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I figured there might be a good bit of you that were curious about my injury, what happened, and how the process has been so far. I'm still kind of in the middle of everything, but I figured I can give the details of what's happened so far. If you're not interested, no worries check in again for another blog soon! Just in case you're a little squeamish - I'm going to be mentioning broken bones and surgery, etc. Just a heads up! Also, I'm very long winded and a lot happened so this might be a long one. Feel free to skip I promise I won't be offended! So last year when we were mostly shut down and inside during quarantine, I had talked a few times about roller skating with two friends of mine. We're all plus sized so we knew it would be a bit more difficult and it's been a number of years since we last skated. So we all bought a pair of skates and had tried alone at home very slowly. We kept telling ourselves that we would get together and try to practice, but we were all too scared lol. Then this Christmas my wonderful partner gave me a gift. He bought us all a roller skating lesson together. He got us together to do what we had been talking about for so long! As the time grew closer, I got nervous, but I made sure to practice a couple more times at home. You might have even seen a took a video of one of my attempts! lol I got slightly better over the times, so I figured with a little instruction I would do better. We got to the roller skating rink the day of and we were surprised. There was a lot more people there than we pictured, but it was great! There were kids and adults of all ages and sizes. We were all super wobbly and not yet sure of ourselves. We slowly got our skates on and attempted to "skate" over to the next bench nearest the rink. My problem was I got a little too confident since we were on the rug and it wasn't as "slippery". I'm at the back of the pack of us and I feel my skates slip out from under me and I wasn't close enough to anything to grab on to (my first big rookie mistake! lol). I knew I was falling backwards, so of course I put my arms down to break my fall. My second rookie mistake. Your butt (and especially mine as big as it is!) is way better at taking the fall than your wrist is....trust me. I slammed down on both my ass and my left wrist. My first instinct was actually to laugh. I hadn't even made it to the rink yet and I had already fallen! Plus I literally did the most classic fall ever. My friend ahead of me turned around and laughed with me even. Then I felt the pain in my wrist. Then it felt worse. I literally laughed then said "Ow......Owwwww. OW." lmao. I was more sure of the pain each time. My friend got my partner and he offered to help me up off the floor. There were plenty of people just skating by and going about there business which of course I was glad of so they weren't concentrating on me. I was able to lean on a machine nearby and use my right arm mostly and shakily get up on my skates again. I much more slowly skated over to the bench with my partner nearby. I sat and an employee got me ice and kept checking on me. The first question we all asked..."Is it broken?" So I was able to move my wrist and wiggle my fingers around so we were sure it couldn't be broken. I wouldn't be able to move them otherwise. I didn't want to ruin anyone else's skate so I insisted they go and skate while I see if my wrist felt better in a bit. So they did...and of course they both did so well! They went around a few times and no falls for them lol. As the time went on my wrist started to swell a lot and the pain got worse. I noticed a large lump on my wrist and it was getting harder to move it, but I still could. When they were done skating, we were all still thinking it was just a bruise or sprain and I was just going to go home rest it and ice it. Then as we left and the movement hurt it even worse, I thought it might be best to go to urgent care. At least they could confirm for me it wasn't broken and at most give me a sling to rest it for a few days. I was very lucky that there was no one else there so there was practically no wait. They took X-rays which was extremely painful trying to twist my arm and hand around for them to take the views they needed. I came back and waited for the news. Within minutes she came back and said "I don't have good news. It's definitely broken and going to need surgery. Possibly today." She apologized profusely and very carefully splinted my arm as best she could. She recommended I go to an ER with an orthopedist in case they needed immediate surgery. Well, that was the last thing I expected to hear and the last thing I wanted to hear. I definitely started to panic a bit thinking of course I wasn't ready and didn't want to have surgery. But it is what it is, so we packed a small bag and went to the ER, informing my friends and family along the way. We got there and of course right now due to covid, no one else was allowed to come in with me. That was the worst part because at least up until this point I had my partner by my side to keep me calm. They took very good care of me though and they were also very efficient so I was very lucky again. They took me in, looked at the x-rays and confirmed that I would definitely need surgery. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it lol) there were no orthopedic surgeons available since it was a Saturday. They would put a better splint/cast on it today and I would have to wait to see someone until next week. So they gave me something for the pain and sent me home. What a whirlwind within one day. I thought I was fine, then it was broken and I was going in to surgery immediately, then I had to wait with my broken wrist all weekend. We went home and I got comfortable and my partner, friends, and family all flooded me with well wishes and even an edible arrangement! It was so sweet and I felt so loved and cared for. I tried to call some orthopedists, but no one was open on the weekend. So I tried to get comfortable and had to wait it out. Monday morning first thing as soon as offices were open I was calling to see who (out of the recommended doctors) could get me in soonest. I was able to get an appointment for that very afternoon! I got a ride and went to the doctor's office as fast as my one-armed self could take me! They did another set of x-rays and he confirmed there really was no other option other than surgery if I wanted to be able to use my hand/wrist normally again. Well, surgery it is then I guess! They did the paperwork and checked the schedule and they were able to fit me in the very next day. That was both amazing and scary of course. I had no time to think about it too much or worry about what might happen. I just got the blood work and check ups I needed and I prepped for surgery! The next morning I got up and ready. Of course showering with a cast on is a huge pain in the ass, but hey...ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I was told at least I wouldn't have to go under general anesthesia and they would just use a nerve block so that was reassuring. Every nurse and doctor I interacted with was very kind, reassuring, informative, professional, and caring. I could not have asked for a better team. I never had a nerve block before and it was very interesting. It felt like they were purposely giving me small cramps in my arm and it was a very strange sensation. They wheeled me to the OR and then before I knew it (or could remember) I was out like a light. Never slept so well before! The nurses woke me up and accidentally scared me because they were (almost) yelling, "Come on! breathe for us now. We need you to breathe!" My first thought was "I'm not breathing?!" lol. But after that I was fine. I had a very sore and dry throat which I knew instantly meant I had been intubated and they had to give me general anesthesia. Good thing I didn't know so I didn't have to worry about that too. They gave me a popsicle to help with my throat, then once I was awake, they wheeled me into my private room so I could get dressed and get going. They helped me with everything and took me out to my partner waiting for me outside (still wasn't allowed inside). So just like that within hours they had performed the surgery and I could go home! I was in another cast of sorts and was told I would come back in two weeks to have the cast and stitched taken out. Plus, now I have a cool addition in my arm...a metal plate! Yep, Celia couldn't just break her wrist...she had to shatter it so bad that they had to put it together with a plate and screws lol. Now for the fun part. The waiting. Two weeks with a cast is a very short time compared to most so I recognize that I am very lucky. However, it still means two weeks of using one hand and wrapping the other in saran wrap so you can shower lol. I had a difficult time finding a comfortable way to sleep and had to sleep on the couch some nights. Getting dressed with one arm is also more difficult than I thought it would be. The problem is I have very short arms and a large stomach/mid-section (of course you all know that lol). Cooking with one hand proves to be just as difficult as well. Mostly, everything just takes me almost twice as long and causes about 5 times the frustration. I went in after two weeks and they took off the cast and then the stitches. That was a strange experience also since it didn't hurt, but felt like a tugging in my skin. New X-rays were done gain and now I could see the plate and screws in my arms and my scar on my wrist. All of it was much bigger than I expected, but I find this kind of stuff fascinating so I was loving it. Then they had to send me to the physical therapy office next door to make a custom velcro splint for my wrist. At least now I could wash that arm/hand and take a (somewhat) normal shower. My next rule was given - "move it, don't use it". Meaning I am supposed to move my wrist around carefully and within comfort in order to start loosening everything up and see where my motion is. But, I'm not allowed to hold/lift anything more than a toothbrush. So we're still almost just as limited. I was so excited at first to get the cast off, but when I left the office with the smaller splint I felt so fragile and my arm felt so exposed and vulnerable. I was sure that it was too soon for them to take it off. It had only been two weeks since surgery after all! So over the next few days I took the splint on and off and moved it around some. It felt strange...mostly just tight and stiff. I couldn't move past certain points without pain or I just couldn't do it period. My thumb at first was practically motionless. I couldn't barely bend it at all. I could touch my thumb to my pointer that first day, but none of my other fingers. I was told thay my goas was to be able to touch my thumb to my pinky. That seemed so far away and not possible at that moment. But if there is one thing to know about Celia is that I am very stubborn and a "good student" so you tell me something to achieve and I will try to get there and then some and sooner than you asked. Over the next couple days I felt progress, but I was frustrated that it was slow. However, I could touch my pinky already by two days after! It was a bit of a stretch and a struggle, but it was marked improvement. The first week I was still nervous about having my splint off so I wore it on and off throughout the day. But after about a week, I started keeping it off most of the day and only wearing it to go out of the house or sleep. My next hurdle was figuring out if I could drive myself. I needed to try. I mainly drive with my right hand, so this shouldn't be a problem, right? I was told I could drive as long as I felt comfortable and I wasn't on the pain medication anymore. I hadn't needed it since 3 days after my surgery so I was good to go! I was afraid, but I tried a short trip first. The only modification I actually made was to tie a rope of sorts to my door handle so I could pull it closed easier with my right hand. I could probably do it without the rope, but this is way easier. It was a success! The first trip I almost instantly felt comfortable driving again. And this was only 2 weeks and 2 days after my surgery. It was the next step towards me feeling independent again which I loved. I didn't want to have to depend on others or bother them for a ride somewhere. So now I didn't have to! Now that also means I can slowly get back to going into the office for work again (and of course filming my content for all of you again!). It was so nice that my boss was so understanding of my situation. I also typically work from home 3 days a week so it wasn't a huge change as it is. But now I could get out of the house by myself again. That pretty much brings us to today. I have much more motion in my wrist and fingers now. My thumb can almost bend 90 degrees and it can turn to either side. It can go up and down maybe about 45 degrees or so, so there's some work to be done still there. I see the doctor again on Monday so they'll fill me in on next steps then. Here's to hoping I can start to lift a little and start physical therapy soon! If anyone is interested on hearing about the next steps, make sure to comment below and I'll write more as it goes on! Also, like I mentioned I love this stuff so I have pictures of the x-rays and my scar and how it's healing. If you're interested in seeing that let me know and I can post that as well.