Tuesday, May 10, 2016

MRI

Hey Guys- Quick update here on the shoulder injury. I took the MRI, (don't ask what it stands for), and is it a pain, literally. My fears of being in an enclosed tube were relieved when I found that my lower body would not be inside, and only my body from the waist up would be. The claustrophobia I was afraid of was dealt with by an experienced staff. A cloth was placed over my eyes, and I never knew how close the walls of the tube were. I'm pretty sure that the tube got smaller while  I  was inside. What was painful was the torque and manipulation of the shoulder by the radiologist technician. He controlled a brace surrounding by shoulder as I lay on the sliding table. The brace actually pulled on the shoulder so that the joint separated slightly, and the machine could see inside the joint walls. Ouch! I'll bet that if there was some shoulder separation during the fall I had, that some healing had taken place in the last 2 weeks, and that now the shoulder was being pulled apart again. Hmmm. I wonder about how great an idea this was. Well, I'll have the results tomorrow morning, and the orthopedic surgeon will advise me on whether he wants to cut or not. If it is his recommendation to repair the rotator cuff with surgery, I am going to wait. My belief is that there is much more healing to be done before I opt for surgery. My sense is that the injury is more of a shoulder separation, and from what I've heard, maybe only a level 1, or possibly a level 2, but by no means a total disconnect from the socket. I'm thinking that just going easy on the shoulder, wearing the sling often, (more to remind me not to reach suddenly as the wind takes my hat off my head!), and taking plenty of ibuprofen will lead me back to Good as New status. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
On another note, Tucson being the home of mass shooting survivor Congresswoman Gabby Gifford, I periodically hear from different people where they were on that tragic day in Tucson. Tonight I saw the prerelease showing of a new documentary produced by Katie Couric called, "Under the Gun."  It was an exceptionally moving film. There was a great deal of expose` about the effect of the NRA lobbying in DC, and the effects on families of the shooting victims throughout the US. A congressman who knows "Mark and Gabby", spoke to the audience before the showing, as well as a city councilman. There were many rounds of applause from the audience. The event was put on by the local chapter of the "Moms Demanding Action", anti gun violence group. There are a couple of bills before the Arizona governor regarding background checks for all gun sales, and encouragement to contact the governor's office. It made me think about my Florida residency.
So...Tucson is my home away from home for now. And I'm really leaning on making it my permanent home. There have been so many stumbling blocks thrown in my was as I've planned my departure, it seems that I may be missing something.  But more about the MRI results in a day or so. 73's

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