21 November Update

I really wanted to post yesterday, but life moves at its own pace. I keep getting asked if this time is different: smoother, easier, harder, etc. It is different, but while some of that difference is not to my liking, most of it is.

I’ve said it before, but it seems like things are progressing faster on the whole. My regular physical therapist and I have talked about it, and given that we haven’t been able to start what I call “real” PT yet, we’ve made some amazing progress on range of motion. We have to keep reminding each other that it’s only been a month, and we can’t start real PT until six weeks. Yes, I am counting down the days… That said, we are already getting some results that I did not have until several weeks after the start of real PT.

The increase in range of motion means that I am doing things sooner than before. My ability to get a shirt or coat on has gone from struggle session to almost normal. I can tie shoes again. With the cone of shame, er, sling gone, it makes it easier to pin things so I can work on them with my right hand. I’m still not up to real cooking yet, but I am able to cook eggs for my breakfast now since that is mostly a one-handed process. Figure it’s going to be at least two to three weeks before I am up to knife work and all that’s required to do real cooking.

Officially I am still not supposed to pick up anything other than a piece of paper with my left hand/arm. I am (mostly) being good about that. Makes it hard to cook, do laundry, or many other things. While I’m doing very well on range-of-motion, it does not mean I’m anywhere near where I was or where I hope to ultimately be. Which makes some normal activities, like bathing, a challenge as you can’t reach some places. Still toying with the idea of zip tying a scrub brush to the useless hand hold (the top part is not anchored) so I can scrub parts of the back I can’t yet reach.

Where it has been not-fun interesting is with sleeping and discomfort/pain management. Because we started me on PT sessions earlier than last time, I had to go off the good pain pills in less than a week after surgery. I’ve taken some at need, but mostly I can’t take them as I have to be able to drive. It’s not 24 bottle to throttle, but I prefer 12-16 at a minimum. The idea of trying to drive while on drugs and with one hand (one arm was in a sling for the first four weeks) is a non-starter for me (and the doc).

To complicate things a bit further, I have refused to take the acetaminophen that is prescribed. Hate that stuff. So, have been taking ibuprofen “as needed.” By my standards I’ve had a lot more discomfort this time, but not a lot of pain. Ergo, I probably have not taken the ibuprofen as much as I should have. Not ideal, but livable.

The biggest problem has been sleeping. As I wrote before, I had to transition back to the bed because I was tossing and turning in the recliner. Falling out would be bad, tipping it over would be worse. Sleeping in the bed is another thing that has happened ahead of schedule, with it happening 3 or more weeks sooner than with the left.

Normally, I would take that as a positive but the body is really not yet healed to the point of normal sleep. My body wants to sleep mostly on my sides these days (I used to describe myself as a rotisserie sleeper in that I turn about a quarter turn every so often so that I eventually turn completely around), and neither shoulder is happy with that for long. Trying to sleep on my back also can get uncomfortable. Even using melatonin and other tricks, I’ve only been getting about three hours of sleep before waking up. Sometimes I do manage to get back to sleep, sometimes not, and I’m learning what I can and can’t take to help based on what time I wake up. More often than I care for I’m doing good to be running on 3-4 hours sleep on any given day, six is a wonder, and eight hours of good solid sleep is still a dream.

It will get better, and I think once we can do real PT, that will also help. Hoping to get clearance next week to start back at the gym on lower body and core at least. That too should help with the sleep issues. It will get better, but it is hard to be patient in this case.

So, overall I am ahead of where I was last time in most areas. I think/hope that this will hold true as we move into real PT, which puts me on a good recovery path. Healing from the surgery (both cases) is in many ways the easy part. It’s trying to regain the strength and mobility that were lost in the years before the surgery that is going to be the challenge. There’s a reason that they warn that shoulder replacement recovery takes a year (or more). Thanks to your help, I have what I need and am working with a good physical therapist (and team) for in person.

Who knows, I may even learn some patience out of this. Not likely, but miracles do happen. My methodical determination will come in handy in the days ahead. I feel like I’ve been wimpy on PT so far but results say otherwise.

Even if I could do real cooking right now, there is no way I would try to do a traditional Thanksgiving dinner just for me (no, I would not be inviting the cats to join in). Too much and too much chance of waste. In a week or three I may do something with some salmon in the freezer, looking at a dark rum or bourbon glaze with black Hawaiian salt and smoked sugar when I’m up to it. For Thanksgiving, seriously contemplating left-over pizza, or if the historic diner nearby has meatloaf special tomorrow getting that and having it Thanksgiving. It’s not the food, though I want to have something different and good, it’s that I have options and much for which to be thankful.

More soon, came across something interesting on HamAss and there are some other things going on in the world that I would like to discuss. I may get to some of it later today, but it was a rough night so no guarantees. Up early tomorrow as I have a very early PT session, but I hope to get something up later in the day. We will see.

Onwards.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.