The One Where I Might Not Need Surgery, After All

So I went to go meet with the new surgeon on Wednesday. I was supposed to meet with him and get a new surgery date. What I got was something altogether different.

This new surgeon says that there’s a 75% chance I won’t need surgery, after all. That I could be healed through physical therapy. I said that the last surgeon said physical therapy would be counterproductive.

“Who told you that?” he said.

I gave him the doctor’s name, and he nodded with a smile. As if to say, yeah, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He told me that he recommended 6 weeks of physical therapy. “I’ll be happy to cut,” he said, “if the therapy doesn’t work and it’ll just be a tiny cut, arhtroscopic.” Another thing the other surgeon said was that it would be totally open shoulder surgery.

This explained why I’d received a huge packet of physical therapy paperwork in the mail, as well as two orders of painkillers and anti-inflamatory meds.

So was it Kismet that my doctor called in sick just before my surgery? Would it have been unnecessary surgery? I don’t know.

I have an appointment on Thursday to meet with a physical therapist. There are very specific orders the surgeon has given for physical therapy. We’ll see how it goes.

In the meantime, I know that these painkillers are really helping me sleep, and that’s a good thing. Soon enough, I fear my shoulder will be given such a severe workout that I’ll need those painkillers big time.