Day 2 - 161 -- Recovery Progressing

Like the orthopedist  told me -- "physio is your full time job."  I've been working away at it trying to meet the 10 minutes each hour guideline. I see the physio twice weekly now and will move to three times weekly when we hit a plateau.  Both Ortho and Physio feel that I was doing well. I now have an open appointment with the Ortho should I need to see him for something sometime. Things are moving in the right direction, but it is a lot of effort -- working to the pain and holding a stretch repeatedly through the day can leave the arm in a rebellious mood by the evening. I will discuss pain management with my family MD this week.

I am noticing range of motion and physical functioning changes a bit each day. There is still a long way to go, but being able to deal with the main activities of daily living is key now. Other 'extras' will come with time. I try to be positive and work at this project. I am stubborn <smile> and know I will keep up as I want things to be as close to 100% as possible. I won't kid you, though, there are moments each day of doubt, fear and anger -- especially by the end of a day when I am so tired and sore. It is likely unrealistic to expect to feel positive all the time. So, I try not to beat myself up about that. Seeing x-rays and realizing the number of screws in the arm, I understand some of the pain much better. The incision is healing well, but some sore areas are there still. The physio gave me some stretch tubing to use as an arm cover -- this after I told her I was afraid of being in public as people may bump or grab it. She felt this arm cover would help people (including me) to remember that there is some tenderness there. It also serves to cover the nasty ugly incision -- some folks are squeamish and I'm not even sure I want anyone to see it yet. It should help me to wear short sleeves now instead of wearing a sweater or jacket over things -- great as the temperature warms <smile>. So - recovery is moving forward and I have some positive helpers around me to keep me motivated.

I thought of a song line while moving the joint for the MD today -- pushing things to the edge of pain to show him how far I've come in the past week. I love this song for many reasons including the group singing. Enjoy!

Take it to the Limit -- The Eagles