Thankful … and done … at the same time.

If you’ve read my recent blogs, you know that I had surgery in late August. The recovery period for that was six weeks; 42 days of no heavy lifting (which means nothing over about two pounds) and no extreme exertion, like speed walking or running. Let me expand on that: I couldn’t carry groceries in from the car; lift my suitcase down from, or up to, the top of the bed; or carry a basket of laundry to or from the washer and dryer! From that aspect those might have been the longest 42 days of my life! But the upside was, I am completely healed and much better than I was before surgery!

When I watched my parents lose most of their physical capabilities in the last few years of their lives, I promised myself and my family I would do everything I could to maintain my strength and flexibility for as long as possible, so as not to become a burden on them. I know there could be things like disease and/or accidents that will take those choices away from me; I just don’t want the cause to be my own fault.

That decision, which was made in the spring of 2009, translated into me working out for at least thirty minutes a day, six days a week (sometimes seven). Most of the time, I stretch it to an hour or more if my schedule will allow it. Here’s one of the results: I get a little stir crazy or depressed when I can’t do that. In the equine world the term for that is “barn sour” … a very apt description.

So, fast forward from the day in mid-October when my surgeon said I was healed and “could do anything I wanted” to the last few weeks.

I’ve come to the conclusion that my body is striving to come up with as many conditions no one has heard of as it possibly can. About nine months ago, I started having some intermittent pain in the area between my right shoulder and my sternum. It started one evening when I took my shirt off over my head and felt a kind of burning sensation. I figured I’d just done something to irritate the area and it would probably ease up over time. Since then, it’s heated up and cooled down a number of times … but gradually it was sensitive or painful more often than not. So, in July, I saw my personal physician about it; she manipulated it and couldn’t find anything. Then x-rays were taken – no sign of anything except a tiny bit of arthritis. She suggested I go to my chiropractor, which I did. He was able to relieve the pain … but the relief only lasted for about six hours. Between the second and third visit with him I woke up one morning to some pain, and put my hand on the area between my clavicle (collar bone) and sternum … and felt what I thought was a hard lump. Turns out it wasn’t a lump … it was the end of my right clavicle pushing forward about ½ to ¾ of an inch from where it should have been! Who knew that could happen? We discovered and confirmed it through an MRI, which showed a dislocation caused by the tendons in that area gradually weakening until they pretty much let go.

So, let me bring you up to date on this week in my life. Monday morning, I had an appointment with the “guru of shoulders” at Scripps, where I was told that surgery wasn’t really an option because of the multitude of veins and arteries in that area, not to mention my lungs. So, I left there with a prescription for some physical therapy and a suggestion to try some “posture shirts” to see if they would help.

Wednesday morning, I saw my dermatologist, who burned a spot off of my back and told me the place on my face which took over two months to heal was nothing to worry about.

Wednesday afternoon, I spent two hours at the dentist; the first hour for cleaning, the second for complete x-rays and a physical examination of my bite, jaw strength, etc.

Then, this morning (Friday) two hours with a dermatological plastic surgeon, who performed a MOH’s surgery on the left side of my nose, at the very tip, in order to fully remove a basal cell carcinoma that was diagnosed in September. (I have now hit the trifecta of skin cancers: melanoma, squamous cell, and basal cell!) SO, now as I write this, my left eye is peering over a fairly large bandage of gauze and about four stretchy special bandaids which can’t be removed until midday tomorrow. And the anesthesia they injected multiple times is about half gone … I’m very aware right now that they messed with my nose this morning! And, once again, my physical activity has been restricted – but this time only for 48 hours!

To close this out, let me say that I am extremely grateful that I have the opportunity to see some of the best doctors in the world. I’m very aware that many, many people don’t have that blessing in their lives. But, as I’ve said before, I want to be real and authentic in what I post. So, here goes: mixed in with that gratefulness is a desire not to have to see four different doctors, for four different reasons, all in one week! (Hope you can understand.) Before we got out of bed this morning I said to my husband, “I’m ready to be far, far away from all of my doctors for a while.” But then, to quote a close friend who’s older: “Getting old ain’t for sissies!” Lord, help me to not be a sissy … and if I am, at least let me be a thankful one!