or operate my camera (boo!).

I have found that after a day in a sling my fingers resemble albino sausages, my shoulder blades ache and my entire left arm spasms intermittently.  I have also found that showers become a bother, bedtime is dreaded and driving is done cautiously.  Hopefully all will be back to normal in a couple of months.

No cast!

Yay! My orthopedic specialist appointment didn't end with me having a cast applied to my broken elbow! *happy dance*  Instead I am only doomed to the sling for the next 8 weeks and possibly some physical therapy later.  Not so bad considering the alternative.  I got me some more drugs too, that always helps.  

So in the last 5 days I have learned to do many things one handed - some of which take great talent.  I can now get dressed, button and unbutton my pants, open mail, type pretty good, take a shower and wash/dry my hair, apply make-up, drive my truck, put on my sling and feed my fish, to name a few.  What I can not do is connect my bra (sports bras for the next 2 months), open tightly closed bottles, hold objects heavier than a sheet of paper in my left hand, fold laundry (yay!) or operate my camera (boo!).

I have found that after a day in a sling my fingers resemble albino sausages, my shoulder blades ache and my entire left arm spasms intermittently.  I have also found that showers become a bother, bedtime is dreaded and driving is done cautiously.  Hopefully all will be back to normal in a couple of months.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Exciting Event of the Week

It was Thursday morning, 7:00am and I was running late for work, as usual. Since a storm and cold front came in the night before I needed to start my truck and let it warm up before cruising in to work. I went back into the house to get some coffee for the road, not stopping to properly wipe my wet dress shoes on the rug. Upon entering the kitchen my right heel slipped on the hardwood floor. Before I knew what happened I was falling and heard a sound like velcro strips being ripped apart very fast. When I tried to pick myself up off the floor I realized that sound had emitted from my left arm as I tried to break my fall. Unfortunately instead of breaking my fall I broke my left arm - more specifically the radial something-or-other in my left elbow joint area. I've never before experienced such pain so bad that I felt dizzy and nauseous instantaneously.

After confirming the break at Prompt Care, getting a stylish navy blue sling and some good pain meds I headed home to start learning to type efficiently with one hand. My left hand isn't allowed to type for at least 3 weeks (not that it is functional to do so now anyway), which really throws a monkey wrench into my normal routine sine both of my jobs and much of my personal entertainment requires lots of typing. Go figure. Next week I have to see an orthopedic specialist to make sure there is nothing else wrong and to ensure that it will heal properly. They will determine if it needs a cast or if the sling will immobilize my arm enough for it to heal. I'm praying I don't need a cast.

In the meantime I'm pecking along with one hand and trying to get along with everyday normal things. You never really think about how important two hands are for the simplest tasks, such as: unbuttoning and buttoning pants, opening child-proof pain pill bottles, putting on a bra, setting an alarm clock, opening mail, etc. It's mind boggling! Driving to work Monday should be interesting...

Exciting Event of the Week

It was Thursday morning, 7:00am and I was running late for work, as usual. Since a storm and cold front came in the night before I needed to start my truck and let it warm up before cruising in to work. I went back into the house to get some coffee for the road, not stopping to properly wipe my wet dress shoes on the rug. Upon entering the kitchen my right heel slipped on the hardwood floor. Before I knew what happened I was falling and heard a sound like velcro strips being ripped apart very fast. When I tried to pick myself up off the floor I realized that sound had emitted from my left arm as I tried to break my fall. Unfortunately instead of breaking my fall I broke my left arm - more specifically the radial something-or-other in my left elbow joint area. I've never before experienced such pain so bad that I felt dizzy and nauseous instantaneously.

After confirming the break at Prompt Care, getting a stylish navy blue sling and some good pain meds I headed home to start learning to type efficiently with one hand. My left hand isn't allowed to type for at least 3 weeks (not that it is functional to do so now anyway), which really throws a monkey wrench into my normal routine sine both of my jobs and much of my personal entertainment requires lots of typing. Go figure. Next week I have to see an orthopedic specialist to make sure there is nothing else wrong and to ensure that it will heal properly. They will determine if it needs a cast or if the sling will immobilize my arm enough for it to heal. I'm praying I don't need a cast.

In the meantime I'm pecking along with one hand and trying to get along with everyday normal things. You never really think about how important two hands are for the simplest tasks, such as: unbuttoning and buttoning pants, opening child-proof pain pill bottles, putting on a bra, setting an alarm clock, opening mail, etc. It's mind boggling! Driving to work Monday should be interesting...