Lion and a coworker made me realize that 2.0 will be needed for more than just the regular rules after Lion’s surgery. Beginning almost immediately, he’ll need to start physical therapy. Obviously not on his shoulder itself, but his wrist and elbow need movement to keep them from freezing up. He’ll be in pain. He won’t want to move. It’s my job to make him move.

Not only does he need to move his arm, he needs to walk too. And Lion has said he’ll have cabin fever within a few days anyway. As we were walking around Costco yesterday, I said it would be a good place to walk after surgery. It’s indoors and it’s huge. We don’t even necessarily have to buy anything. We can just stroll around for exercise.

Nurse 2.0 will have to make sure he’s taking his medicine correctly and eating and drinking. Lion is worried about becoming addicted to the pain meds. I don’t think there’s much risk of that, but I’ll keep an eye on him. When he’s on pain meds, he tends to stop eating and drinking. Nothing tastes right. Too bad. Water has no taste. He needs to drink enough. And he can’t heal if he doesn’t eat.

Lion has promised he’ll do his exercises. He’s got a vested interest in doing them. The better he follows the physical therapy instructions, the faster he’ll get better. I’m sure he doesn’t want 2.0 badgering him anymore than necessary.

Mrs. Lion and I have been deep in shoulder surgery research. We have been sharing our learnings. I have been rehearsing the use of my left hand to do things. My right arm hasn’t been doing very much. As a result the shoulder pain has been increasing.

Yesterday, I finally woke up to the fact that by practicing how I will function after surgery, I have been making things worse now. Reasonable use of my injured shoulder maintains my range of motion and minimizes pain.

So, I have made a point of using both arms. The pain has receded a bit. It is still bad at night, but during the day it subsides to a rumble that Tylenol almost controls. I’ve all but committed to the surgery. I am waiting until I can talk to my family physician before pulling the trigger.

I am also not totally happy with the surgeon’s bedside manner. He was a bit short and impatient when I wanted to talk about recovery. If he can’t understand the concern a twelve-to-eighteen month recuperation can cause me, I’m not sure I want him managing my care. If he’s the very best in the Northwest, I will cope. Otherwise I will look for a better medical fit.

You may be wondering why we are both writing so far afield of male chastity and domestic discipline. For me, the reason is very simple: I can’t think about anything else right now.

Unlike lots of other medical stuff, shoulder surgery is technically optional. I can choose to avoid it. Nothing catastrophic will happen if I don’t do it. The pain will continue and probably grow over time. The tears may grow. My range of motion and strength will almost certainly decline. About half the people who have rotator cuff tears don’t get surgery. Many have no idea they have the problem.

This is true in cases of degenerative rotator cuff tears. Over time, the joint deteriorates. People who do physical work that involves lifting or other repetitive motions are particularly prone to this problem. Traumatic tears happen as the result of an accident or a sports injury. These tears go the full thickness of the tendon. Unlike degenerative rotator cuff tears, the traumatic tear involves healthy tissue that hasn’t thinned. That is the case with me.

I fell and caught myself with my straight arm. I was holding my cell phone and it broke. My rotator cuff tore. The MRI, according to the surgeon, shows a fairly large tear through the full thickness. The longer I wait to do this, the more likely it will get worse and the tendon will further deteriorate.

Shoulder surgery is particularly painful during recovery and it takes a long time for things to get better. I can expect physical therapy for many months and more than a year before I get full use of my arm. That’s why it is all I think about right now.

Once again, I thought I was being nice to Lion. I offered to let him decide when we play and when he gets an orgasm. I know he’s in pain now and will be if he has the surgery. I thought it would be better if I don’t bother him when he’s in the most pain. He doesn’t like the idea. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. He hasn’t liked it any other time when I’ve suggested he make decisions about play or sex. But it does surprise me. This is a completely different situation and I thought if he can’t control the pain, maybe he’d like to have other control. Nope. No thank you. Not necessary. Not wanted.

Okay. So I guess it’s up to me to decipher the signals. Fun! Lion doesn’t always say when he’s in pain. I don’t know if he thinks it’s a sign of weakness. He made a comment the other day about a new lion coming into the pride, there’s a battle, and the lionesses are now the property of the winner. I guess that makes them fickle. I told Lion that if anyone came into our little pride and tried to fight him, they’d have to get through me first. I’m pretty sure if the lionesses banded together, they could kill or chase off the newcomer. But I’m equally sure they don’t because the winner would be seen as the stronger one and, therefore, more worthy of having a pride. I’m glad human Lions are smarter than that. I don’t want a newcomer. Stronger or not.

Lion is still waffling about the surgery. He’s in a lot of pain now. He’ll be in a lot of pain after. He’s worried about things he can’t do right after the surgery. I’m worried about things he can’t do now. He’s worried about the length of time off of work and the long recovery period. I’m worried he’s in more pain than he’s letting on and it could get worse suddenly if the tendon tears more. He’s worried he’ll never regain full use of his arm. I know he doesn’t have full use now. And around and around we go. Only he knows how much pain he’s in at any given time. That’s why I wanted him to have the option of deciding when/if we play. He’s a stubborn man.

Friday night Mrs. Lion gave me a very nice orgasm with the vibrator. I was horny and it came as a great shot of pleasure in an otherwise painful day. Mrs. Lion decided that for the time being I could ask for an orgasm or play whenever I want. Her motivation is the best: she wants me to get as much fun as I can since my shoulder is pure pain.

I’m pretty sure that I won’t ask for either. It’s not particularly fun to order pleasure like food in a restaurant. I know Mrs. Lion wants this to be a kindness to her suffering lion. But for me, most of the fun is the surprise and my lack of control. The instant I can decide what happens to me in the play and sex departments, it loses some of its luster. So, Mrs. Lion, please continue deciding what happens to me.

We weighed in yesterday morning. We both lost weight. Our diet is going well. I find myself anxious that I lose. The prospect of a spanking is something I dread. It’s working as a deterrent and motivator. The secret is that my spankings are severe and hurt like hell. Those domestic discipline bloggers are right. To make an adult spanking meaningful it has to be much more severe than anything I experienced in the BDSM world.

I’m sure that it won’t take too many punishments for me to remember to wear my training collar without fail. I do tend to forget it more often than not. Mrs. Lion has gone easy on me because of my injury. I think that is very kind of her. It’s interesting (to me at least) that as a result, I keep forgetting to wear it.

Six months ago if you would have asked me if spankings from Mrs. Lion would cause me to take changes she wants seriously, I would have denied that as a possibility. I am absolutely amazed that there is such clear evidence that her punishments work. It’s no power game. It’s cause and effect. Break a rule, get a very painful spanking.

Why do I let her hurt me? I’m not tied down and I am bigger and stronger. Some would say I must want her to spank me since I don’t stop her. Nope. I don’t want to be hurt. In the beginning, I submitted because that was our agreement. Now it’s because I have to. If I try to resist, things will be much worse. A few swats to the back of my thighs will have me scampering to get into spanking position.

I can’t resist. Mrs. Lion is in charge. What started as an agreement is now deeply ingrained in me. I think the same is happening to her as well. I used to think that those blogs featuring severe punishment had to be fake. What man would allow himself to be punished that way? Now I know. I’m one of those men.