Great Expectations

It is difficult to not look at this upcoming surgery as the solution to all my problems.

If my neck hurts, it is because I cannot sleep lying flat because of my shoulder. When my back aches it is easy to blame the canted way I walk protecting my shoulder. If I am irritable it is obviously because I am not getting enough sleep because my shoulder pain wakes me up. If the waist of my skirt is too tight I can say I do not get enough exercise due to "my shoulder." If the weeds are overtaking my garden, it is certainly because I can not trim and edge and dig as I normally would. How wonderful it will be after surgery.

Perhaps.

Dr. Kai has been prudently conservative in his predictions. He asked me what I wanted from the surgery. I said that I wanted my arm to not hurt all the time and I would like more range of motion or use of my arm. He nodded and said that was likely. The choice of Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement Surgery offers a better possibility of getting those results than the original Total Shoulder Replacement Surgery does, in my situation.

He informed me that the patient might be looking at eight or ten years of a good result before needing some kind of revision or redo. I don't think your arm falls off after nine and a half years but perhaps the plastic components of the artificial joint wear out. Right now I am willing to face that uncertain future to have better function and more comfort now. Like Scarlett, I will think about those bad things tomorrow...or in nine and a half years.

But maybe I should rename this post "Reasonable Expectations."