Hello, everyone.  Sorry I haven't been posting much. I am finally typing well enough that I thought I would take a few minutes to bring everyone up to speed.

Troubles began at least a year or two ago.  My body is aging, and I was getting physical therapy for my left shoulder.  We finally figured out that my shoulder has a bone spur. They wanted to remove it surgically, but it stopped bothering me, so I didn't get it done. I knew, at the time, that my other shoulder was bothering me as well, but it wasn't as bad (the squeeky wheel gets the grease), so I wasn't seeing the doctor about my right shoulder.

Fast forward, with gradual continued difficulty, to November, '08.  Last mow of the season, last nice day of weather predicted, and the lawn mower wouldn't start. Spark plug didn't seem to have any spark, but I did NOT want to let that mower win! I fought and I fought to get that thing to start, over and over and over pulling that rope. No dice.

So, net effect, I put the mower away knowing that I had really messed up my shoulder now.  I was in the process of switching doctors, and there was Thanksgiving, ... net effect was that I saw my primary care doctor about the shoulder on December 9th. She said it looked like a torn rotator cuff, go to the specialist and get an MRI done. Made appointment with specialist, saw specialist on 12/18. He said get special MRI with contrast, available at these places. Went home, started making phone calls.  With 13 days left in the year, subtract weekends and holidays, I could not get in in December. I also could not schedule for January, because my insurance was changing and they would not schedule me until I had my new insurance information.

Weeks went by, and finally I had my new insurance information. I called and schedule MRI for mid-January.  Well, that MRI got cancelled because there was a mix-up in who does what to get the pre-authorization cleared with the insurance company to get the MRI done, so it was rescheduled for the end of January.  1/30 I had my MRI done (1/31?). Made appointment to see specialist with MRI. 2/6 saw specialist. He said significant tear, needing surgery, could be two ligaments, could be completely torn by the time I got to surgery.  Scheduled surgery.

Leading up to surgery my ability to type and make blog entries was already extremely reduced.

3/3  Surgery day finally arrived. Surgery done, I was now in a sling for six weeks, typing one handed!  I have all these reviews that were due in February, March and April hanging over my head and I could not do them. I could barely keep up with my physical therapy schedule, could hardly keep up with homeschooling or the house, and certainly could not keep up, let alone catch up with the reviews.

So, now I am unslung. I am finally typing two handed again, but after this blog entry my shoulder is already aching. I need to go to my morning physical therapy exercises, and then shower and do school. I have reviews a-comin', but they'll have to come when they come... I can only do what I can do.

Thank you for reading! If your lawn mower won't start, I highly advise you find the nearest strong guy and have him try to start it (or rip out his rotator cuff) rather than fighting with the mower yourself.  My two cents.

Flybaby Di