Working my way back to me

Here it is 2 ½ weeks since the surgery and 1 week since I started daily physical therapy (PT) and I’m slowly coming back. The doctor was happier with the surgery on this shoulder because the muscle was torn but not completely separated. That all sounded good until PT began. For whatever reason the stretching of the muscle that is involved with this phase of PT is much more painful than it was on my left shoulder. This is the part where the movies play inspirational music and show clips of steady progress as the hero works his way back into shape. I’d like to fast-forward through this phase if you please.

I am working both shoulders in PT and the good news is that the strength and mobility are returning to my left arm. It is still stiff and a little painful to reach or lift above my shoulders. It is comforting to finally have some aches and pains actually getting better. So many conditions only get worse as we age. It will be interesting to see how far I do come back.

I’ve also started walking again – not on the beach but on the treadmill. Before the surgery I was only 1 week away from finishing my 10K walking program, putting in weekend walks covering 5 miles. Now I’m starting off at 30 minute (1.5 miles) to see if the bad arm can take it. So far, so good. I’m going to ramp up as quickly as practical so I don’t lose everything I had. The shoulder will be the determining factor. The big picture is to do a 10K walk in Jacksonville in January and then continue a vigorous program. It looks like 1-2 hours every day will be spent on strength training and aerobics for the foreseeable future.
So, as I’m struggling through my early PT on my right shoulder, I grit my teeth, listen to the inspirational background music in my head (Maybe I should watch “Rocky” again.) and visualize how well I will feel 6 months from now. My first year of retirement will be logged as my “comeback” year. Now I have to keep from breaking something else.