D-Day plus 2

It's been 2 days since my surgery. I thought I'd try to one-hand an update. I woke up Monday in recovery and was given the good news that the surgery was a success. The doc cleaned up my rotator cuff and my labrum, and dealt with some bone spurs. Said everything went just as he'd hoped. Good words to hear. Afterwards, I was discharged with my right arm in a sling and a prescription for some pretty good pain killers. They had given me a nerve block in my arm, so I literally couldn't feel a thing. Couldn't even move my fingers. I was warned, though, that this was only temporary and that pain would make an appearance soon enough.

Let's just call that an understatement. First, my fingers started to itch. Then I was able to move my fingers. The nerve block was wearing off. I was told it would last 12-18 hours, but it was fading after about 8. This is when the pain began. And boy was there pain. Like, bomb exploding pain. Hurt so bad it took the pain meds hours to catch up. But finally, it did. The meds made it bearable. Now I'm supposed to take the painkillers every 4 hours. And the shoulder starts to ache at about 3 1/2 hours. Like clockwork. Even wakes me up at night, lest I try to skip a dose at 3AM.

Which brings me to sleep. I'm supposed to sleep sitting up. With my sling on. Fun. Really makes for a relaxing evening. Right. Night 1 was tough. Still in pain and scared to move, I slept maybe 30 minutes at a time. I'm propped up in my recliner with meds, crackers, G2, remote controls, ice packs, and kleenex scattered around me. Just in case. But they were all on my left side, because my right side's immobilized with this sling. Night 2 was much better. I think that I had a better grasp on the pain, and have figured out how to move while keeping my right side stationary. Whatever it was, I rested.

I learned the lesson to sleep when I can. The meds keep me groggy, so I'm prone to nod off any time I get really still. So on Tuesday, I napped on and off throughout the day. It's embarrassing, but I'm sure people understand when I fall asleep when they are talking. At least I hope they do. People from church have been bringing food. I should've had surgery years ago....I'm eating like a king. My friends are amazing. They are definitely better to me than I deserve. Come to think of it, maybe they're coming by to see me fall asleep mid-sentence. Whatever. Food's food.

Wednesday was rough. My driver (hah!) had to take me to physical therapy. That's right...I can't drive. Not sure when I'll be cleared to drive, either. When we got in the car, I didn't realize we were headed toward Gitmo. I quickly learned, though. PT is legalized torture. First, my therapist removed the bandages to check on the sutures. Let's just say the tape didn't give up without a fight. Everything looked copacetic. I'll try to post a pic or two soon. Then she began to test my range of motion. For the uninitiated, that is code for "try to make you cry." I'm told it's necessary, but I think it's a prank. Then she gave me some stretching exercises. The key, at this point, is do not push it. Apparently, a lot unintentional damage can be inflicted right now. So we're taking it very slow. I can live with that.

Well, another day is winding down. I feel pretty good about how far I've come. I think I underestimated how big of a deal this was going to be...from the pain to the rehab. I know it's hurt much more than I anticipated. I thought I'd be up and about in just a few days. Now I'm not so sure. My only goal now is to get better. I'm not going to try to be brave, or tough. I'm not trying to push it. I'm going to follow the directions of the people I'm paying to help me. Nothing more...Nothing less.

This is me, moving in the right direction.