Broken Bits

I recently went to the orthopedic surgeon to discuss my options regarding the pain in my elbow. This x-ray isn't actually mine, but they did take a bunch, and then I had a CT scan done. I don't think I'd ever seen CT scan images before, but they sure showed everything!

Turns out that the pains in my elbow are due to a bunch of osteophytes (bone spurs, arthritic changes, bony overgrowth) that have appeared since I broke my radius last summer. Oh, lucky me! Instead of just healing, my bones have decided to grow MORE bone.

And those really bad pains that happened sometimes? Those were when those osteophytes broke off, or when the broken pieces got smooshed in my elbow as I tried to bend and extend. Yuk!

My options? Most people have surgery to remove the osteophytes and broken bits, and are back to "normal" in about three weeks. That's not so bad. Except that I'm not in much pain right now, and haven't been for about a week. And some people (I'm sure I'd be one of the lucky ones!) take longer to heal and/or have complications. My surgeon really couldn't even tell me what the outcome would likely be without surgery because almost nobody refuses surgery.

I just don't see why I should have surgery. I'm pretty much pain-free now. (The doctor couldn't explain that, either.) It's not likely to do any damage for me to use my arm. If it gets worse, I will know (by the pain, I'm sure!). So what's the harm in waiting?

While I wait, I'm working on glass, which I couldn't be doing if I were recovering from surgery. This piece was completed yesterday. It doesn't show well in this picture because the blue/pink swirl glass is more pink with light behind it, but this has two words juxtaposed: LOVE and HOME.  I plan to make several other versions while I wait some more. I should be getting pretty good at waiting by now, eh?