Marianne's Great New York (Mis)Adventure as told by Chris Palen

11/5 The Day It All Began
Two weeks ago today we were in NYC for a play and to meet up with friends.  After the play (Book of Mormon) we (10 of us) went to Sardi’s for a few drinks.  Some of the ladies decided they wanted to go watch the ice skaters in Bryant Park.  Well, two of them (the other one in her 20’s) decided to go skating.  Marianne was a good skater when she was younger, however, this time she caught the toe of the skate and went down hard.  Her forehead was bleeding and her knee was about four times it’s normal size.  So, just as we paid up to go to dinner and meet the girls there, my phone rings and I’m told to meet them at Roosevelt Hospital’s emergency room.  Here is a blow-by-blow after that.


11/6 After Midnight                      
They said her arm is broken in two places.  It’s been a long evening for everyone and Marianne is very disappointed it turned into a downer evening.  She is now officially retired from ice skating, roller skating, and roller blading.

We are heading out tomorrow about 7:00 AM.  So…sorry we didn’t have a chance to say goodbye and have safe trips home.

We will let you know how tomorrow goes and also let you know how the doctor’s visit goes.


11/7                      
Just got back from the orthopedic surgeon’s office and the arm is broken in three places.  He is sending her to another physician on Thursday morning for a second opinion and it is probable they will have to operate.

11/10              
Very long morning but the Dr, Matt Levine seems excellent. He will perform outpatient surgery this Monday at 1:00 PM at Inova Fairfax Hospital. He plans to put in a metal plate with screws going in several directions to hold all the parts together.
He has a couple concerns. Part of the top rounded end of the bone is cracked off and may cause a problem with the rotator cuff. The 2nd is that the shaft of the bone is quite displaced and there is a chance the blood supply to the top may be compromised and could result in that part of the bone dying. It's just an outside chance but he wanted us to be aware of the possibility.
Otherwise, He will have me starting some limited movement the day after surgery to counteract stiffness. Six weeks for bone to heal and 6-8 weeks of rehab. Maybe could play golf this spring. It will take a full year to get back to normal. I told him I wanted to be better than normal but he said he's only a doctor, not God!
I guess I'll be pretty sore the first week. Good news is I have a large supply of painkillers and, NO, they are NOT for sale!
Any way, Thanks for all the prayers and expressions of care and concern. I'll be in touch if we need help.

11/15              
Marianne’s surgery was yesterday and supposed to be 1 ½  to maybe 2 hours and actually took 3 ½ .  They found more fractures that didn’t show up in the X ray and considered a bone graft.  It was also supposed to be out-patient but they kept her over night.

She was discharged today about noon.  She will see the doctor again on Friday and they will set a rehab schedule of about 6-8 weeks to ensure she regains a maximum amount of range of motion.  It will take about one year before everything is back to normal.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

11/18                    
The doctor’s visit was interesting.  New X rays were taken and the pictures were a sight.  The bone had actually been broken in five places with several additional splinters found.  A relatively small plate had been set across the bone and a four inch long, 2-3 inches wide plate set from the top of the bone going down.  These plates are held in place by a dozen screws.  Most of the screws were on the top ball and inserted at all different angles to lock the plate in place.  A void had formed between the ball and the rotator cuff so he put crushed bone from a human cadaver in place to give the screws something to hold onto. This will eventually be filled in by new bone growth. The scar is about six inches long starting at the top of the shoulder.

She has been doing exercises since day two and she is scheduled to start physical therapy next week.