It's time for an update because it's been exactly two years since this happened. Today is my shoulderversary.
My arm is slowly improving but I don't have full movement back and I'm never going to get it. It still hurts if I reach out in certain directions but it's better than it was. The cold and damp weather definitely affects it and so this time of year is always going to be uncomfortable. I still find myself using my left arm instead of my right arm to do normal day to day tasks and I suspect that's never going to change. In a lot of cases, I can reach out for something but it's the bringing my arm back in that hurts. I still have to take painkillers each night so I can be comfortable in bed. However, on the plus side, I can just about manage lavatorial duties with my right arm. So that's good.
Last year, I said this about my tongue following the surgery.
Another year further and it's not changed at all. It still feels like I have a dull razor blade sitting on my tongue all the time. My mouth gets dry very quickly and I can tell that sometimes it affects the way I talk. It's also changed the way I eat some food. Previously, I would pick up pizza and bite into the slices but I just can't do that now, it just feels horrible so I've turned into a knife and fork pizza eater.
Little things knock me back though. Last month, I was out with some friends in Birmingham and walking through the city centre, a kerb materialised in front of me and I just ended up windmilling across the road until finally I lost balance completely and faceplanted. This time I managed to go down on two outstretched arms and I was relatively unharmed. I had total upper body ache for a few days and my shoulder hurt so much that I went for an x-ray to get it checked out. Fortunately there was no additional damage. The consultant who looked at the x-ray went back to the original one from when I fell and told me that in all his time, he's not seen many sproximal humerus fractures that are worse than this.
Last year I said I wasn't going to 'celebrate' my shoulderversary but this year, I've decided that sod it, I'm still alive, why shouldn't I do something to remember it? This evening I will have a large Plymouth Navy Strength gin and some nice rich fruit cake. That's how traditions start, right?
My arm is slowly improving but I don't have full movement back and I'm never going to get it. It still hurts if I reach out in certain directions but it's better than it was. The cold and damp weather definitely affects it and so this time of year is always going to be uncomfortable. I still find myself using my left arm instead of my right arm to do normal day to day tasks and I suspect that's never going to change. In a lot of cases, I can reach out for something but it's the bringing my arm back in that hurts. I still have to take painkillers each night so I can be comfortable in bed. However, on the plus side, I can just about manage lavatorial duties with my right arm. So that's good.
Last year, I said this about my tongue following the surgery.
Another year further and it's not changed at all. It still feels like I have a dull razor blade sitting on my tongue all the time. My mouth gets dry very quickly and I can tell that sometimes it affects the way I talk. It's also changed the way I eat some food. Previously, I would pick up pizza and bite into the slices but I just can't do that now, it just feels horrible so I've turned into a knife and fork pizza eater.
Little things knock me back though. Last month, I was out with some friends in Birmingham and walking through the city centre, a kerb materialised in front of me and I just ended up windmilling across the road until finally I lost balance completely and faceplanted. This time I managed to go down on two outstretched arms and I was relatively unharmed. I had total upper body ache for a few days and my shoulder hurt so much that I went for an x-ray to get it checked out. Fortunately there was no additional damage. The consultant who looked at the x-ray went back to the original one from when I fell and told me that in all his time, he's not seen many sproximal humerus fractures that are worse than this.
Last year I said I wasn't going to 'celebrate' my shoulderversary but this year, I've decided that sod it, I'm still alive, why shouldn't I do something to remember it? This evening I will have a large Plymouth Navy Strength gin and some nice rich fruit cake. That's how traditions start, right?
