AuburnChick's Adventures

Today marks SIX weeks since I had surgery on my right shoulder. I’m in awe of how quickly time is flying by.

Notice anything different?

Yep. No sling.

I had my six-week appointment with my surgeon Tuesday morning, and the first thing he asked was, “How has the pain been compared with the first shoulder surgery?”

What a loaded question.

I’m not one of those people you hear about who doesn’t have any pain after shoulder surgery. Nope. I’ve felt every single thing – every nerve waking up – every sudden flex of my bicep muscle.

All. Of. The. Things.

I told him that the pain has been different.

I mentioned the pain in the back of my shoulder this go-round, and he asked if it was my joint or my scapula.

Heck, I don’t know. It just hurts. 😭

He suspects it’s from my scapula, which we will address in physical therapy.

Then it was time for my questions. 🤣

I asked him about the burning pain near the top of my tenodesis incision. He said that’s most likely from scar tissue that’s built up since the surgery, during which he used his fingers to manipulate things around during surgery.

I sure am glad I was knocked out good for that.

He told me to, once I’m able, massage the area good to break up the scar tissue.

Sounds like more fun is ahead. 😭

I asked if I can sit in my neighborhood’s zero-entry pool – not to swim – just to sit, and he gave me the green light.

Maybe I’ll be able to get in a tiny bit of summer fun after all.

I asked if I had any limitations, and if I can pull up a pair of pants. He chuckled and mentioned that I wanted all of the rules.

Yep. I don’t want to tear up the work he’s just repaired.

He told me not to pull up a pair of fresh-from-the-dryer blue jeans – that sort of thing.

I guess my attire will remain as it is for the time being.

I’m still healing and have very little range of motion, so pulling and pushing motions are not actions I’m ready for yet.

My surgeon was pleased to see me reach out with my left arm to save my wallet, which was about to fall off of the examination table. He commented on how mindful I’ve become. I’m a tad petrified of hurting myself again. A little healthy fear is a good thing, right?

I’m allowed to stop wearing the sling, but he told me that I can wear it if I need it. He even suggested removing the pillow that’s attached with Velcro.

He said that the sling will be a visible reminder to people around me if I wear it while in larger crowds. Church immediately came to mind – so if you happen to see me sporting it there the next couple of weeks, you’ll know why.

I’m most likely going to put on the sling when my shoulder’s had enough of life’ing each day, so it’s going in my work bag. One thing I remember from the other shoulder surgery was the pain in the first couple of weeks post-sling. He never mentioned transitioning slowly back then, so I had stopped wearing it cold turkey. If only I had known, but I’m a rule follower, so there’s that.

Tuesday night was my first time going to bed without the sling, and it was bad y’all. So bad. I woke up in the middle of the night with pain that equalled what I felt in my left shoulder before that surgery. I was awake for hours before I finally figured out that I needed to put a pillow under my right elbow to support that arm. I’d started the night that way, but somehow the pillow arrangement had shifted, putting more pressure on my shoulder.

I return to the recliner and surrounded myself with pillows last night so I couldn’t rearrange myself in my sleep, and although I didn’t sleep through the night, exactly, when I did kind of wake up, I wasn’t uncomfortable. I will take this as a small win.

I felt like a train had hit me when my alarm went off Wednesday morning.

I didn’t let that slow me down though. I managed to put on a new tank top for work. I’d purchased a couple of them during Prime Days but hadn’t been able to try them on yet.

I put it around my bad arm first, stretched it over my head, and then pulled my “good” arm into its respective arm hole. It felt good to wear something besides a button -down.

Here’s how my scar is looking. Can you see which one is the newest one?

Work is absolutely crazy this week; I’m spending hours in front of a keyboard inputting all of the things. Needless to say, my shoulder is very angry.

On the plus side, I’m getting better at typing again, and I even started using my mouse with my right hand Tuesday.

I’m icing my shoulder a lot. It’s not unusual to see me at my desk with an ice pack on.

I’ve also started taking ibuprofen again. My doctor sent in another prescription for the higher dosage of ibuprofen because of the discomfort I’m in.

I had a productive PT session yesterday after work.

I’m going to be honest. I was dreading it because of how sore I’ve been. The thought of being stretched out made me anxious.

The stretching was rough, and I gritted my teeth A LOT. At one point, D told me to breathe.

I got through it, though, and afterward, I felt a lot better. God certainly knew what I needed.

D, my therapist, asked how my doctor’s appointment went. Since the two practices are connected, he can see all of my appointments.

I mentioned what the surgeon had said about the burning pain, and D said that burning usually indicates nerve pain.

Lovely. I’m not surprised though. With everything I’ve been doing at work, all of my nerves are literally firing up. 🔥

D and I discussed the game plan going forward since we’d originally started off with once a week sessions. He told me that I’m making good progress with the way things are set up, so I’ll continue in the same pattern. This will also help me stretch out my insurance-allotted visits so I’ll have some left when I’m ready for more advanced therapy.

D also added a couple of exercises to my home regimen: table slides with a towel and isometric wall pushes. He said that next week, he may start me out on lat work with the bands. I’m excited because doing big girl exercises will make me feel a little more normal again.

Despite the ups and downs, I have a positive attitude. I’m confident that when I visit my surgeon again in six weeks, I’ll be singing a more pain-free tune.

Filed under: This-n-That |