5/11/15

If I put my arm on the desk just so, then I can time with about a normal rate.  However, it still hurts a lot so I don’t plan on doing much emailing for another week or so.

Surgery went as well as could be expected last Thursday (the 7th of May) although a scheduling mixup had me arrive earlier than I should have (7am) and I waited, dressed in a gown and socks, on a table from 9am or so when the anesthesiologist gave me a brachial plexes nerve block for my left arm.  I went under general anesthesia around noon, and woke up after 3pm I think, so the whole day was much longer than the original 3 hours I was expecting.

Since the nerve block went in so far before the surgery, I expect I had more pain later that day than I could have if things had gone according to schedule.   I DO NOT recommend oxycodone pain killers because they didn’t work very well at all for my pain, and caused constipation that I’m still working through.  I only took the oxy for 2 days.  Now I’m dealing with pain like a man, and mostly laying around watching Netflix because I can’t be comfortable enough long enough in a sitting position to do any serious work at the computer.  It is unfortunate that Cannabis derived pain killers aren’t legal because I believe they would be much more effective and not come with any of the negative side effects of synthesized prescription narcotics.

This is the first day that I’ve felt up to the task of writing anything, and I’m still going to need more time to respond individually to many of your well wishes in my email inbox.  I appreciate the positive thoughts and feelings.  I had made a macabre video to show the shoulder before the operation, and to bid farewell in case I died on the table, but I’m not dead, so I’ll have to capture some images from that video instead of posting the whole thing.  I’m glad I’m alive, and I’m excited to get well and back to work asap.