Freedom!

I went back to the Orthpaedic surgeon this morning for my first post-surgical follow-up.  The nurse cut through layer after layer of surgical packing after removing the brace.  Eventually, she got all the way down to my arm.

It's kind of yucky, to tell the truth.  It's wrinkly and smelly and stubbly where they shaved it and the incisions are ugly.  But though it's not a pretty sight, it's free of that brace!

The surgeon looked it over and pushed and poked some spots and quickly checked my range of motion (or lack thereof) and seemed pleased.  He wants to see me in six weeks.  In the meantime, they gave me a wrist brace to wear.  Yes, that's it.  Just a wrist brace.

I'm supposed to take it off 3 or 4 times a day and do stretches.  Thus begins the next painful phase of my recovery.  I can't straighten my elbow all the way yet.  I can't bend it all the way yet either.  But my elbow should gain back all of its range of motion rather quickly.

It's my wrist that is going to be the slow-going part of the recovery.  I'll start with stretching and very light exercise, and eventually use one-pound weights and the like.  In six weeks, I'll talk with the surgeon again about physical therapy.

But I feel SO free, not having that big, bulky brace on my arm any more.  I am typing this with TWO hands!  Sure, one of them doesn't work perfectly at the moment, but it's certainly a TON faster than typing with only one hand!

So here's to the next phase of my recovery--one that is already closer to "normal" than I thought I would be for quite a while.