Sticks And Stones… 

By: Larry Gordon

…may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Just a childhood rhyme that defends our self-esteem if it ever feels threatened.

As you know, a little over a month ago, I actually did fracture a very precious and important bone in my upper right arm. I had missed a step in a home that I was not familiar with. It took less than a second to occur, but I can replay that event in my mind as if it was a 12-hour return flight from Israel.

I replay it in my mind because I’ve never experienced an event of that nature, and it just hammered home the point that it only takes a second to do that kind of damage, but it can take months and months for the injury to heal so you can function like normal. I’m not there yet, but I definitely see some progress.

For example, earlier this week I began putting on and removing my own tefillin without assistance. Also, thankfully, after almost four weeks, I was able to type with my right hand. That’s what I call progress, small steps on the road to healing.

My Orthopedist, Dr. Joshua Mitgang, sees this as a routine injury, not uncommon at all, almost like a simple basketball layup, the most basic shot in the game, except I can’t shoot or layup anything. Although I’m confident that eventually I’ll be able to shoot again, there’s no prognosis on whether or not any of my shots will get through the basket.

The bone I fractured is known as the humerus. It’s right between the shoulder and the elbow, an essential piece of bodily equipment, close to the rotator cuff in the shoulder. We’ve all heard of Major League Baseball pitchers who had rotator cuff injuries that required surgery, or some injuries that actually ended their professional careers. I don’t think Tommy John surgery has anything to do with the rotator cuff; it involves restoring elbow movement using grafted tendons to replace ligaments.

Either way, both of those baseball-oriented procedures have nothing to do with my type of injury. I still feel some discomfort in my upper right arm, but at the same time there’s definite improvement for which I am extremely grateful. Frankly, I’ve had my doubts about this day arriving, but from now on I can happily say that I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. And no, not the lights of an Eighteen-wheeler barreling in my direction at high speed.

There’s still some pain, especially when I maneuver my arm in a different direction than usual. I still use a sling to keep my arm mobile, especially at night and when asleep.

I’m in the 4-to-6-week period, the time when most doctors believe the pain should be subsiding. But others say it can take 6-to-8 weeks, and still others say it can take about 10-to-12 weeks. Last week, one doctor mentioned in passing that full relief can take up to six months. Was he kidding? In six months, you should be able to hurt yourself again and heal again. I think. I hope.

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