Cabernet and Cortisone

It has been five days since I got a cortisone shot in my shoulder and it's hard to believe what a difference it has made.

I was in Occupational Therapy today and Jordan, my therapist, had me moving in ways that have just never happened since before the accident. While there is still pain, my mobility is increasing exponentially. It is thrilling.

Jordan worked with another therapist and the two of them came up with ways to keep the top of my femur more supported by the rotator cuff muscles, resulting in more mobility and less pain.

I also showed them some arm exercises Brianna had me do in Pilates yesterday, and Jordan wants me to incorporate them into my home exercises. I'm so encouraged.

Getting to this point was not easy. I had messaged my orthopaedist several weeks ago to ask him what he thought about me getting a cortisone shot. Perhaps 10 days later I got a vague response from a resident who advised I needed to see a shoulder specialist. Ha, I thought, that could take months, so I messaged Dennis, a sports medicine PA I have seen in the past. I called to make an appointment with him, but the scheduler says no, you need to see a shoulder specialist and we set up an appointment. A couple days before the appointment I get a message saying the shoulder specialist does not deal with my kind of injury and the appointment is canceled. So, I call back and a week later I get in to see Dennis. He is the King of Cortisone. Physicians come to him to learn how to best give these injections.

So I go see Dennis, we talk for a couple minutes and he gives me the shot. Initially everything is numb because there is also lidocaine in the needle. Pain is gone, but in addition, my arm is pretty numb. I had OT later that day and I kinda felt like Harry Potter when one of the wizards had made his bones dissolve. or one of my cats when I have put a leash on them. But Jordan did some manipulation and soft tissue work and we hoped for the best.

And I got the best, or at least I got a whole lot better. Moving around has gotten so much easier. I no longer dread pushing myself up to sit up in bed. Using the walker is no longer incredibly painful. I can put on a jacket all by myself. Yay.

And plans for my leg are starting to come together. I saw the wound care nurse this morning and she is very pleased with my progress. The wound is teeny tiny. I see her again in two weeks and then later that day I see the rehab team-- the physiatrist, the physical therapist, and the prosthetist. There will be so be brainstorming as to how we can get me into a prosthesis sooner than later. With any luck the wound will be healed in two weeks, or at least close to it so I can get measured for my trainer prosthetic leg.

While of course, I wish this had never happened to me I have to keep in mind how fortunate I am to have the support I have. Jerry continues to be amazing, though we both realize that as I have gotten stronger and more independent he has been able to reclaim parts of his life. And while at times I have been frustrated by the lack of a plan at Hopkins, it is finally coming together and I'm getting care from a world-class team.

There will likely be disappointments and glitches down the road, but today was a really great day. And I expect there will be more of the same. I'm working hard to make those happen.