Date: 2017-07-06
From: Winchester, VA

To: Harrisburg, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was the day of my appointment at the orthopedist in Winchester, VA.  I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get the appointment, and I was hoping that it would be the last one. The original doctor said the cast would need to be on for three weeks, then I'd wear a splint for three more weeks.  That was four weeks ago.  Today's x-rays of the wrist showed that the fracture was not yet completely healed.    The physician's assistant gave me the option to take the cast off but said that she recommended it stay on for two more weeks.  I'm being cautious at this point so I opted to keep it.  I could keep the same cast or get a new one.  My purple cast was dirty and very stinky, so I decided to get a new one.  An assistant came in and sawed the purple cast off.  My skin underneath was shriveled but otherwise okay.  I flexed my wrist, and it hurt.  A lot.  The new cast is day glow yellow, a bright color to cheer me up.  Not getting rid of the cast was a major disappointment.  The next step is to see another orthopedist further up the trail in two weeks.  I looked ahead on the schedule and determined that we'll be near Monroe, New York in two weeks.  I looked up orthopedists there and called one.  In order to get an appointment I have to send all my medical records first.  This is not as easy as it sounds.  I have to sign a medical release and fax it back to today's doctors so they can forward the records to the next doctors.  I photographed today's x-rays on my phone so I can email them.  The hotel we're at tonight wouldn't print out the release form until the manager gets in tomorrow morning.  So I anticipate half a day tomorrow just trying to get the medical records sent.  After the doctor appointment Diane and I went grocery shopping.  I've been trying to locate UHP milk, which is shelf stable, since the beginning of the hike.  I want it to increase my protein intake and also to get more calcium to help heal my broken wrist.  We finally found some at a grocery store in Winchester today.  The store had 26 three-packs of individual servings, and I bought them all.  Milk is a staple of my diet at home, and it pleases me greatly that I'll now have some on the trail.  Occasionally Lizzie or I have bought a quart of milk to split, and we've drunk it all in a single sitting.  Now I'll have a steady supply for a while.  Yesterday Diane and I shopped for more hiking shoes and for some shorts that fit.  We found some mid-height hiking shoes and two pairs of shorts that fit at an outfitter in Winchester, Virginia.  So nearly all the tasks I intended to do this week are complete.  The only one we didn't get to was cleaning my pack.  I was hoping to do that because it's now getting stinky.  Most of the group is back in Harrisburg.  Terri is supposed to be here somewhere with her husband.  Bill, Arlene, Diane, and I are sharing a room.  Bill gets to sleep on the floor.  Diane is headed back to Wisconsin tomorrow morning.  We have to find our way to Duncannon to meet Rennie with the van.  Lizzie is planning to meet us tomorrow night at the campsite at Clarks Valley.  I'm looking forward to starting hiking on Saturday.  It was good to have a break from hiking even though I never really got to relax.