Re: DARK DAY/MARGARET

[Guest guest]

Jo,

I would accept your advice if it were the neighbor telling me things, but I was

talking about my shoulder surgeon who is one of the best in the US (at the

Cleveland Clinic which ranks #4 in orthopedics in the US). I have now had 3

major surgeries on my shoulder each of which did damage to add to that which was

done by the motorcycle. My surgeon said that he had great difficulty telling

structures apart because all of the scar tissue and deterioration has " melted

everything together in an unholy mess " . My lymphic system is damaged and he was

saying that there is a good chance it may not recover all the way given the

persistence of the swelling since March. I have not had a day without pain in

that shoulder or what you would call normal use of that arm since 1977 with slow

worsening over the years. I am doing all that I can to recover from my surgery

but there are indeed things that they just can't fix.

I told you what I did about how we can chose our response to such things in part

because I have had to give myself that talk frequently over the past 6 months.

I went into this surgery after a year of extreme pain with local docs telling me

it wasn't my socket while I was literally wearing the socket away. I had to

quit work completely after the last shoulder surgery nearly destroyed me, took 3

years to " recover " and left me greatly restricted in the use of my arm. But I

had no choice about this recent surgery, it would have only gotten worse and I

would have wound up with a completely dead shoulder. I knew it would not result

in a functional shoulder as joint replacement often does when the only problem

is an arthritic joint. I knew this would be tough but it has been even worse

than I expected.

And the shoulder is but one of my problems. I also have fibro/cfs, birth

defects in both feet that have caused extensive osteoarthritis in them with

significant pain and swelling, advanced osteo of several other joints, ibs, and

other problems that have resulted in many surgeries.

Margie

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> Thank you for the kind wishes, Margaret and its good to see you back. I hope

today is an easier day for you in the comparative scheme of things and hope

things will improve for you each day. If anyone pigeon holes you into things

never getting better or only getting worse think of telling them theyre morbid

and do your damndest to prove them wrong. I was recently reading something on a

woman named Anita Morjahni who was deemed to have term cancer. Pretty

incredible! Not sure i spelled last name right.

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