[CarolynSnow]

Hi.

I am an older new member. After a broken toe that took 4 months to heal and a broken distal radius and fractured ulna on March 23 that has been very slow to heal, I finally had a DEXA scan to "rule out" osteoporosis. I thought, "I'm too strong and healthy, so there's no was I could have it. Was I wrong! I have osteoporosis in my spine and hips and have a high risk of fracture.

I fell on my outstretched left hand on the concrete floor at work when I stepped up on a floor mat that went flying out from under me. X-rays reveal that the wrist still does not have a hard callus -- the calcium bridge that should be seen across the break, but I am told that it has clinically healed. I have been in occupational therapy for 6 weeks and my therapists are wonderful.

I have only missed one day's work since the accident. That was the day of my electromyogram. My first workman's comp orthopedic specialist had me see a neurologist to test for carpal tunnel syndrome. No CTS was evident, but the electromyogram did reveal acute nerve damage on the distal radius side and some nerve damage on the ulnar side. He said he believed the nerve on the distal radial side was either pinched or severed. My first workman's comp ortho did a closed reduction and put me in a fiberglass cast that was so tight that my hand would swell and my middle knuckle and finger was bunched way up or way down because there was not enough room in the cast. The first cast (week 2 through week 4) cut into my hand on the side of the little finger. The second cast (fourth week out) cut into my hand on the thumb side. I had to stuff gauze, moleskin, and corn pads into those areas to allow them to heal. Not having ever had a broken bone prior to this, I thought this was just something I had to put up with. When I was casted, my ortho and ortho tech did not caution me or give me any written instructions with cautions about tight casts, swelling, and pain in the cast. My ortho tech just happened by my workplace on the Friday of the fourth week and asked how I was doing. I was in horrible pain. She looked at it, said the cast was too tight, and told me to come in Monday so she could replace the cast. When she took the cast off, my left hand and wrist hurt so badly when it was touched or moved that I used my right hand it up so it could not move. She had the ortho look at it. He told her to make a hand therapy splint. He set up an appointment for me to see the neurologist the next week. His diagnosis is at the first part of this post. My ortho wanted to set up an appointment to have a pain block administered. He had told me the second week that he did not see any healing of the bone and then the fourth week he told me my bones were "washing out." That was when I decided to have the DEXA scan. I suspected that the osteopenia was already there after having broken two bones from November 2010 to March 2011. After this, I had no confidence in the first ortho and demanded that my workman's comp representative help me find a new orthopedic specialist.

My RSD has resolved some since seeing my new ortho and his occupational therapists. I'm no longer in the horrible pain that I had before. But I do have the burning and tingling, especially when exposed to cold temperatures or cold water. My upper arm and shoulder have become stiff and I can no longer raise my left hand over my head. Twice I have almost lost my balance and flinched on the left side. It sent horrible pain through me. My co-worker thought I was going to pass out.

I am determined to get past this. I believe the bone will eventually heal completely and am hoping it will resolve completely after the bone heals. That seems to be the case with causalgia, provided the injured nerve on the radial side is not entrapped in the healing bone.

I really appreciate sites like this. It seems that so many orthopedic "specialists" do not want to deal with what THEY have caused. My first ortho wanted to say mine was psychological. But after having been through several surgeries with no problems, there is no way I was willing to accept this. One surgeon told me I was the best patient he ever had because I got up and started walking the second day after a total hysterectomy. Speaking of which, I had stopped taking my HRT. Big mistake! That's the reason for the osteoporosis now. I'm now back on my Estradiol and am taking Fosamax to rebuild bone. Fosamax slows down bone healing, but with risk of fracture elsewhere, I just have to deal with the delayed healing of the wrist. I'm back on calcium, D3 and a number of other supplements that are supposed to help with bone healing. My diet consists of foods that are recommended by associations of orthopedic specialists.

I know this is long, but I hope what I am going through will help someone, maybe even a physician, in dealing with causalgia. I know this site has already given me helpful information that I am going to use in my recovery.

Best wishes to all who are going through this.
Carolyn