Dear Diary

It has been so long since I have written that I'm sure you must have thought I abandoned you. But no, I have thought about you nearly every day for the last 110 days. I missed writing to you.  I have ideas that come into my head and I want to document them in your electronic pages, but I never get to this computer to do it.

Just some of my lame excuses include:
1) computer doesn't work reliably, shutting down unexpectedly nearly each time I use it

2) I have a tablet, but anyone who has one knows it is not conducive to typing out ideas and dialog and mostly only allows for pecking short sentences without punctuation adherence.

3) It takes, on average, 45 minutes to start up the computer and get it to this site. Ohh the agony of it all!

So, an encapsulated, albeit, dry update is due.

May- I left with my  Sioux Falls friend and Robbie to drive up to Sioux Falls.  We stopped halfway in Colorado Springs for one night. It was so cold, but so refreshing to get the hell out of hell.
We arrived in Sioux Falls on my birthday. Robbie and I stayed at my Sioux Falls address, ie, my mom's house. Robbie was quite pleased with his new surroundings there.  His face gave away his thoughts: Grass! Cool Weather!(It had been well over 100 for a month when we left AZ) And best of all-Squirrels!

June- My mom and I flew to Denver for a baby shower and on the way home, on June 1st, standing in the Denver airport with THREE bags on my shoulder, I felt a very odd feeling that I knew was not good.  This shoulder has been bothering me for over 2 years. First it was injured when recovering from my broken heel bone and then it became 'frozen' for about 7 months.  I then fell on it after moving to our new house here in Peoria. For those 2 years Gary told me to 'get to a doctor' about it, but I never did and after he got sick, I had NO time to get away for myself. I did get a cortisone shot in the shoulder on April 1st. By June 4, the shoulder was in such pain, I went to an orthopedic urgent care.  X-rays, and a week later an MRI confirmed that the rotator cuff was torn clean off. Surgery was the only option. I told them that I had to get to Denver by the end of the next week to dog sit for my sister so I could not have surgery in Sioux Falls.  I started out for Denver in excruciating pain that was impervious to any pain killers. After stopping in Kansas City to see the grandkids for a few hours, I was on the road again to Denver. I toughed it out with the help of prescription painkillers until early July when I decided I would just go back and have the surgery in AZ. Too bad for Robbie, because he was in love with Denver's weather too.  He got to meet his 'cousin' Sadie and I took them both to the dog park where they could run with abandon.
.
July- After arriving back at the house, Robbie was visibly BUMMED to be back in this heat.  He is not a desert dog.  His tail droops and he lags behind on walks.  He hates going outside to do his necessary stuff. I got into the surgeon with my MRI CD showing the tear's extent. I had to jump through the hoops of getting a physical for surgery and finally scheduled the surgery.  I had to schedule far enough out so that I could give my mom enough time to book a flight down to babysit me after the surgery. Amazingly, during this month, the pain disappeared and I could move the shoulder freely, but it was just very weak.

August- Even though I was having major regrets about coming back down here in the summer for the surgery, I managed to get through until August 14th when they finally repaired and reattached the tendons, etc. I've got the pictures that my surgeon was quite excited to show me but they don't mean squat to me.

Now it has been 1 month to the day of the surgery.  My mom left 4 days after the surgery and I have been wearing the sling, doing the PT exercises at home and of course, going to PT.  I had my one month checkup with the surgeon yesterday.  He said I am still only 10% healed.  At 4 months, one is only 60% healed!  My other shoulder needs it too.  I can feel the stinging twinges and aching when I use it.
Last week I had to cut down a tree limb that broke off in a wind from a month ago and using the Saw-zall was hard on both of the shoulders because the blade got stuck in the thick green wood. Being a solo homeowner just isn't the best at times like this.  I must use the shoulder even though the doctor warned me that I can end up back in surgery after undoing his work. I can only sleep sitting up still, since lying on one's back makes the shoulder fall back into a painful position. I can sometimes sleep on my other shoulder, but again, after awhile, the position of the injured shoulder makes it start to hurt.  Forget sleeping on the injured shoulder.  I imagine many months yet before I can do that.

Physically, I was unable to type for about 3 weeks.  My wrist/elbow and shoulder gets very tired and the whole arm aches.

So, dear diary, this, and the failing of the computer, is why you have not heard from me recently.