Shoulder update

Well, I went to the orthopedist yesterday. I appreciate it when a physician introduces him/herself upon meeting you; shakes your hand; and explains conditions and treatment options in detail. Collectively, these actions and interactions convey the message, "I realize it is valuable for you to have as much information as possible, and I will do my best to educate you about what is going on with your health." Dr. McGregor did all of these things, and I really appreciated that. I never felt dismissed, talked down to, or like my questions were stupid. I've had really good experiences with most doctors I've worked with.

Dr. M explained that if a person does not have physical therapy following a dislocation, s/he has a 90% (!) chance of dislocating the shoulder a second time. THAT was news to me. Neither my regular doctor nor the emergency room doctors that treated me the first time recommended PT or following up in orthopedics. No wonder it happened again! Dr M. also stated that most people respond very well to PT, so that's what I'll do. He said I have great overall shoulder strength, so hopefully this will be successful. I only have to wear the stabilizer sling at night now, and I'm feeling really good during the day, so those are good signs, too.

Random thoughts

I am loving blogging! It's so much fun to check in and see who has written a comment and then write back. It reminds me of how we used to pass notebooks back and forth between friends in junior high. Anybody else remember doing that? You'd write a page or two to your friend, fold the paper in some sort of pseudo-origami way (but still leave it attached to the spiral), and then pass the whole notebook to your friend to read and reply. By the time the notebook was filled it would also have elaborate, swirly and fat-bubble doodles all over the cover.

Blogging...the tech-driven, grown up way to pass notes!

Some family pics

Here are a few recent pictures of the kids. Grant is 6 and loves to have his picture taken. Ross just turned 2 on March 1. I like to call him my "tank." He's so dang solid! Grant calls him "The Mad Redhead," although he's more often sunny than surly. Hope is now 3 months old but I haven't taken that many pictures of her since Easter. Bad mommy! I've never been one to grab the camera and start snapping, unlike my dear friend AnnMarie--she's a master at capturing the moments.

I thought I had the "add picture" thing figured out, but I guess I'll have to ask Bonnie...the pics of the kids are at the bottom of the page, so scroll down.

Okay, so I realized after reading my post last night that except for Bonnie and mom, no one else really knows what's been going on with us lately--and I didn't add any of those "daily life" details that might make others of you want to come back. But I was too tired to do anything about it then. I'm much more of a morning person, which is why I'm writing this before Kris and the kids wake up (although it's also the only uninterrupted time I'll get until about 9pm tonight).

In September, when we were 5 months pregnant with Hope, I fell down the stairs in our home. As I fell I tried to stay on my back and butt. I also put my right arm out to catch myself--bad move. I dislocated my right shoulder. YOWZA! Very painful. The nice thing is, once the dr popped it back in (after giving me blessed drugs), it felt much better and then just became a 2-week inconvenience. I had to wear a stabilizer until my doctor determined that it had healed. Can you see it in your mind's eye? Pregnant lady resting her slinged arm on her growing belly. Well, I followed dr's orders and have felt great ever since--strength training, lifting Ross, having Hope, carrying carseat, etc.

Last Friday morning--as I was doing the arduous task of putting on my dress coat--I dislocated the shoulder again. Damn! It hurt just as much, required another trip to the emergency room, xrays, drugs, and a new stabilizer sling. Now I have to follow up with an orthopedist who may (according the the emergency room doctor) recommend surgery now that I'm prone to dislocations. If surgery will keep this from happening again, I'm game. I just hope the recovery would be swift. Probably wishful thinking, I know.

Since this was a drill weekend for Kris and I wasn't to be alone with three kids, mom and Carol very GENEROUSLY took shifts to be with us at the house both Saturday and Sunday. It was fun to have them there, and I really, really appreciated their time.

Well, Hope is awake and it's time to get the boys ready for school...another day begins.

Virgin Blogger

Well, I'm tentatively entering the blogosphere. I've been reading Bonnie's blog for over a year now, and after reading her post about frustrations and seeing the supportive comments from her friends, I thought, "I could use some of that empathizing now and then." So here I am.

If you know me at all, you won't be surprised when I tell you that it took me over 45 minutes just to select a blog title and layout.

I don't even have anything in particular to say tonight. I just hope this becomes a place to share photos, family updates, and kid stories. Maybe this will be a good way to unwind at the end of a long day and reconnect with friends I don't often get to see.