Moving Forward . . .

I'm now just over a week post-op, and things are going pretty well.  Not perfectly, but pretty well  :-)

These are the things I was thinking about last time:

• The big bandage comes off this morning.

The physical therapist did take off the big bandage and cleaned me up a little with some rubbing alcohol - that was very helpful.  And I did get out of the sling that day as the feeling came back to my arm as the nerve block wore off.

•  . . .They are trying me on Norco in the hope that I won't be allergic to it.

I was not allergic to the Norco, which has turned out to be a good thing.  I didn't have nearly the amount of pain I thought I would, but I've needed it for PT.  I'm now taking the Norco only once a day, about an hour before PT.  There is still one direction where I'm not as mobile as I might be, but I keep reminding myself that there is probably still swelling inside my shoulder joint.  My shoulder looks mostly yellow now - still some purple that seems to be deep inside.  The mini incisions itch a bit, so I know they are healing  :-)

I see the surgeon again on Tuesday for my post-op visit.  My physical therapist might go with me (she's checking her schedule). My steri-strips will be removed, and of course I will have a list of questions to be answered.  I don't think that I have any stitches on the outside - I know I have some on the inside.  I also don't know for sure that they actually fixed the small partial tear in my rotator cuff.  I thought they did, but it didn't actually say that they did on the paperwork I got to take to PT, so the therapist said that maybe they didn't.  She said that sometimes if a tear is small, they leave it to heal on its own - that will be one of my questions  :-)

I do know, however, that in addition to the manipulation to break up the adhesions, they did something called a subacromial decompression when they cleaned out the joint.  That's where they shave off some of the bottom of the acromion to make more room in my shoulder joint.

I'm still going to PT every day (M-F).  Some days are better than others (yesterday - not so good.  today, better  :-) ), but I continue to be religious with the at-home PT and the icing - and of course with the giant horse-pill Advil  :-D  I did get the go ahead today from my physical therapist to do some tai chi, which is something I've wanted to do for awhile now.  As much as I loved studying Yoga for the Rest of Us with Peggy Cappy, I think tai chi might be more my style.  For one thing, you can wear your shoes - that makes a big difference for me  :-)  I bought a Great Courses Tai Chi class when they were having a giant sale and I had just started it shortly before the surgery.  I think I will be able to do much better now  :-)

The only restriction I have had is that I cannot drive.  As long as I'm taking Norco, I cannot get behind the wheel, and at the moment my shoulder is not strong enough to drive safely or comfortably.  It's not a big deal for me as I walk to the train every day to get to work, but it's more challenging to go grocery shopping.  My cousin's husband is taking me to the store tonight after work  :-)