“How random.” was the most perfect response I received after I sent out a series of text messages letting people know that my surgery had been canceled due to my surgeon having an accident and requiring surgery of his own. My mind began to calculate what needed to happen next, because my kid had taken military leave to be here for me, to support me through this surgery. I needed to get the surgery done sooner than later. Later, simply was not an option. Fortunately, a series of events allowed me to find another surgeon, in the same group, that was willing to do the work the next week. I decided to keep the time off from work since my kid was here. I spent time enjoying his company. We didn’t do anything fancy, we ran errands, went to the farmers market, and had lunch with his godmother, nothing fancy, but it was perfect. It was a great way to spend time, unexpected time with my kid.
The surgery took place a week later than it was supposed to, but it finally took place. I was still apprehensive, but I was feeling better about the situation. I don’t believe in coincidence, so I sincerely believe everything happened the way it was supposed to because for one reason or another, I was supposed to have this surgeon not the other. Well, things got a little complicated. When they got in there, they found a lot more work needed to be done and that the injuries were much older than originally thought. This made their work even more challenging. I ended up with an eleven-incision surgery that looks like an ant farm on my arm. I honestly don’t know what occurred, but I’ll find out tomorrow when I go for my follow-up appointment.
The surgery went well. However, because I was seated in an upright position for 4 hours, it is believed that a nerve was pinched, which left me with a very, very, numb yet, painful left calf and foot. It made it incredibly difficult to walk. If not for my neighbor being home, I don’t know that my kid would have been able to get me into the house. This was the beginning of a very arduous week. Not only was I dealing with the pain from the shoulder, but I was also dealing with the pain from not being able to walk. Then, for some reason, I began to have excruciating pain in my neck as well as my left ribs. Very, very, long story short, I ended up in the ER. They couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me, but they were able to eliminate a lot of scary possibilities. The following day, I was better. And, the day after that, my physical therapist questioned the pressure from my sling’s neck brace strap being the culprit. Taking that advice, I stopped wearing the strap on my neck as much as possible. Fortunately, I believe that had been the source of all my pain, excruciating pain, pain that didn’t allow me to rest, pain that I had to force myself through to just stand up and go use the bathroom. Finally, that pain was easing.
The physical therapist told me that I’m doing great considering the extent of my surgery. I am now able to walk without a cane and my neck and ribs are mostly, pain free. Tomorrow, I go to get the stitches out and I will ask a lot of questions and hopefully, find some answers. I know I have a long road of recovery ahead of me, probably longer than anticipated due to the extent of the damage that was found and the pinched nerve. Right now, I’m looking forward to going to the doctor’s appointment and getting some answers. The uncertainty is difficult to deal with and causes anxiety that impedes my recovery.
I just wanted to write this little note to team Groovy Gail, to let you know, I’m hanging in there. I’m not out of the woods yet, but I’m definitely making progress. Thank you for all the love and support that has been sent my way. Thank you for all the prayers and positive thoughts. Thank you to my children who have helped me so much, I couldn’t have done it without them.
Since I don’t believe in coincidence, I know there’s a lesson to be learned here and I will figure it out. When I do, I’ll share.
#thelieswechoosetolivewith
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