The Shoulder Returns

So about the shoulder thing…

Many of you know that I fell last spring and broke the head of my arm bone into four pieces (see The Accident under Favorite Posts). Dr. Wonderful did an amazing piece of surgery and bolted me all back together. And he managed to look wonderful whilst doing so. Me, I looked like a short, fat fifty three year old who had been run over by about ten trucks. Still do for that matter. Except now I am fifty four. Sigh.

I went through a billion hours of really hard physical therapy, worked just as hard at home, but in the fall simply started getting worse and worse until I was in constant pain and could barely use my arm.

Because I still owed him a quadrillion dollars, I was too ashamed to go back to Dr. W. Then in the mail one day I got a letter from the pratice. I expected the letter to say where is our money you loser deadbeat thief and was cringing as I opened it. But what it said was, we are concerned about you, please come in for a follow up. In the corner was a hand written note from Dr. W. saying please come in and let me make sure you are healing well.

The letter made me cry. I swear, I had a totally crap year, but God put so many wonderful people in my path.

So in I went, but still mortified and remorseful about my financial mess, the result of being out of work for ten months. I apologized to him. Most doctors would do a dance of discomfort and avoid the whole thing. He looked me straight in the eye and said firmly “Try not to worry about it. These things have a way of working themselves out.” His kindness choked me up all over again.

That was in December. More PT, x-rays and tests later and it is determined I have adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) related to the trauma of the fall and surgery.

So tomorrow I go back to the surgery center where a few things may or may not happen. They will put me to sleep (just to sleep, not actually put me to death; hmmm…at least I hope not). Then Dr. W. will manipulate my arm to rip the muscles apart loosen up the adhesions. That could be it. Yay! But if not…

…he would move to an arthroscopic procedure and poke around in my shoulder to try to free up where things are tight. And that could be it. Yay. But if not…

…Dr. W. would re-open my scar and open the shoulder to try and fix things that way. Oh yay. Sigh.

Last year I never for a second thought I would have to have a surgical procedure to fix my broken arm. This year there is not a doubt in my mind that when I wake up tomorrow, I will have been cut somewhere. As distressing as this is, it will most likely help, give me my arm function back and gradually diminish the pain.

Fingers crossed.

And I get to see Dr. Wonderful heaps more times. Woo hoo.