I survived the annual check up. My cholesterol was up a little but nothing like it deserved to be considering my recent diet and lack of exercise. It waas hardly mentioned. My weight was the same. That was hard to believe but what a relief. My hurty pinkie finger might be gout. GOUT? Isn't that for old people who eat too rich food and drink too much wine? Oh. Right. A uric acid test will rule it in or out.
But what I really meant to talk about was the appearance of my operated shoulder.
The scar is pale and fairly smooth. I think of it as two parts; the lower half extends vertically down my upper arm in the front and the upper half runs diagonally from the midpoint toward the collar bone. The lower half is exposed if I wear a sleeveless shirt; the upper half is mostly covered in any upper garment, sleeveless or whatever. The only way it would be visable would be in a strapless top.
Now, this part is hard to describe, As muscles have been repurposed to allow use of the artificial joint, I find that I must use some chest muscles to help lift that arm. So the chest muscle midline to the upper scar has developed stronger and very slightly more prominent on the operated side. This causes the diagonal scar to look like and actually be recessed, almost as if it lays in a valley, if you can visualize that. Then, lateral to the scar, the shoulder roundly forms the upper joint and looks quite normal again.
I would say the somewhat irregulat appearance of the area is due to rearrangement of the fleshy tissue under the scar. But I am not complaining, just remarking for the benefit of someon anticipating surgery. The key to accepting how it looks is to wear clothes! But I am sure that no one would noticee the slightly unusual topography in summer bare shoulders.
And, since this is considered surgery for older people, like at least fifty years or older, the patient is probably not going to quibble over how the wound looks.
I certainnly am not.
But what I really meant to talk about was the appearance of my operated shoulder.
The scar is pale and fairly smooth. I think of it as two parts; the lower half extends vertically down my upper arm in the front and the upper half runs diagonally from the midpoint toward the collar bone. The lower half is exposed if I wear a sleeveless shirt; the upper half is mostly covered in any upper garment, sleeveless or whatever. The only way it would be visable would be in a strapless top.
Now, this part is hard to describe, As muscles have been repurposed to allow use of the artificial joint, I find that I must use some chest muscles to help lift that arm. So the chest muscle midline to the upper scar has developed stronger and very slightly more prominent on the operated side. This causes the diagonal scar to look like and actually be recessed, almost as if it lays in a valley, if you can visualize that. Then, lateral to the scar, the shoulder roundly forms the upper joint and looks quite normal again.
I would say the somewhat irregulat appearance of the area is due to rearrangement of the fleshy tissue under the scar. But I am not complaining, just remarking for the benefit of someon anticipating surgery. The key to accepting how it looks is to wear clothes! But I am sure that no one would noticee the slightly unusual topography in summer bare shoulders.
And, since this is considered surgery for older people, like at least fifty years or older, the patient is probably not going to quibble over how the wound looks.
I certainnly am not.
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