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Could the doctor be wrong about a bone break?

3K views 32 replies 22 participants last post by  iRide Ponies 
#1 ·
I was feeding earlier, and I always take a whip out with me because the BO has a food agressive towards people gelding. Him and her donkey eat together so I always give them the square pan, and the others eat out of buckets. Somehow they ended up at a bucket, and my dumb butt without thinking, set the whip down AMD grabbed the bucket to switch it. The gelding come after me, and as I went to slap him, he turned his butt and got my hand as I was bringing it down. I was in so much pain I dropped the bucket and hit the ground. I got up, and couldn't even shut the gate because I couldn't pick it up. I found her and she went and shut the gate for me. I ended up going to the ER because I swore my hand was broke somewhere. They did exrays and said they were clean, sent me home with lortab and A splint. I can't hardly put the splint on because when I try to tighten the part that goes between the thumb, it shoots pain through my entire arm. I ca move my fingers, although tight, and thre was little to no swelling. It doesn't feel normal to me, not like a bruise, not like a sprain. Should I get a second opinion? I just went to my doc for wrist pain and was told I had tendonitis and was given splints for that. I don't want to call her if uneeded amd seem like a hypochondriac. Am I just being a baby? I have to go to work tommorow, and I am already dreading it because I am having trouble even opening the bathroom door.
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#3 ·
I'm trying not to! I wanted my meds so I tried holding the bottle with the bad hand, couodnt do it, then tried opening with the bad hand, that didn't work either. I think I just need t go to bed lol. Maybe ill go into work tommorow and they will see how pitiful I am and send me home lol. I havnt worked there long enough to feel comfortable calling out. When I had my tendontis flare up my doc told me to take a week off, so I threw the note away going out the door. But I honestly don't think I can do my job. I feel stuck between a rock and A hard place. They are already short handed. Two of my co workers are 9 months pregnant and the others are all new. I begged them to give me my own department and they did two weeks ago. Why did this happen at the worst possible time?!
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#4 · (Edited)
I got kicked in the foot by a friends horse. Went to the doctor they took x-rays and they wrapped it and said it wasn't broken and pretty much to ice it..went to the chiropractor the same day and he told me my bones had been shifted and cracked them back into place. Not only did my bruising stop after he cracked it but so did my pain! My chiropractor thinks doctors are a joke when it comes to that stuff. My whole family, i mean my WHOLE family and extended family goes to him. Because he is honest and to the point

Oh I forgot to add before I went in to the chrio i was not putting any weight on my foot. After the crack i was putting a little and with in a day i was walking 90% normal. He cracked my foot one more time 2 days after the first crack and i was good as new!
 
#6 ·
So how do I go about getting a second opinion? Should I call the orthopedic my regular doc sent me to for my tendonitis and see if he will look at the xrays? I have been crying on and off since it happened from the throbbing. I can't button my pants for Christ sake. I havnt figured out if it really does hurt that bad, or if I'm just ****** off because of the pain and I can't do the little things, or maybe a little of both.
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#14 ·
My break didn't get caught until I got transferred to the second hospital. I was in the first hospital for a week (and even waiting in the ER room for surgery for my smashed femur and broken hip, my arm was the only thing I complained about, I guess - and FGRanch kept snatching it! LOL) and that was a week after I had been there already - I still had to argue with them for a follow up x-ray.
So it was almost two weeks before I got a cast. It healed slightly crooked but I still have a lot of tendon/muscle issues from my elbow that are bugging me.
It may just be a pulled/tore muscle/tendon/ligament - that hurts like a b*tch too - but I would suggest a second opinion with a different doctor (don't mention any previous x-rays) or I would suggest a Physio Therapist.
I don't know about down there, but up here my local hospital hosts a free day, every tuesday, for people who can't afford it. I don't know if your hospital does something like that, but I'd look into it.
 
#7 ·
When my sister was younger she broke one arm and sprained her other while we were camping four hours out of the nearest town. Came down, had x-rays and they said both her arms were fine, didn't help that the kid has INCREDIBLE pain tolerance... she went almost a week before we took her for second opinions and they had the original x-rays sent over and confirmed there was a break and a sprain... So yes, it's definitely possible. Either someone skimmed and missed or someone mixed up your x-rays.
 
#9 ·
It's possible that a ligament got detached or something like that, or the bursa in a joint capsule ruptured. Things that make your hand not feel "right'. If you are in a lot of pain still tomorrow, you might go back to the doc. if the xray showed no major break, there could still be a small hairline fracture. treatment for that would not be much different from , say, a spranged hand; splint it up for a bit, ice and pain relief.

At least ice it tonight, if you can , and keep it moderately elevated.
 
#10 ·
Call the orthopedist NOT a Chiro!

Any Chiro that's worth $0.2 isn't going to do anything without reviewing x-rays to ensure it's not broken and if it's at all questionable is going to send you to.... the Orthopedist!

Might as well start with the Ortho they are much more likely to spot hairline fractures or see grey areas and order further testing to determine what is going on.

My kiddo hurt her arm and was given the "all good" but when her X-rays went to the Orthopedist for review I got a panicky phone call of "Bring her in ASAP her arm is fractured!!".
 
#11 ·
Pain is a useful thing - it indicates something is wrong and not to use "x"..your hand, in this case. I would just get a second opinion on the xrays. Pain isn't necessarily higher for a broken bone than for some other injury.
 
#12 ·
I had the opposite problem when I fractured my ankle. Went to the ER and was told that based on the x-rays, I'd fractured my ankle (actually the lower part of my shin bone right where it joins the ankle). Went to the follow-u ortho appointment and was told that based on THEIR x-rays, I'd just sprained my ankle (was told the ER was easily mistaken because I have a bone spur whose shadow makes it look like a fracture...ummmm...what?). Was put in a walking cast for two weeks, but after a week I got tired of it (had to walk a lot with my job) and just started wearing my lace-up riding boots, laced up tight (I ride in Ariat Terrains). Now, two years later, I am convinced the ER was right and the ortho was mistaken because I still have issues with that ankle (sprained my other ankle in high school so bad I nearly chipped off bone and never had another problem with it once it healed).

Point is, second opinions are usually a good idea.

I'm surprised the ER isn't requiring a follow-up visit with your regular doctor. Every time I've gone to the ER (admittedly only twice lol), I've had to have a follow-up with my regular doctor within ten days.

As for getting a second opinion, I'd call your regular doctor and tell them the situation. See what they suggest.
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#15 ·
They told me to wear the splint for ten days and if it still hurts to follow up with my doctor. I got some of the guys at work to do a few things for me so I'm making out ok working with one arm lol. I didn't have any swelling yesterday but today my fingers at so fat I can't straighten them lol.
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#16 ·
They told me to wear the splint for ten days and if it still hurts to follow up with my doctor. I got some of the guys at work to do a few things for me so I'm making out ok working with one arm lol. I didn't have any swelling yesterday but today my fingers at so fat I can't straighten them lol.
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#17 ·
Yes its possible. I broke my arm falling off a snowmobile when i was 8. The first XRay revealed nothing. 1 week later, as i lost strength in my arm, i went back to the doctor and it was fractured.

Keep in mind, excessive swelling can hide breaks on xrays. So its best to get another xray once the swelling, if you have any, goes down some.
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#18 ·
I would go to the Ortho with the films. This is NOT the time for a chiro, plus I didn;t know they did much "hand work"....lol.

My sons GF fell off my guy and was in terrible pain. Took her to the ER-they said she was fine-just bruised-long story short-she had a broken pelvis and hip. Not displaced, like WS (wow they must have been blind!), but still broken.

Don't wait 10 days. By then it may be too old a break to fix properly.
 
#20 ·
Yeah well there's a lot of "quack" Chiro's that will happily crack, crunch and break things out there.....

A really good Chiro is invaluable but you NEED to make sure that something is out of place not broken first and and Orthopedist is the Dr whose specialty is bones and what may or may not be broken or if there is some variety of defect with them.

My lil girl has genetic defects in both of her legs and couldn't walk without falling down constantly. 2 Chiros told me that she just had things out of place and they could easily correct it. I wanted X-rays first so I took her to an Ortho (so Ins would pay for the X-rays, they don't cover a Chiro) and guess what.... absolutely nothing out of place. The actual BONES are crooked! No amount of adjusting would have done her any good, most likely just would have caused her harm.
 
#21 ·
Please get a second opinion .. And Ice it is it is swollen some times they do not see a break right away. Also just a thought I have many broken bones and sprained also. Sprains tend to hurt worse than Breaks and take longer to heal. A break Hurts Deep inside Like the bone itself hurts a sprain hurts all over .
Good luck I do feel your pain
 
#22 ·
Having broken my hand dealing with horses, go see a specialist.

The ER only "saw" the shattering of the metacarpal under my pinky finger. They sent me to a specialist. They had a student/whatever doctor who looked at the exact same x-rays that the ER took and saw that I had completely broken off the bottom of the proximal phalanx in my thumb. She ran out and got the surgeon while we waited so we could talk to him. He came in, looked at those same x-rays, confirmed both of the above and pointed out I had also broken the base of proximal phalanx of my index finger. I ended up with a titanium screw in my thumb, arthritis in that hand and loss of mobility in it as well.

Moral of the story, second opinions are a good thing.
 
#23 ·
Yeah well there's a lot of "quack" Chiro's that will happily crack, crunch and break things out there.....
My chrio is very well known in my area...because he is honest and a respectable guy. I know there are a lot of quacks out there. That is why other places have been closing because everyone is going to this chrio.. you have to book weeks in advance to even get in

I am sorry to hear about your girl as well
 
#24 ·
I have definitely heard of a break being missed on an initial x-ray. I broke a vertebrae in my lower back in 2011. When the break happened I felt no pain (I'm one of those lucky ones that doesn't get much or any pain with broken bones, just feel nauseous and gut feeling knowing something is broken), but I could tell something was very wrong. My boyfriend immediately took me to the ER where x-rays were done and showed no break, the doctor said it was only a sprain and I could ride the next day (wish I had gotten his name, I landed on my head and cracked my helmet open, and was also told my same doctor I "likely sprained my neck", yet I can ride the next day. Yea, definitely wish I had that name, and thank god I didn't actually ride the next day:-|) 5 days later something was still very wrong, so I went to my family doctor where he correctly diagnosed the break/slipped disc/neck sprain/concussion.

My best friend also had the same thing happen, only she broke her knee and initial x-rays said she was fine, then went back ~2 weeks later when it wasn't feeling any better and turns out she had broken it.

Apparently mis-diagnosed breaks are more common than one may think. Before my mum worked in Oncology she worked off and on in ER and ...something else as well? Anyway, she saw a lot of people come through that had on their chart saying something along the lines of a break being diagnosed after second x-ray, too much swelling on the first x-ray. That sort of thing. So yes, it happens.
 
#25 ·
I'm going thru the same thing right now with my ankle. So far the verdict is a sprain, but I have to go back in a few days for a follow up once the swelling goes down. So it's definitely possible.
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#26 ·
i would get a second opinion, but to me it doesnt seem like a break. usually when you break something there is a lot of swelling right away.
 
#27 ·
It's getting better. I still can't grip ir sqeuuze anything, but the constant pain is gone. The top if my hand bruised and turned yellow on Wednesday. Then yesterday I had a nice big blue bruise show up on the palm of my hand. Delayed reaction? Lol ill wait it out a few more days.
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#28 ·
The blood that had pooled in your hand is seeping thro to the other side. This happened when I bruised my ankle. The one side was black and blue and when it started turning yellow the other side turned black and blue. When I broke my knee bruising appeared in my foot for weeks.
 
#29 ·
Doctors are just people so what they say doesn't always go, it's always good to question something that isn't right. X Rays can be wrong.

However, from what I've heard/read/experienced it's not really the break that hurts so much as the trauma all the muscles around experience. So if you've had severe trauma to your muscles then it could hurt just as much as a break.

Also, if the bones aren't out of place chances are they'll just immobilise it - there is no special treatment they just make sure you don't move it. So if you're doing that now then there isn't much else they can do. Leave the splint on 24/7 if its difficult to take on and off.

Stop trying to open things or do anything with your bad hand. That is just ridiculous. If something hurts don't do it. It's your body telling you its damaged and you're damaging it further. Don't hold things. Don't open things.

If you want a second opinion get one, regardless of what the doctor thinks. He works for you.
 
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