Thursday, March 13, 2014

Elbows, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,(Knees and Toes)

I'm hurting. PT today was rough.  My elbows (both of them) are in very bad shape and that made some of the shoulder exercises very challenging. Sometimes it felt like my elbow was going to dislocate.  I really like my therapist though...she's a young woman...very gentle and sympathetic but rather than feeling sorry for me and letting me off the hook, she will try to modify the exercise or take it from a different angle...or rest a bit and then try again.

I was just thinking about a memory. It occurred maybe two years ago.  I was having my left elbow filmed in an MRI ...they laid me on my left side and yanked my arm up straight under my head...and strapped it down TIGHT. Now what they didn't know and what I tried to tell them between sniffles and tears was that my left shoulder needs to be replaced and I did not have the Range of Motion necessary to have it stretched out like that. It was excruciating. I rang the emergency bell  crying and crying. The tech said, "you're almost done...only another twenty minutes!!!!" TWO minutes was too much....I sobbed in pain and they refused to relieve me.I will never again permit another elbow MRI.
I wish now I had pursued it and reported them.That kind of hard nosed behavior has no place in a medical facility. Do you know I'm crying now at the memory?  It was horrible.

I think after I recover from  this shoulder surgery I will go in for a arthroscopic surgery on one of my elbows (they both need it) And from there I will have my left shoulder replaced.Do you think I can get it done before the end of the year when it is probably going to be free once we meet our out of pocket expenses?  We shall see. How much pain can a person take in one year?

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