On the 26th July 2019, my life took an unexpected turn. I broke my wrist and entered the world of facture clinics, surgery and physio rehabilitation. Normally, it’s part of my job to help support workers after a serious injury and the reality of being broken myself taught me a few good lessons.
What Happened?
It was all a bit ‘Bridget Jone’s Diary.’ I was walking to a taxi holding my phone when I fell over and protected my phone with my wrist. Contributory factors were that I was wearing high heels (something I hadn’t worn for over 7 months), have hyper flexing joints (thanks to years of skiing) and I had just completed a wine tasting, so was not fit to drive.
The next day, the look on the radiographer’s face said it all. I had a distal right radius colles fracture. In non-medical terms, I’d broken one of the long bones in my forearm and it had to be put back into place.
I don’t remember much about the first week as I was on tramadol, an opioid pain killer that sends you to La La Land. I do remember the 3 ½ hour drive to the fracture clinic in Dunedin. It was painful and the tramadol made me car sick. The doctor said my bone had slipped out of alignment and needed to be operated on. I had to survive two days of ‘Nil by mouth/ Sorry no surgery’ before it all happened on Monday morning.
The staff at Dunedin Hospital were amazing. I appreciated the whole team that worked with me ranging from the nurse aids through to Dr Simon McMahon (one of NZ’s leading orthopaedic surgeons). However, the hospital itself is a miserable place. I think it is the architectural representation of ‘Seasonal Affective Disorder’.
Sharing a room with three other people who were also all in pain and on different pain med schedules meant that sleep was infrequent and life on the ward was not much fun. I was more than a little relieved to go home on Tuesday morning. I now have what looks like a bottle opener screwed into my bone, a 20 cm scar on the inside of my wrist and a splint/brace that looks like it was designed for falconry.
Lesson 1: It’s not just about your physical recovery
Once the initial pain began to subside, the process of discovering what I can’t do began. Here are the headline acts that I hadn’t thought about:
- Tie hair up in a ponytail
- Tie shoelaces
- Cut food
- Unscrew stovetop coffee maker (I had to use the vice on the workbench in the garage)
- Drive for over 6 weeks
These physical limitations are head wrecking for an independent, Class A personality type like myself. Adding to the misery was my a mourning process for my ski pass and it took a while to get my head around not being able to ski with my four-year-old son this season. Not to mention the challenge of managing the needs of my clients for work, running a household and staying in touch with friends and family.
It’s been a humbling experience having to ask for help to do the smallest things and ACC’s home support has been a lifesaver. The freezer has been stocked with crockpot meals and messages from caring friends has also been amazing and has helped me stay positive.
Getting the little things right like doing my morning meditation, filling in a gratitude diary and going out for dog walks has been mandatory.
Lesson 2: Rehabilitation is not Linear and Set Backs Suck
I have been doing my exercises and I know I’m not supposed to be lifting anything heavier than a coffee cup. However, even though Josh my physio gave me a gold star for diligence, it doesn’t mean I will be driving any sooner. I was gutted that I’d put in the effort and I wasn’t going to receive a ‘get out of jail free,’ in return.
Also, random reflexive actions can have devastating consequences. On Saturday, I got out of the car and swung the door closed with my right hand. It hurt! And, stopping my four-year-old from taking a running jump at me when he wants a ‘super hug’ has been hard.
Lesson 3: Perspective is everything
Right now, I feel like I am driving in the dark at night and all I can see is what is in my headlights. My focus is small, it’s about getting through the day and healing my wrist. The progress I’ve made has been huge in the last four weeks and I’ve been celebrating the small wins, but, it’s still hard been trapped in the limited range of my ‘car headlights’ reality.
The thing is, my injury is not life-threatening. I don’t have a cancer diagnosis. I’m not waiting to hear back about whether I’ll be driving to Dunstan Hospital in Clyde for chemotherapy or Dunedin for radiation treatment. I have a lot to be grateful for and I am acutely aware of this. It’s definitely a case of you don’t know what it’s like until you are in the middle of it.
What can you do if your worker is Injured?
- Get your worker’s next of kin to call ACC and have a case manager assigned as soon as possible. They will need the person’s full name and date of birth to get things going. There are so many options for help ranging from in-home care to cleaning services and taxi chits.
- There are some home food delivery options that are far more practical than flowers. I am now a big fan of Angel Delivery, we were sent three meals and they were all amazing.
- If it is a workplace injury and WorksafeNZ is investigating the event, it is worth appointing independent legal council for your worker. Being interviewed by Worksafe can seem overwhelming, especially if you are on high-level pain medication. Having someone who is independent and ‘on their side’ can help your worker gather their thoughts and speak with clarity.
- ACC will help design a back to work plan. This doesn’t mean you stay hands-off until your worker is back. Keep in touch and help celebrate the small wins. Strange how been able to get dressed or cut up your food can feel like an Olympic achievement!
- Keep the rest of the team updated and let them know if the injured person is ok with visitors.
As always, if you have anything to add to the discussion on being broken and managing your rehabilitation please call Sarah on 0272 007 680 or email sarah@employmenow.co.nz.
Have a safe and productive week,
SB