chatGPT diagnosed me. I told it to write up my story in BBcode so I can easily share to my internet forum friends:
No I won't be seeing a doctor. Not sure what I'll do actuallyThe Saga of My Stubborn Elbow
Hey everyone, figured I'd share this tale of what happens when you ignore injuries like I do. Spoiler alert: it doesn't end well.
Chapter 1: The Tree Branch Incident (January)
So back in January, about 10 months ago now, I was out doing some yard work - trimming tree branches like a responsible homeowner. Well, in a moment of brilliance, I managed to slam my left elbow directly onto a pointy broken branch. And I don't mean a little scratch - this thing tore a deep cut right into my elbow.
Now, here's where my judgment gets questionable. It didn't hurt that bad, didn't bleed too much, so naturally I thought "eh, it's fine" and just... carried on with my day. No cleaning it properly, no bandage, nothing. Just me being me.
Chapter 2: The Long, Uncomfortable Middle (February - August)
For months after that, my elbow was always sore to the touch. Couldn't lean on it without wincing, but I never saw any swelling so I figured it was just taking its sweet time healing. You know how it is - you get used to working around these things.
By August, I was actually feeling optimistic! The soreness was finally easing up, and I could lean on my elbow again without pain. I could finally comfortably have sex with my wife in the missionary position again (which makes heavy use of the elbows!) I thought I was in the clear. Past tense on that "thought."
Chapter 3: Enter the Wasp (September)
September rolls around and I'm mowing the lawn near some bushes. Turns out there was a wasp nest hidden in there, and one of those angry little guys decided my left elbow looked like a great target. Got stung right on the same elbow that was just starting to feel better.
The sting itself wasn't too bad - itchy for a couple days like you'd expect. But then things got weird. My whole elbow area became incredibly stiff and sore for several days. After that passed, I was back to square one - couldn't lean on it, constant soreness, the works. The wasp basically reset all my "progress."
Chapter 4: The Plot Thickens (October - Present)
Fast forward to October, and my elbow starts getting even more sore for seemingly no reason. That's when I actually bothered to take a close look at it, and surprise! There's quite a bit of fluid pooled under the skin around the bottom of my elbow (the olecranon, for you anatomy nerds).
It's been a couple weeks since I first noticed the swelling. The fluid has gone down some, but the soreness is worse than ever. And here's the really fun part - when I press around on my elbow, I can feel what seem like little chunks or lumps under the skin. It's sore when I poke at them, obviously.
The Conclusion (aka Why I'm Finally Seeing a Doctor)
So yeah, after describing all this to someone with more sense than me, I've been strongly advised to actually see a doctor. Apparently a deep puncture wound from a dirty tree branch that never got properly cleaned, combined with 10 months of symptoms and mystery chunks under my skin, is not something to keep ignoring. Who knew?
The concern is that I might have introduced bacteria deep into the tissue back in January, and it's been causing chronic issues ever since. Those chunks I'm feeling could be anything from scar tissue to actual debris from the branch still lodged in there. Fun times.
Moral of the story: When you impale your elbow on a tree branch, maybe don't just shrug it off. Learn from my mistakes, folks.
I'll update you all once I actually get this checked out. Wish me luck!
- Your friend who makes questionable life choices
