Metal out!

Friday morning, my excellent orthopod did this:

Penny is for scale. It wasn't in my elbow. As far as I know.

... taking me from this:

Awkward self portraits showing escaping screw and ugly bathroom curtains

... to this:

Strict instructions to not remove the bandage till Monday.

She also did a "closed joint manipulation" -- took my elbow from 20 to 150 degrees under anesthesia, after hardware was out. WAY further than it went pre-op.

Getting hardware out was way less of a big deal than getting it in. I took pain meds for the first 12 hours after the nerve block wore off, because they told me to, but decided I didn't need anything by the next morning. Different from getting the bone set, where I took the good drugs (and a lot of naps) for about 2.5 days.

My first post-op PT appointment is Wednesday, but I can already feel an improved range of motion. It definitely extends further than it did before surgery, and flexion is about the same to perhaps a bit better.

I have high hopes that this is going to accelerate my rehabilitation. And in the meantime, it's not keeping me away from the things that I love -- I went for a glorious 4 mile run this morning, then cooked a giant pot of chili for a neighbor with a new baby. Good elbows, good times.