AuburnChick's Adventures

I’m at the ten-week post-surgery milestone, y’all!

This week has been the best so far during this recovery.

The turnaround began last Wednesday when I woke up, I immediately noticed that I didn’t have much pain. I also realized that the back of my bad shoulder seemed to have loosened up a bit.

One of the things that I’ve experienced post-surgery with both shoulders has been severe stiffness. The first shoulder (my left one) was very tight in the front of my shoulder.

I remember the day the left shoulder loosened up. I was at work walking out of the bathroom when I felt a pop – a release really – in that shoulder. It scared me a little, but I didn’t have any pain, and from that point forward, my progress amped up.

The right shoulder (the one I had surgery on in June) has been different, with the stiffness being in the back of my shoulder blade.

Wednesday morning, a lot of that stiffness was GONE! I never felt a release like the other shoulder. I suspect something probably happened while I was sleeping.

I spent Thursday and Friday cautiously optimistic – not wanting to count my chickens before they’d hatched, but y’all, I felt so much lighter without the heaviness of the extreme pain I’ve been carrying around since last September.

What a turnaround from the fear I’d been enveloped in Wednesday night after I’d suddenly reached for a piece of fruit I had dropped and had completely scared myself.

Thank you for your prayers. All seems to be well.

I had physical therapy last Thursday and mentioned what had happened the night before. My therapist was not concerned at all. He said that the sudden movement was to blame for the pain, but that he didn’t think I’d hurt my shoulder again – especially since the pain had abated after a few minutes.

I wasn’t even too sore after physical therapy that day, which reassured me a lot.

I’m sleeping a lot better. In fact, I started sleeping in my bed Saturday night! Hallelujah!!

I’m making it through the work day without the use of a pillow under my arm.

Last week, I asked my physical therapist to define exactly what I’m currently allowed to do and, most importantly, what I cannot do. I need parameters because I’m an overachiever who tries to do the most when I’m not supposed to.

He encouraged me to start using my right arm to brush my teeth, wash my hair, and reach into a cabinet.

I cannot reach the cabinets above my kitchen counters yet. I still need more time in physical therapy. This took awhile for my first shoulder, so I’m not worried.

I have a very hard time putting deodorant on under my left arm because my right arm will not stretch across my body. I can’t shave that armpit either. This will get better in time.

I can reach for my computer mouse and over the edge of my desk a bit to write things down.

As far as what I cannot do, my physical therapist expressly told me not to lift anything over one pound. He didn’t say I can’t push or pull anything, but my surgeon had laid out these restrictions for me during my last visit, so I’ve been following them from the get-go.

I also learned, the hard way, that I am not ready to drive yet.

Saturday, I decided that after the good days I’d had with less pain, I wanted to go for a test drive. I had a library book on hold and figured that since the library wasn’t too far away, it would be an easy drive.

The last time I had driven was the day before my surgery – mid June. I couldn’t remember when I started driving after my first surgery. It seems like it was some time in February – possibly March.

The drive started out fine, although I had to use my left arm to reach over and down to change the car from park to reverse to drive. I cannot pull anything with my right arm yet. 

By the time I got to the library, my shoulder was on fire.  Turning my head to look over my right shoulder was incredibly difficult and painful.

It’s crazy how the smallest movements can absolutely rock your world when your body is a hot mess.

When I got home, I had to sheepishly tell the Mr. that he had been right. He had tried to dissuade me from my Miss Independent excursion.

So, driving is still off of the table for me. Boo.

I hit an upswing Sunday, and every day since then was good.

I had physical therapy yesterday, and my therapist immediately noticed that my arm is hanging a little more normally when I walk. It was also noticeably less stiff when he stretched me out.

He ran me through my paces with the bands, and yes, I’ll probably be feeling all of the things tomorrow, but this is not a whole lot different than a workout in the gym.

D told me that twelve weeks is the magic point where the soft tissues have healed enough to incorporate more rigorous strength training, so I have a couple more weeks to go before I’m pumping the heavy weights.

And by heavy, I mean one pounders. 🤣

Thank you for your continued prayers as I gingerly make my way through this lengthy recovery process. I sure do appreciate them!

Filed under: This-n-That |