I'm combining weeks 2,3 and 4 into one post for a few reasons. First and foremost I would like to catch up to real time so I can post about current events as they happen and stop writing about thing that happened months, weeks and years ago. Secondly, while there were accomplishments and milestones during that time, I did spend a lot of time sitting around, doing nothing.
The first big milestone was being able to shower, not only for myself but for everyone else who had to be in the house with me. I had been trying to keep myself as clean as possible for the first week but no amount cleaning, baby wipes, baby powder or deodorant is going to keep you from being a little ripe after a week.
Showering, at first, was a great luxury and a bit of a challenge. I had not worn a shirt for the first week after the surgery, not properly. After showering for the first time I managed to get a tank top on. Since I was not really allowed to move my left arm, I got the top on by running it up my left arm and then putting it over my head and putting my right arm in. This is how I would put a shirt on for the next three weeks. I spent much of that time showering every other day.
I learned quickly that this was not going to be business as usual. Since I really had only one useful hand it took me at least twice as long for me to do anything. It took about an hour to shower and get dressed. In addition to that it caused me a bit of pain. It was not terrible pain but it did not make it pleasant. The pain-shower association continued for about another week and a half. The first time I was able to shower and not have it be painful was February 10. For those of you keeping track, that's 11 days post op.
I also realized that I was not as prepared as I would have liked to have been. I had only purchased one over-sized sweatshirt and no t-shirts. Unlike my first week, it was great to be able to wear a tank top but if I became cold my choices were very limited. I had about two XL tee shirts and that one sweat shirt I had purchased. I needed the extra room since I was only putting my good arm in and wearing the shirt over my left arm. A few more shirts and another sweatshirt or a larger coat would have served me well.
On the other hand I was fairly well prepared in the pants department. If you do have a surgery like this you should be sure you have plenty of pants that you can put on with one hand. I had an assortment of sweat pants and pajama pants that were comfortable and elastic waisted. I also learned how to put my socks on, one handed. I can become very creative when properly motivated.
I could have also used another shoulder immobilizer. The only one I had was the one I was given at the hospital and, considering that I had to wear it 24/7, it was getting a little gamy. I was also having difficulty with the immobilizer I was given for another reason. It's basically a sling with a waist strap and after days of wearing it was beginning to really hurt my neck. I was hoping that I would get a better immobilizer when I went for my appointment but I was left to my own devices. I turned to Amazon.com and came up with the shoulder immobilizer shown below for around $25.
It held my arm in place with a lot more than the sling style one and it didn't put any strain on my neck. It did have two minor issues.
Firstly, the large foam-like piece that wraps around the body and the cuff that wraps around the arm are great for stability but they do make one very,very warm. For me it was not so much of an issue since my apartment is not overly warm in the winter. It actually helped me to stay warm since I was limited in what I could wear.
Secondly, there is the issue of what has become known as the foot-hand. As you can see in the picture, my hand is enclosed in a swath that supports the forearm rather than using a sling. This is great except that your hand is a very small, enclosed area for most of the day and your hand ends up smelling like feet. I realized how much of a problem this was the day Coral came home and, politely, asked if I was going to shower. I had showered earlier that afternoon, but all she could smell was the foot-hand. The beast was living in the swath.
I solved the problem by removing the swath the next day and taking it into the shower with me. I gave it a good washing and let it dry while I wore the old sling immobilizer for a day or two. Now, whenever I wear the the new immobilizer I put deodorant on my hand and it seems to have kept the foot-hand under control.
All the while, my wounds were healing nicely. I was keeping them clean and putting bacitracin on them once or twice a day to help them heal. I took pictures weekly so I could share them with you and I didn't really do too much other than that. They healed nicely and I expect the scars will fade over time. The rear incision is almost invisible now. The most pronounced of the three is the one closest to the clavicle and even that is not readily noticeable. By the end of post-op week three they were no longer sensitive to the touch.
Before the sutures were removed. To give a sense of scale for the incisions.
POD 8
POD 15
POD 23
** Yes they are all the same shoulder. I just took some of the in the mirror.
The last issue to discuss during this period is food. Since I was alone during the day after post-op day 6, I had to make sure I was able to prepare and eat my meals during the day on my own. Coral was good enough to make sure coffee was made before she went to work so I was able to just nuke a cup of coffee when I woke up. Breakfast was usually a simple meal. I would just have a bowl of cereal or oatmeal, coffee and a piece of toast.
Lunch provided some more options. I had purchased a few frozen meals before I went in for surgery so that was one option. My Aunt Gen was kind enough to send over a bunch of very yummy chicken soup in individual containers and then there were also dinner left overs in the fridge. I was able to eat anything that I was able to microwave and I didn't have to cut up. The biggest thing was just making sure I had that kind of food available.
Poor Coral got to come home every night, after being at work and class all day, and not only cook dinner but also do the dishes I had dirtied all day. She did it all without complaining and made life much easier for a temporarily one armed man.
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