Separated....

My right shoulder that is. But hold that thought for a moment.

I want to thank the Monday morning class and Sifus for the empathy and compassion expressed. I was swooped upon by my classmates, a group of "Moms" who made sure that me, my equipment, and my car all made it home safely. I thank all of you for your kindness. A special thanks goes to Miss K. Rice who had our shoes very neatly arranged off the mats so that we could just step into them. A very thoughtful gesture. Certainly not least, a huge thanks to Sifu Regier who stayed with me throughout emerg, x-rays and whatnot. Your kindness is most appreciated.

Now back to the separated part. During Monday's class I sustained an injury that resulted in my right shoulder being separated. Basically, I landed on my ac joint, heard a crack, and the room started spinning. Here's the thing: looking at the move, all was great, landing was soft, but there was a glitch: I rotated an inch too shy. Here's a link that describes what a separated shoulder is all about and where it happens. http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/shouldersurgery/a/separation.htm

After class, we went to emerg for x-rays to rule out dislocation, fracture, and other damage. Those were ruled out. Treatment for shoulder separation is a sling, anti-inflammatory meds, ice (lots!!), rest, and possible Tylenol 3. As the Emerg Doc said, you'll feel it tomorrow (or the next day). Oh yes and shoulder mobility exercises starting the next day regardless of whether it hurts or not.

Later in the day, Dennis insisted on taking me to my chiropractor because my ac joint was sitting higher than it should be and the type of injury. My chiropractor gently put my neck and ac joint back in place. I was glad Dennis insisted on the chiropractor because now I know my shoulder is healing in alignment. My chiropractor also stressed the importance of shoulder mobility exercises because no movement allows the very good chance of a "frozen shoulder" to set in. Hey, no need to tell me twice on that one.

While I will say that a separated shoulder is not something to put on the bucket list, it has given me great awareness as to just where and how much the shoulders are used. Lot of least expected stuff has shown up here. Oh yes, and the one handedness is another steep learning curve. Another great lesson here is progressing wisely. My shoulder will let me know very quickly when it's unhappy. However I have to do the exercises pain or not. Here's the key: it's the type of pain that's important. Sore vs the jolting pain, with the latter being the teacher.

I am getting a very valuable lesson in progressing wisely, this is also a good lesson in persistence in all of its forms. Oh, and guess what the lesson is this week in my course: persistence. I think there is someone trying to tell me something..... 

Sherri Donohue
http://sherridlampworkglass.blogspot.ca/