I am doing something weird this week. I’m going voluntarily to go get my shoulder "manipulated" which is kind of like surgery, but they don’t cut you open. This Thursday, under anesthesia, the doctor will move my arm into all the positions it’s supposed to go, but won’t. I have had limited movement for about a year, and months of physical therapy. I’ve got what they call "frozen shoulder"(which is really "adhesive capsulitis") and I’m just plain tired of not being able to move my arm completely . . . so they’ll wait until I’m asleep, forcibly break up the scar tissue and adhesions inside the shoulder joint, (apparently it’s noisy) and I’ll wake up feeling like someone wrenched my arm out of its socket.
Wow, I’m really looking forward to this.
Then I go to physical therapy (again) to keep it from freezing up (again)—every day for the next couple of weeks, then three times a week after that, then I don’t know . . . It all sounds a bit overwhelming and time consuming and I hope I’m doing the right thing. Right now I can do most things pretty well, but I notice my limitations frequently. I really knew my shoulder still wasn’t normal this summer when I had trouble swimming, treading water, throwing a ball, that sort of thing. But really, most people would never notice I had a problem.
This kind of reminds me of my nose surgery I had about 29 years ago to correct a "deviated septum" (more information than you want to know). Let’s just say, I walked jauntily into the hospital, looking perfectly healthy, with just a very slightly annoying nose situation (again, more than you want to know). I left a couple days later in a wheel chair with two black eyes, a broken bandaged nose, gauze in my nostrils (MUCH more than you want to know) . . . . . People wouldn’t even LOOK at me!
Of course I’ve been glad I did it ever since, but AT THE TIME . . . .
I guess it’s better to bite the bullet and just get this over with! I’ll keep you posted!
4 comments:
It's the idea of the "crunching" sound that gets to me! But, I have to admit that at the same time the "crunching" idea seems kind of satisfying...like cracking your neck, or stomping on leaves, or getting to bend your back for the first time after pregnancy. Maybe it will just feel really good and satisfying :). Okay, well maybe that will take a while, but in the end, I'm sure you'll feel like you never fully appreciated your shoulder before!
You're so brave! Glad I can be here for you.
I like the crunching leaves analogy, Hannah! Mom, I'll think of Pop Rocks bursting all throughout your shoulder. That sounds kind of therapeutic.
Good luck!
How did it go...I hope it went well. It kinda scares me too to think about it...so maybe I won't. I want to hear how it all went though!
Hey all, I'm fine, and I'll write about it soon!
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