Well, the CAT scan came back... and it's pretty bad.  So now, I'm waiting for the insurance authorization to get a Bone Scan which will definitively determine what's going on.  Turns out, the bone stimulator really only works if there's blood flow across the break and right now we don't know if sufficient blood is moving over that area for the cells to knit together.  While the x-ray today showed faint improvement, the CAT done on Monday indicates the break is still not joined together -- a non-union.  Most likely cause is scar tissue blocking the bone cells from connecting, but there's also the possibility that the body started to fill in the break with cartilage instead, forming a "false-joint".

So, the bone scan is necessary to determine if I get to wait it out longer or if I go back under the knife.  If the scan shows blood flow across the gap, it's good.  Otherwise, I get to do this all over again -- this time removing the screw, cleaning off the edges of the break, adding a bio-spackle to glue the area and give it a matrix to build from, then wrapping the bone in micro-fine chicken wire to hold the whole thing in place.  And then it's another 12-14 week recovering time as the surgery resets the healing clock. Feh.

Needless to say I'm not happy with today's results.... spent the day getting some cat therapy.

One silver lining in this cloud:  I have been officially cleared to use the walking boot to actually walk on, as long as I only put weight on my heel.  Seeing that I really don't want any more atrophy and itch to get up and *do* stuff, this is a good thing.

Tags: medical
Current Mood: crushed