After 9 days of pain and numbness, I finally went to the Dr. yesterday. As it turns out, I have tendonitis.
Before you start to fuss at me, let me first say that I am an EMT, and therefore, I make a horrible patient. Everyone in the medical field will agree with that.
I was going to simply get a Dr. to look at me the next time I dropped off a patient at the ER, but luck kept me on either an engine or my kelly-day and I never made it to the ER. I finally decided my arm wasn't healing and that it was time to do something.
The orthopedics place I found is great, they were busy, but I was in and out in 2 hours. The Dr. is nice, and deals with quite a few firefighters...So he understood my work predicament.
So here I sit, my right arm (I'm right-handed...so this sucks) is in a brace that immobilizes my thumb, I have a prescription for pain pills (that carry side effects of dizziness and drowziness), and I have to do physical therapy anywhere from 3-9 weeks. The brace is my main problem, there's no way that I'll be able to get medical or fire gloves over it, and I'm not supposed to take it off. Tomorrow will be my "D-day," where will they put me? What can/ can't I do? What will Chief say? Will I just be put on the squad as usual or will I be put on light duty and sent to the academy?
Too many questions and too much uncertainty...
Take care
