The Road to Recovery
So my last post was about the journey to surgery...this is the journey of the road to recovery after 3 anchors being put in my left shoulder.
On Friday May 11th 2018 I was discharged from PT and am now in full recovery...but there were major steps in the process of it...
After my surgery on November 28th 2017, I was out of work for a month. I couldn't do any of the normal things I did before I hurt my shoulder back in August 2017. I fell into a deep deep depression. I normally cook my own meals but I couldn't do anything. I was ordering take out every day, basically eating my feelings. Nobody really visited me so I was alone most of the time except when my mom came home and helped me out #lifesaver.
I had to sleep in a recliner for months. Thank God my dad hooked me up with a Firestick, I would have ran out of shows to watch if I was just watching cable. I was in so much pain still, popping pain killers every 6 hours (as directed). I figured I needed to get out of the house and start doing something that will take me out of this depression. So I decided I'd take a meeting with the Physical Therapy Assistant program at Nassau Community College. I was still in my sling when I met with her, but I wanted to know what I needed to go to get into the program. She told me the courses I needed to take, the requirements to even apply. So I applied to go back to NCC after I graduated 10 years prior and I got in. I was really excited, I took Chemistry since I didn't take it in high school and you needed to take it either in high school or in college...let me tell you something...out of all the college courses I took at NCC and JWU, this was the hardest course I have ever taken.
About a month after the surgery I went to go see the surgeon and he said that I can start PT but he suggested to not go where I went back in August. I was like well yea, that's just a given. My mom was telling my dentist that I was in the process of looking for a new physical therapist. He suggested his good friend Henry "Butch" Purslow. So I figured, hey if I don't get a good vibe when I meet him or feel like they won't help then I'll find someone else...
My first day was at the end of December. I was pulled into the evaluation room and I really liked him. He is funny, supportive, smart and knows his shit. He was very accommodating when it came to my epilepsy and all of the staff there welcomed me with open arms. We started off doing light exercises then increasing the amount of exercises I did. I was still in a lot of pain but my range of motion was getting so much better. Right before school started I got permission from my surgeon that I could be out of the sling. I kid you not, once I took it off it was like my arm was stuck in that position, as if the sling was still on. Which makes sense cause I was in a sling from August to mid January. But once it was off I felt free...kinda like how it feels when a girl takes her bra off when she gets home from a long day haha ;)
Once I got to know Butch better I told him I'm going to need an internship to get into the program. He said when your shoulder is fully healed, do an internship here. I was so stoked, especially because I felt so comfortable there and everyone was so helpful. I really wanted to loose the weight I had gained from eating my feelings during the month of me ordering take out every day. So Butch has a son named Rich who has a weight loss program there. I asked Butch if it was okay if I could work with his son and get a work out. He okayed it and I started losing weight and getting back on track. Rich is also extremely helpful. He not only helped me lose weight, he helped me get my shoulder back to full recovery.
It took about 5 months to fully recover from my injury. But during these 5 months I also got to do amazing things. I got to see the Lion King on Broadway with my mom and stayed in the city. I became an aunt to a beautiful baby girl, Emerson Ray. A month and 3 days later I became an aunt to two perfect boys, Noah Pax and Luke Orion. I also got a B in chemistry which was a-okay with me to be honest. Me and my mom also got a house in Bethpage and will be moving shortly so that's a new and exciting thing.
Before I started school I got great advice from a friend. He said to me "Caroline, don't focus on people who aren't there for you or are only there when its convenient for them. Focus on school and getting your health back on track." So that is exactly what I did. My shoulder fully healed, I worked my butt off in school, I lost weight and stopped talking to certain people who weren't true friends. And soon I'm going to start my internship and on my way to starting a new journey. :)