Here's my new cast:

It's actually a splint because it's only hard on the underside. The top is just layers of gauze, which is much more comfortable than a whole cast. It's hard to tell in the photo but my fingers are a lovely shade of yellowish-green, as is my whole arm underneath the bandaging. I've moved out of the black and blue stage into chartreuse.

At the hospital today the doctor cut off the original splint then directed me to the sink to wash my arm before he put on the new splint. It was not what I think would have happened in a US hospital, the patient being in charge of cleaning her own broken arm, unassisted by any medical personnel. The whole experience was much more informal than I expected.

But the good news is my stitches are now out and I'm cleared to go back to school tomorrow, at least part time. It's been getting a bit dull around here so I'm happy to have a plan for tomorrow. There's a substitute assigned to my classroom through the rest of the week so if I can't handle the whole day I can leave early and she'll be able to step in to finish my classes. The school has been incredibly supportive throughout this whole ordeal, for which I am very grateful.