Elbow Repaired

Took Sherry into the Kirby Surgical Center at 5:45 a.m., and they wheeled her into surgery at 7:15. At 8:15, Dr. Gabel came to give me an update. They decided to go with a plate rather than with the wire as they had originally intended. I saw the xray which clearly showed five screws and a metal plate. She may set off alarms at the courthouse. They released her at 10:30, and she's resting and semi-dozing now. She's wearing a soft splint and sling for now. Dr. Gabel hopes to remove the splint in 10-14 days (along with the stitches) and have her only in a sling for the rest of her recovery and rehabilitation.

[No, this isn't her actual xray, but her's looks very similar.]

The Primary Care Physician

Today we took Sherry to see Dr. Garb, her primary care physician, to get a clearance (required by Methodist Hospital) for her to undergo surgery. Tomorrow we take her over to the Kirby surgical center to have her elbow repaired.

How's she doing? She's very tender; moving slow. She's in good spirits. She appreciates all the prayers, thoughts, and well-wishes.

The Second Face Doctor

We took Sherry's new CT scan films to Dr. Eugene Alford, and he walked us through the procedure he and Dr. Soparkar plan to do on November 4. Dr. Alford will use titanium plates to hold her various fractures together. He had the same surgery done himself by Dr. Soparkar, and let Sherry feel the plate under his eye. We like this guy.

The Orthopedic

Thanks to PCAC member and fellow Palmer Parishioner, Tana Key, we were able to get Sherry in to see Dr. Gerard Gabel first thing today.

He proposed using wire to repair her broken elbow; in the course of his examination, he noticed extreme tenderness in her shoulder, and he ordered xrays of it. He found two fractures there which he decided not to treat with surgery or cast.

Rather, his explanation is that the wearing of the sling following her elbow surgery will sufficiently protect the shoulder injury and allow it to heal on its own.

Sherry's elbow surgery is set for Friday, October 28, at the Kirby Surgical Center.

More Imaging

Dr. Soparkar ordered more CT scans; we went to the Hermann Memorial Imaging Center on Richmond and had another round of scans done. We delivered one set of films to Dr. Soparkar's office. He called to say he'd reviewed the films and was set to do the surgery.

First Round of Specialists

We took Sherry in to see Dr. Key at Methodist, and he gave her a clean bill of health on the condition of her eye; but noted that she needed extra help with the multiple fractures of her orbit and face. He got us in to see Dr. Charles Soparkar within an hour.

Dr. Soparkar looked at her emergency room CT scans and suggested surgery to repair the multiple fractures. He set us up to see a second "mid-face" surgeon (Dr. Eugene Alford) to handle the cheekbone repair.

Dr. Soparkar's explanation is that the fracturing of the cheek structure and its subsequent dislocation inward toward her nose and eye had shattered the orbital floor. This left her with a "flat" cheek on that side of her face, and with nothing but the displaced cheekbones supporting her eyeball.

The plan is for Dr. Alford to repair the fractured maxillary sinus and zygomatic arch; and to rotate the entire structure back into its proper location; which then, leaves nothing to support her eyeball.

Dr. Soparkar will then place a synthetic bone in to replace her shattered orbital floor. This then will become a part of her as the tissue grows into the synthetic bone. All of this surgery will be done on November 4.

To the Rescue

At 9:00 A.M. Saturday morning, our first incoming phone call was from Dr. Jim Key, ophthalmologist, who also happens to attend our church. Jim had been on call Friday night, and saw Saturday morning that the emergency room had attempted to contact him regarding Sherry's case.

For some reason, Jim missed that call last night, but saw later that a call had come in on a "Sherry Byrd." Jim graciously followed up to see if the Sherry Byrd was "our Sherry Byrd." Of course, it was. He told us to have her in his office at Methodist first thing Monday morning. A head start.

Bike Accident

At around 8:30 pm on Friday, October 21, 2011, Sherry lost control of her bicycle and flipped over the handle bars. I was with her, and rushed to her side immediately. She was unconscious, lying on her back, and a pool of blood formed under her head.

She regained consciousness within seconds, but was obviously dazed and confused.

Several passersby offered to help; including one physician who gave her a quick look and told me to take her to the hospital.

We were less than two miles from home (Sager & Loch Lomond). I called our son Sam and told him to load some towels in the car and come get her. He took her home; we left her bike with a neighbor there who stored it for us; and I rode my bike home and was there in probably less than 10 minutes.

Sam called a physician friend of his, who also recommended that we take her to the hospital. We took her to the Bellaire 24/7 Emergency Clinic on Rice, and got great care there.

They did xrays of her elbow and a CT scan of her head and face. They "glued" closed a cut next to her eye and put her right arm in a splint; sent us home about 1:30 A.M. Saturday morning.

Here's an excerpt from the discharge report:

Acute fracture of olecranon process of ulna; depressed fracture of the midportion of the right zygomatic arch; fractures of the anterior, lateral and medial walls of the right maxillary sinus; fracture of the lateral wall of the right orbit; comminuted fracture of the right orbital floor