2/27/2014
Hey guys,
Sorry this update is so late. As most of you may already know, I had shoulder reconstruction surgery December 17. It was not fun. They did a nerve block instead of general anesthesia because there are less risks that way. When I got the nerve block for my shoulder they put injected the meds at my neck so my whole arm was dead for the whole day. While I was sitting in the OR and they were prepping me, I decided to play a game with myself and see if I could lift my arm. I tried so hard and failed. So a brief synopsis of the surgery:
Expected time 45min -- Actual time over 2 and a half hours
Expected damage minimal -- Actual damage total
My clavicle was jagged at the end so they resected the end of that just a tad.
They grafted on 2 cadaver ligaments to the ones that were torn completely.
They tied down all my bones and put them back into place.
The recovery was hell and is still giving me problems. After 6 weeks in a sling (with multiple infections, I might add) I was able to start physical therapy. I have been doing that for about 4 weeks and I have the Range of Motion that the doctor was hoping for. I still have to work on strength training and have another 8 weeks of therapy to go. The current problems are popping in the shoulder when I move it certain directions and pain. I feel the pain mostly at night. I have not gotten a full nights sleep since the surgery because pain is something that no matter how much I want to sleep through it, I just cant. All I want it a solid 8 hours (preferably 12) but I don't think that is going to happen any time soon.
I will keep yall updated on the shoulder but in the meantime, I will be having surgery on the opposite arm in a little over a week. They will be removing the plate they put in 5 years ago when they shortened my radius. Risks include the normal infection, death, blood clots, etc etc and the new risk of possible breaking the bone when they remove it. So that will be the start to my Spring Break 2014.
Hopefully I'll post soon.
-Crippling Scars
P.S. Friday, February 28 is Rare Disease Day (a day I wish we didn't have a reason to observe but sadly the reality is many of us are disease ridden)
