PF Flyers



Me, Cindo, Susi, Bets - I think I evan stood differently due to the shoulder

When I was a kid, I thought new shoes had special powers. Perhaps that's why I love shoes so much today! Mom would take me to Brown's Shoe Fit for new tennies, and I'd get Keds or PF Flyers. When I'd get home, I just knew I could run faster and jump higher with them on. Like a super-hero!

PF Flyers

These last few weeks/months I've not felt like a super hero. Quite the opposite in fact...I have felt very much like each of my 54 years. Old. Elderly. And I don't like it! It's this damn shoulder...which started out feeling like a muscle pull, but progressed. By the time I went to the Doc, Sheryl Young, Nurse Practicioner, who sent me to Physical Therapy (PT). In my own mind I was convinced something was torn in my shoulder.

So when PT didn't help, I was depressed - using the arm less and less. I couldn't sleep due to pain at night - luckily I found Advil PM helped. But mornings were bad. The pain began to move down my arm. I went back to Sheryl who after X-Rays, referred me to a surgeon, Kary Schulte who diagnosed "Frozen Shoulder" or adhesive capsulitis. It doesn't sound bad - but believe me, pain 24/7 can get you down.

Unfortunately I couldn't get in to have Dr. Schulte manipulate my shoulder (crank on it to break the scar tissue that formed for some unknown reason) until July 18. So I waited it out through July 4 and then through my vacation in Oregon. I survived, but it was with a great deal of pain...and feeling old. Good thing I had my fam around to help distract me - more about that when I get a chance to write!

Yesterday Paul took me to DMOS - the surgical center at 6:15 a.m. for the procedure. The night before, thanks to Facebook, I learned that a couple people I knew - Mendy and Kara's Mom Renee had been through this procedure. So that helped ease my mind going in! They knocked me out for just long enough for Doc S to move my arm in ways it hadn't for quite some time. He said it popped 3 times! (Ick). He also shot it up with a steroid solution for pain, but it won't kick in for a day or so.

I woke up sitting in a recovery room chair. Severe pain under my shoulder blade - before I could help it, I started to cry. This got the nurse's attention very quickly and she brought me some Vicodin. Plus she put something into my IV. Crying is quite effective! I don't like doing it though. I feel I have a pretty high pain threshold, so it must have been bad. It took a few minutes but that took the edge off.

They wheeled me into the little room I started in and I put my pants on. I got instructions on going home. Then Paul came in and I finished dressing and talked to the doc briefly. Then off we went, stopping at HyVee for drugs. I was very sleepy and dozed on Joan's couch until nearly 1 while Paul ran errands.

Physical Therapy was at 3 PM down by my work. Paul loaded me into the car - though I was pretty alert by then. Angela was my therapist, a young compact woman. She was nice but instructions were to be aggressive so she had to force the arm at times. I told her to go for it, because I want this to work. I bought a pulley contraption to use at home to help with therapy, and got instructions for exercises to do. I'll be back at Penn Med for more sessions every day for 2 weeks.

So no running around with PF Flyers but I hope I'm soon back to regular workouts. My plan is to join a gym and get a personal trainer after I'm a bit more mended from this. The procedure hasn't gotten rid of my initial problem - my tendon in my shoulder is impinged. So I need to work that out. My arm is definitely sore today but I'm glad I can get it over my head!

My sis Cindo underwent partial knee replacement yesterday - her 2nd. She did the left leg in April. She texted that it was more painful than the first one. Yikes! Let's hope the Bullock girls are on the mend!