Princess Five Medical Update - Hanging Shoulder

I took Princess Five to the Orthopedic specialist on Thursday last week. They could see a small chip on the x-ray possibly.  She had a "chip" on her shoulder! I laughed and laughed about that after we got home! I also laughed that she has a "stiff neck!" She rolled her eyes when I told her she has a "hard head" as well. She has a HUGE goose egg on the back of her head so I know she hit the ground hard when she went through the sage brush! 

He said there may be nerve damage which isn't a good thing. Her upper arm is numb and has no feeling but over the past few days, she said she is feeling little "pin pricks" all up and down her arm which is a good thing! She said today that she could feel "pressure" when she touched the worse area so hopefully her nerves are healing. 

The bigger news is that her arm is free hanging which isn't good. The ball is NOT in the socket and is why she has so much pain. They want an MRI to see where the damage is located. I am not sure why they didn't do an MRI at the ER but the orthopedist made it sound like it is an obamacare thing. He said they now have to get pre-approval to do MRI's. 

The entire thing is VERY frustrating as now it has been over a week since her accident and she has to wait for approval and then get it scheduled and then get it read and then get another appointment to get the results and then schedule surgery! By then, she hasn't used her arm for nearly a month! 

She has dance and is missing on learning and being in the dances due to not being able to move her arm! She is stressed that it may ruin her chance at being in the competition routines for the year which would be a hard thing for her. 

They said her injury is one they seldom see in young people because they have stretchy ligaments, muscles and tendons. He wasn't optimistic about her results and said it is most likely a destroyed rotator cuff but could also be another injury which would be a worse injury and the possible nerve damage all of which will show on the MRI. He wanted her to go to a neurologist but I asked what they could do before an MRI and he then agreed that we need to wait until the MRI before making that long trip and avoid making two trips as they would want the MRI as well.

The top picture is her waiting to go in. to see the Dr. Why I didn't take a picture of the x-ray showing her arm hanging about 1 1/2 inches down from her socket, I don't know. I get so stressed about stuff that I forget to take pictures or video. It is usually the second time around that I think about pictures. 

I finally got an MRI scheduled today for a week out and they haven't actually gotten it approved yet. So, hopefully they will get it figured out soon. I got my first medical related bill today. $2200 for the ambulance ride. I will call tomorrow and figure out insurance on it but as you can guess, I had a stressful day as I also got 2 credit card bills and had less than $10 in checking after writing those checks due to the $400 tow bill! Some days I wonder if God has a sense of humor but it doesn't take me long to start giving gratitude that she is up and walking and talking and in reality, losing the use of her left arm for awhile after such a huge accident is nothing compared to what could have been so I am sure God has a plan and I need to just hang on and enjoy the ride the best I can.