R2 D8 I DID IT!!! 64 days & thoughts on PT

It happened!!! After 64 days I slept in bed ALL night!!! The arm doesn't hurt any when I sleep in the recliner, but put me in bed and it is VERY painful! I can't get enough pillows or the right angle, or just breathe on my back! I have made multiple attempts that have lasted an hour and a half at the most before going back to the chair. But last night I was the there the whole time!! Graland said he kept waking and looking over to see if I was still there! :o)

I did roll over in the morning to face Graland, which had me rolling onto my arm. Wasn't so bad until I rolled off of it and I got this seering pain that went away quickly enough but I know not to lay on it just yet.

Now, a word about therapy. DON'T WAIT!!! I asked my doctor each time I went in if it was OK to start exercise on it and he always said no. By the time I did go a couple MONTHS later, my shoulder was completely frozen up. I thought the little rotating the arm around in a circle (little circle toward the floor) was baby stuff that wouldn't matter. DON'T think that!! Every little movement counts. PT said they usually tell people to start 2 weeks later. I was always afraid of busting a stitch. VERY afraid!! Movement. And when your stitches start to heal, you need to start massaging them so you don't get scar tissue underneath. That is another thing we are working on now and it HURTS when PT mushes in on them sooo hard. BUT I can lift now when I couldn't earlier.

One good question Sherry from PT asked the other day...what can you now with your arm that you couldn't do when you got here. Here goes! Raise it higher than 2 inches! I can roll the window on my van, can pull the parking brake, and close the door. I can shampoo, put on eyeliner, and get into a pullover shirt. And now...I can sleep in my own bed! :o) I can't wait to share that tomorrow at PT!!!

Can I share that straight Cranberry juice is the most horrible thing I've ever tasted!! UGH