Staples are gone. Yay.

The staple removal was really no big deal at all.
I worried over nothing.

There were two of them that were mildly uncomfortable, but I didn't mind it much. The nurse took them out with a little thing that looked like a pair of scissors. Took about a minute.

The doctor says I'm about three weeks ahead of where he expected me to be, that ordinarily people who have gone through this type of surgery are having a lot more trouble getting around and managing the pain.

I managed to get myself showered and dressed and did my own hair before the appointment... a real morale booster.

The only help I needed was to get my bra on, and the only reason I needed a bra was that I was going out, otherwise I would not have worn one, believe me.


Turns out it was a good thing I took the time to look decent because the grandmother of one of 'my' kids was in the doctor's office Friday morning, too. She said she'd pass on my hello to her granddaughter and tell her I looked 'great'. A kindness on her part, as I do not look great.

I will tell you about the rest of the doctor's visit tomorrow, I don't feel like talking about it right now. 

It wasn't pretty but I'm okay.

I'll be writing a letter to the doctor.

Typing and Staples

I am so very tired of the laborious process of typing with only one hand.

It is so s-l-o-w!!

Hard to sit here and comment on your blogs, hard to write for mine, hard to answer emails... I am sober now (well mostly) but my IM's still are full of typos and I've begun using a bit of internet shorthand.

I don't like that at all. It's frustrating. But I have had to do it this way because I can't figure out what else to do. 

Do I sit at the kitchen table or in my room with my laptop and type one handed or do I stand here at the bread board pulled out from the kitchen counter so that I can have the right angle to use two hands to type?


Shawn told me yesterday that typing would be fine for my shoulder as long as it isn't hurting. That my shoulder "would let me know" if it's too much and the finger exercise would be good for me, too.

So now I have hit upon the idea of putting my laptop into the seat of one of my other kitchen chairs and leaning forward to type. 

It's better, but not perfect.

You read about this process in a very short time, but it took me all day Thursday to get here. Took me almost as much time to type it.



:)

Today (Friday) is the day I am supposed to get my staples out. I have like 16?? 18?? of them in three small and one large incision.

I am a little nervous about it, but everything I've read online and the few friends I've spoken to who have had it done say it's really not that big a deal.
That it doesn't hurt much.

I'll let you know.

As I write this, I'm just a little skeptical.


On Wednesday, I was stirring something on the counter and it started to topple. I reflexively reached out with my right arm to stop it. 

OUCH OUCH OUCH!!! 

So I plan to tell my doctor and hope he can tell me that I didn't re injure it... scary to think about!!


I saw Shawn on Thursday. He didn't have any patients after me, so was able to sit and talk with me about what I'd had done in surgery last week. (10 days today)

He had the surgical report from the doctor and a model of the shoulder to show me all the details.

Now I wouldn't want to operate on people myself, but I am not squeamish about the process or the mechanics of it, especially since I didn't have to look at anything bloody or listen to anyone scream.



Once he was sure I was sincerely interested and wasn't going to get all freaked out, ( "It is sort of gruesome,"he said."Are you sure this won't bother you?") he explained everything. Fascinating stuff.

So I got a detailed report from Shawn, and will get another detailed report as well as pictures from my doctor today. If I had a scanner I'd probably post some. (With a warning for anyone who's likely to be horrified.) I may find a way to do it anyway.


So yeah. A few of the staples currently holding me together are going to be gone.

Hope I don't fall apart.

Going back to bed, but

I thought I'd pass this on:

After 35 months, Matt no longer has braces! 
And.. he thanked us for taking such good care of him and his teeth.

More later, don't want to spoil the post by whining about another awful night.