Well, I have good news and some bad news. I think I'll pass along the good news first.

I went to see the Orthopedic Doctor today, including a whole new batch of X-rays. My left hip and left wrist look great, and are healing up quite well. The Doc seems to think that I should be bearing weight on my left leg within a month. I didn't have the heart to tell him I'm already walking on it, a little.

The "not so good" news is that my right knee has a bit more instability than the Doc would like to see, but he thinks that it will get back to normal over time.

The bad news is just that. BAD. It seems that there's a really serious problem with my right elbow, in that the soft tissues around the joint have been growing bone in a process called Heterotopic ossification. Currently, my range of motion in my right elbow is only around 5 - 10 degrees, fixed and centered at roughly 60 degrees, and the Doctor thinks that with a LOT of constant (painful) therapy that involves my forcing the elbow to bend more and then forcing it straighter, I MAY add another 15 to 20 degrees of mobility, but that it will never be able to fully straighten, or fully bend inward again. So much for my new career in Gymnastics.

Still in all, God is good, and I've seen the Doctors proven wrong before, so I'm going to do what I can to get my arm back to normal again, no matter what sort of pain it causes. I ain't beat yet, by golly!

The good news is great, happy about that

But the bad news.
Hmmm, well the doctors can only guess at the type of recovery you will finally make, I have heard them get it wrong so many times now, best thing you can do is to prove them wrong and get that elbow moving more than they ever thought it would.

Rooting for you Dave    (I hope that's not too much of a British expression)

Dave you poor Soul. I really do feel for you my friend. There is a bright side to this though, having smashed yourself up that bad, some form of dissadvantage will always be expected, trust me, a slightly bent arm is far better than the alternative that most people would have suffered.

Gymnastic's may be out of the equation but why don't you try Boxing as you clearly have a perminant Right Hook. 

Get fit soon my friend.

@Data: The initial news had me rather depressed (who wouldn't feel that way?), but the more I think about it, the more 'pissed off' I'm getting,and I'll need that anger to help push past the pain. And we use the phrase 'we're rooting for you', too.

@Diesel: Now don't go feeling sorry for me quite yet. my friend. Even if nothing improves from this point (and I KNOW things WILL improve), I'm still FAR better off than I could have been. Right now, sympathy will only slow me down.

I hear you Dave.

In that case then, RIGHT, GET OFF YOUR ARSE AND SORT YOURSELF OUT. CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY THAT YOU ARE STILL ALIVE A FEW MINOR PROBLEMS ARE TO BE EXPECTED ALONG THE WAY. YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH AND COURAGE TO OVER COME THESE MINOR DIFFICULTIES, NOW SHOW US ALL.

Does that feel better. 

Very, VERY much. Thanks.

Your very welcome, if you need me to shout at you again, just ask. 

Will do, Diesel. And if anyone else wants to pitch in with some "inspirational bullying", please feel free to do so.

"The Doc seems to think that I should be bearing weight on my left leg within a month. I didn't have the heart to tell him I'm already walking on it, a little."

Tsk...tsk....
If you don't follow procedures in changing out a car engine things won't work correctly. The same with the human body!

When your doctor tells you NOT to do something, then you should abide by his professional advice. Taking early risks like you've done can ultimately do far more harm than good (as I've been told by several medical professionals).

Do not rush the process. All things take time and will ultimately happen. Patience, my friend.
Work on Morti but no jogging just yet!!!

Best!

See, that's just it, Art. The hospital gave me NO INSTRUCTIONS at all when I was discharged, so I was winging it, doing the best I could while flying blind. Now that I have something to go by, I can deal with things in a "saner" fashion.

Right now, I'm working and concentrating on getting my right elbow freed up as best I can. It's painful work, but I seem to be making a tiny bit of progress.

So I guess I should not say when the doc first told me I could place my foot on the ground, but not put any weight on it. I went outside, through down my crouches and walked through 5 inches of snow and carried fire wood through the woods

but hey I proved my doc wrong, I now walk without assistance

True one can make it worse, but I feel that one knows there limits, it is just sometimes one tries to exceed them. That is when it gets worse.

Dave, keep up the great recovery, I'm praying for ya. I'm also sure you will have more movement in that arm than what the doc says. I think he is just preparing you for the worst case scenario.

I also think that sometimes they paint a far worse picture KNOWING it will piss certain people off and inspiring them to "prove the doc wrong". Either way, I'm just going to go for it.

Well many years ago, in another lifetime, in a faraway location, I underwent knee surgery. I was out of work for 46 days and while I was given specific orders from my doctor to stay off the leg for at least 2-3 weeks, I decided differently.

The Mrs. was out shopping and I felt rather helpless lying about feeling sort of sorry for myself. I had a thought...(should have let it go but no...), I know, I'll do a bit of vacuuming around the living room and I'll be able to use the large, upright vacuum as sort of a cane.

After dragging it from the closet, plugging it in and firing it up, away we went...pushing a little bit...hopping on my good leg a bit...repeat as necessary...pushing and hopping to keep up. Things were difficult but I was making some headway until I rounded the corner of a table and temporarily lost balance. Doing the only thing my subconscious mind thought to do, I promptly put weight on my bad (recently operated on) leg!

Ten thousand needles shot from my foot through my knee toward my hip in the most excruciating fashion I could imagine! I screamed!! Suddenly the vacuum rolled away from my and my temporary "cane" now equipped with rollers, skated away from me in a most hurried fashion, leaving me to put the rest of my weight on, yes friends, my bad leg once more.

No cane for support as I desperately clutched onto the now useless handle until we both crashed to the floor. Believe me, the carpet wasn't nearly as soft nor as thick when a 265 pound man crashed down on it like a falling oak tree!
WHAM!! I cried in agony as I hit the floor, the vacuum not being very forgiving, promptly landed on top of me!

My leg was on fire from toes to hip, knee throbbing, vacuum still running because it had, yes, a foot switch. At this point it was sucking at nothing and I sucked at both taking air and at vacuuming! Suddenly the front door opened and there with both arms loaded with groceries, was my spouse. No...I did not get sympathy...I got glaring looks and her head twisting in a back and forth motion side to side...quietly saying, Didn't the Doctor tell you to stay off of your leg? See what happens when you don't listen?! And all those other painful sayings one normally says to a 5 year old child.

Yes, friends...been there...made one of the first T-shirts and this was back in the early 1970's.... Ya live and learn!

True story....

No, I've been really behaving myself (for the most part), since I've seen, first hand, what happens when you blow off the doctor's or therapist's instructions.

Which reminds me; today I had my first "official" visit from a physical therapist since my hospital stay, and he introduced me to a whole new set of exercises to help me regain some mobility in my right arm and my knee. Sadly, he also introduced me to an entirely new GALAXY of pain and discomfort! I have one of those gut feelings that I'm going to learn first to hate the guy (though he's a really nice man), and then love him (like a brother!) once I get to some semblance of "normal". But I think it's going to be a bit rough, at first.

Good news that Dave, not the pain bit though, you'll be up and about in no time. Stick with it my Friend.