Soon back home again (which home?)

On Thursday the 11th, I leave for Sydney again, arriving on Saturday the 13th. I bought the tickets some time ago; it's the last follow-up checkup for my rotator cuff surgery. Today I reserved a rental car - I've asked Vishnu if we can take Supadog out to the Blue Mountains on the day I get in. The funny thing about Australian national parks: no dogs. We'll have to find a local park that lets them in ... should be doable.

On a hot summer night

would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?

Tonight was one of them - a hot summer night. I saw a bunch of wolves; none had roses. Today is not a bad day at all, even though it started out pretty bad.

Shoulder keeps improving. It's all good.

Shoulder update July

I've been going to physical therapy again and starting to make some good progress in increased flexibility and strength. Amazing what happens when you do your exercises!

Monday

I saw the shoulder specialist today and things are not ideal. I have an unusual weakness in my infraspinatus. Abduction - moving my arm away from my side - is what is affected by this. It is stronger than at my last checkup, but definitely lagging behind the improvement in the other muscle groups. 

The weather has been pretty sweet the whole time I've been here, and I leave on Tuesday the 24th. Qantas is having industrial action by its engineers and 18 flights will be cancelled on Tuesday. I doubt if mine will be one of them, but we'll see.

Why the title, "Monday?" Because it sure feels like it. Leaving my family is just plain not easy. 

Saturday in Sydney

It was, like most Saturdays, spent doing chores. Supadog got some brushing; we both cut each other's hair. I went through a lot of the stuff I still have here, and we packed up the work computer equipment that is still here and took it to Fedex-Kinko's. Four forms for each box later, and we were able to escape.

Then we went to the gym. It was the first time for both of us in a long time, so we took it pretty easy. Situps, biceps, some kind of chest machine, and triceps. It was my first time since the surgery for some of these exercises, so I kept it really light. The chest exercise was more of a stretch than anything, and it felt really good. No shoulder work: still too early for that.

Monday the 24th is the three-month follow-up for the surgery. Wish me luck!

Return

I bought tickets yesterday to return to Sydney. I leave next week; I'll be there less than a week. I am going to get my three-month checkup post-shoulder surgery.

It's expensive - over $1700 for a return fare - but that is about the best price one can get. I fly Qantas from LAX to SYD, which is just so much better than United.

Of course I am excited about it, but at the same time not so excited at all, as I already know that I will be there only for a short time. Still, it's better than no trip at all.

Shoulder update

On Monday May 5th, I went to the surgeon's office and got my 6-week checkup. I am now wearing the sling less and less, and my recovery is going as hoped. I am still quite weak in certain movements, and my range of motion is restricted in just about every aspect of movement. Still the pain is lessening and I am definitely improving.

I am now on a new set of stretches and exercises, and seeing improvements in range of motion just about every day. The new work is relatively strenuous, and is definitely time consuming. It's all good.

Yesterday I got tickets for my return flight to DC.

Rain, pain, staying sane

We've had 11 days straight of rain, with the last several of the all-day-gray variety. Things are green and brown - grass and other greenery is greener than ever, the deciduous trees growing browner and more denuded daily. Definitely feeling like Autumn.

All this weather makes us a little more housebound than usual - Supadog and I still do our walks to Rushcutters Bay Park. After all, if there was ever a dog designed for rain, it's the Old English Sheepdog. We now play kong or ball every time we go there.

My shoulder continues to improve, but it's definitely not a direct path forward. Many nights (last night was one of them) I can't sleep well at all because of soreness or straight-out pain. Mobility and strength continue to improve, but here over a month later, I still can't raise my arm above my shoulder. My physio says this is completely normal, so it's all good.

I've been doing a fair amount of research on carbon trading, mostly just trying to figure it all out. Check out that blog for the boring details here. Overall life is good. This Friday we're seeing Henry Rollins.

Big shoulder day

Today is a big day: the stitches and bandage from my shoulder surgery come off. Main consequence will be that I can shower again, and perhaps more importantly, easily wash my hair. Right now it's bathing, which is okay, but just not my style.

Pain continues to attenuate; I still have trouble sleeping, though.

Pain ...

is a bit of an issue, especially if I move my shoulder a certain way. It also keeps me from sleeping soundly, but I make up for that with naps in the daytime.

The painkillers are only so effective. I feel best when I am standing or walking, or when there is an icepack on it.

Pix: Bio-Rorschach

I've had a chance to look at the pix and, well, hence today's title. Here are two:At least with this one I can see the thread ... but what about this one?What do you see here? And don't say it looks like chicken. V already beat you to it.

About the movie, I'm having technical issues with trying to view it. Could be a Windows v Mac thing ...

Slo-mo

is today's word cuz this is the way it is. I am definitely moving slowly. The pain is not bad when I am not using my shoulder but every once in a while I do and then it is very painful. Not able to sleep well except right after taking the painkiller, but at the same time, a little sleepy all the time.

The surgeon gave me a DVD of the operation. Today's goal is to see it and give you all some screen shots.

Post-surgery: doing fine

Home from surgery several hours now. Definitely a little dopey - slower thinking and an "I don't care" aspect to all thought. The nerve block done to numb my shoulder has turned my right arm into a log. Some 10 hours on, I am just starting to have more feeling and motion control in my fingers. The rest is still numb and limp. It will all come back in the next few hours.

I am fast learning what being sinister is all about. Eating with a fork makes me feel like a three-year-old: I can do it, but it's real clumsy. I can button a button, but it's not that easy. Ah, these new things to learn ...

Speaking of which, the PowerBook has some cool voice recognition software, but it does not work with evil Word and I haven't yet figured out how to get it to work with Firefox (my web browser) ... so I am stuck with lefty typing for a while. It all works out, though: I can type about as fast as I can think. :-)

Contemplating the forced-sinister life

Tomorrow I have my shoulder surgery, which will mean some serious new learning. These include:

a. being dopey again.
b. wearing a sling.
c. doing stuff left-handed. Frankly, shaving has me a little worried. :-)
d. learning the speech-recognition software on my Powerbook.

I'll keep you all up on things, but watch out for dopey writing!

Shoulder surgery: education session

Today I had an information session with the surgery center. There were eight of us to get shoulder surgery next Tuesday 18 March. Only three of us are getting rotator cuff work; others are getting shoulder replacement and other things.

The session went over what the surgery involves. Mine is arthroscopic, which is minimally invasive. Three or four small incisions are made where a small camera is inserted and the surgeon gets to directly view the types of damage I have. According to the sonogram diagnostics, I have two or three of my four tendons torn.

Besides little cameras are little saws and I presume other little things that the surgeon can insert in there to do what he needs to correct the problem. For me, the torn tendons are reattached with little titanium anchors in the top of the humerus, reattached with what I think are nylon lines. Imagine fishing reel.

While he's doing this, I'm sitting up, and either conscious or unconscious. I think I will be unconscious, from the description provided.

Total recovery time is 6 months, with improvements in mobility noticeable after 6 weeks. I will wear a sling for several weeks.

Shoulder surgery

This afternoon, I went to see an orthopedic surgeon for a rotator cuff injury I've been dealing with. There are two separate tendons that are torn on my right shoulder (infraspinatus and supraspinatus). I've agreed to have surgery to reattach them, scheduled for next Tuesday March 18. Wish me luck.

The surgeon's office is out in Kogarah, about 17 km south and west of town. I took the train - it didn't take long at all to get there. The surgery will be outpatient; I have the option of remaining conscious during the procedure. I think I will.