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Hi there,
This post may not be like the other ones in this forum, but I would greatly appreciate any sort of feedback or suggestions as to where else I may find much needed answers.
Thank you for your time in reading this. I have been worried about the results of my recent elbow surgery and am eager to receive additional opinions on the outcome.
On May 18 last month, I slipped and fell from a ladder onto concrete 12 feet below, and fractured my right elbow. The break went through the entire bone of the forearm, near my elbow. From the x-rays, the gap was 3mm, which the surgeon said was a borderline situation for leaving it in a cast to heal on its own, or ideally, performing surgery to place a pin in the bone. I decided on surgery, but because of insurance issues, the operation was not performed until June 6, about 3 weeks after the date of injury. Up until then my right arm was immobilized in a cast.
Following the operation, the surgeon said the pin had successfully bridged the gap in the fracture and there was no longer any gap.
A couple days ago, I went in for a follow-up to get x-rays, 10 days post-op. Shockingly, the gap had re-appeared with the pin still in place! It was back to 3mm, or almost even bigger 4mm.
I was disappointed and inquired about this. The surgeon said that the gap would fill-in after several weeks.
Did I go through a pointless operation just to get a pin placed in my elbow without successfully closing the gap in the fracture?
Is the re-appearance of the gap a common post-op result?
Will the gap, in fact, fill-in?
I know the pin adds much needed stability, but should I have expected the surgeon to successfully close this gap without a problem?
What do you recommend I do as a next step?
Thank you so much for your advice,
Jeff Y.
26yo male
San Francisco, CA
This post may not be like the other ones in this forum, but I would greatly appreciate any sort of feedback or suggestions as to where else I may find much needed answers.
Thank you for your time in reading this. I have been worried about the results of my recent elbow surgery and am eager to receive additional opinions on the outcome.
On May 18 last month, I slipped and fell from a ladder onto concrete 12 feet below, and fractured my right elbow. The break went through the entire bone of the forearm, near my elbow. From the x-rays, the gap was 3mm, which the surgeon said was a borderline situation for leaving it in a cast to heal on its own, or ideally, performing surgery to place a pin in the bone. I decided on surgery, but because of insurance issues, the operation was not performed until June 6, about 3 weeks after the date of injury. Up until then my right arm was immobilized in a cast.
Following the operation, the surgeon said the pin had successfully bridged the gap in the fracture and there was no longer any gap.
A couple days ago, I went in for a follow-up to get x-rays, 10 days post-op. Shockingly, the gap had re-appeared with the pin still in place! It was back to 3mm, or almost even bigger 4mm.
I was disappointed and inquired about this. The surgeon said that the gap would fill-in after several weeks.
Did I go through a pointless operation just to get a pin placed in my elbow without successfully closing the gap in the fracture?
Is the re-appearance of the gap a common post-op result?
Will the gap, in fact, fill-in?
I know the pin adds much needed stability, but should I have expected the surgeon to successfully close this gap without a problem?
What do you recommend I do as a next step?
Thank you so much for your advice,
Jeff Y.
26yo male
San Francisco, CA
