The Arm VIII
The Arm VII
Monday 8/7/11
The Arm wants to get back on the team. It tries to pick up on old, familiar tasks, such as reaching for things -- cups, glasses, books, clothes -- some of which are just too heavy. It now moves more freely in the socket so I can let it push a light switch, turn on a faucet, try buttons. Funny how that feels so important, noteworthy. A marker of success.
I still wear the sling when I go outside, not for support but to prevent The Arm from getting too aggressive.
I was to have a brace with dials that would help to slowly extend my reach. It was late coming back from the manufacturer, and when it did come, it didn’t fit. I think because I had regained some weight, but it may have been poorly made. They remeasured me and sent it back, but it was more than another week before it got to the hospital, and then no one was available to fit it. In the meantime, I had reached close to 100% extension on my own. The OT said she didn’t know what exercises to do with me when I came for an appointment, and she agreed that the brace wouldn’t help much at this point. So I cancelled it. [We’ll see who gets billed.] I also cancelled the last two OT sessions this week.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Today I had another ex-ray and the surgeon checked my range of motion. I’m now cleared for weight-bearing exercises! One pound! Two pounds! I still need the stretching exercises I do on my own 2 or 3 times a day, but there is something to look forward to: building muscle mass!
Last month when the weather was so hot, over 100 degrees for days on end, I coped by pulling an old 1,000 piece puzzle from the closet. It was one of those sweet 19th century pictures of snowy streets, kids on sleighs, gay folks carrying Christmas gifts to a party in a house with snow on the roof and smoke coming from chimneys. It felt cooling to look at it. The dining room table became Puzzle Central. Of course, I hardly had the outer pieces put together when Al said it was time to eat. So I did what Dave, Isa and I did many Christmases ago in Washington. We worked on a puzzle until the turkey was ready to eat, and then covered it with the tablecloth and data down to dinner.
The problem was that I don’t work as fast as three people. The table cloth was lumpy with hidden puzzle pieces for two weeks. But last night, with Al’s help, the last few pieces were put in place, admired, and broken down. The puzzle is on its way to the Goodwill Store. The heatwave has passed.
I must get back into the closet and see if there are any puzzles about deserts. We had over 7 inches of rain yesterday and the plants are gasping for breath. A bit humid here. And the clouds still look threatening.
Posted
by Dorothy Lawrence
