Sunday brings peace...

Up before dawn to see the sun rise. I've been able to do that now for the past few days. I've had a little motivation strike me...[probably from the urging of some lady who 'does it like a woman']. I've decided that having a pity party was NOT me.
Before 8, I was saddling Badger and Morris, me and the mule headed off to the woods to see what we could see.
A magnificent buck stopped in the early dappled sunlight to turn his velveted rack so we could admire it....before he flipped his tail and disappeared into the darker reaches of the forest.
We saw an indigo bunting, a bluebird, and of course we were scolded by a wren. I am learning to identify birds by their calls now.
I followed 'the path' as I call it, ...it is a route through the woods that Badger and I have done over and over again. I could pretty much just drop the reins and let him do it...though he'd want to stop and eat.

I promised hubby that I wouldn't be out too long so we did cut the ride short...only an hour. Later he asked me where I was...I was staring out the window. I said, *I'm still wishing to be mounted on my mule and exploring the woods*.
I never let on that my shoulders ached pretty nicely. It would only make him scold me when I go riding again.

At dusk, I walked with Morris to the ridge to watch the sunset. I haven't done that in a while either. I didn't find the sunset I wanted...but it forced me to rethink my photographic options and wow, I really liked what I came up with.

Morris of course was exhausted with the day's activities and found a nice cuddly spot on my messy bed. Good Morris, so brave, so fun, so entertaining.
I went to sleep knowing I had a superb day.

Fun Weekend

We went to a 'Redneck' Wedding. The couple planned a bonifide Redneck wedding! After the vows were taken, they hopped on individual 4 wheelers and went mud bogging...she was still in her wedding dress!
Not to be outdone her daddy jumped in his truck and took it through the mud sliding it sideways to try and spray the on lookers with mud. Heh, I am fast and I ran!
Next thing I know I see MY grey truck with MY husband grinning as he makes his grand entrance through the mud hole. Oh I was hot, so angry that I didn't even get a picture. It really was in good fun and nothing got hurt.

The bridal party mud wrestled after the dinner and then everyone changed and danced or sat out under the moon and talked.
Me--I whimped out and went to bed early when hubby came home to chore.

Though this morning, I did get up at 5AM [thank you Morris] and was saddled up and on Badger by 8AM. [Thank you Badger!]
Nothing exciting but a little deer watching -- turkey sightings -- and lots of music from the morning birds.
Even picked some berries from the tall berry bushes! Yum.

Dang, do I have to go back to work tomorrow?

Just Another Friday

I can't decide if yesterday was a good or bad day. Right off the bat I did a not too smart thing. I was 'chatting' with my eldest boy on gmail and decided to hurry and fax something while he was replying.
As I turned into the fax/adjusting/patient room, I ran my upper thigh into the end of a very heavy non movable adjusting table...I pitched forward and reacting....stiff armed the desk so I wouldn't take a header into the very heavy wooden desk.
Next thing I know, I'm seeing stars and the pain in the right shoulder is so tremendous, I am sure that I am going to pass out. I hear the 'bling' in the other room--waiting room so I know that my son has replied.

I drag my sorry limping butt out to the computer, blinking back tears and trying to catch a breath...also trying to act normal as there is a person sitting in the waiting room.
I sit down to type...and I cannot bring my right arm up! I lift it to the key board and make a quick reply.

For two hours I was in agony.
But by the time I left to go home I was feeling great! No pain!

Hubby said the solution now is to run into things, trip and fall...and then have a happy day after the pain happens.
NOT.

I thought it was funny when I got home, but really I was in a such a wonderful mood when I got home he thought I was the wrong ME!
KLUTZ!

Taking a break

Buddies
Originally uploaded by Xena~

I woke up this morning feeling a bit out of sorts. I knew if I just grabbed Morris and the little ice cream bucket...we could head out to the woods and pick wild black berries.
And pick berries we did.
We had a fine time.
We saw turkeys,
deer,
birds,
a snake...
and lots and lots of berries.
I even have a picture of Morris picking and eating his own berries.

Now that was fun.
I ended up with two full cereal bowls of yummy black berries.

An Inner View of Adhesive Capsulitis

"Adhesive capsulitis, or frozen shoulder, has an uncertain etiology, and is characterized by restriction of active and passive motion, usually accompanied by severe pain. Both primary and secondary adhesive capsulitis exist. With primary adhesive capsulitis, the symptoms usually develop over a longer period of time, and the onset is not related to a specific event or trauma. Secondary adhesive capsulitis has been linked to disorders such as impingement, but can also be associated with systemic disease such as thyroid disease or diabetes. There is disagreement in the literature on whether the underlying pathologic process is inflammatory in nature or a fibrotic condition.

Treatment of frozen shoulder includes physical therapy. The therapy program for these patients should initially focus on regaining range of motion, and once this is achieved, improving strength.

Occasionally, surgery is recommended to arthroscopically release adhesions and to regain motion."

There are supposed to be three stages to adhesive capsulitis. The painful stage is only supposed to last up to 6 months [in both cases for me, it has lasted over 6 months and is rarely controlled even by strong pain medication]. The frozen stage is not painful [this is where there is lack of motion in the joint...hmm, frozen and still hurting]. The thawing stage. This can take up to two years.

Interesting that some doctors want you to wait out this two years. Imagine not being able to use an arm very well for two years? Let me tell you muscle atrophy and weakness from my perspective lead to a great concern for greater shoulder injuries. I'm not a fan of doing surgery for a quick fix, but for my particular situation [last time] there was no quick fix. I figure the faster they release the capsule, the faster my healing and strengthening will take place.

At this point, the doctors are looking for a possible secondary cause for my condition. I've read and researched as much as I can regarding this condition to try and gain an understanding to the 'why' I've had it occur twice now.

The mystery continues...

Adhesive Capsulitis, how it has affected me...

This is going to be a slightly different type of blog entry. More of an informational type of blog than my usual ramblings and silly stories.
There are many types of 'adhesive capsulitis', which is also commonly known as 'frozen shoulder'. This condition is described as follows:

" Description

Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) is a disorder characterized by pain and loss of motion or stiffness in the shoulder. It affects about two percent of the general population. It is more common in women between the ages of 40 years to 70 years old. The causes of frozen shoulder are not fully understood. The process involves thickening and contracture of the capsule surrounding the shoulder joint. A doctor can diagnose frozen shoulder based on the history of the patient's symptoms and physical examination. X-rays or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) studies are sometimes used to rule out other causes of shoulder stiffness and pain, such as rotator cuff tear.

Risk Factors/Prevention

Frozen shoulder occurs much more commonly in individuals with diabetes, affecting 10 percent to 20 percent of these individuals. Other medical problems associated with increased risk of frozen shoulder include: hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Parkinson's disease, and cardiac disease or surgery. Frozen shoulder can develop after a shoulder is injured or immobilized for a period of time. Attempts to prevent frozen shoulder include early motion of the shoulder after it has been injured." Retrieved from the website: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=162&topcategory

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

This is the second time that I've gone through this in the period of about 2 years. The first shoulder took over 9 months of bouncing from one doctor to another. I had surgery one year ago today on the left side. The procedure was arthroscopic surgery to cut away the adhesions in the shoulder joint. I was able to watch Dr. Lawrence of Viroqua do this procedure. I received a 'nerve block' I watched the procedure on a 'TV' monitor. Dr. Lawrence dictates and discusses the procedure as he does it. It is recorded and after surgery you even get a recording and photos of the procedure.

The nerve block numbs the whole arm and is an excellent procedure for short surgeries, however if the surgery starts to last longer than anticipated, there can be pain. I'm not writing this to scare anyone, just a fact. The nerve block did begin to wear thin towards the end of my surgery...but considering that I was relaxed [chemically induced]..and the pain that I was encountering from the 'frozen shoulder' in the first place, hurt less than the last portion of the surgery and 'the closing of the surgerical holes'. Which by the way were super glued shut.

Very cool article here on Dr. Jeffrey Lawrence. I recommend reading it.

Now, how it has affected my personal life. In short, it has really made the most simple things difficult. Imagine not being able to use the affected arm to pull up your pants...[yeah more than you needed to know], brush your teeth. Cut a steak, pour coffee, put on your own clothes, and the inability to comb your hair.

In my case? I cannot saddle my own animals to ride. I can only ride at a walk as any jarring produces extreme pain. The pain is there 24/7, relentless...sometimes relieved by Ultram, sometimes not.

Sleeping is another issue, sleeping restfully is not possible. A positive attitude starts to fail with these complications. For me, I feel like I am in a personal battle against something I cannot touch or put cause to.

Enough for today. More tomorrow, if you can stand it.

Fits and starts...

Today I'm full of 'fits and starts'...don't know what else to call it. I've managed to stay away from the boring topic of frozen shoulder for a while, but right now it is consuming so much of my time. I've been pretty down because I'm right handed and this surely has put a crimp in all of the things I really like to do. I did manage to get out and ride with hubby at WildCat Mountain in Ontario, last week between monsoon storms.
We had a blast. I rode Fred the pony mule so getting on and off wouldn't be so painful.
We saw some magnificent sights while riding and enjoyed each others company.
We've been working on the Chevy Cavalier each day and it is coming along.
So far:
New Struts--all around
New Brakes --all around
New Head Gasket
Change oil, oil filter, fuel filter, air filter,...power washed the engine...
Next, transmission filter and tranny fluid. Align the back end, and align the front end.
I took pictures of some of the engine work for a friend of mine who likes to *Do It Like A Woman*. I wish I had her tenacity for going after things and fixing them! But my mind is always on taking a hike, a ride, or creating an image.

This afternoon's goal was to wash and WAX the Cavalier, but I think that will have to wait for a bit. I'm changing my goal to riding Badger and going on an adventure of some kind.