Can do - Can't do...PO Day 219

I feel like I have turned a corner in my recovery but it has happened so gradually that I can't pin down a date. I am right at seven months post op and it has happened in the last couple weeks. No bells went off, no fireworks lit up the sky, no one noticed, not even me. But things have certainly improved.

I've mentioned that the pain on the front side of my upper arm is all but gone. I don't know when that happened. The sharp pain On the back of my upper arm associated with position is still there but now I have hope it, too, will eventually resolve. I have been sleeping very much better and I attribute it to less discomfort in the night. I'm glad for the better sleep but I was enjoying being an early riser for the first time in my life.

Gradually my operated arm-shoulder is getting stronger but I still can't lift heavy items with it. A gallon of milk is a challenge. I can carry weight with that arm hanging down to my side but cannot lift it higher than my waist.

I can sleep on my right side! I probably wouldn't stay on the operated shoulder all night but I can shift back and forth. I do still sleep with several pillows which pad and support the shoulder.

I can wash, comb, brush, curling iron, and color my hair! Now I am trying to decide if I will keep it cut as short as I have had it. It has been a blessing to not have to worry with it. I missed my last hair appointment so my very short hair is now normal short and I can see it requires more attention. Have to make up my mind by the 29th.


The door that sticks still gives my right arm a little trouble. Pulling or pushing with the operated limb hurts and isn't very effective still. Even pulling out the top drawer of the bottom freezer, the one with the ice tray, has to be done with the unoperated arm. 

Driving is going well. But tight turns still tweak my arm. I've found that rotating my hand and grasping the inside of the wheel is easier than grabbing the outside of the steering wheel. Don't know why but it works better. Otherwise, eveyrthing is pretty much normal.

Kitchen work is great. I did have a lot of trouble cutting with a knife. No strength and it hurt. But I would say I am pretty normal now. Dipping ice cream is still difficult but where there's a will there's a way. And I am motivated. Putting up dishes on the second cabinet shelf is easy. I don't favor my 
operated arm any more. Stirring stiff cookie dough can be too hard but I use the mixer more for jobs like that.

I use my unoperated arm-hand to grasp the railing going up or down stairs. I wouldn't trust my operated side to be strong enough to stop a fall. 

My range of motion is great! Except for being able to reach behind my back I really don't have much limitation. 

Except ... When putting on or taking off a jacket. That still drives me crazy. I can't get my right arm back to facilitate putting the left arm into the sleeve and I can't do that little shoulder roll that helps to drop the jacket off your shoulder when removing it. I'm getting better though. Practicing. I will wear out my suede jacket without ever leaving the house.

I avoid putting weight on that arm getting into bed or rising from the floor. The bed thing creates the "flop" but lots of pillows and an uncomplaining bed partner help. Getting up off of the floor is not pretty-hope no one is watching.

I'm sure there are other things to mention but you get the picture. Things are better. I won't dissemble, this has been very difficult. It was difficult before surgery and difficult since surgery. Maybe the toughest thing I have gone through. Definitely not for the faint hearted. But there seems to be a p dim light at the end of the tunnel. I just hope it's not a train. 




                                                       












Archive timeline: 2014: May and June - preparing for surgery, July - surgery and post op problems, 
August - recovery and physical therapy, September - thinking medically, October - getting back to normal. November. -still in recovery, December-6 months and holding.  2015 January-current events.