Would you like a little whine with this post?...PO Day 72

After two + months of boasting I have had little or no pain my arm has begun to hurt. I can imagine all kinds of things that have gone wrong. The natural humerus has developed a stress fracture from being reamed out. The titanium joint is dislocating. The plate into which the new "ball" is screwed is loose. I have a loose screw! Infection or hematoma would hurt, wouldn't it? To quote Walter Mitty, "coreopsis has set in." Or maybe not.

The discomfort began Saturday night after I did some fairly vigorous arm extensions and by Sunday morning I was certain my arm was going to fall off. I skipped home PT Sunday and talked to my therapist Monday morning. Instead of a strenuous work out she spent most of my session massaging my tricep muscle and reverting to some of the PROM (passive range of motion) stretches. She was so sympathetic.

At home yesterday I chose to concentrate on the wimpy exercises but it still hurt and the niggling worry that I was damaging something was back. So when I presented for therapy at 7:40 this morning I was singing the same song. But my therapist had conferred with my surgeon and the consensus is I am simply feeling the result that strength building exercises have on weak muscles.  Interestingly, the usual AROM (active range of motion) exercises actually made my arm less sore this morning.

So, while my arm is still pretty tender, I am under orders to bravely forge on. And not to worry. The forging is easier than the not worrying.