A little more on the violent parking lot attack.
We’re exchanging phone calls at the invitation of the Orthopedic folks whenever we have questions. And we do have a few, mainly confirming what we’re doing at home and reporting changes in condition.
Mostly, I’m getting sleepy more quickly, like almost right away.
Still doing pretty much everything left-handed, which makes for slow typing.
A follow up appointment is set for next week.
So far, things look good.
Maybe FEEL good will come soon.
So SO glad to hear you’re improvng!
Burr,
You don’t exactly say you are feeling better, so I am going to assume you are feeling better, and assumption has always worked out so well for me, historically…. I know you to be a man of infinite patience, so I hope you continue to convalesce with style.
Progress/recovery is never linear, but even becoming a bit of a South Paw is progress.
Sending you all my best wishes.
Best regards,
Tengrain
rest is the best medicine. so glad you’re on the mend & much appreciate your keeping us posted
Sleepy can be good–recovery is WORK and most of our healing occurs during the rest cycle. Take good care of yourself, and I hope karma takes care of the person who did this to you.
As someone who did a lot of writing for a living and who lost the use of his right arm, voice to text software is a lifesaver.
IMHO (I have a lot of reference points with myself, family, friends, MDs, therapists…) always start with physical therapy. Preferably multiple courses where you really push through the pain.
Starting with Physical therapy (PT) does a lot of good: It builds up muscle and connective tissue giving the surgeons more to work with so better results, faster healing, better outcomes; PT gets you used to working through the pain before any operation so you hit the ground running after any surgery this leads to quicker healing, fewer complications and better outcomes; dedicated work with PT can, in some cases, limit or even eliminate the need for surgery. If/when surgery then becomes necessary they have more and tougher tissue to work with and a patient that knows how to push through the pain to get the most out of post-operative PT.
The orthopedic surgeon I worked with wouldn’t take a patient that hadn’t gone though three courses of PT. A willingness to show up and work through PT was, in his words, the single largest factor in success or failure of an operation. People who wouldn’t do the work had much poorer outcomes when compared to those who showed up, kept at it, and pushed hard despite the pain.
Everything I’ve seen supports this conclusion. Crushed ankle, fractured kneecap, multiple spinal fractures, mangled knees, diabetic neuropathy leading to sequential amputations … all worked the same way. Intense PT can restore function and may eliminate the need for surgery.
PT with surgery means you heal faster and restore function more quickly. Those who slack off, ride the couch, and pop pain pills don’t heal quickly and sometimes not at all. This then, in a few sad cases I’m familiar with, led to loss of function and loss of mobility that snowballed into depression and, in two cases, death. Both committed suicide. One drank himself to death. The other used a gun.
Like most thing in life. Character counts. The fortitude necessary to face pain, the public embarrassment of disability, and dependence comes from within. Often seen as an unwillingness to stop trying. Those who can muster that strength tend to get better and get through the situation bruised but unbowed. Those who fail are blunted and diminished. Sometimes permanently.
You may not feel tough but you are tougher than you know. Push. Push hard. Work the problem. Don’t ever give up. Rest when you must but keep coming back at it.
Asked how a pygmy tribesman cut down a huge tree with nothing but a stone ax he answered: “Chopping. Chopping. Chopping”…
Hang tough.