11 days post-op: My scars are gnarly...and 4 more weeks of sling-ing it

i had my first post-op check up yesterday and finally had my dressings removed, and stitches taken out. i have 3 gnarly scars (2 in the front, 1 in the back) plus some crazy-ass purple scribbles from their surgery markings. kinda gross but you kinda wanna see them, right? (viewer discretion advised) and yes, my purple shirt was a coincidence.




good news is that i can shower again! woohoo! bad news is that i still have to wear the terminator sling for another 4 weeks.

oh, and no sun, submerged baths, hot tubs, vitamin e cream, or other scar-reducing treatments for at least two months. boo.

4 days post-op, plus 10 things that are hard / impossible to do with one arm (part 3)

it's been four days since i had surgery to repair a tear in my labrum from a fall back in march. the tear was smaller than anticipated so they didn't have to drill any anchors into my shoulder which hopefully translates to a speedier recovery. i'm resting a lot and doing my post-op exercises each day but still learning to deal with the pain and life with my new big sling that I have to wear 24/7.

and in all morbid recovery blog posts like this, i must show you how i look right now! ok, no parental discretion needed. i just have a massive dressing on my right shoulder which will come off early next week.



and here's a pic of my giant sling. i need to name it something, esp since it will be spending 24/7 with me in the next 4-6 weeks and even comes with its own attached stress ball.


oh, and here's another list of things you can't do with one arm. and this time i'm serious since it's not like i can even cheat and use my bad arm if push comes to shove like last time.

1. wash and dry your hair. seriously.
2. trim a christmas tree. luckily friends are happy to oblige if you bribe them with food and drinks. (see below)
3. tie your hair in a ponytail.
4. open med bottles.
5. open bottles of any kind, for that matter.
6. fluff your pillows or blankets.
7. crack open an egg nicely.
8. use an SLR...did you ever notice that the shutter release button is only made for right handed people?
9. wear anything that doesn't contain lycra or isn't at least one size bigger than you.
10. properly capitalize your blig posts. hell this post took 45 minutes to type so you're going to have to put up with no capitals.

and on a merrier note, meet dougie, my tree for christmas 2008!