AuburnChick's Adventures

Yesterday was my first day of physical therapy on my right arm. It feels like this shoulder saga is playing out in two parts, much like a play with different acts.

Right Shoulder – Take 2

It seems so crazy that it was only Thursday that I had that surgery. My surgeon likes to get his patients into PT as soon as possible after he operates on them.

I’d managed to sleep in, even after the Mr. let Gambit out of the bedroom around 5. I let him out to potty, climbed on the couch, and once I got comfortable slept until 8!!

The Mr. helped me dress. He had to cover my incisions with bandages to protect them from the physical therapy. He removed them when we got back home.

I even put some makeup on. This is my setup for the time being.

Applying makeup with my left hand proved challenging. If you see me out and about, don’t be judging.

I tried to straighten my hair a bit – again a challenge given my limited arm use.

The Mr. had an apple waiting for me so I could have a little something on my stomach during PT.

Gambit was also waiting for me.

He knows he’s going to get bites because he’s old and gets almost anything he wants.

Take a look at my left hand this morning. That bruising is spreading and so ugly!

Physical therapy was rough but because this is my second round of it, I was mentally prepared.

We only did a few exercises – things I had done for my left shoulder – but the reminder of the limitations I am now facing, albeit temporarily, was sobering.

My physical therapist gently stretched my arm out. He told me it was moving well and could see it was doing better than my left shoulder had done during my first visit back in December.

We worked out a PT schedule. When I rehabbed the right arm, I immediately began with two visits a week.

My insurance allows for a certain number of visits every six months and releases those visits on a rolling basis. I’m about a week ahead of getting my visits back, so I had to self pay yesterday morning. Can you say $$$? Yikes!

Going forward, I’ll be doing PT once a week for the first six weeks and then will amp things up to a couple of visits each week.

The first six weeks after shoulder surgery are all about healing. Any exercises have to be passive with the good appendage supporting the bad one, so doing PT more often doesn’t necessarily speed up recovery.

In addition, this schedule will stretch out my allowed visits and allow me to have more in my back pocket for later.

By the end of my session, I was ready for the ice and TENS unit. TENS is the electric stimulation, which helps in pain management.

I got sent home with homework – exercises to do each day.

The only one I don’t like out of these is the table stretch. It has always been my least favorite, and I doubt I’ll be able to do it with much flexibility. The pain it brings about is something else. We shall see if I can do it.

I appreciate your kind comments and continued prayers.

I have a hard time sitting around waiting for things to heal. That’s what this week will be about, and it’s going to be all I can do to be a good patient.

But I will because I am ready to put this saga in my rearview mirror. I don’t want to do anything that will cause a setback.

If you need me, I’ll be fighting for space in my recliner, reading a lot, and catching up with very old Survivor episodes, if I can get the Mr. to share the TV.

Filed under: This-n-That |