Surgery! (Rotator Cuff Repair)

Here is my letter to Stephen, that tells the true story of my surgery and recovery:

Dear Stephen,
Last week, I had my rotator cuff repaired.  Your mom drove me up from St. George after the wedding festivities, on Monday.  We made a couple of stops (including getting your mom an iPHONE--she's rockin' now).  Then, early Tuesday morning (6:15 sheesh), I went in for surgery.  That's about all I remember because from then on I've been in an anesthesia/pain med induced fog.  I do remember a few things:

• Gabby following your mom around constantly in case she dropped some food.
• Gabby's complete and utter joy when your mom spilled some soup on the floor.
• Gabby cleaning up all the above mentioned soup.
• Your mom's shock at finding paint brushes conveniently located in the freezer above the fridge.
• You mom telling me to quit sliding down cuz she was watching (I was supposed to sleep sitting up and every time I fell asleep I would somehow get horizontal).
• Your mom sneaking the paint brushes from the freezer and putting them up in the garage.
• You mom buying items such as frozen juice, frozen fruits and veggies and putting them in the freezer (as if I wouldn't notice the paint brushes were missing)
• Your mom telling Dallas to "Shhh!" and then his delayed "woof" to get in the last word.
• Dallas doing the "walk of shame" back to your mom when she went outside to grab him cuz he wouldn't stop barking (those birds' singing needed his deep bass bark for harmony)
• Suki totally ignoring your mom and doing whatever she wanted
• And trying to type with one hand cuz I am enshrined in this brace-ice-machine contraption!

And that's about it for now because it's taken me forever to type this much!  More later when I have ever more mobility!

I love you,
Aunt Loretta

Last Monday, I went to the doctor.  I had over 18 staples (I made the nurse quite counting when she hit 18).  Then, the doc came in and explained everything.  He had some visual aids with him:



First, he asked if I'd ever had any shoulder pain before this accident.  I kept shaking my head, saying, "Nope, not a bit."  He said that it looked like I had a prior injury because I had arthritis about the size of a 50 cent piece.  The flakey white stuff is the arthritis.  That's the doc's handwriting, labeling the flakes with the letter "A":

Here is a better shot of it:

Now here is the Rotator Cuff injury. That cyborg thing is the doc's equipment.  The doc wrote on here showing where the Rotator Cuff is and where it was ripped:

This pic really explains it.  The bone is not supposed to be showing.  To repair the tear, he had to grab the tendons and pull 'em down over the bone.  Then sew the tendons to the bone.  His notes on the pic explain it really well:

And here it is all repaired!  Now, I just have to be really patient until my body solidify his embroidery work!

 

(In the above pic, I don't know what the metal looking thing is in middle.)