Sunday, February 16, 2025
I landed in Mumbai and was at home at around 2 pm.
I was there to be with my daughter, spend some quality time with her and to enjoy there for a week.
I was there with high hopes and great plans.
Above all is the Almighty and as you know “man proposes, God disposes”.
In the evening at around 5 pm both of us went walking to see the things around. We went to Vashi Railway station and bought the Mumbai famous Vada Pao-jumbo size for evening snack. My daughter suggested me to take an auto back home but I insisted on walking back oblivious of the terrifying incident ahead which was in store for me. We were walking on the pavement which was about 2 ft high above the road. I was careful, watching my every step, the ups and downs and also the tiles of the pavement, but then all of a sudden, a flower shop caught my attention for a few seconds and in a flick of a second, I fell very hard on the road. I do not know what happened, my daughter tried to pull me back from falling but still I could not be saved and with a thud I fell down 2 feet below with my right hand under my body.
People came to help but my right hand had twisted to 180 degrees and was hanging down in opposite direction. I was experiencing excruciating pain and it was very obvious that something big had happened. I was rushed to a nearby hospital. Pain was so much that 3 bottles of intravenous painkillers were given for it to subside so that x-ray could be taken. Report also said what we had already expected. There was dislocation of elbow and also breakage in one of the bones. A small piece of bone lay apart from its parent bone. Ligaments were broken. My pain level got A++ with a 10/10 scoring in the report.
There were bruises on right knee, back and stomach. Also, thumb of right toe got sprained but all these were very minor as compared to that big twist of elbow.
So all my hopes changed into despair, plans were shattered.
My hand was plastered, tetanus injection was injected, some antibiotics and pain killers were given and I was back home at around 9 pm.
Pain killers worked and I was able to sleep that night with some manipulations and with the help of some soft pillows to support my hand.
Next morning I asked my daughter to attend her office as she had a very important meeting that day. But how could she go, leaving me alone in this condition? She could not. Next day in the afternoon, my younger daughter was urgently called from Bhopal to be with me, so that elder one could attend her office. I was okay with the pain that I was having because it was expected and so I had accepted it. I have also acquired those strong genes from my parents who were excellent at tolerating pain without any uff.
It did not end here. God still had some more pain in reserve for me to test my capability. I do not know what happened on the third day after the incident, i.e. on February 19th. It was a holiday in Mumbai. My nephew also had come to see me. We were enjoying, dining and watching movie. In this process, I had a prolonged sitting of about 5-6 hours at a stretch. From late evening I started experiencing stiffening of my calf and thigh muscles and also the muscles under my knees in both the legs (more so in my right leg) so much so, that I was unable to sit, stand or even sleep as doing any of these was very painful. My legs had lost balance and I could feel the trembling of legs along with acute pain when I wanted to stand. Pain was unbearable and reason behind it was beyond our comprehension. Was it because of the sudden big jolt that my body had experienced during the fall or was it because of the prolonged sitting? Whatever would have been the reason, next two days were very traumatic. On Saturday, my daughter brought knee caps for me and wearing that gave me a little relief. So much was going on and daughter was managing everything single handedly. I was in more pain seeing all that. So, I thought of getting back to Bhopal as per my initial plan. Airline people wanted a fit to fly certificate from doctors as they would not allow anyone with a fresh dislocation or fracture to travel onboard with them. I had made up my mind that come what may I must return to Bhopal to relieve my daughter from the anxiety there and also to relieve my husband from anxiety here at Bhopal. So we got the certificate made, arranged for a wheelchair and returned.
Once in Bhopal, I visited one of the best orthopedic surgeons. My plaster was cut, x ray taken again and the hand was replastered. After about 22 days of my dislocation, my plaster was removed and I thought, now I am okay. I can conquer the world.
But Nooooo. Wait. It was now when the most painful days were anxiously awaiting. My right hand was totally stiff, with only 5 – 10 percent movement. Doctor said that my right elbow had suffered severe trauma and it would take time for me to recover. He advised me to go for regular physiotherapy.
I was aware of the pain that we have to bear during physiotherapy because I have had enough of it when I had frozen shoulder. But I was not aware of the enormous pain I will be experiencing while undergoing physiotherapy for dislocated elbow. Dislocated elbow and dislocated knee are the most complicated cases to deal with in physiotherapy. Here bending of elbow/knee in all directions and also its straightening, both are required and physiotherapy for both are equally torturous.
I asked the physiotherapist as to how much time it will be taking for my hand to recover fully and I was told that depending upon the complexity of dislocation and the nature of the body it may take from a month to 4-5 months. I was pretty sure that with my positive mindset, I will recover within a month or two. Everyday saying “aa bail mujhe maar” to the extreme unbearable pain of physiotherapy, facing it boldly and bearing it with full strength, without making any hue and cry were strengthening my hopes of recovering soon but the nature of my body has been opposite, and seems to have planned of taking maximum time to recover.
Every evening after I return from my physiotherapy session, I feel that my hand is not mine. After all that pressurized twisting and turning of my hand for restoration of movements, intense pain lingers for three to four hours even after the session. Fingers and hand tremble.
I am recovering at a very slow pace, but even a 0.5 to 1 percent recovery everyday is keeping my faith alive and hopes high.
My eyes gleam with joy when I am able to take my hands to my mouth, when I can bring my hand to my head, when I am able to lift a glass or a cup and can bring it near my mouth, when I can tear a portion of chapati and make a morsel and even for any minute change and slightest recovery that I feel and see, just like you feel happiness when you see a growing baby learning something every day.
Doctors and others who have suffered such a kind of injury and trauma say that now it may not be possible recover fully and 10 percent recovery will remain due forever but let us see.
Everything I enjoy has come to a stand still for me as of now. I cannot drive, I cannot cook, I cannot record and edit videos. That incident is still so vivid that I have also developed some kind of walk phobia on open lanes/roads which, I am sure, will go with the passage of time.
From stiff to plastic, from plastic to elastic and from elastic to free range of movement... do not know how much time will it take. Koshish jari hai, hopes are high and attitude is positive.
Afterall no pain no gain.
Videos of a few trials in my kitchen with my pain bearing pyara sa toota wala right hand.
PS: In this entire episode I could understand the value of my left hand which we call "ulta hath" and which we do not use for doing any auspicious task. I think we need to train both the hands equally. My left hand has really been a saviour, it has helped me a lot and is still helping.
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