Just Joshing, Really

Hi!

I saw how much support that other lady was getting when she posted about her shoulder and arm troubles, so I thought I’d jump in and do something similar, just to settle the old nerves, you know?

(How is she, by the way? Has anyone heard from her in a while?)

Anyway, I guess I should start at the start. In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth… oh, I’m just joshing you! My grandson says I’m not very funny, but I don’t think he’s very smart, so it all probably evens out in the end.

Oh, right! My shoulder! I’m not a doctor, to be sure, but I’ve done a bit of research and apparently what I’ve done is damaged the tendons in my rotator cuff. My rotator cuff! Whoever heard of such a thing? Sixty-two years and I never! Apparently, it’s what they call a group of muscles and tendons that make sure the ball of the shoulder stays where it needs to and lets you fully use your arm.

What I went and did – silly old man that I am! – is tore it playing badminton! (Apparently being a house painter for forty years didn’t do me any favours either.) So, as my lovely doctor told me, I’ll need to come in to a surgery in Melbourne that does rotator cuff repair, and they should be able to get me at least semi-mobile again.

And the surgery isn’t what I expected either! They’ve come a long way since they used to fully cut people open; nowadays they have fancy procedures like a shoulder arthroscopy, where they’re going to just make a small cut near my shoulder joint and insert a camera in to assess the damage! They might not even have to open me up at all! They could do all of the surgery just through there!

Well, that’s my babbling done. I’ll keep you all updated on my progress as I go down there – wish me luck!

-Art

(And seriously, has anyone spoken to that woman?)