Fall, of course, means football. And it typically means tailgating and cheering for Duke at their home games in Durham. This year, however, you'll likely find us far from the college crowd, ensconced in our family room, thankful for being just a few feet away from the action on the big screen. Sigh. At least Abbie is a fan...shown here at attention on the foot rest of Mr. T's recliner last Saturday for the LSU game...while the Bassets hold the sofa down and catch a few zzzzz's.
We had planned on heading for the beach next week, like we usually do. September is such a fine time to enjoy all the amenities without all the families, if you catch my drift. The days are still sunny and the water is still warm...and, if you aren't battling hurricanes (which also seem to enjoy the beach in September), you can have quite an enjoyable, restful retreat. Just what the doctor ordered.
Except...not this year. We've had to cancel another 2013 adventure due to the continuing saga of Mr. T's shoulder. Granted, a week at the beach, enjoying the warm salt water of the ocean, would be excellent therapy for both his shoulder and his knee. But, we have to be mindful of "personal time off" when it comes to Mr. T's job. Knowing that he is facing a big chunk of non-productive recuperation and recovery time (surgeon has said 3-4 months altogether), we feel that now might not be the best time to be away.
You see, we know surgery is just over the horizon...we just don't know when. And that last part is more jaw-locking and teeth-grinding than the first part. The "not-knowing-when" part. Grrrrrrrr.
So...MRI is done and the latest diagnosis on our patient is "severe tendinosis with partial tears of the distal supraspinatus and undersurface of the subscapularis...(along with) probable tear of the anterior labrum with loculated fluid..." Good grief. Need a nap? By all means, read more on this ailment here: http://www.sosmed.org/shoulder/rotator-cuff-tendinosis.html
Two things you'll want to note:
1. Mr. T has the additional problem of a tear in a tendon. This aggravates any attempted at-home or physical therapy...at least until the tear has healed of its own accord...which is becoming less and less likely. It also means the surgery, when it comes, will be different than described in the long-winded article, due to having to repair the tears. More ice please.
2. In all the blah-blah-blah, there's one salient paragraph, beginning: "Surgery may be considered if a concerted effort at non-operative treatment has failed to result in improvement in comfort and function after 3-6 months." That's the key...3-6 months. And he's rounding the corner on three as I write this.
He has done all the steps...he is in the range of "misery time without a resolution"...so, my guess is that the BCBS insurance Utilization Review clerk, sitting in a cubicle somewhere in New Jersey, is more likely to approve the surgeon's request now. Ah, modern medicine.
Anyway. We'll have a better idea of the next steps after his upcoming appointment. Next week. Mr. T's explanation of why 3 weeks in between appointments: the dr wanted the option of giving him another cortisone injection. OK.
The best way I can describe our lives of late: suspended animation. Waiting, by any other name. It feels like we are waiting for the other shoe to fall...in Fall. Like the leaves.
And we all know how much I love to wait...
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