Update

Hello all. As I said in my last post, I had surgery on my shoulder last week. Thought I'd provide an update. You know I don't like to more than a week without posting.

The surgery seems like it went well. The surgeon told my wife that there was extensive damage to my shoulder. The situation that caused the injury really couldn't have done the damage that it did. It was probably in bad shape for a long time. I'm not at all surprised at this. I've had problems with my shoulders for many years. I had the same injury to my right shoulder about 12 years ago. It was only a matter of time that it happened to my left shoulder. So here we are.

I won't get into too much detail about the surgery, or the day it happened. It was kind of a typical experience with the U.S. healthcare system. Fighting with the insurance company about a prescription just before the surgery. Waiting around in a bed after I was prepped for about 3-4 hours. Being rushed out of the surgical center afterwards before I felt fully ready to leave. For the most part, individual people are caring and helpful. But they are caught up in a system that puts limits on how much they can care, or help. 

I've been home from work for a few days, but I'm already checking email, even though my boss told me not to. I can't help myself. I know what will be waiting for me when I get back.

My wife has been amazing, which is also not a surprise, taking over a lot of what I usually do for the family. Two of my kids have been able to help, too, despite their own busy lives. It's really hard for some people to be helpless, and I'm one of them. 

It reminds me of a situation from years ago, when I was getting treatment. Some friends offered to make dinner for us, which was wonderful of them. It felt weird to have someone do it, to be honest. My wife and I are usually the helpers, not the helped. Saying Yes to help can be tough. But if you're like me, ad someone offers to help, say Yes. It makes everyone feel good.

It's hard to type with one hand, even though my youngest teases me and says that's how I usually type anyway, which is sort of true. But writing also makes me feel good, so it's worth the effort.

I'll have more to say soon. I feel a little better every day. Thanks for reading.