TheBanyanTree: Rats. Not again!

[Laura]

Several weeks ago, I guess it was the end of August, my elbow started
hurting.  No big deal, I'm kind of a klutz, and bang it all the time. 
Then it swelled up a bit, and felt like there was fluid under the
skin.  I went to the doctor.  He said it was bursitis, take some
steroids, it'll go away.  Nine day's worth of steroids later, and all
I had to show for it was an extra 5 pounds.  Some of which was in my
still swollen elbow.

I went back to the doctor a month later.  This time he used a needle
(don't faint there, it's ok - it didn't hurt) to draw off the fluid
(7ccs worth!) and inject 3 ccs of cortisone.  He said it would start
to feel better immediately, and the rest of the soft tissue swelling
would gradually subside over a few weeks.

It did feel much better and the fluid filled area did get smaller, in
fact the fluid went away completely, but there has been this ring of
hard, swollen tissue around my elbow.  Kinda weird looking, really,
but not painful or tender.

Sunday or Monday night of this week. which ever night it was there
were all those tornados, the storm hit like a hammer, trying to rip my
retractable awning off the outside wall.  I ran out in my sleep shirt,
and reached up to undo the support arm in preparation for letting the
awning down.  Just as I reached up, lightning flashed right above me,
the thunder almost simultaneous.  I jerked back, and hit my forearm
just below the elbow on the awning arm.  Ouch.  But as I finished
retracting the awning, I forgot about it.

Wednesday, I was brushing my hair, and noticed in the mirror that my
arm looked funny.  Where I hit it on the awning was swollen and blue. 
The swelling wasn't just underneath where I hit my arm, either.  It
was swollen all the way up to my elbow.  In fact, my whole elbow had
hard, swollen tissue all the way around it, and the tip, where the
fluid had been before, had a dent in it.  I felt it, and sure enough
it had a little bit of fluid in it again.

I didn't worry about it.  I whacked it, and now it's swollen.  No biggie, right?

Not right.  Today, there is a golfball sized lump on my elbow.  It's
all mushy and fluid filled.  Again.  If I try to straighten my arm
out, the pressure makes my hand go numb.  My forearm aches.  <sigh>

I've called the doctor.  I get to see him Monday, to have the stuff
sucked out of my elbow - again.

Doesn't that sound like FUN?

--
Laura
wolfljsh at gmail.com