Shoulder Update

If you didn't see the update I posted on Tuesday's blog, I do have a diagnosis:

rotator cuff tear with muscle impingement, a cyst AND fluid on my shoulder joint

Okay . . .

If this were really true, then  my arm should simply be flopping around totally useless, right?

This is the part that gets really weird--I have virtually 100% motion and movement of my shoulder joint with the exception of one or two actions that cause me pain, namely, when I cross my arms to take my shirt or sports bra off. That action almost put me to the ground a couple of times.

But to tell you the truth, the only part of the diagnosis that I care about is the part that is pressing on the nerve and causing the numbness in my hand.

I don't like that numbness thing AT ALL.

It totally brings flashbacks from my ruptured disc incident in 1992. That darn thing ruptured while I was washing my hair. Bizarro. But you have to realize that I'd been hurting it through the repetitive action of Abe--psycho horse from hell--daily dumping my ass in the dirt.

And if my Google search gives me any direction, then I'd have to say the culprit is the cyst pressing on the nerve.

I was referred to an orthopedic surgeon . . . well, actually his PA (physician's assistant) and I have an appointment tomorrow.

From what I can tell, the best case scenario is meds to decrease the inflammation and physical therapy to help repair the tear, and maybe draining the cyst--if it's that type of cyst.

Worst case scenario would be surgery and subsequent physical therapy.

As long as my fingers have the ability to type, then I'm good.

If not . . . well, then I guess I'll have to learn Dragon Speak software . . . though I sometimes wish I had it loaded since I think too much about HOW I want to write something instead of just writing it down. The beginnings of stories are always hard this way.

Next week the kidlet is at her last camp for the summer and I'll finally finish, PIPER AND THE EVERBERRY SOCCER GAME.

I'll let you know if there is anything exciting to report with the shoulder, but I doubt it.

Later, peeps!

Gadgets

Shoulder Update: In case you missed my tweet last night, I tweeted that my shoulder issue is not bursitis, but a cyst. I received a call from my doctor's office after the radiologist examined the x-ray. I will have to go in for an MRI. I've had an MRI before--tiny space, loud clunks and clangs, very claustrophobic. This time I won't take the two Valium I was told to take--talk about being totally loopy for the next 12 hours! They wondered if I was still breathing many times while in the MRI machine!

Last night I was flipping around on my Kindle because my font size looked a little off.

Yeah, yeah, I know, at my advanced age, I should be thinking of making it bigger, not smaller.

It's not like anyone else uses this Kindle. In fact, my kidlet won a Kindle Fire last year in my hub's company's safety contest--the top 12 pictures/slogans are on a calendar. Here's her picture:

 

This year she drew Scooby Doo and the gang--I think the slogan was, "Safety is no mystery!". We won't find out how she did until later in the year. She's in a new age category now, so the competition is tougher with the older kids.
Anyway, back to my story, I knew there was a text-to-speak option, but I never looked for it. Well, I found it. And for grins I turned it on . . . in the middle of a romantic scene I was reading.

I have never listened to anything funnier in my entire life! Well, I have, so that's an exaggeration! But it was so horribly wrong on many, many levels, with the robotic automation voice speaking in a monologue-tone . . . remember, the 7 AM college chemistry course you had to take because every other time was full? Yeah, that professor.

I won't use this gadget for myself, except maybe to listen to my story on Kindle as I make small changes on my computer.

But this would be wonderful for my mom to use. We gave her a Kindle a few Christmases ago, but since then her vision has gotten so bad that she can't read. Whoops, just discovered a problem. Every time I turn the Kindle off, the text-to-speech disappears. I'll have to figure out how to get Mom to turn it on each time she turns on the Kindle . . . this could be problematic.

I'll figure it out.

But the real question here is, "Will Mom?"

Another gadget that I like, but don't use too often are the gadgets on the right side of my computer monitor. I usually just have a calendar up for quick reference when I need to look for the date or look a head to see what day school starts or whatever.

Just look for Desktop Gadgets.

I like the Countdown Calendar. The biggies are countdown to vacation and countdown to when school either starts or ends.

Though if I ever had a writing deadline, this would be a good gadget to keep my focus!

That's all I have for today, folks! It's errand and Mom day today, so I need to get showered and ready to rumble. No walkies this morning, but maybe tonight after we finish the garden beds.

Later, Peeps!