Turning the corner

5 weeks on, and I definitely feel that a corner has been turned.

The physio tells me that the range of movement I have is back to where it was before the op, which is great. I'm doing more and different exercises, including some of the ones I was doing before the op to try and maintain what I had, and it is definitely making a difference.

So much so that I'm going to call into work next Thursday afternoon! My main priority is to sort out the money position, which from what I can see is OK but could have been better if the paying customers hadn't cancelled so often. This has led me to take action and institute a pay-on-booking policy. The Centre needs to increase the inflow of cash if it is to survive.

I've also spent some time today, with Steve's help, sorting out clothing. I can now get back into the extra large polo shirts with help, so that is now what I'm wearing! I've also sorted out some decent clothing to wear outside, so I can see Steve Hackett on Monday in Birmingham without feeling scruffy. Some of the new clothes I bought for this purpose I can see aren't really suitable, being just ponchos rather than batwing tops: at least one I might be able to sew up the side seams of to make it wearable though. Another one just makes me look like a sack, so that can go on Ebay. I bought a one-sleeved top but that just looks daft. There's a very cosy ribbed soft woollen jumper without sleeves, which might be OK for indoors. And I can start to wear bras again! Woo hoo!

I took a walk to the shop round the corner yesterday, and made it without even having to stop and rest at the bench halfway. So this means I can go to the Steve Hackett gig with Steve, which is what I've been aiming for ever since 11th October. I will have to set other milestones after Monday!

Thank you for following my journey this far. There will be more as I get back to work, and as I try and work within my limitations, and also as I try and dream a new future, one in which I can use both arms!

Adaptive clothing

I would like to thank my friend Irena for adapting some Tshirts for me. I found this picture on Pinterest:

It's a short sleeved shirt which has been slit up the side of the affected arm from bottom to the end of the arm seam, and in this instance taped press studs have been sewn on.

When Irena and I discussed how we could do this, she suggested Velcro instead of press studs, so that's what we did. 5 of my old XL polo shirts were adapted for me to wear while I had to wear this 24 hours a day:

I took a couple of them into hospital and the nurses were quite impressed with them, as it meant I didn't actually need to remove the sling, I could just tuck the front of the shirt under the straps and fasten it under my arm.

These days I do remove the sling, because I have exercises to do without the sling, and also because the sling is nylon and very sweaty, so we have cut up an old sheet to make liners which are far more comfortable. If I could actually sew, I'd sew these up so I didn't have to  tie them in place - but by the time I will be able to sew, I won't need the sling or the liners!

As the polo shirts are short-sleeved, and it is autumn/winter, I need to cover my arms up so I have a couple of ponchos I can pull on. However, the velcro of the Tshirt catches on the crochet poncho and opens up when I pull the poncho over my head. So I have a really large pashmina which can do the job. It's slightly easier to manage. I have several lovely jumpers/ponchos that I can pull on, but there's always something wrong with them: my favourite has an Aztec type pattern on but is short-sleeved, but there are others which are either itchy or too restrictive to go over the sling.

I can cope adequately with my bottom clothing, but knickers can be quite awkward - so I don't tend to wear them unless I'm going out! That old saying from my mother about always wearing clean  underwear isn't leaving my head in a hurry!

But the one item of clothing that I miss being able to wear is a bra. You see, I'm a big girl, and the weight of the boobs really pulls on my deltoid muscles, and that means that my neck and shoulders are stiff and sore. Hopefully I'll be able to wear a front fastening bra in the next week after the physio appointment. I have a multiway bra, which means the straps are detachable so I can just wear one strap and at least I can get some support. I also have a bra which wraps around, which I haven't dared try yet.

I do have some work-type clothing which I can wear when I call in. I am due to go to the Cacao ceremony at the Centre on Saturday, and I guess I can wear my lovely sleeved purple poncho then. I also have a one-sleeved black crepe top but I'm not convinced I want to expose my scar to the world!

Why do I need a shoulder replacement op anyway?

I thought I'd show you a couple of photos which illustrate why I'm having a shoulder replacement op. The first one shows me  waving away with my right hand:

And this second one shows me attempting to do the same with my left hand:

As you can see all I'm succeeding in doing with that arm is raising the shoulder itself, not the arm.

Now if you look at the first photo again, you'll see the great feature of this top: it has a batwing sleeve, which means it is really flexible. I can pull the top up from the floor or down over my head, and because the sleeves are big, I can put my arms through them sideways - or not as the case may be!

In fact, I decided to start wearing it now because it is really awkward to get dressed even now, and at least this top helps with that. My thanks to Susan Bush whose contribution has helped pay for it, and another similar top that came in the same post.

https://www.facebook.com/donate/547861202375025/