Preemptive Strike

I know, I know. I should be writing about male chastity or domestic discipline. Spoiler alert: This is about neither. Many of our readers strongly advocate that I get the rotator cuff surgery. Not surprisingly, the online ortho sites agree. I tend to research the hell out of anything new I am considering. It’s my nature. By the time I make a decision, I want to be an expert. In this case, my concern isn’t so much about the surgery. It’s about how I will manage the long recovery.

My first step was to find out how my employer can support me. I’m very lucky that I can take fully paid medical leave for as long as I will need. In this case, about two weeks. I can also work from home much of the time. After the two week initial recovery, I will want to go to the office at least a few days a week. It turns out that my employer will pay for transportation too while I can’t drive.

For some time after the surgery, Mrs. Lion agreed to stay home and care for me. I expect it will be more than a week, but not more than two. Who knows? Everything I read about recovery is clear that a care giver is required. I won’t be able to dress myself until the sling is off. That can be as much as three months.

If I want to go to work, I will need a way to handle mundane stuff like peeing. Based on my research, I will need elastic-waist pants to do that. Yuck. Oh well. I ordered a test pair from Lands End. A disabled lion can’t be very picky about clothing choices. Mrs. Lion will have to get me into socks and shoes. That’s not a one-handed project. I have mostly button shirts and they are the kind suggested for disabled lions.

The surgeon says that when I am at my desk, I can remove the sling and use the computer keyboard. That’s a relief. There will be a lot of pain. That means narcotic drugs, which in turn causes constipation. The surgeon giveth and he taketh away. I may disappear from the Journal for a while after the surgery (if I decide to get it). At least initially my communication will be largely gibberish.

What blows me away is that this is outpatient surgery. I go in and get out the same day. This is actually good news. I don’t need any of those deadly hospital diseases. It also feels very strange to choose to be an invalid, at least for a while. Mrs. Lion will have to make significant sacrifices to get me through all this. I don’t think our relationship will be stressed, but our finances and patience will. Mrs. Lion doesn’t get paid if she doesn’t work. After the first few days, when I am not on narcotics twenty-four-hours-a-day, she will probably have to go to work just to keep things running there. I think I will be able to survive four or five hours alone.

I hate this. I’m just not ready to be that helpless. The research I do confirms my worst fears about the pain and long recovery. It also gives me ideas on how to work around some of the hurdles.

4 Comments

  1. Author

    Well sounds like work is Not problem with paying for transportation lucky you. Lounge pants, P/J, for a few weeks it’s not that bad. There is a old saying pain is weakness leaving the body. A few years back work related accident I just about removed my right hand ring finger, rehab was a b**** 6 months, I was back to work 8 days later, light duty for 1.5 years had to slip in to shoes was hard to do anything and the worst thing was having my wife cut my food. Pain is in your head focus on what you have to be greatfull for you’ll do fine

  2. Author

    Thanks for the encouragement. I am very lucky that my employer is so supportive. I’m even luckier that Mrs. Lion will take great care of me. 2.0 will keep me from wallowing.

  3. Author

    You should see if your insurance covers any kind of home health help. Someone might be able to stay with you while MS LIon is at work. A health care worker would be used to caring for your bathroom needs as well as your safety. You can also ask a friend to stay with you but that could also be uncomfortable with bathroom needs.If your insurance doesn’t cover someone, there are aids that do this kind of work privately but you will want to check on the cost, of course, and see if your budget can take it and how your recovery progresses. I’m very interested in following your recovery as my husband needs shoulder surgery and is also put off by the recovery.

    1. Author

      I’m not sure if my insurance will supply in-home care. I suspect it can. But it isn’t something that makes sense for me. The time I will be in a sling is about three months. I won’t be home that entire time. The acute care I need will be for the first week or two after surgery. Mrs. Lion takes very good care of me and I won’t be totally helpless. Frankly, getting nursing help is just one more anxiety-producing possibility.

      Let’s face it, the recovery is horrendous. It took me some time to get this close to agreeing to the surgery. I understand how your husband feels.

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